After a dominating first test for England, the India national cricket team hoped to bounce back in the second test of their 5 test series. After the Hyderababd heroics in the first test, the Ben Stokes led England side would hope to compound on top of their 1-0 series lead and further cement their devastating āBazballā approach to test cricket.
However, with star players KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja both being ruled out with injury, the home nation was already at a disadvantage, especially considering the manner in which they finished their batting partnership with a total over 160 runs in the first test.
Strong Day 1 Start For India
In the initial phases of the game on the first day of the test, the opening batsmen of India chose to approach cautiously after electing to bat first. Even though captain Rohit Sharma fell early on, Yashasvi Jaiswal found his stride at the crease, helped on by Shubman Gil before he departed just before the lunch break. However, following the resumption in play, Jaiswal successfully reached his second ever test century, something which made up for both Iyer and Patidarās promising starts both falling short.
After Axel Patel stepped into the crease, he initially displayed some potential, however, was quickly dismissed for just 27 runs. Even after KS Bharat’s eventual dismal, Jaiswal remained at full composure, finishing Day 1 on an undefeated 179 run total alongside his partner Ravichandran Ashwin. With just a loss of 6 wickets and 336 runs overall, it would prove to be a dominant bounce back for the home side.
Day 2 Starts With A New Ball
As Jaiswal and Ashwin held their ground at the crease, the 2nd day of the test commenced with India having to confront the challenge of navigating through a new tricky phase with a second fresh ball. However, as much as the England cricket team tried, they could not prevent Jaiswal from achieving his inaugural double hundred in test cricket.
In their pursuit of 396 runs which India amassed in their first innings, Englandās opening pair of Ben Ducket and Zak Crawley displayed impressive batsmanship, especially the latter who managed to take 76 runs off just 78 balls. However, due to the relentless bowling of Jasprit Bumrah, the England side struggled to capitalise, with his formidable spell with the ball yielding 6 crucial wickets, essentially dismantling the main core of Englandās batting lineup.
Not only this but Kuldeep Yadab also took 3 vital wickets, making even more substantial contributions to the team, forming a clinical partnership with Bumrah that left the opposition batsmen in position nothing short of challenging. Due to this dominance, it saw England being bowled out completely within just two separate sessions, allowing India to retain a lead of 143 runs.
England Stage A Late Comeback On Day 3
On the third day of the test, India had already set the stage for a pivotal day of play, maintaining a substantial lead of 171 runs. Despite both Rohit Sharma and Yashabi Jaiswall being dismissed early, the partnership between Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gil managed to stabilise the innings for the Indian side. Gil himself managed to manage a tenacious century, something which was coupled with the aggressive batting of Axar Patel, helping the home side to extend their commanding lead to 398 runs.
In general, the spin bowlers of the England team struggled to take advantage of early wickets that were taken by James Anderson, but thanks to Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley, some crucial breakthroughs were actually made. WIth some strategic captaincy from Ben Stokes, additional wickets were taken, limiting the Indian side to 255 in their second innings.
Chasing a difficult total of 399 runs, England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Ducket exhibited some resilience, keeping the hopes of the visiting side alive. Although Ducket was eventually dismissed, Crawley and his new partner Rehan Ahmed managed to end the day undefeated, with England only conceding that singular wicket, setting the stage for an intriguing final day of the second test match.
India Seal England’s Fate On Day 4
As the sun ascended in Pradesh on the 4th day of the test match, it marked a crucial day of cricket where India needed just a few remaining wickets in order to claim victory. On the other hand, England had to chase down a run score of 332 runs, with their innings commencing steadily as Crawley and Ahmed formed yet another solid opening partnership.
However, their promising stand was disrupted when Axar Patel provided the opening breakthrough by dismissing Ahmed. Crawley, resilient in his approach, continued to anchor the innings with an impressive knock, scoring a total of 73 runs before being dismissed by Yadav courtesy of a brilliant review by India. Just as England seemingly began to be stabilising, India managed to deliver those critical blows in the moments leading up to lunch in order to assert their lead.
Dismantling the English middle batting order, Ashwin removed both Joe Root and Ollie Pope, the hero of the first test, displaying his dominance with the ball and claiming his 500th test wicket, a milestone on its own. Simultaneously, thanks to the relentless accuracy and pace of Jasrpit Bumrah, Johnny Bairstow fell victim to yet another intriguing decision to go to review. At the lunch break, England found themselves reeling at 194/6 after just over 42 overs, leaving all of their hopes of staging a historic comeback on the experienced Ben Stokes.
After play resumed though, impeccable fielding from the Indian side came to the forefront, with Shreyas Iyer executing a brilliant run out in order to dismiss captain Stokes early on. This would prove to be a significant blow to Elglands aspirations as the highest partnership in the innings to follow was just 55, scored thanks to Ben Foalks and Tom Hartley. However, with the former falling to the excellence of Jaspreet Bumrah, India effectively warped up the remaining tail, securing a victory by 106 runs in the end.
All Eyes On The 3rd India vs England Test
Overall, the Indian side never seemingly looked back after recording a massive lead within the first innings of the second test, and thanks to the destructive bowling attack of the home side, they bowled out their opposition for just 292 runs. This form and dominant display saw glimpses of their ODI World Cup form return, with them levelling the series 1-1 after cleaning up on the final day.
With the 3rd test of the series heading over to Rajkot on the 15th February, India will hope to carry this momentum, with England hoping to recapture the aggressive successes of āBazballā that seemed so effective in the first test.
For more match breakdowns and coverage on the 2024 India vs England test cricket series, we here at Cricket Today will be keeping you up to date with all on goings in this matchup that has already provided some highly impressive cricket.
