India won the Vizag Test by 106 runs and levelled the five-match series 1-1.
Chasing 399 to win, the visitors were 67/1 at the close of play on Day 3. However, the English batting line-up capitulated in the morning session on the penultimate day to lose a grip on the Test match.
In their bid to play the attacking brand of cricket, the Three Lions kept losing wickets at regular intervals. They went to the lunch break in dire straits at 194/6 as Rehan Ahmed, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow were dismissed in the first session.
In the post-lunch session, the Indian bowlers completed the formalities by removing Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes, Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley to bundle out the tourists for 292. Opening batter Zak Crawley waged a lone battle for England, scoring 73 with controlled aggression.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah (3/46) and R Ashwin (3/72) starred with the ball, claiming three scalps each in the second innings. Bumrah finished the match with nine wickets to his name and deservedly earned the Player-of-the-Match award.
Earlier in the match, the hosts rode on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maiden Test double ton to post 396 on the board. In reply, England’s innings folded for 253, conceding a significant first-innings lead of 143 runs.
In the second innings, Shubman Gill slammed a gritty hundred (104) to propel India to 255, setting a daunting target of 399 for England.
With this victory, India levelled the five-match series 1-1 and the cricketers took to social media to rejoice the team’s success.
Here are the reactions: