A Fightback For The Ages

Being one down going into the second test at Chennai, India were looking for a strong resurgence. They started their revival by winning a vital toss and batting first. Opener Rohit Sharma was on fire right from word go, scoring at almost run-a-ball from the onset. The changed English bowling line-up did chip in with wickets at the other end with Olly Stone looking impressive in his debut test.

India were three down at lunch, with their skipper Virat Kohli sent back to the sheds by a brut of a ball from Moeen Ali. But England’s lineup didn’t consist of veteran James Anderson or the young legs of Jofra Archer. India capitalized on this lack of experience. Rohit Sharma and Vice captain Ajinkya Rahane dug in and batted for long hours, scoring runs at a rate of knots. Rahane unleashed some beautiful drives both off the front and the back foot on his way to 50, while Rohit Sharma got to his 100 with some clean blows.

The ball was turning square already, and this proved to be the undoing of both the set batsmen as they were dismissed by spinners Leach and Ali. Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant continued where he left off in the first test, and took to the bowlers and got to a quickfire 58. His innings propelled India to a commendable 329.

England in reply looked absolutely dismal, losing four wickets before lunch on Day 2. Ashwin was bowling magnificently and getting some great purchase off the deck. Even Axar Patel chipped in with the huge wicket of Joe Root. The puff of dust extracted out of the surface was a sight to behold for everyone watching. Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes worked hard for some runs, the latter remaining unbeaten after an impressive 42. Ashwin picked a fifer. The England scorecard told a sorry tale as they were dismissed for a mere 134, still behind by 195.

India’s second innings was a memorable one to say the least, as it saw one of arguably the best innings in India’s test match history. It was Day 3, also known as the moving day. And it sure did move a lot of people to the core as Indian All-Rounder Ravi Ashwin scored a terrific 106 off 148 balls. He played the likes of Leach and Ali with ease on a track where batting against spin was anything but easy. His hundred is one that shows that if one applies themselves and looks to be positive, it doesn’t matter if the deck is a green-top or a rank-turner. The whole of India will remember that innings for a long time to come.

That, along with the skipper’s valiant half century meant that England were to chase 481 against the lethal spin trio of India. The fourth innings started and ended much the same as the first one, with Indian spinners dominating. This time Axar Patel showing his magic by picking up 5 for the innings. The visitors were wrapped up at 164, losing by 317 runs. With the series in the balance, the pink-ball test at Ahemedabad will draw a lot of eyeballs and the teams will lock horns to take the lead going into the last test.

-Vibhor Dubey