India roared back into contention on an exhilarating second day of the final Test as their seamers restricted England to a 23-run lead after the hosts had threatened to run away with the match, and the series.
After mopping up India’s brittle tail in less than 30 minutes at the Oval on Friday morning, openers Zac Crawley and Ben Duckett raced to 0-92 in 12 overs in a blistering return of Bazball tactics.
However, continuing the back and forth theme of the entire series, India responded as their bowlers ran in relentlessly to peg England back to 247.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal then scored quickly in a potentially awkward last 90 minutes, ending unbeaten on 51 with India closing on 2-75, 52 runs ahead.
There was another flashpoint in a series tarnished by on-field confrontations with Indian seamer Akash Deep giving Duckett a bizarre send-off.
After getting him caught behind, instead of celebrating with teammates, Deep turned and put his arm around the dismissed batter as he walked back to the pavilion.
“He’s given Duckett a bit of a send-off, which is probably unnecessary, but it’s the wicket that India desperately wanted. How many times did a bowler put his arm around after dismissing you, DK?” former England captain Mike Atherton asked fellow commentator Dinesh Karthik.
The former Indian wicketkeeper responded: “I’m not sure if this is the right way to send off a batter, especially after you’ve got him out. Not many batters would behave the way Ben Duckett did, or rather did. It looked like they knew each other well.”
England’s batting coach Marcus Trescothick said Deep was lucky that Duckett didn’t put him in his place,
“I was just saying many in my time, a lot of players would have just dropped the elbow on him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bowler do that after getting someone out,” said Trescothick.
“You see bowlers have many words like we’ve seen a bit in this series on both sides. But it was just different wasn’t it? I was just laughing and joking about it.
“Ben doesn’t really do a great deal. Put your head down and walk off, your job is done at that point. There is no need to walk him off in that fashion.”
Ben Duckett. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Joe Root also had a run-in with Prasidh Krishna while he was running between the wickets later in the innings, shouting at the bowler in a rare display of the usually calm England batter losing his cool.
“It was a very small thing. It was just a combative edge that was coming out. We are good mates off the field. It was just a bit of banter and we both enjoyed it,” Krishna said, adding that India had intended to sledge Root to get him off his game.
“I think that was the plan but I didn’t think the couple of words I said would get such a big reaction from him.
“I love the guy, he is a legend of the game. It’s great when two people are out there wanting to do their best.”
Trescothick said “India tried a different approach”.
“They’ve seen him play so well in this series they’ve tried to get after him and spark him up,” he said.
“Normally he’s the sort of guy who laughs and giggles but today he chose a different route.”
Another fabulously undulating day began with India resuming at 6-204 but soon skittled for 224 as pace bowler Gus Atkinson took five wickets in his first Test since May.
It was an all-too-familiar collapse by the tourists this summer as Karun Nair fell lbw for 57 and Washington Sundar was caught for 26. Atkinson then bowled Mohammed Siraj and had Prasidh Krishna caught behind, both for ducks, to finish with 5-33.
England, 2-1 up in the five-Test series, set about their reply in swashbuckling fashion, exemplified by Duckett’s extraordinary reverse hook for six off Akash Deep.
They reached 50 in seven overs – the fastest 50 opening partnership for England in a Test – but fell just short of the 100 as Duckett was caught behind reversing for 43.
They were 1-109 at lunch and looked poised to take command but India, as they have all summer, refused to buckle as Crawley (64) and Ollie Pope (22) quickly departed.
Root brought calm to proceedings until Siraj nipped one back at him for an lbw on 29, with Jacob Bethell going the same way soon after.
Krishna finished off the session by having Jamie Smith brilliantly caught in the slips for eight by KL Rahul then getting Jamie Overton lbw for nought and followed up with the wicket of Atkinson to finish with 4-62.
Harry Brook had a late flurry either side of a rain delay before becoming Siraj’s fourth victim when bowled for 53. England, with injured Chris Woakes absent, were all out for 247.
India’s openers quickly erased that lead, with Jaiswal looking particularly enterprising en route to a quickfire 51 – though he was badly dropped in the deep on 40.
Rahul departed tamely for seven off Josh Tongue, and Sai Sudharsan followed, lbw to Atkinson for 11, leaving Deep not out four.
With good weather forecast for Saturday, another Oval full house will turn up in expectation of more fireworks in what has been one of the most entertaining series for years.
Trescothick said the match was finely balanced.
“There was lots of positive cricket. We put them under pressure but they fought back pretty well and it sets it up nicely for tomorrow,” he said.
Of England’s scintillating opening stand, he added: “When pitches are like this, we want to put pressure back on the bowlers, using your feet, not playing conventional cricket. Success comes from being inventive, brave. It worked well but then we lost a couple of wickets.”
with AAP
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