England tour of India 2024

[Admin]

First Test, Hyderabad (day four of five):
England 246 (Stokes 70; Ashwin 3-68, Jadeja 3-88) & 420 (Pope 196; Bumrah 4-41)
India 436 (Jadeja 87, Rahul 86, Jaiswal 80; Root 4-79) & 202 (Hartley 7-62)
England won by 28 runs
Scorecard
England produced one of their best ever away wins, stunning India with a 28-run victory in a heart-stopping finish to the first Test in Hyderabad.

Inspired by one of the all-time great innings by Ollie Pope and a beguiling 7-62 from debutant spinner Tom Hartley, England set India 231 to win, then hustled the hosts out for 202 in the extra half-hour at the end of the fourth day.

Beating a team that had lost only three of their previous 46 home Tests is remarkable in itself, but England did it with a vastly inexperienced attack and with senior spinner Jack Leach hampered by a knee injury.

England recovered from a first-innings deficit of 190 - only twice before in Test history have they overturned such a margin to win. India have never previously lost a home Test when taking a lead in excess of 100.

After England began on 316-6, Pope pushed on to 196, the highest second-innings score ever made by an England batter in India. The tourists were bowled out for 420 on the stroke of lunch.

The target should have been within India's reach, even on the wearing pitch, but the hosts buckled. England were led by the brilliant Hartley, who also made 34 with the bat.

A collapse of 4-24 ripped the guts out of the India middle order and reduced the home supporters to an eerie silence.

With India on the brink, KS Bharat and Ravichandran Ashwin combined for a rearguard partnership of 78 that made the crowd believe again. India had the momentum, only for Hartley to bowl Bharat with a beauty.

The extra time was allowed, the shadows closed in. Ashwin danced past Hartley to be stumped, but still India were not beaten.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj swiped 25 for the final wicket before Siraj was stumped off Hartley to spark wild England celebrations.

The second Test begins in Visakhapatnam on Friday, 2 February.

Pope's 196 'one of the great Test innings' - Agnew
Hartley spins England to thrilling win over India - how the day unfolded
England produce win for the ages
England have been pushing the boundaries of possibility ever since captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum took charge in the summer of 2022.

Last winter's defeat of Pakistan in Rawalpindi was one that went into the conversation of England's greatest away wins, but is surely trumped by this given the quality of the opposition, conditions, make-up of England's team and the position they found themselves in after the first innings.

All of this after a build-up that included Harry Brook pulling out of the squad for personal reasons and uncapped spinner Shoaib Bashir having to return to the UK to resolve a visa delay.

Tom Hartley celebrates final wicket
India have won 70 of their 106 home Tests when taking a first-innings lead of 100 runs or more
After two days, England looked set for a heavy defeat, but fought back with the tenacity, confidence and positivity that have become their trademarks. In the end, India were overwhelmed.

The home side were certainly lacking the energy of Virat Kohli, missing from the first two Tests for personal reasons. Kohli would have urged them on in the field and relished the run-chase.

As it is, England's win ignites the five-Test series, as they look to become the first team to win here for 12 years.

It capped a wonderful day of Test cricket, following West Indies' shocking victory over Australia in Brisbane.

Left-field Hartley leads England
Hartley was a left-field pick for this tour, a bowler with only 20 first-class matches but with attributes England believed could make him an asset in India.

On the first evening, when Hartley's first ball in Test cricket was belted for six as he leaked seven runs an over, it seemed a huge mis-step. On Sunday, as Hartley bowled with unerring control and delightful dip, it looked like a masterstroke.

India, perhaps mindful of the ball keeping low from Hartley's end, were measured in adding 42 for the first wicket. Hartley changed the tone in the space of three balls, having both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill held by the sharp hands of Pope under the helmet.

Rohit Sharma, dropped on five by Zak Crawley at second slip, was trapped on the front foot by Hartley and Axar Patel, promoted to number five, patted a tame return catch as India retreated to their bunker. When KL Rahul was lbw playing back to one Joe Root go to turn, England became favourites.

Painstakingly, Bharat and Ashwin soaked up the pressure, rode their luck and inched the score onwards. They attacked Rehan Ahmed and had India finishing the day strongly, until Hartley's stunning delivery turned past Bharat's defence.

Ashwin panicked, but the riotous last-wicket stand brought deafening noise from the crowd and the game was on the brink of a fifth day.

Siraj could not resist one last swing, and Hartley was left with the first seven-wicket haul on debut by an England spinner since Jim Laker in 1948.

