2nd Test Result: India Take Series Lead Over England With Convincing Win

Hello and welcome to our coverage of the fifth day’s play of the second Test at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. I really enjoyed the way we went about it this afternoon and we’ve got a chance to save this game tomorrow. To fight so hard and then when you are going into the last day (with) nine wickets, obviously it’s disappointing to get out right at the end but that’s the way it is.

The visitors were 40 for no loss at the break, having bowled out India for 204 in the second innings with some impressive bowling.

India’s spinners zipped through 20 overs in the first hour and it was apparent England would have to negotiate significantly more than the scheduled minimum 90 if they were to frustrate their hosts. “We knew that it won’t be easy to get them out but we had our plans and we knew what we wanted to do”.

The tourists lost captain Alastair Cook late on day four after a stoic resistance and the momentum remained with India as five wickets fell for just 55 runs to leave England reeling at 142-7 at lunch.

Chasing 405, England began the final day at 87/2 but showed no intent of going for the win, opting instead to try and bat out the day.

Moeen Ali did not last long either, out to left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja for two after failing to show any of his usual fluidity in a 31-ball knock.

England’s best hope for survival rested on the shoulders of Joe Root who had Ben Duckett, a walking wicket, for company.

“It’s all about first-innings runs and trying to get parity in that first innings”.

Lancashire’s Jos Buttler, playing as a specialist batsman, has been touted as a possible replacement for the third Test in Mohali, which starts on Saturday.

Cook, who had struck a delightful 130 in the second innings of the drawn Test in Rajkot, went on to record his 53rd Test half-century. However, Stokes’ innings was cut short by debutant Jayant Yadav who bowled a peach of a delivery to disturb his stumps on 6.

However, if Cook’s men were to surpass their 404 target on Monday, it would be the highest run chase in the fourth innings in India of all time, overwriting the 387 India chased ironically against England back in 2008 in Chennai.

Cook did survive two reviews of leg before wicket appeals from Jadeja and Ashwin, but the third umpire upheld the on-field call on both occasions.