Kuldeep Yadav was brought into the game by Rohit Sharma, 12 minutes before the lunch break on Day 4. At that point, England had scored 125 runs in 28 overs and were in need of 207 more runs to win the 2nd Test match in Vizag. Zak Crawley was batting aggressively at 73 runs off 132 balls, while Jonny Bairstow was at 26 runs off 32 balls. India had set a target of 398 runs, but was Rohit Sharma feeling the pressure?
England had a good record of winning eight out of their last ten Tests when chasing a target. On Day 3, James Anderson had declared that they would still go for the win even if the target was 600 runs in 70 overs. He also mentioned that India seemed unsure of what a safe target would be, which may have led to their cautious play in the final session of Day 3. Despite England having to chase a record total, it was India who seemed under pressure on a bright and sunny day.
Crawley added to this pressure by hitting five boundaries in the first hour of play, taking his overnight score of 29 to 73 in just 72 deliveries. He was in great form and Rohit decided to take a chance by bringing in Kuldeep just before lunch.
In the first three balls of the over, Kuldeep bowled with a floated delivery and then changed it up by dragging the length back. On the sixth ball, he went for a short delivery around the leg stump. Crawley attempted to hit it off the back foot, but missed and was hit on the front pad. It seemed like the ball was turning sharply and the on-field umpire did not give it out.
Rohit discussed the decision with the bowler and the wicket-keeper, Srikar Bharat, who have not been the best at making reviews. However, Rohit must have realized that it was worth taking the risk against Crawley. And it paid off.
Kuldeep ran towards fine leg, screaming with his fist up in the air, as his teammates followed. This breakthrough was crucial for India and Kuldeep had provided it.
In the following over, Jasprit Bumrah was brought back for his second spell, 30 minutes before lunch. He managed to get one to swing back in, leaving Jonny Bairstow’s bat and hitting his pads. The umpire raised his finger and the decision was upheld after England’s review. This time, the celebration from the Indian team was not as animated as it was for Crawley’s wicket.
Even Bumrah’s initial celebration was not as aggressive as we have seen in this series. He raised his hands and looked up at the sky, with a look of a job well done. India’s fear of getting “bazballed” again was slowly fading away.
The double strike just before lunch was exactly what India needed to close out the game. The first blow was delivered by one of India’s greatest match-winners of the modern era, Ravichandran Ashwin. In the first innings, Ashwin had a rare off day, going wicketless for only the sixth time in 183 innings he had bowled in India – the first time in nearly five years.
On the brink of a personal milestone, Ashwin knew he had to step up and he did just that by taking the wicket of Ben Duckett on the previous day.
And on Day 4, amidst Crawley’s aggressive batting, Ashwin managed to get one to bounce more than Ollie Pope had anticipated, leaving him in a dilemma. Pope ended up attempting a cut shot to a ball that was not that short, and Rohit instinctively caught the edge at first slip. Ashwin had adjusted his length from the first innings and with varying release points, he was able to land the ball in areas of the pitch that produced extra bounce.
Pope had previously missed a reverse sweep due to the extra bounce. Two overs later, Joe Root, with an injured finger, had raced to 16 runs off just 10 balls. Rohit brought the field in, tempting Root to go for a big shot.
Ashwin then dragged his length back and slowed down the pace, pitching it shorter and around the off stump. Root attempted to dance down the track and hit across the line, but he mistimed it and got a top edge, which went straight to Axar at short third. This was Ashwin’s 499th wicket, wearing jersey number 99.
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