Pope classic lays foundation for monumental win
By rescuing England with 148 on Saturday, Pope had already played a great innings, certainly his best for England. In kicking on throughout Sunday morning, it was elevated to one of the best by an England batter overseas.

Ahmed, 16 not out overnight, started the day by driving Bumrah and hitting Jadeja down the ground. India delayed the new ball, which looked to be a mistake until Ahmed edged Bumrah, falling for 28 to end a seventh-wicket stand of 64.

Pope found some more support from the assured Hartley. India took the new ball, but Pope reverse-scooped Jadeja for four. Hartley was comfortable, India were lifeless and, when Rahul dropped a straightforward chance at wide first slip to relieve Pope on 186, all of the momentum was with England.

However, when Ashwin got one to scuttle through Hartley, it was the beginning of England losing their last three wickets for one run, Pope last out trying to reverse-scoop Bumrah for the boundary that would have taken him to 200.

England's second-innings total was the highest by a visiting team in India for 13 years, the 102.1 overs they faced their longest second innings in the Stokes-McCullum era.

For Pope, his was the fourth-highest second-innings score by any visiting batter in India, behind Andy Flower, McCullum and Sir Garfield Sobers. The elite nature of the company befits the size of his achievement and the result it shaped for England.

'Our greatest triumph since I have been captain' - reaction
England captain Ben Stokes, speaking on TNT Sports: "We have had a lot of fantastic moments as a team, great victories but given where we are, and who are playing, I think it's our greatest triumph since I have been captain.

"For Tom Hartley to get nine wickets on debut, and Ollie Pope to get a big hundred after, is incredible. But everyone contributed."

England batter Ollie Pope: "It is the toughest place to come as a batter. So to start a series like that and do it in a winning cause, it's head and shoulders above my other four [centuries]."

India captain Rohit Sharma: "Obviously, having taken a lead of 190 we thought we were really in the game.

"But there was an exceptional innings from Ollie Pope, probably one of the best I have seen in Indian conditions by an overseas batter. He was brilliant.

"I definitely thought 230 was gettable. There wasn't loads in the pitch but we just didn't bat well enough."

[Admin]

2nd Test 2/2/24 to 6/2/24

Dr. Y. S. Rajashekar Reddy ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium (also known as Dr. Y. S. Rajashekar Reddy Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium; formerly known as ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.[2][3] It is primarily used for international cricket matches. The stadium has two-tiers and was designed to avoid any restricted views, eliminating pillars or columns which come in the field of view of spectators. The pitch is known to be batsman-friendly.

Ground profile
The pitch assists spinners and the ball does not bounce much and hence, batting second is not always beneficial, though dew factor sometimes plays a significant role. In recent matches, pitch has been a batting heaven. The highest ODI Score here is 387 by India against West Indies, 2019.

History
The stadium hosted its first ODI match against Pakistan, in which Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored his maiden one day international century (148) in 2005. After being given Test status, it hosted its first test match in November 2016, between India and England. India won the match by 246 runs. The Stadium hosted its first T20I in February 2016 between India and Sri Lanka, in Which Ravichandran Ashwin took 4 wickets for 8 runs in his 4 over spell bundling out Sri Lanka for 83.

The stadium also hosted some IPL matches and was the home ground of Deccan Chargers in 2012 and Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2015 along with Rising Pune Supergiants and Mumbai Indians together in 2016.

Although this Stadium did not host any group stage matches in the 2019 Indian Premier League, it was selected to host the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 of the tournament



Facts
MS Dhoni scored his maiden ODI hundred (148) at this ground when Pakistan toured India in 2005.
Rohit Sharma scored 159 off 138((17*4,5*6)) balls against West Indies on 18 December 2019, which is the highest individual ODI score for any batsmen on this ground.
Rohit Sharma scored his first Test Hundred in his first innings as Test Opener on 3 October 2019, later in the same Test match, Rohit scored another 100 in the second innings. In the same test he smashed 13 sixes, that is the highest total for an individual in a test.
Mayank Agarwal recorded his maiden Test Hundred and converted it into a double hundred (215) at this ground, which is the highest individual Test score for any batsmen on this ground.
Highest ODI score posted by a team was 387/5 by India, vs West Indies, 2019.
Rohit Sharma and K. L. Rahul scored 100's each and recorded 227 runs for the first wicket for India, vs West Indies, 2019.
First time in an ODI that both captains Virat Kohli and Kieron Pollard have been dismissed for a first ball duck, on 18 December 2019.
Kuldeep Yadav picked up his second ODI hat trick at this ground, vs West Indies, 2019.
Josh Inglis scored his maiden T20I century at this ground. He scored 110 of 50 balls and this is the highest individual T20I score for any batsmen on this ground when India toured Australia in 2023



LEACH injured

[alanw]

Jimmy to replace Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir for Jack Leach.

