India beat England in the second test of the 5-match series. KL Rahul was adjudged as man of the match for his prolific hundred. India’s pace battery lead by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami fired and fired in great fashion. Both the innings were dominated by the pacers from both teams. Indian batsmen failed to a certain extent, but a 50+ partnership from the pair of Shami and Bumrah took the team to a respectable lead. Here’s how the game panned out on the last day: –
First session: –
The first session was dominated by the Indian tailenders. The day began with Indian star Rishabh Pant falling early to Olive Robinson as he nicked one ball through to the keeper. The onus then lied in the hands of Shami and Ishant. They stitched a partnership of 15 runs before Ishant fell. Then came a partnership that changed the game. It was a crucial 89 runs bond. Shami was the more dominant scorer. He was the more aggressive batsman. Also, another notable point was that the batsmen were not throwing their bats around. The batsmen played technically sound shots.
Bumrah played absolutely glorious drives. His forward defense too seemed stronger than ever. Shami on the other hand played stunning flick shots. The session ended with 104 runs for 2 wickets.
Second session: –
The second session began with Shami coming out once again to bat. They just hung around for a few overs before Virat Kohli declared the Indian innings. India ended with a lead of 274 runs. In the end, the scorecard read 298 for 8. In cam, the English openers and the Indian attack began with Jasprit Bumrah. Just on the 4th ball of the English innings, Rory Burns nicked one to the covers. The bowlers were spitting fire!! The English batsmen could not deal with the Indian rhythm. Dom Sibley too ended up nicking one through to the keeper. Haseeb Hameed and Joe Root tried to save the innings, not before Hameed falling to Ishant.
Ishant’s second spell was a dream one. Each ball bowled by him was in the area of uncertainty. He produced several false shots. The big fish, Joe Root was claimed by Jasprit Bumrah, as Root nicked one to the slips. Johnny Bairstow was also trapped by in-form Ishant. As the session ended the scorecard read 67-4.
Third session: –
Siraj was the game-changer in the session. After Jasprit took down Root, Moeen and Jos Buttler strived to save the game. But it was just a test of patience before Moeen Ali again nicked one to the cordon. Jos Buttler, however, seemed resilient than ever. But as said earlier, Indian Bowlers were right on the money. To seal the game, Bumrah bowled a T20 kind variation to Robinson which caught him plumb. And as soon as Jimmy Anderson walked to the crease, India smelt victory. India tapped the final nail in the coffin with Siraj getting through Anderson’s defense and getting him bowled.
