Image Credit- BCCI
The fast bowler of our times, Jasprit Bumrah, finished
what he had started in England’s first innings as India overcame a
fourth-innings challenge from a team that is always unpredictable to win by 106
runs in Visakhapatnam, tying the thrilling series at 1-1 with three Tests
remaining.
While an all-out total of 292 was still higher than
the last successful chase by a visiting team in India, West Indies’ 276 for 5,
in Delhi in 1987–88, the defeat was only England’s third in 11 fourth-inning
chases since the beginning of the Bazball era.
Despite their best efforts, England will regret a few
crucial moments that destroyed their chances. Most notably, a leg before wicket
decision against their most composed chaser, Zak Crawley, just prior to the
Bairstow extraction, and an unusually careless run from captain Ben Stokes that
ended his forebodingly poised innings before it could get out of hand. With a
damaged finger, Joe Root played a brilliant knock of 16 from 10 balls that
raised many concerns as well, especially considering how cool England’s tail
was in the face of hardship, especially Tom Hartley, who was the last man out
for 36 from 47 balls.
Rehan was there to have fun, not to stay long, and
Axar dutifully got the last say, claiming a plumb leg before wicket from around
the wicket, but not before Rehan’s 23 off 31 balls had contributed to the
second wicket’s 45 runs in 11 overs. When Ollie Pope emerged, it was evident
that England was not going to back down.
Pope made a deft cameo, embodying business as usual.
At least when he had Axar in his sights, from whom he removed all five of his
boundaries in a 21-ball stay, his confidence in the sweep was a glaring sign
that the bounce had disappeared.
But Ashwin, the sly one, was another matter entirely.
Pope rocked back to cut off another Ashwin delivery that skidded off the
surface across his bows, missing out on a reverse-sweep that would have flicked
his arm through to the keeper. Rohit, at slip, snatched a reflex opportunity
with a flick of his left hand.
For Ashwin, there was wicket number 498, and 499
wouldn’t be far behind. Even by the standards being extracted from the
occasion, England’s star player played a rather frantic knock, whether or not
Root’s injured finger played a part. With a skied slice to point, Ashwin had
his man. He then called up his long-on and long-off fielders, luring the big
hit down to earth with one of those signature hang-time shots that never quite
landed in Root’s arc as planned.
After eliminating Axar and Ashwin, whose attacking
line across the right-handers was once again testing both edges of the bat in
that recognisable subtle way, Crawley and Bairstow worked their way into a
40-run stand for the fifth wicket.
However, Rohit’s double-switch completely destroyed
England’s chances. Initially, Kuldeep was the one to receive three reds on DRS
when India took a chance on the review after he skidded a top-spinner into
Crawley’s pads from over the wicket.
Then, just as lunch was about to end, England was
submerged under the waves because of the unavoidable Bumrah. In his comeback
over, Bairstow had sufficiently confidence in his positioning to punch a pair
of boundaries through the off-side, but Bumrah returned with the nipbacker on a
longer length, and up went umpire Gaffaney’s finger as the ball was shown to be
hitting the top of leg stump.
Naturally, no cause can ever be deemed lost when Ben
Stokes is involved. After the interval, England managed to surpass 200, the
midpoint of their chase, as he and Ben Foakes skillfully stitched together the
innings. Nevertheless, Stokes’ timidity would ultimately prove to be his team’s
downfall as Ben Foakes called him through for a quick single to short midwicket
and Shreyas Iyer’s direct hit caught him three inches short because he was slow
to recognise the threat.
It was only fitting, however, that the true difference
between the teams was the man to apply the coup de grace, as Hartley’s off
stump took a walk like so many others before it. The series is alive and
kicking, after a tussle to savour.