[Admin]

Second Test, Visakhapatnam (day one of five):
India 336-6: Jaiswal 179*; Ahmed 2-61, Bashir 2-100
England: Yet to bat
Scorecard
England admirably clung on to India, despite Yashasvi Jaiswal making a sublime century on the opening day of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

Opener Jaiswal batted throughout the day for his unbeaten 179, leading the home side to 336-6.

The left-hander's knock prevented India, 1-0 down after losing a thrilling first Test, from completely wasting their advantage of winning the toss and batting first on a good pitch.

Jaiswal shared in three separate partnerships in excess of 50, but his team-mates squandered starts. The six men dismissed were all out for between 14 and 34.

Shoaib Bashir, the 20-year-old on debut, was the best of England's four spinners and picked up his maiden Test wicket when Rohit Sharma was caught at leg slip.

James Anderson, now into his 22nd consecutive year as a Test cricketer, bowled brilliantly as the sole seamer and claimed the wicket of Shubman Gill.

Bashir nipped in late in the day for his second, having Axar Patel caught at point, then Rehan Ahmed did the same to KS Bharat to leave England with real hope of limiting India to something manageable.

Jaiswal hits sublime century on day one - as it happened
England battle through day in the dirt
If England's win in Hyderabad was remarkable, then this long day in the field was more typical of a tour of India. For the tourists to take six wickets perhaps means they had the better of it.

Bar Anderson, this England attack is vastly inexperienced. This was only the second time in Test history that England have had two bowlers - Ahmed and Bashir - under the age of 21.

And yet, England stuck to their task. There was the occasional bad ball and error in the field, but it says much about their spirit they were able to chip away at the other end, while Jaiswal compiled his masterful knock.

Perhaps mindful of the wasteful way they batted in the first innings in Hyderabad, India ground it out, often below three runs an over. One wonders how England might have approached their batting in such conditions.

The pitch currently seems true, with the potential to deteriorate quickly later in the match. When England come to bat, they must make their first innings count.

Ultimately, India were indebted to Jaiswal and, even despite his knock, England could yet run through the lower order and then bat well enough to earn a first-innings lead.

Latest step on Jaiswal's rise to superstardom
Jaiswal is the rising star of Indian cricket, one with a backstory to match his incredible talent. At the age of 12 he moved to Mumbai to further his cricket and sold street food to get by.

Spotted by a coach playing at one of the famous maidans, he was set on a course to be player of the tournament at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, after which he signed a huge deal to play for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

Now he is illuminating the Test format. This was his second hundred in only his sixth Test, laced with handsome strokes through the off side. Two of his five sixes were glorious lofts over extra cover and another, over long-on off Tom Hartley, took Jaiswal to three figures.

Bar a flurry of 41 runs off 30 balls in the run-up to his century, Jaiswal's scoring was measured. He added 90 with Shreyas Iyer and 70 with debutant Rajat Patidar. Joe Root, at slip, got fingertips on flashing edges when Jaiswal had 73 and 155.

When Axar somehow cut Bashir to point deep into the evening session, England had the opportunity to make it their day.

KS Bharat arrived and attacked but he too fell to a loose one from Ahmed, leaving Ravichandran Ashwin to support Jaiswal to the close.

Bashir's bright start
England spinner Shoaib Bashir jumps in celebration after taking his first Test wicket
Shoaib Bashir removed India captain Rohit Sharma for 14 to claim his first Test wicket
Bashir's route to Test cricket matches the romance of Jaiswal's. Released by Surrey and picked up by Somerset, he was playing club cricket last summer. After being spotted bowling on Twitter by England captain Ben Stokes he was identified as an option for this tour, but a visa delay meant he did not arrive until Sunday.

Even then, Bashir was comfortably England's best spinner, showing just why he was given a debut after only six first-class matches. He needed fewer than four overs to find the turn that persuaded Rohit to push to leg slip and celebrated with a howl to the sky.

In contrast to Bashir's youthfulness, 41-year-old Anderson is the oldest seamer to ever play a Test in India. He was excellent throughout - controlled, skilful and miserly. He drew Gill into an edge behind.

