India Hold Fort
India made a remarkable comeback from a shocking defeat at the hands of England in Hyderabad and won the Vizag Test with more than a day to spare. The match moved at a frenetic pace, with India holding fort when it mattered as the English succumbed to some incisive bowling from Jasprit Bumrah and also to their own tactics.
A Brilliant Win for the Men in Blue and White
A depleted India without Kohli, KL Rahul and Jadeja took the field at Vizag needing a win to stay level in the series. The pressure was immense, but how well Rohit Sharma’s troops responded was more than commendable. Yashasvi Jaiswal with a rollicking double ton in the first innings had put India in front and then a brilliant Bumrah produced a bowling masterclass to restrict England to 255. Then it was the turn of Shubhman Gill, who held the Indian second innings together, with a special ton ensuring that England had a massive target of 399 to chase. Indians again bowled well to keep the pressure going and in the end, the English pursuit lost steam, giving India a well-deserved 106-run win. What a brave effort from the men in Blue and White.
A Bazball Overdose by England
The approach of the English, riding on the Bazball hype was more of careless negligence, bordering on the arrogant, than a more focussed and calculative venture. The Bazball fizzled out in the face of some tenacious perseverance from the Indian bowlers who did not get much help from the wicket but kept on probing. Ashwin first and then Bumrah, delivered vital punches when required. Reckless batting from Joe Root and Ollie Pope, instead of paying caution to the winds and respecting Indian conditions, hastened their downfall. Only Zak Crawley who mixed aggression with caution stayed long at the crease. The Bazball ( which I am a fan too ) was in overdose at Vizag and England as such paid the price for it.
A Gem Called Bumrah
In Bumrah India has a real Gem. His repertoire has tremendous depth which takes the pitch out of the equation. Whatever is there to land the ball on, Bumrah is up for it. His development over the years has been phenomenal making him one of the modern-day greats of the game. A thinking cricketer, Bumrah showed how good he was as he bamboozled the English batters with his length, zip and that marginal reverse swing. The inswinging Yorker to castle Ollie Pope will be remembered for long. Pope is not going to forget that ball so easily either. Even though Yashasvi scored big, the player of the match was deservedly Jasprit Bumrah for his decisive imprint on the contest.
Crawley A Bright Spot
A word for Zak Crawley too. The tall 6’6” opening batter batted beautifully in both innings. He drives like a dream and uses his reach to play the spinners effectively. He has been one bright spot for England in the series.
The Series Interestingly Poised
India surely must be breathing easy. The Series now moves to Rajkot as India jump to the second spot in the World Test Championship table behind Australia. On the other hand, It will be interesting to see whether England re-assess their approach or continue with ‘ the Bazball Way…or the Highway ‘.
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A well-deserved win for India !
Jasprit Bumrah has out-witted the over- confident England players. He , Jaiswal and Gill have largely contributed to this win. As for England , Riz Khan dwells on their strategic faults and cavalier approach in succumbing to pressure.
Perfect