The despondent look on Ben Stokes’ face as he dropped the bat in despair after his off-stump got knocked over summed up the situation best. This was the second time in the series that Jasprit Bumrah had dismissed the England captain, but the one at the ACA-VDCA Stadium on Saturday seemed to be more of a telling blow to Stokes and his team.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s magnificent 209 — a well-deserved maiden double-hundred — helped India to a challenging, competitive total of 396 first up. Bazball got going thereafter, but only to be ‘Boom Boomed’ by Bumrah (6/45), whose superlative bowling comprising deliveries shaping in and out — and reverse swing on top of everything — bundled England out for 253. The momentum has clearly swung India’s way in this second Test.
On 28/0 at stumps on Day II and extending their lead to 171, India still have pending work though, considering how England had fought back in Hyderabad.
All said and done, what stood out on Day II was the brilliance of Bumrah, especially on a slow track with hardly any assistance for the quicks. If a certain James Anderson, all of 41 years old, in the opposition camp can finish with figures of 3/47 with an economy rate of just 1.88 on such a surface, Bumrah proved that with his skills and ability, he’s capable of doing something similar. He, in fact, fared even better, mixing it up wonderfully.
England, as expected, scored at almost five an over after India’s first innings ended late in the morning session of the second day.
Zak Crawley (76) looked quite at ease against India’s spinners, but his over-eagerness to keep bashing the tweakers led to his fall off Axar Patel. India though had sensed an opening.
Defining spell
Captain Rohit Sharma brought Bumrah back from opposite the players’ pavilion end, and he produced a spell that has eventually put India in a position of command. 4-2-3-2. These were Bumrah’s numbers in his second spell late in the post-lunch session, which earned him the scalps of the fulcrums of England’s batting line-up: Joe Root and Hyderabad hero Ollie Pope.
Root could well have let the ball go, but hung his bat out only for a late away movement to take an edge and give Shubman Gill catching practice at slip. What followed soon after though was the ball of the day. Or, probably the ball of the series so far.
An in-form and set Pope was fed with mainly away-going deliveries and slower ones. And all of a sudden, Bumrah fired in a searing yorker at 141.7kmph to clatter Pope’s middle and leg stumps.
That wicket was as massive as that of Root because Bumrah and his teammates know well the kind of damage Pope can inflict with his cheeky shots to counter spin. Besides, the pitch hasn’t had much on offer yet for the spinners.
That double blow had India relieved going into tea, while it was an ominous sign for
England with Bumrah having his tail up. Soon after
tea, Bumrah struck again, picking up Jonny Bairstow — another bunny of his alongside Root — for the fourth time in the format.
Stokes counter-attacked thereafter with Tom Hartley, but the Bumrah medicine
ensured it was only a brief resistance.
Indeed, Bumrah’s was a solo performance that has put India on the ascendancy, though left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav (3/71) played a good supporting role.
