Indian Spinners Hurt England’s Chase in 2nd Test
Late strikes by Indian spinners jolted England after skipper Alastair Cook’s dogged half-century gave the visitors hope on the fourth day of the second Test in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Chasing a mammoth 405 for victory, England were precariously placed at 87 for two at stumps, with Joe Root batting on five as Cook’s stubborn resistance came to an end with the close of play.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja trapped Cook lbw for 54 and even though the batsman reviewed the decision, the on-field umpires call was upheld.
Cook fought hard with fellow-opener Haseeb Hameed (25) as the duo put on 75 runs in 50.2 overs before India’s premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin broke through.
Hameed, who impressed on his debut with a well-made 82 in the second innings of the Rajkot Test, batted with grit during his 144-ball stay before being trapped lbw off Ashwin on a delivery that stayed low.
Brief scores:
India 1st innings: 455 & 8 for no loss in 6 overs.
England 1st Innings: 255 all out in in 102.5 overs.
India 2nd innings: 204 in 63.1 overs (Virat Kohli 81; S Broad 4/33)
England 2nd innings: 87 for two in 59.2 overs (Alastair Cook 54).
At Stumps on Day 4 #ENG are 87/2, trail India (455 and 204) by 317 runs #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/dT3MzcUHRM
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 20, 2016