Toss report, 2nd Test: India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first in the second Test .
Toss played a key role as well as it was important to bat first on a pitch that was constantly deteriorating. It was predicted on Day 1 itself that this match would end in a result and perhaps won’t go to Day 5.
India defeated England by 317 runs in the second Test match. England was all out for 164 in the second innings. Rohit Sharma’s and Ashwin’s hundreds in the first and second innings respectively were the big reasons for India’s win as it was difficult to score runs on the Chepauk wicket. Nonetheless, India managed to pull of a big victory which will give them massive confidence going in the third Test match.
The pitch played a crucial role in the match and the spinners from both teams took advantage of the situation. Day 4 began with England at three wickets down. The script was set and it was expected that India would win the game. Ashwin and Axar yet again provided important breakthroughs in quick intervals which unsettled the English batsmen. Ravi Ashwin is the clear man of the match despite Rohit Sharma’s heroics in the first innings. His complete all-round performance was the catalyst for India winning the Test as he scored a century in the first innings and picked up eight wickets in the match.
The second Indian innings’ score of 286 was a slap on the cricketers and experts who were claiming that the pitch was unacceptable for Test cricket. If the Indian batsmen could score centuries, then definitely some blame also has to be shared by the English batsmen for not adjusting to the changed conditions. India would be delighted with this win as it also means that India’s chances at reaching the World Test Championship final look bright. India now have to win one more Test match and make sure they don’t lose another one at Motera to qualify for the WTC final. The hosts will jump to number two on WTC rankings.
India’s spinners with talisman Ravichandran Ashwin leading the pack, snapped the Englishmen into a quagmire on a tricky pitch that obeyed every charm of the host. England’s plans were further deflated when Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin took the game away in the second innings with two clinical innings of the highest order. Ashwin’s fifth Test hundred was the icing on the cake as India reworked its plans to torment England with a massive target on board.
Scorecard:
India 1st Innings : 329 / 10 (95.5)
Extras: 0 ( b – 0, lb – 0, w – 0, nb – 0, Penalty – 0)
Fall of wickets: 1 – 0 (Shubman Gill, 1.3 ov) , 2 – 85 (Cheteshwar Pujara, 20.2 ov) , 3 – 86 (Virat Kohli, 21.2 ov) , 4 – 248 (Rohit Sharma, 73 ov) , 5 – 249 (Ajinkya Rahane, 75.2 ov) , 6 – 284 (Ravichandran Ashwin, 82.3 ov) , 7 – 301 (Axar Patel, 89.2 ov) , 8 – 301 (Ishant Sharma, 89.4 ov) , 9 – 325 (Kuldeep Yadav, 95.3 ov) , 10 – 329 (Mohammed Siraj, 95.5 ov)
England 2nd Innings: 134 / 10 (59.5)
Extras: 9 ( b – 4, lb – 4, w – 0, nb – 1, Penalty – 0)
Fall of wickets: 1 – 0 (Rory Burns, 0.3 ov) , 2 – 16 (Dom Sibley, 7.2 ov) , 3 – 23 (Joe Root, 10.3 ov) , 4 – 39 (Dan Lawrence, 18 ov) , 5 – 52 (Ben Stokes, 23.2 ov) , 6 – 87 (Ollie Pope, 38.1 ov) , 7 – 105 (Moeen Ali, 48.1 ov) , 8 – 106 (Olly Stone, 49.2 ov) , 9 – 131 (Jack Leach, 58.5 ov) , 10 – 134 (Stuart Broad, 59.5 ov)
India 3rd Innings: 286 / 10 (85.5)
Extras: 20 ( b – 5, lb – 15, w – 0, nb – 0, Penalty – 0)
Fall of wickets: 1 – 42 (Shubman Gill, 11.2 ov) , 2 – 55 (Cheteshwar Pujara, 19 ov) , 3 – 55 (Rohit Sharma, 21.1 ov) , 4 – 65 (Rishabh Pant, 25.3 ov) , 5 – 86 (Ajinkya Rahane, 30.3 ov) , 6 – 106 (Axar Patel, 36.1 ov) , 7 – 202 (Virat Kohli, 65.4 ov) , 8 – 210 (Kuldeep Yadav, 68 ov) , 9 – 237 (Ishant Sharma, 76.4 ov) , 10 – 286 (Ravichandran Ashwin, 85.5 ov)
England 4th Innings: 164/10 (54.2 )
EXTRAS: 7
(b – 6, w – 0, no – 0, lb – 1, penalty – 0)
1-17 (Dom Sibley, 8.2 ov), 2-49 (Rory Burns, 16 ov), 3-50 (Jack Leach, 17 ov), 4-66 (Dan Lawrence, 25.1 ov), 5-90 (Ben Stokes, 38 ov), 6-110 (Ollie Pope, 43.5 ov), 7-116 (Ben Foakes, 48.3 ov), 8-116 (Joe Root, 49.2 ov), 9-126 (Olly Stone, 51.1 ov), 10-164 (Moeen Ali, 54.2 ov) .
Key Highlights :
.Ashwin become Player of the Match
.Top Batsman Rohit Sharma 161 runs .
.Top Bowler Moen ali 4/128.
