India bounced back to winning ways against England, sealing a 106-run victory on Day 4 of the second Test match in Vizag, on Monday. The win saw the hosts level the series 1-1 as the visitors wrapped up for 292 in their 399-run chase. With England continuing with their Bazball approach towards the target, it was evident that it was a matter of time that English batters would hand the Indian’s their wickets. With most were taken by disciplined bowling by India some wickets like skipper Ben Stokes and Joe Root’s became the talking and meme material.
Day 4 once again saw Bumrah come out on top with a three-wicket haul. Meanwhile, Ashwin also picked three dismissals. The veteran off spinner had removed Ben Duckett (28) in the final session of Day 3, and then followed it up with the crucial wickets of Ollie Pope (23) and Joe Root (16). Meanwhile, the lethal Bumrah removed Jonny Bairstow (26), Ben Foakes (36) and then got the final wicket, dismissing Tom Hartley (36).
Skipper Ben Stoke’s bizarre run out gives India the upper hand in the match.
England went with their usual Bazball approach on Day 4, but failed to overcome the immense pressure applied by the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin. Ben Stokes‘ dismissal proved to be a key turning point and the England captain candidly felt that laziness led to his departure. In the 53rd over, Ben Foakes received a floated delivery from Ashwin, around the wicket and it was full on middle and leg. Foakes went forward to defend it away but inside-edged it onto the pads, and it went to square leg.
It was a tight moment and England decided to go for a single. Foakes was a little bit late, and Stokes was also very casual and was jogging for the single. Shreyas Iyer sensed that and fired in a throw at the batting end, and hit the stumps for a sensational dismissal. The replays confirmed that Stokes didn’t have any part of his bat inside the crease when the throw hit the stumps. Stokes departed for 11 off 29 balls, with England tattering at 220/7.
Although Foakes and Tom Hartley then tried to resurrect England’s hopes it was supposedly not to be England’s day whose Bazball approach and bizarre dismissals in form of uncanny shot from Joe Root and horrendous “stroll in the park ” by skipper Ben Stokes left England agonizingly short of victory and now move ahead with a 1-1 draw in the third test.
English skipper Ben Stokes felt the brunt of the loss through memes and experts trolling his run out to be the turning point and accepted the fact that it was his stupid way of getting out which gave India the advantage and the match.
English skipper Ben Stokes terms his bizarre and horrendous run out in the 2nd innings at Vizag as act of stupidity on the field.
England skipper Ben Stokes admitted to being slow off the blocks and took the blame for his run-out at a vital stage on Day 4 of the second Test against India at Vizag.
With hanging on to only a smidgeon of hope at 220/6 in their run-chase of 399, the all-rounder paid the ultimate price for his lazy running, thanks to a brilliant direct hit from Shreyas Iyer. Ben Stokes started slowly for a single from the non-striker’s end and was short of the crease to trudge back to the pavilion for only 11.
Despite admirable lower-order resistance, his dismissal was arguably the final nail in England’s coffin, as they suffered a 106-run defeat.
At the post-match press conference, Ben Stokes detailed his bizarre run-out by saying:
“I was trying to describe it in the dressing room, it was like one of those dreams where you’re trying to run faster but you can’t. I knew I had to go faster but for some reason, I just couldn’t, it was a really bizarre couple of seconds. You’d think by now at 32 I’d learn not to do that, it’s not the first time I’ve been run out doing something stupid. I always seem to do something that’s a talking point, good or bad, don’t I,”
Renowned for his ability to produce game-changing knocks in the fourth innings, Stokes’ dismissal had the Indian players celebrate wildly. The 32-year-old has impressed with his captaincy thus far in the two Tests as the series heads to Rajkot tied at one apiece.
Ben Stokes credits his successful knee surgery post spectacular catch to dismiss Shreyas Iyer
Ben Stokes credited his successful knee surgery before the India series for helping him fare better on the field and pull off the spectacular catch of Shreyas Iyer in the Vizag Test.
The all-rounder displayed incredible athleticism to sprint back from mid-off and take a diving catch in India’s second innings.
“I got myself in the ring a bit more yesterday, purely to get a different view of the game and angles. When I was at extra cover I felt I was able to move a lot better, throwing the ball in off balance, so for me, before the surgery that is something I found very hard and didn’t have much confidence doing. I don’t think I would have been able to take that catch before this surgery but the way I was able to move, the freedom that I felt, picking the ball up off balance,” said Ben Stokes.
Stokes is yet to fire consistently with the bat in the series, scoring 134 runs in four innings at an average of 33.50. The talismanic all-rounder has been the catalyst behind England’s turnaround in Test cricket, with the side winning 14 of its 20 games since he became captain. Shreyas Iyer however in England’s innings had his share of revenge when he caught Ben Stokes strolling short outside crease with a direct hit that changed the game in India’s favour to win the match and go to Rajkot tied 1-1 a piece in the series.