Hartley could not match his heroics of Hyderabad, but at least had Shreyas brilliantly taken off an under-edge by Ben Foakes. Root opened the bowling but bowled like a batter, while Ahmed was tidy enough when he was finally used just before tea, causing Patidar to play on.

England could have flagged as Jaiswal and Axar inched on, but Bashir was rewarded for his persistence, with one of his worst deliveries claiming the wicket of Axar.

Ahmed's dismissal of Bharat was almost a carbon copy and, with the lower order exposed, England have the second new ball available on Saturday should they require it.

'England stuck to their task really well' - reaction
England spinner Shoaib Bashir, talking to TNT Sports: "To make my debut is very special, it is something you dream of as a kid and I'm just so grateful."

"Rohit is such a good player of spin and to get his wicket as my first is very, very awesome."

India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal: "The pitch played differently throughout the day, as the ball got older and older there was spin and bounce.

"I would love to double it up and I'll be trying to just keep going."

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: "England stuck to their task really well. Similar to first Test, India's batsmen all got in but only Jaiswal passed 34. I really liked the look of Bashir."

[MickeyG]

I'd really like to watch some of this but it starts at 11pm my time and finishes around 6am.

[man in the stand]

Time for Duckett to say England are on course for victory.....he was right in the last test....

[Admin]

Second Test, Visakhapatnam (day two of five):
India 396 (Jaiswal 209; Anderson 3-47, Ahmed 3-65, Bashir 3-138) & 28-0
England 253: Crawley 76; Bumrah 6-45, Kuldeep 3-71
India lead by 171 runs
Scorecard
England were blown away by a scintillating spell of reverse-swing bowling by India's Jasprit Bumrah on day two of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

Bumrah took 6-45 in a devastating burst either side of tea, sensationally knocking Ollie Pope's middle and leg stumps out of the ground with an unplayable in-swinging yorker.

Zak Crawley batted beautifully for 76, but his loose swipe at Axar Patel allowed Bumrah and spinner Kuldeep Yadav to rip the heart out of England's middle order. In all, the tourists lost 6-68.

Ben Stokes fought back with 47 until he was bowled by Bumrah, who took his fifth when Tom Hartley was caught at first slip and then had James Anderson lbw to leave England 253 all out.

That gave India a first-innings lead of 143 after they were bowled out for 396 in the morning session.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, 22, became the third-youngest Indian man to make a Test double century before holing out off Anderson, who along with Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed finished with three wickets.

Jaiswal was batting again before the close, joined by captain Rohit Sharma to take India to 28-0. Their lead is 171 on a pitch where chasing any target of 300 or above would be utterly remarkable.

India will be wary of England fightback in second Test - Crawley
How brilliant Bumrah took down England - as it happened
England looking for another comeback
England are in a dire position, but fewer runs behind on first innings than the 190 they gave up in the first Test in Hyderabad, when they pulled off an astonishing victory.

The main difference here is that it will be England batting last on a pitch that seems sure to deteriorate.

India are hugely indebted to Jaiswal. No-one else made more than 34 in the the hosts' first innings. Their total looked no more than par and England had an opportunity to bat themselves into a position of strength.

The wicket of a Crawley was a huge turning point, after which England were overwhelmed by the skill of Bumrah and trickery of Kuldeep.

Stokes has saved England on countless occasions, so hope remained while the captain was at the crease. Ultimately, even he was powerless to resist the brilliant Bumrah.

It would take bravery to write off England, but comebacks like Hyderabad come once in a generation. The tourists now need their second in the space of a week.

Bumrah blasts through England
India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah holds up the ball as he walks off after taking 6-45 against England
Bumrah went past 150 wickets while also claiming his 10th five-wicket haul in Tests
Crawley, on his 26th birthday, batted with extreme elegance to add 59 with Ben Duckett and 55 with Pope.

He played dreamy straight drives, two slog-sweeps for six and danced to clip Axar for four before trying to repeat it the next ball. Losing his shape, Crawley miscued to point, where Shreyas Iyer took a difficult catch running back over his shoulder.

With the ball reversing, India immediately called for Bumrah, who bowled even better than a similar spell in Hyderabad last week.

Joe Root, battling his technique, poked an edge and Jonny Bairstow was drawn into a needless drive. In between was the stunning delivery to Pope, arcing into the toes at almost 90mph to leave the superb visual of one stump standing and two lying on the ground.

At the other end left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep, in for the injured Ravindra Jadeja, was getting the ball to skid and pop. Duckett prodded to silly point, Ben Foakes played all around one to be bowled and Ahmed patted a long-hop to short mid-wicket.

Stokes countered, so Bumrah was summoned again. Two balls into a new spell, Bumrah got one to scoot into off stump, leaving Stokes to drop his bat and throw out his hands in frustration.

Hartley was spirited for his 21, including a six, but Bumrah was too good. Anderson survived one lbw review in adding 19 with Bashir, only to be plumb in front for Bumrah's sixth.

India bat twice in the day
The 90 minutes that India batted on the second morning were action-packed. Jaiswal, on 179 from the overnight 336-6, attacked, while Anderson was masterful with the second new ball.

Jaiswal crashed Bashir for two sixes, then swept the same bowler for four to go to 200, celebrating by removing his gloves and helmet, and blowing kisses to the crowd.

Anderson had exchanged words with Ravichandran Ashwin before having him caught behind, then England dried Jaiswal's scoring to entice a smear to Bairstow at deep cover. Ahmed had Bumrah caught at slip and debutant Bashir snared number 11 Mukesh Kumar in the same fashion.

Given their total, the conditions and the fact England reached 114-1, India surely could not have hoped to be batting again before the close with such a healthy lead.

When the opportunity came, Jaiswal and Rohit were intent on making it count, rattling along at almost six an over and leaving a platform from which to build a match-winning lead on Sunday.

'We are still in the game' - reaction
India bowler Jasprit Bumrah on TNT Sports: "I grew up watching legendary bowlers using reverse-swing to bowl magical deliveries and it really inspired me.

"Playing Test cricket has been my dream so whenever I get tired or things don't go my way, I remind myself that I am doing what I have always wanted to do and I will always put in the effort."

England batter Zak Crawley on TNT: "They played very well, obviously Jaiswal played an unbelievable innings and Bumrah was very, very good. He bowled some unplayable balls.

"I feel like we are still in the game massively. We back ourselves to chase a score on the fourth or fifth day."

Former England bowler Steven Finn on TNT: "Bumrah gets into your head as a batter because you just know he can make the ball move in any direction he wants it to. He is a bowler like no other and he is very hard to prepare for."

[Admin]

Second Test, Visakhapatnam (day three of five):
India 396 (Jaiswal 209; Anderson 3-47) & 255 (Gill 104; Hartley 4-77)
England 253: (Crawley 76; Bumrah 6-45) & 67-1
England need 332 more runs to win
Scorecard
England lost Ben Duckett late on day three after being set an enormous 399 to beat India in the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

Duckett made 28 in a stand of 50 with Zak Crawley before offering a bat-pad catch off Ravichandran Ashwin.

Crawley remains on 29, alongside the promoted Rehan Ahmed on nine, with England 67-1 and in need of 332 more runs for another astonishing victory.

India were put into a position from which they are favourites to level the series by a classy century from Shubman Gill.

Amid some England excellence with the ball in the morning session, Gill could have been dismissed three times before he reached 20, but survived to make 104 and help India to 255 in their second innings.

Despite giving up a first-innings deficit of 143, England clung on with tenacity. James Anderson was magnificent in the first half hour and even though Gill shared stands of 89 with Axar Patel and 81 with Shreyas Iyer, the tourists chipped away.

Tom Hartley claimed four wickets, Ahmed three. Ben Foakes was excellent behind the stumps and Ben Stokes took a wonderful catch to remove Iyer. India lost their last six wickets for 44 runs.

For as hard as England battled, they still need to break records to win. A successful chase would be their highest in Test cricket, the highest by anyone against India and the highest in this country.

No visiting team has ever made 300 in the fourth innings of a Test in India, regardless of the result.

England also have a concern over Joe Root, who took a blow to the finger in the warm-up and again at slip, and was off the field from the drinks break in the morning session.

India nervous about England chase - Anderson
TMS podcast: Can England's mentality make anything possible?
India set England 399 to win second Test - as it happened
England need history once more
England have already made history under captain Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. It was against India at Edgbaston in 2022 that they set the record for England's highest chase and only last week overturned a 190-run first-innings deficit to win the first Test in Hyderabad.

That they still have the feintest sniff here is down to the intensity they showed in Sunday's first session and the perseverance they demonstrated across the rest of the day.

Shubman could have batted England out of the game, especially with Anderson barely used after lunch and Root's off-spin unavailable. Instead, Stokes marshalled a trio of young spinners with only three previous caps between them and toyed with the field to induce Indian errors.

