IND vs ENG | Shoaib Bashir seizes Day 2 with 32-over spell on crumbling pitch to leave India reeling

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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England extended their advantage from the opening day of the fourth Test in Ranchi to put up a commanding first innings total of 353 before scalping seven Indian wickets while still leading by 134. Shoaib Bashir was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets while Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored with 73.

Brief score: IND 219/7 (Jaiswal 73, Gill 38; Bashir 32-4-84-4) trail ENG 353 (Root 122*, Robinson 58; Jadeja 32.5-7-67-4) by 134 runs

India opted for a shiny new red cherry two balls into Day 2 but the move only fuelled Ollie Robinson's scoring rate as the lower-order batter extended his overnight score of 34 with a flurry of boundaries to bring up his maiden Test half-century. England's score seemed to be spurning beyond India's control quickly with the partnership between Joe Root and Robinson past 100 when Ravindra Jadeja took matters into his own hands and cleaned up the last three batters in the space of two overs to restrict the visitors to 353.

James Anderson got England off to the perfect start with the ball thereafter by having Rohit Sharma caught behind in his second over albeit the side failed to make any further inroads in the first session. The confidently cautious pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill took the Men in Blue through to Lunch at 32/1 before stretching their partnership to 82 beyond the 40-minute break with the former registering yet another Test half-century. However, with the morning moisture having evaporated, the cracks had become wider as England spinners started finding the fault lines with increasing frequency. Shoaib Bashir looked particularly dangerous delivering lethal off-spinners from a height and eventually got his rewards by getting balls to turn viciously off the cracks to scalp both Gill and Rajat Patidar 10 overs part. Recognizing the scale of the task at hand, the ensuing batter Ravindra Jadeja adopted the aerial route and dispatched Tom Hartley for two handsome maximums but his indecisiveness ultimately fell prey to the lurking Bashir and India went into Tea at a precarious 131/4.

Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan batted with uncharacteristic vigilance while Jaiswal kept the scoreboard ticking but tragedy befell once the partnership had clocked over to 31 when a Bashir delivery kept low and crashed into the latter's stump. Tom Hartley took the opportunity to open his account by first having Sarfaraz caught at slip courtesy of a brilliant dive by Joe Root before trapping Ravichandran Ashwin LBW for just 1. The unlikely pair of Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav ensured there was no further damage by facing 58 and 72 deliveries for 30 and 17 runs respectively, despite Bashir's marathon 32-over spell right through to Stumps since he came into the attack in the eighth over. 

Man was almost there to score one more 100 today!

Only he can do that!

He does it effortlessly!

Agreed!

That is some intresting fact!

He is just 20 and can do more!

Pure class!

Gotta apppreciate him!

Just check once and get shocked!

Great!

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