Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin combined to bowl India to a hard-fought 106-run victory over England in the second Test at Visakhapatnam on Monday as the home side levelled the five-match series 1-1. The Indians, as expected, bounced back after suffering a stunning 28-run loss in the series opener in Hyderabad despite dominating the first three days of the contest.
India rode on individual brilliance to get the better of England's Bazball approach in another four-day affair at Visakhapatnam. Yashasvi Jaiswal's first innings double ton, Shubman Gill's vital century in the second innings, Bumrah's match haul of 9/91 and Ashwin's triple strikes in the English chase went a long way in India squaring the series.
Shreyas Iyer's brilliant catch to dismiss a well-set Zak Crawley in the first innings and his direct hit to remove England captain Ben Stokes on the fourth afternoon were also big moments in the game. As is their wont under the Stokes-Brendon McCullum regime, England fought all the way. But it was always going to be tough for England to chase down 399.
No doubt, the frenetic pace at which England score puts enormous pressure on the opposition captain and bowlers. The crowd and a huge majority of fans love the all-out attacking style adopted by England. However, it should not be forgotten that Test matches are played over five days and mixing caution with aggression is the ideal recipe to succeed in the longer version of the game. For all their flamboyance, England have failed to reach a total of 300 in three out of the four innings in this series.
It was only an epic knock from Ollie Pope (196), which scripted an amazing turnaround in Hyderabad. It's true Rohit Sharma did not have many close catchers as India would normally have in a home Test. But Rohit has the luxury of falling back on the genius of Bumrah when he needed to. The Gujarat pacer's reverse-swing masterclass helped India gain a massive 143-run first-innings lead. From then on India were in firm control of the match. Bumrah was Rohit's go-to bowler in the England chase too.
It must be said that the toss proved vital in the first two Tests. To be fair, both the tracks played well for the most part. But the uneven nature of the surface meant chasing was always going to be tough. The next three Tests will be played at Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala, respectively. It's safe to assume that the captain winning the toss will be eager to bat first.
So far England have gone in with just a lone seamer, while the Indians have played two pacers. It will be interesting to see the combinations for the remainder of the series.
The Indian middle order doesn't inspire much confidence, especially in the absence of Virat Kohli, who has opted out citing personal reasons, and an injured K L Rahul. It's still unclear whether Kohli will be back for the third Test. But at home, the Indians generally find a way through as the lower order has bailed them out on numerous occasions in the past.
England could put Rohit & Co. under immense pressure if they bat first and put up a total in excess of 300. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel has lost his sting and is in the side more for his batting prowess. Ravindra Jadeja is out with a hamstring injury while his replacement Kuldeep Yadav played his first Test in over a year at Visakhapatnam.
India have not lost a series at home since M S Dhoni's side came second best to Alastair Cook's England in 2012. England and Stokes will fancy their chances of an encore, but it's easier said than done. It promises to be a really close series.