Ultimately it has probably come too late, albeit on a pitch still good for batting, bar occasional uneven bounce. It is likely that England will come to rue the 6-68 they lost in their first innings on Saturday.

There was at least precedent for what Stokes' men achieved in Hyderabad, whereas victory here would mean doing something no England team has done. In fact, England have only twice chased more than 100 to win in India, neither of which were in the past 40 years.

Crawley and Duckett laid a platform and India will be wary of what England are capable of, but this feels like a stretch, even for the Bazballers.

Gill repays the faith
India batter Shubman Gill raises his bat in celebration after hitting a century
Shubman Gill has now hit three centuries in 22 Tests
Gill has been an enigma to the India Test team. The 24-year-old has the second-highest one-day international average of all time, but has struggled to build on a promising start to his Test career. His highest score in his 12 previous innings was 36.

On Sunday Gill repaid the faith shown in him, albeit after coming through a torrid start to his innings. He overturned being given lbw to Hartley on four, survived a marginal lbw review off Anderson on the same score and on 17 edged Hartley between keeper and slip.

With determination, Gill grew in stature and scored all around the wicket. He played powerful sweeps, delicate cuts and lofted two sixes down the ground. Gill was particularly harsh on Ahmed en route to his third Test century.

The stands with Shreyas, who made 29, and Axar, who hit 45, pushed the game away from England, only for Gill to make the mistake that allowed the fightback. As Stokes left a gap on the off side, Shubman played a reverse-sweep for the first time in his innings and gloved Shoaib Bashir to Foakes.

India ground to a halt and lost 4-18 in 10 overs, leaving Ashwin to inch on in the company of Jasprit Bumrah, who chewed up 26 deliveries for his duck.

Bumrah's vigil ended when he pushed Hartley to gully and in the next over Ashwin was last man out for 29, edging Ahmed behind.

England persevere
With India 28-0 at the beginning of the day, already 171 ahead, England needed everything to go their way. As Anderson swung the ball in the hazy morning humidity, it felt like it might.

Anderson needed only four deliveries to nip one past the defence of Rohit Sharma and into off stump. In Anderson's next over, Yashasvi Jaiswal followed a wide one and edged to first slip. It made Anderson the first 41-year-old pace bowler to take five wickets in a Test since 1923.

India were rocked, but somehow Gill and Iyer built their stand. Just as India were getting on top, Stokes produced his moment of magic. Iyer miscued Hartley, Stokes turned from mid-off and sprinted towards the boundary, holding a breath-taking diving catch as the ball dropped over his shoulder.

Anderson bowled only three overs after lunch, so Hartley, Ahmed and Bashir carried the attack. Like the first Test, Hartley was a much better bowler in the second innings, Bashir got the crucial wicket of Gill and Ahmed's 41.3 overs in the match are the most of his first-class career. Foakes took two super catches up to the stumps.

As England prepared to face 14 overs under the floodlights, Ahmed hit throw-downs on the outfield but it looked as though he would not be required, only for Ashwin to strike with 19 balls of the day remaining.

And Ahmed, only 19 and in his third Test, had the confidence to take two boundaries off Axar in the final over of the day.

'We're going to give it a good crack' - reaction
England bowler James Anderson, talking to TNT Sports: "We feel well in the game. We got sat down by the coach last night and he said if India get 600 ahead we're going to try and chase it down.

"We're in a great position and we're going to give it a good crack."

India batter Shubman Gill: "I am definitely very pleased but I left a bit out there. We were in a good position and we could have scored a few more runs, but overall it was a good effort. It is about 70-30 at the moment."

Former England captain Alastair Cook on TNT: "Shubman Gill saying 70-30 is the effect of Bazball. No side has ever got near this sort of total on the subcontinent. We're only talking about it as a possibility because of what Ben Stokes has drilled into England."

[Admin]

Lost by 106 runs, now we got closse scored at a recent rate and lost with 4 sessions left, now this is where Bazball is going to fail we had nearly two days to win this one and a bit more application coul have actually won this without slogging the Bazball way to victory, opportunity lost in my view

[Admin]

Second Test, Visakhapatnam (day four of five):
India 396 (Jaiswal 209; Anderson 3-47) & 255 (Gill 104; Hartley 4-77)
England 253 (Crawley 76; Bumrah 6-45) & 292 (Crawley 73; Bumrah 3-46, Ashwin 3-72)
India won by 106 runs; series level at 1-1
Scorecard
England's series with India is level at 1-1 after a target of 399 to win the second Test proved to be well beyond the tourists in Visakhapatnam.

