Ashwin and Bumrah shine in India’s game-changing series-levelling victory.
As they had pledged, England put up a resilient effort in the pursuit; however, India continuously made breakthroughs to secure a 106-run victory, leveling the series 1-1.
England’s pursuit, amassing 292 runs, the second-highest team score in the match, was spearheaded by the astute Zak Crawley, who notched twin fifties and top-scored with 73.
The chase commenced with Rehan Ahmed, the overnight batsman, displaying free-hitting early in the day, while Rohit Sharma persisted with Axar Patel.
The breakthrough eventually came after a 45-run partnership when Rehan played across a delivery that slid on and kept low, resulting in an LBW dismissal.
Despite England’s aggressive approach, Ollie Pope made a brisk start.
Crawley remained the most composed among the batsmen, utilizing his reach effectively and executing calculated shots to counteract the mounting pressure.
R Ashwin introduced drift and loop against the right-handers from around the wicket, posing challenges to both edges.
He dismissed Pope with a sharp catch at slip by Rohit and outsmarted an attacking Joe Root in flight, inducing another catch.
Crawley, in tandem with Bairstow, countered with a rapid 40-run partnership.
The turning point arrived when India benefited from two close LBW decisions in their favor late in the session.
Kuldeep dismissed Crawley with a skidder, confirmed through a review, while Bumrah trapped Bairstow leg before on umpire’s call after a sequence of away-going deliveries.
Entering the final session, England required 205 more runs with only four wickets in hand, including skipper Ben Stokes.
Stokes, accompanied by Ben Foakes, approached the session with a blend of caution and aggression.
However, his attempt at a quick single resulted in a direct hit from Shreyas Iyer, ending the skipper’s innings.
At 220/7, the chase seemed nearly concluded, but England’s resistance persisted with a 55-run partnership between Tom Hartley and Foakes.
Just as the duo whittled away at the deficit, Rohit brought in Bumrah, who promptly deceived Foakes with a slower ball.
With some reverse swing, Mukesh Kumar dismissed Shoaib Bashir before Bumrah fittingly concluded proceedings by bowling out Hartley.
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