India’s second innings of the second Test match against England ended with 255 runs as Ravichandran Ashwin failed to add any more runs to the team’s total. No other batsman apart from Shubman Gill stayed in the crease for long and they were dismissed cheaply. India lost wickets on Day 3 in quick succession and the lower order failed to add runs. With India down eight for 229 runs, Ashwin was the only batsman who could have added runs for the team.
Ravichandran Ashwin added 26 runs for the ninth wicket along with Jasprit Bumrah, of which all the runs were contributed by Ashwin. Bumrah played 26 balls but eventually perished against Tom Hartley for a duck and gave away a catch towards the slips. Ashwin also departed Rehan Ahmed’s next over and India set a score of 398 runs for England to win.
Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri, while speaking on air, stated that Ravichandran Ashwin played a strange knock. Shastri lashed out at Ashwin and claimed that he was difficult to understand. India could have finished well above 430-450 at Tea on Day 3, but the batsmen did not keep the scoreboard moving.
Ex-cricketers rage at Ravichandran Ashwin
He said: “It was difficult to understand. If you look at where they were in Tea, India should have targeted 430-440. Instead, they came out and didn’t keep the score moving.”
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen also claimed that the Indian team was dominating the game. But, after the tea session, the innings went nowhere and the hosts made the game stop.
He said: “The tickets are not going anywhere. India are dominating the game, they are way ahead, but they have kept the game stagnant.”
Kevin Pietersen further added that on day 3 of the second Test match he went to India. He didn’t understand what Ravichandran Ashwin was doing with the fans. Pietersen highlighted that the Indian team were 211/4 and then were locked out for 255, and they wasted the opportunity to put pressure on England. India could have put an end to more than 450 runs.
He said: “Day 3 belonged to India. However, they wasted his opportunities. I don’t know what Ashwin was doing with the tail. They made 211 for four before being bowled out for 255. So they wasted the opportunity to pierce England. “If they could have crossed 400 or 450, it would have been a 100 per cent result for India.”
England, 399 runs behind, made a respectable start. After Day 3, England reached 67/1 in 14 overs, with Zak Crawley and Rehan Ahmed unbeaten on 29 and 9 runs respectively. England openers Ben Duckett and Crawley added 50 runs for the first wicket but Duckett fell to R Ashwin for 22 runs.
The Indian bowlers will start the fourth day fresh and will want to finish off England as quickly as possible while the visitors still need 332 runs to win the match. With one game left in the five-match series, the Indian team will try to tie the score by winning the Vizag test match.