England in a spin. India now favourites in Ranchi Test
India v England, 25th February 2024.
ENGLAND 353 all out and 145 all out
INDIA 307 all out and 40–0 (152 runs to win)
Oh the slings and arrows of sporting luck or cricketing destiny, of chance, destiny, history or just the plain and simple truth that it’s damned hard to win a game of Test Match cricket in India. Entering day 3 in Ranchi, England were in the ascendancy after having dominated this Test Match since the middle of the afternoon on day 1. Ending day 3 today England looked rather shell-shocked as they trooped from the field of play and are now huge underdogs to a rampant India team who thoroughly and comprehensively outplayed them all day long. If yesterday was an almost perfect day for England, today couldn’t have been this beautiful in India captain Rohit Sharma’s wildest sporting dreams.
Act One: Dhruv Jurel shines as James Anderson edges closer to history
134 runs split the teams entering the morning session with England doggedly determined to split the obstinate overnight partnership of Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav, wrap up the Indian batting “tail” and enjoy a 100 run lead on 1st innings. Jurel and Yadav reciprocated their visitors dogged determination with an attritional, low scoring hour of play that scratched 34 runs away from England’s overnight lead until, right on the cusp of the mid-session break, James Anderson bowled Kuldeep Yadav for a very well played 28. Yadav had only added 11 runs this morning to his overnight not out total of 17 but crucially he’d kept his senior batting partner Dhruv Jurel company for an hour this morning and in a partnership stretching back to the middle of yesterday afternoon and a partnership that will no doubt now be looked upon as not only a game changing one but a Test Match winning one. All of which is for the future, as is James Anderson’s entry into the “700 Club” as he now sits on 698 all-time Test Match wickets. England need their legendary bowler to smash his way into this club tomorrow morning but, this is all for the future too.
The second hour of the morning session yielded more expansive, run chasing cricket from India and strictly speaking, from their wicket-keeper batsman Dhruv Jurel. Resuming on his overnight total of 30 not out, the 23 year old from Agra reached his maiden Test Match 50 from 96 balls received before granted a “life” on 59 when Ollie Robinson couldn’t snaffle a hard head high bullet that burst through his fingers and was only truly defeated when, on 90 and just 10 runs from a maiden Test Match century, he was bowled by a real “Jaffa” of a spinning delivery from Tom Hartley. 10 runs short or not from his personal milestone, Jurel had anchored the innings of his ailing team brilliantly to be the last man out in a total of 307 to trail England on 1st innings by just 46 runs.
This was India’s morning and I’d argue the first session they’d “won” since the opening 2 hours of this Test Match. 4 and a half hours later they’d won every session of the day and there was a newly installed favourite for victory in this 4th Test Match.
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Act Two: Ashwin and Yadav put England in a spin
I’ve watched Test Match cricket (and always the longer form of the game as I grew up watching Test cricket with loving parents who indulged my sporting passions) for over four decades now and so I’ve seen my fair share of England batting collapses to know when one is in the offing. Truth be told, for the second Test Match running England have been in a dominant match winning position only to be “skittled” and collapse out of sight. No slur on the ridiculous “Bazball” moniker or criticisms of the players themselves as quite simply, for the second match running, they’ve been totally and completely outplayed on cricket’s crucial “Moving Day”.
India captain Rohit Sharma opted for spin from both ends with Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja bowling brilliantly in tandem until Ashwin dealt England a double blow in just his 3rd over. “2 in 2 for Ravi Ashwin” shrieked the ever excitable and exuberant legendary spin bowler Ravi Shastri on TV co-commentary and excited he rightfully was. Ashwin first snagged a limp defensive shot from Ben Duckett easily into the hands of Sarfaraz Khan at the close-in “Bat/Pad” position before ripping through Ollie Pope’s defence with a brilliant quicker ball that trapped him dead in front of his stumps.
19–0 had become 19–2 in the blink of an eye.
England’s strongest part of the day was also a prelude to another horrendous dismissal for captain Ben Stokes on the cusp of the Tea Break, the wicket of Jonny Bairstow from the very first ball after the break in play and a total collapse from thereon in. Zak Crawley was England’s one true light with the bat but he succumbed to the spin bowling of Kuldeep Yadav when on 60 and after Joe Root became Ravi Ashwin’s 3rd wicket of the innings and just before Kuldeep Yadav tortured Ben Stokes with another delivery that barely bounced, ricocheted into the England captain’s pads before slowly tumbling onto his stumps. It was the final ball before the Tea Break and England had recovered to 65–2 and 110–4 but at 120–5 were collapsing, and only holding an overall lead of 164 runs.
Act Three: We have a new favourite in Ranchi
Having completed the hard yards of getting himself in and “set” pre the break in play and resting at Tea 30 not out, Jonny Bairstow chipped a simple catch to Rajat Patidar from Ravi Jadeja’s very first ball of the session and although Ben Foakes inched his way to 17 from 76 balls the team around him collapsed to 145 all out. Foakes was Ashwin’s 4th victim and a superb delivery that forced a leading edge straight back to the champion bowler before 3 balls later James Anderson edged a catch into the juggling hands of Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps to wrap up England’s innings and a tame collapse from 110–3 to 145 all out. Ashwin’s final figures of 5 wickets for 51 runs was his 35th Test Match 5 wicket haul and almost certainly a match winning one.
Set 192 runs for victory, Indian openers Rohit Sharma (24) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (16 not out) cantered their way to 40 untroubled runs in the day’s final 25 minutes of play to set up a final day’s run chase tomorrow of 152. England captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl spin from both ends in the 8 overs bowled, leaving all-time great James Anderson to patrol the outfield. The logic is understood but the execution from his spin bowlers was wayward and easy pickings for Sharma and Jaiswal and whereas Sharma could call upon a trio of vastly experienced spin bowlers, Stokes opted for the part-time “Golden Arm” of Joe Root and his two youthful inexperienced spinners. Surely Anderson was worth a 4 over burst with Sharma and Jaiswal just happy to defend until tomorrow morning? Then again, if I was England captain I’d have Anderson bowling all day from one end whilst Ian Botham, Stuart Broad, Derek Underwood and Bob Willis bowled in strict rotation from the other. What England would give for Bob Willis tomorrow morning, bustling in, the wind in his hair, fire in his nostrils, desperate for a victory from the jaws of almost certain defeat.
England commenced day 3 with a 134 run lead and in as dominant a position as you could wish for, and deservedly so.
India ended day 3 chasing a further 152 runs to win after an incredible day saw them outplay England in every cricketing department.
We have a new favourite for victory in Ranchi.