Looking to complete a chase that would have broken a host of records, England were bowled out for 292 to lose by 106 runs on an anti-climactic fourth day.

England made a strong start and reached 95-1, but the promoted Rehan Ahmed was trapped leg before by Axar Patel to signal a regular fall of wickets.

Opener Zak Crawley looked to be England's main hope, batting with grace for his 73. When he was given lbw to Kuldeep Yadav on review, the game slipped away.

Slim hope remained in the shape of Ben Stokes, only for the captain to be run out in wasteful fashion by a direct hit from Shreyas Iyer. At that point, with 179 required and only three wickets remaining, India could breathe easily.

Ben Foakes and Tom Hartley delayed India with a stand of 56, Hartley surviving two reviews that would have given Ravichandran Ashwin his 500th Test wicket.

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was summoned and pouched a return catch off Foakes and when Shoaib Bashir was caught behind off Mukesh Kumar, Ashwin was given another shot at the milestone.

But Bumrah uprooted Hartley's off stump to end with three in the innings and nine in the match, leaving Ashwin on 499 wickets going into the third Test in Rajkot on 15 February.


This was a huge ask, even for an England side that have made a habit of chasing big fourth-innings targets and pulled off a stunning victory in the first Test in Hyderabad last week.

That it was thought to be possible by England, their supporters and a cautious India team says much about the way Stokes' side have played over the past two years.

After the disadvantage of losing the toss, England were excellent with the ball, especially given their three spinners had only three previous Test caps combined.

Ultimately, the visitors were undone by a collapse of 6-68 in their first innings, when they were blown away by the brilliant Bumrah. It left them too much to do in the chase.

England will spend the break in Abu Dhabi with their families. They will hope Joe Root has escaped any serious damage to the finger he injured here and for an improvement in the condition of Jack Leach, who missed this Test with a knee injury.

Stokes' men will rest knowing they have already achieved more on this tour than some thought they might. England will see the next three Tests as an opportunity, but they are also an incredibly difficult proposition.

England fade after strong start
England captain Ben Stokes walks off after being run out
England lost the crucial wickets of Crawley, Bairstow & Stokes for only 26 runs
On Sunday evening, James Anderson had talked about England trying to chase down their target inside 60 or 70 overs on Monday. From 67-1 overnight, England started brightly, with Crawley driving Bumrah and Ahmed attacking Axar.

India retreated, there were gaps where England could score, but Ahmed's misjudgement in playing back to Axar opened the door.

There can be debate over whether England's aggression tipped into recklessness, though only Root's dismissal was ugly. Perhaps affected by his finger, he was skittish for nine balls in which he hit two fours, a six and survived an lbw review. From the 10th he aimed a wild swipe at Ashwin and was caught at point.

Crawley played beautifully for his second half-century in the match and was perhaps unlucky to be lbw on review to Kuldeep's fifth delivery of the day. Jonny Bairstow was pinned in front by Bumrah on the stroke of lunch.

Stokes was playing himself in and came through Bumrah's post-lunch burst, then fell in bizarre fashion. Called for a single by Foakes, Stokes dawdled and was beaten by a direct hit from Shreyas at mid-wicket.

Foakes and Hartley showed spirit, Ashwin was given a long bowl in an attempt to reach his milestone, but eventually Bumrah needed only six deliveries of a new spell to produce the slower ball that out-foxed Foakes.

Mukesh became the first seamer other than Bumrah or Anderson to take a wicket in the series and the stage was set for Ashwin, only for Bumrah to whistle through Hartley's defensive grope.


They have been led by young batters who could form the backbone of their line-up for years to come. Yashasvi Jaiswal made a stunning double century in the first innings, Shubman Gill a determined hundred in the second.

But England's main tormentor is the awesome Bumrah, whose ability to move the ball at high pace is threatening to become a decisive factor in the series. The tourists must ponder a way to counter his sensational skill during the break.

India have a proud home record. They have not lost a series in this country for 12 years and remain favourites despite England's strong showing over the first two Tests.

The home side will hope to welcome back all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and batter KL Rahul after injuries, but there is so far no word on Virat Kohli, who did not play in Hyderabad or Visakhapatnam for personal reasons.

'England showed a lot of fight' - reaction
England captain Ben Stokes on TNT Sports: "Coming into the last innings we had full belief in ourselves that we could chase it down. The way in which we went about taking on that challenge is what we're all about.

