Virat Kohli, Spinners Help India To 246 Run Win
Virat Kohli accumulated for 248 runs as England went down by 246 runs in the second Test match at Vishakhapatnam. The Indian spin trio then made things difficult for the England batsmen on the fifth day of the Test match as the pitch did not spin much but offered variable bounce which assisted Indian spinners and spell trouble for the England batsmen.
It took India a little more than a session to bundle England out for 158 in the second innings to go 1-0 up in the five match series.
Alastair Cook’s untimely dismissal paves way for India win
India vs England encounters have been competitive in the recent past and this one was nicely poised when England was nearing end of play on the fourth day. Alastair Cook’s untimely dismissal on the final over of the fourth day opened the floodgates as India finished day 4 with a much-needed boost to get into the final day’s play.
Cook who scored his 30th ton on the fifth day of the first Test at Rajkot, could not quite repeat his performance as England lost his wicket at a key juncture of the test match.
Starting the day on 87 for 2, England stared down the barrel on 142 for 7 with all the mainstream batsmen back in the pavilion. This time the tail could not furnish much of a resistance as the Indian spinners proved too good for them. The three Indian spinners then conjugated to dismiss the rest of the batting order of England just after lunch. Even the pacers found something in the pitch as Adil Rashid’s dismissal by Mohd Shami showed for an instance.
Virat Kohli, Ashwin and Jayant Yadav make it a memorable win
It was not an easy pitch to bat on as the batsmen from both the sides struggled to play their shots. But it looked as if Virat Kohli was batting on a different strip altogether. In his 50th Test match , in the first innings it was due to his 167 that India managed to score over 400 as Cheteshwar Pujara (119), Ravichandran Ashwin (55) and debutant Jayant Yadav (35) gave him company.
When things got much more difficult in the second innings , Virat again rose to the occasion and scored an important 81 to pose a difficult target for the visitors.
Impressive debut for Jayant Yadav
For Haryana spinner Jayant Yadav, it couldn’t have been a better start to his test career as his contributions both with the bat and the ball was conclusive to the result of the test match. 35 in the first innings when India needed some runs from its tail and an important 27 in the second helping India score past 200, he first proved his potential with the bat on a tough pitch. It also shows that he has a good cricketing brain and he is ready to play the waiting game.
Three wickets in the second innings with the important one of Ben Stokes once again highlighted his contribution to the result of the Test match. One can only hope that he can live up to the promise and potential he showed on his debut in the rest of the series.
England should consider changes for the next Test at Mohali
Going by the performances of some players in this Test match, England should seriously think about replacing some players for the next test, especially the likes of Ben Duckkett and Zafar Ansari. The duo have failed to make an impression so far. With Stuart Broad seen to be hobbling during the second Indian innings of the Test match, he too may be rested.
It was England who had the upper hand at the start of the second Test after they showed character in the First Test, its India who now would be going to Mohali with the advantage. Historically, Mohali favours the Indian team as they have only lost once in 11 played, while five each being win and draw at the venue.
Image Courtesy: Rediff