Zak Crawley’s dismissal in the second innings of the second Test in Vizag has raised eyebrows as it was initially not given by the umpire but rather Rohit Sharma took the DRS which saw the ball hit the leg stump. As a result, Zak Crawley was given LBW. However, after the match, Ben Stokes expressed his disappointment with the technology as the ball did not appear to clearly hit the stumps. Former South Africa captain and legend AB de Villiers also supported Ben Stokes as he felt that technology was to blame for the dismissal.
Zak Crawley scored 73 off 132 balls in the second innings of the Test and reached Kuldeep Yadav. Crawley’s wicket proved to be a turning point in the match as India won the Test match by 106 runs. Zak Crawley was England’s best player with the bat in both innings as he scored 76 and 73 in both innings and looked like he could take the game away from India.
AB de Villiers felt the ball missed the leg stump and said it should have been the umpire’s decision at best. He suggested that care should be taken to ensure the cameras are aligned with the stumps at both ends and not at an angle.
“I’m looking at it now and I feel like it doesn’t hit the leg stump (Crawley LBW). He could simply cut or touch the outside of the leg stump, which would ultimately be the umpire’s decision. Technology has made decisions more precise, but they must ensure that the cameras are aligned with the center stump at both ends and not at an angle. Ben Stokes was a bit upset and rightly so,” De Villiers said.
Apart from Zak Crawley, no one from England reached fifty in the second Test
Zak Crawley played two great innings in the second Test and was England’s best batsman as no one from England could reach fifty apart from Zak Crawley. He may have been unlucky in the second innings as the DRS left him out, but the opener played an aggressive knock to give England a fighting chance in the second Test. He has a good record in Test cricket as he has amassed 2404 runs in 76 innings at an average of 32.49 which includes 12 half-centuries and four centuries.
The five-match Test series between India and England is currently tied at 1-1 as the hosts made a sensational comeback in Vizag winning the second Test by 106 runs after facing a defeat in Hyderabad by 28 runs in the first Test . The third Test of the series will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot and both teams have a chance to take the lead in the series by winning this game.
India have not lost a home test series for over a decade and their last loss in a home test series was against England in 2012, when Sir Alastair Cook led the English team to a 2-1 victory. The hosts have won 16 consecutive test series at home since 2012 and are looking to win this series to continue their unbeaten streak in home test series.