PremiumIND vs ENG - Axar Patel sends back Rehan Ahmed in first hour of Day 4, Zak Crawley gets his 50
Zak Crawley is not slowing down as he has gone on to smash his half-century and is now joined by Ollie Pope.
Last Updated: 10.26 AM, Feb 05, 2024
India was searching for wickets as the England opener, Zak Crawley, and nightwatchman Rehan Ahmed had formed a good partnership, even getting boundaries on Day 4 of the second Test at Vizag. However, Axar Patel came in and got the breakthrough the host nation needed at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam in the first hour of the day. Crawley, however, is not slowing down as he has gone on to smash his half-century.
Axar bowled a third arm ball on the trot, sliding in and keeping a tad low. Rehan Ahmed shuffled inwards to flick it leg side, but it went under his bat and struck on the pads. The impact might have been marginally outside off, but England didn't review. Rehan walked away instantly for 23(31) [4s-5].
As for Crawley, he got his 50 in 84 balls which consisted of 7 fours and one maximum. His wicket could be a boost for Team India. He is now joined by Ollie Pope.
As of writing this article, 26 overs were done and the English side has scored 125 runs, having lost 2 wickets. England needs 274 runs to secure another win while India will be hoping to get the desired wickets early.
On Day 3, India were all out for 255, taking a 398-run lead. Shubman Gill contributed 109 runs, Axar Patel posted 45, and both Shreyas Iyer and R Ashwin scored 29 runs each. Rajat Patidar's stay was short-lived as he departed for 9 runs, while Yashasvi Jaiswal couldn't replicate his first-innings double ton, falling for 17 runs. Additionally, Rohit Sharma was clean-bowled for 13, a victim of James Anderson's bowling prowess.
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In the previous innings, the Men in Blue amassed a total of 396 runs before being all-out. Yashasvi Jaiswal's maiden double-century, scoring 209 runs, while Shubman Gill contributed as the second-highest scorer with 34 runs. In return, the visitors began promisingly, with Zak Crawley notching 76 runs and Ben Duckett adding 21. Ben Stokes scored 47 while Tom Hartley played a cameo of 21 runs.
Teams:
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mukesh Kumar
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson.