England vs India: The hosts win in Visakhapatnam by 106 runs to level the series 1-1

On an underwhelming fourth day, England lost by 106 runs after being bowled out for 292 while looking to complete a chase that would have broken many records.
England got off to an excellent start and reached 95-1, but a regular fall of wickets was signified when Axar Patel trapped the promoted Rehan Ahmed leg before.
With his exquisite 73-run batting display, England’s biggest hope appeared to be opener Zak Crawley. The game slipped away when he was ruled lbw to Kuldeep Yadav during review.

Ben Stokes provided some slim hope, but a direct hit from Shreyas Iyer saw the captain go unwisely out of the game. At that point, India could relax, needing just 179 runs and three wickets left.

With a stand of 56, Ben Foakes and Tom Hartley prolonged India, with Hartley holding on to two reviews that would have given Ravichandran Ashwin his 500th wicket in Test cricket.
After fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was called upon and failed to make a return catch off Foakes, Ashwin was given another opportunity to reach the milestone when Shoaib Bashir was caught behind by Mukesh Kumar.

With three wickets in the innings and nine wickets for the match, Bumrah overturned Hartley’s off stump, however, leaving Ashwin on 499 wickets ahead of the third Test in Rajkot on February 15.

Even for an England team that has a history of chasing large fourth-inning targets and recently pulled off an incredible victory in the first Test in Hyderabad, this was an enormous challenge.

The fact that England, their fans, and a cautious India squad believed it was practical speaks volumes about Stokes’ team’s performance in the previous two years.
England were quite good with the ball after losing the toss, especially considering that the three spinners had only three Test caps between them.
In the end, the visitors suffered by a 6-68 collapse in their opening over, as the outstanding Bumrah blew them away. They still had a lot of work to do in the chase.

With their family, England will spend the holiday in Abu Dhabi. They will be hoping that Jack Leach, who missed this Test due to a knee injury, is feeling better and that Joe Root does not have any major harm to the finger he injured here.

Stokes’ team can now relax in knowing that they have accomplished more on this tour than initially anticipated. The next three Test matches present an opportunity for England, but they’re also a very challenging circumstance.

James Anderson made it clear on Sunday night that England was going to reach their target in Monday’s 60- or 70-over overs. England had a great start from 67-1 overnight, with Crawley pushing Bumrah and Ahmed going after Axar.

England had opportunities to score after India withdrew, but Ahmed’s error in playing back to Axar allowed England to take the lead.
Whether England’s aggression turned into recklessness is disputable, but Root’s removal was the only distasteful part of the match. He was wary of nine balls, where he smashed two fours, a six, and avoided an LBW review—possibly because of his finger. He took an impulsive swipe at Ashwin from the tenth and was caught at point.

Crawley scored his second half-century of the innings with style, and it was perhaps unfortunate for him to be dismissed for LBW off Kuldeep’s fifth delivery of the day. Bumrah pinned Jonny Bairstow in front at the exact moment of lunch.

After Bumrah’s post-lunch outburst, Stokes was playing himself in and fell in an odd way. When Stokes lingered after Foakes called for a single, he was smacked squarely by Shreyas at mid-wicket.
While Foakes and Hartley demonstrated tenacity and Ashwin was allowed a lengthy delivery to attempt to get his century, Bumrah eventually produced the slower ball that outfoxed Foakes with just six deliveries of a fresh spell.

The scenario was set for Ashwin when Bumrah zipped past Hartley’s defensive grope, making Mukesh the first seamer to take a wicket in the series besides Bumrah and Anderson.

India put up a great fightback, tying the series despite playing without five of their best players after being shocked in Hyderabad.

Young hitters that have the potential to be the foundation of their lineup for many years have led them. Shubman Gill scored a resolute century in the second innings, while Yashasvi Jaiswal produced a breathtaking double century in the first.

The incredible Bumrah, though, is England’s biggest nemesis; his lightning-fast ball movement could prove to be a game-changing element in the series. During the intermission, the tourists have to think of a means to counter his amazing abilities.

India has a stellar domestic record. Despite England’s impressive performance in the first two Tests, they are still the favorites because they haven’t lost a series in this country in twelve years.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and batsman KL Rahul are expected to return for the home team following injuries, but there has been no word on Virat Kohli, who missed the games in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam due to personal issues.