"Congratulations to India, obviously we ended up on the wrong side of the result, but it was another great game."

India captain Rohit Sharma: "We know we were up against a good challenge, the last couple of years England have been playing really good cricket so it was always going to be tough. It's a good a win but it's a tough series still."

Player of the match Jasprit Bumrah: "I am just so happy that we won, and it feels even better to contribute to that success."

Former England spinner Phil Tufnell: "England showed a lot of fight but India's bowlers were far too good, they proved too much."

[lancsdes]

Feb 5, 2024 8:48:04 GMT Admin said:

“Lost by 106 runs, now we got closse scored at a recent rate and lost with 4 sessions left, now this is where Bazball is going to fail we had nearly two days to win this one and a bit more application coul have actually won this without slogging the Bazball way to victory, opportunity lost in my view”


Agree, no one more so than Root who seems to have just played a frenetic innings. He is good enough to play his natural game and score quickly enough. It was being pointed out before online that he has averaged more under bazball than before but I think that is distorted by the number of games he was a poor captain of  a poor team which must’ve brought his average down; there aren’t many people like Graham Gooch, who do better when captain. 


I think Root  is well capable of averaging 60 freed  of captaincy and batting properly

[sillypoint]

I agree that Joe Root is unsuited to Bazball. He scores quickly when he just plays normally, as he scores off most balls he receives by just placing the ball well and rotating the strike.

[Admin]

Leech going home

[oldhamexile]

Feb 11, 2024 9:31:58 GMT Admin said:

Leech going home

They should have called up one of the Lions spinners, probably Matt's brother, as cover. Matt himself made his Test debut as a concussion replacement for Jack Leach after Leach injured himself fielding. Similar scenario could easily arise and we would have no like for like replacement.

Perhaps England are considering a different team make up for the remaining Tests by playing two seamers. In addition to Jimmy they have the express pace options of Wood and Atkinson. Ollie Robinson out there, a clever effective bowler when fit. 

[Admin]

THIRD TEST RAJKOT 15/2/24 TO 19/2/24



Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, also known as the Khandheri Cricket Stadium, is a cricket stadium in Rajkot, India. It is Gujarat's first solar-powered stadium.

In 2013, the first international match took place in this stadium. The host (India) played ODI against England which India lost by a close margin of 9 runs. In same year, it hosted its first T20I between India and Australia which India won by six wickets. In 2016, this stadium hosted its first Test, India vs England. Although, the Test match ended in a draw.
Initially, the stadium was being used for Ranji Trophy matches, when the spectator stands were still being constructed.[1] With the stands completed, the ground can hold 28,000 people. The stadium is a part of a larger sports complex that will include venues for other sports such as badminton, basketball, and volleyball. It will host Saurashtra Cricket Association matches along with Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground.

It is a state of the art cricket stadium. The media box here is similar in design to the one at Lord's Cricket Ground, London. To facilitate spectator movement, there are several aisles between seat columns and the many entrances/exits for the three stands. There is also a spacious passage running around the stadium, between the stands and the outer wall, to enable easy movement.

A 30-acre portion of agricultural land next to the Jamnagar highway was acquired around 2004. Construction began in 2006 and the total cost, including land, is said to be around Rs 75 crore (around $14 million). The SCA shifted its offices from the cramped seventh floor of a commercial building in the city to the stadium which has been hosting first-class matches since late 2008.

The complex has two playing fields: the main one inside the stadium, with a 90-yard outfield, and a smaller one outside, with a 70-yard outfield. The latter is used for outdoor nets, and also for district-level matches. The dressing rooms are big and lined with large, luxurious, cushioned seats.

There are more than 60 hospitality boxes dotting the West Stand and the Pavilion Stand but the SCA has decided against selling them permanently to corporates and will only hire them out for international matches. There are even plans to have an academy in the future.

The stadium was in the cricket news when its Saurashtra run machines Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja make their latest double or triple-hundreds.

It also hosted its first T20 International match on 10 October 2013 between India and Australia during the Australia Tour of India Oct-Nov 2013. The match first saw Aaron Finch make 89 and then the return of Yuvraj Singh to international cricket in which he scored an unbeaten 77 as India chased down 201 runs.

In November 2015, the stadium was selected as one of the six new Test venues along with Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, JSCA International Stadium Complex, Holkar Stadium, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium and Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in India.[2] The stadium was the home ground of the Gujarat Lions in IPL 2016. It hosted five matches in the season.[3]

On 9 November 2016, the stadium hosted its first Test match, which was played between England and India.[4]