IND v ENG: 2-0 Lead Takes India Home
- Diptangshu Chaki
- Nov 30, 2016
- 2 min read
Captain Kohli shut down the English attack with intelligent bowling choices. Image Courtesy: The Indian Express
What seemed to be a confusing quagmire, turned out to be another of those favourable wickets for the home side to exploit.
With England winning the toss and electing to bat, captain Alastair Cook and Haseeb Hameed had given a steady start to the visitors. It was not long before Umesh Yadav took advantage of the first day freshness and scalped Hameed.
Soon after, a double blow from Jayant Yadav knocked down Joe Root and Cook. By now, England had been put in a spot of bother. Moeen Ali was quick to follow his teammates back to the pavilion. Jonny Bairstow provided some respite as he conjured up a stiff resistance. He partnered Ben Stokes and then Jos Buttler to rescue some pride for the visitors. However, Bairstow missed out on a much deserved century as England were wrapped up for 283.
Mohammed Shami was the pick of the bowlers with a decent pace and control over the line and length. Parthiv Patel, who was making a comeback after 8 years, opened the innings with Murali Vijay.
Vijay departed early, but the southpaw remained to score a gritty 42. Thereafter, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli scored fifties each to bring India to a commendable position.
With Adil Rashid breaking through the partnership, India lost the wickets of Pujara, Rahane and the debutant Karun Nair in quick succession. The hosts were struggling until Ravichandran Ashwin calmed the rough waters with a crucial 50. His partnership with Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav gave India a healthy lead. This was the first time that three batsmen of the Indian lower order scored fifties in same innings.
Parthiv Patel was on top of the England bowling attack. Image Courtesy: Cricbuzz.com
England came to bat with a deficit of 134 runs. Skipper Cook was dismissed early and Root anchored the innings from the other end. England kept losing wickets at regular intervals but Root remained stoic in harsh conditions.
At one stage, they were brought down to 78/5 by the triumvirate of Ashwin, Jadeja and Jayant Yadav. Root got out to Jadeja, scoring a useful 78 in the process. Haseeb continued with their efforts to salvage a draw. He scored 59 and once again reinvigorated his comparisons with the great Hanif Mohammed. Indian bowlers managed to raze down the England wall for a paltry score of 236.
Chasing 104 to win, Parthiv Patel gave a blistering start to the innings scoring an unbeaten 67 of 54 balls. It was a comfortable 8-wicket win for India in the third test. With this, India take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 5-match series.
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