(Cricket News) As promised, England put up a strong fight in the chase, but India managed to keep chipping away to win by 106 runs to level the series 1-1. England’s chase, which totaled 292 runs (the second-highest team score of the match), was spearheaded by a shrewd Zak Crawley, who top-scored with 73 and hit twin fifties.
The day began with Rehan Ahmed, the overnight batsman, hitting freely while Rohit Sharma continued to rely on Axar Patel. Eventually, after a 45-run stand, Rehan was trapped LBW.
Crawley was the most assured of the batters, though, using his reach well and playing measured shots to keep reversing the pressure. R Ashwin found some drift and loop across the right-handers from round the wicket and began to challenge both the edges. He had Pope caught sharply at slip by Rohit and beat an attacking Joe Root in flight to have him caught as well. England continued to attack, and Ollie Pope got off to a quick start.
The game changed, though, when India found two close leg-before-wrap decisions to go in their favour late in the first session. Kuldeep beat Crawley with a skidder and had him adjudged LBW on review, while Bumrah brought one sharply back in to Bairstow after a series of away-going deliveries to trap him leg before on an umpire’s call.
At the end of the first session, England needed just 205 more but with only four wickets remaining, including that of captain Ben Stokes. Along with Ben Foakes, England’s captain began the final session with a mixture of caution and aggression, but he was undone by a direct hit from Shreyas Iyer while attempting a quick single.
At 220/7, the chase looked over, but England fought back thanks to a 55-run partnership between Tom Hartley and Foakes. However, as the two were gradually cutting into the lead, Rohit brought on Bumrah, who straightaway delivered a slower ball by tricking Foakes. Now, with some reverse swing, Mukesh Kumar hit to get Shoaib Bashir, and Bumrah wrapped things up by bowling Hartley, appropriately.
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