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IN PICS: India take control of Vizag Test on day two

Sport360 staff 16:13 18/11/2016

England have an uphill task on their hands if they are to get anything out of the second Test against India at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam (Vizag).

Some disciplined bowling from off-spinner Moeen Ali saw India lose three wickets in quick succession early on day two. Virat Kohli was the first to go, falling after putting up 167, his highest score in Tests against England.

He was soon joined in the dressing room by Wridhhiman Saha and Ravindra Jadeja who were dismissed for three and zero respectively.

That was when debutant Jayant Yadav joined Ravichandran Ashwin in the middle and the duo put on a valuable 64-run partnership for the ninth wicket. Ashwin registered his second fifty in as many Tests in this series while Jayant scored 35.

Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami swung their bats around to take India to 455. James Anderson and Moeen Ali were England’s most successful bowlers, with three wickets a piece.

In reply, the visitors lost Alastair Cook with just four runs on the board, thanks to a brilliant delivery from Mohammed Shami, which broke the England captain’s off-stump. Considering Cook’s record in India, that was a huge moment in the context of the match and the series.

Haseeb Hameed and Joe Root seemed to have been constructing a solid partnership before the former was run-out after a terrible mix-up. The 19-year-old was caught short of his crease for 13.

Ben Duckett was the next to go, clean bowled by an off-spinning delivery from Ashwin, for just five.

Root continued from where he had left off in the first Test with a fluent half-century, but will be bitterly disappointed in the manner of his dismissal. Facing Ashwin, the Yorkshire batsman came down the pitch before miscuing the ball to long-off where Umesh Yadav was stationed.

Yadav would get his first Test wicket soon after, dismissing Moeen Ali leg-before-wicket thanks to a successful review. Ali was way down the pitch, but Jayant convinced captain Kohli to go for the review and it paid off.

Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow saw off the rest of the overs on Friday as England ended the day on 103/1, still 352 runs adrift of India’s first innings total.

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