Relentless Kohli takes India to a commanding position

It was Virat Kohli's day all the way as he hit his 15th Test Century to help India take a lead of 51 runs.

India suffered an early loss of wicket when debutant Jake Ball dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara(47) on the second ball of the day. Pujara misjudged the line as he left the ball and it came straight onto his stumps kissing his thigh pad.

In came the skipper, who knew the importance of his wicket and also the criticality of the situation.

Starting slowly and steadily, he build a partnership with Murali Vijay. Vijay was already settled on the crease as he continued his innings from yesterday.
He gave good support to the skipper and just played his basic game.

Vijay got his reward as he reached yet another century. It was his 2nd century in this series. Vijay was given out LBW when he was on 116 but he successfully reviewed the decision as the ball hit bat and then pad.

India ended the first session on top as they scored 101 runs and lost just one wicket. They didn't let England take hold of the game.

The second session was dominated by England as they scalped 4 wickets and kept India under some pressure. Their only worry was Virat Kohli as the swashbuckler was still present in the middle. 

Kohli and Vijay had a 116 run stand for the 3rd wicket before Vijay got a bit casual and hit the ball straight into the hands of Adil Rashid. Rashid fumbled first but successfully grabbed it the second time.

Karun Nair(13) once again failed as he got LBW on a Moeen Ali delivery. The decision was initially not out but England reviewed the decision successfully.

The highlight of the second session, though, was Joe Root.

Root showed he has got golden arm as he picked up two wickets in successive overs.

First one to go was Parthiv Patel(15), who edged the ball as it went up in the air only to be taken by Jonny Bairstow. Next was R. Ashwin(0), he was stunned when he got out on short leg.

Debutant Keaton Jennings took the catch.

India came under a bit of pressure as they were still 95 runs behind England. 

But Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli played sensibly and made sure India didn't lose another wicket. 

However Virat Kohli got dropped on 68 when he hit the ball straight but Adil Rashid failed to grab it in his hands.

India scored 101 runs again but lost 4 wickets in this session.

In the last session of the day, India came out strong as they lost just one wicket in the face of Ravindra Jadeja(25). Jadeja tried to hit the ball long but an abrupt bounce in the dust makde him mishit the shot and got caught by Jos Buttler.

Virat Kohli stood tall and went on to complete his 15th Test Century after he took a single of a miss field. It's Kohli's 8th century as captain and it just showed how well he handles pressure. 

It was a treat to watch as he hit shots all over the ground and delighted the 20,000 audience in the stadium and millions on the TV. 

Kohli played some brilliant shots after the century and looked classier than ever.
Jayant Yadav gave good support to the captain as he hung in the middle. He also contributed some valuable runs lately once he settled himself.

Virat(147*) and Jayant(30*) helped India reach 451/7 at the end of the day's play.

India summed up the day on top. 

Stat Attack -

• Virat Kohli completed 1000 runs in tests in 2016.
• He also goes past 4000 runs in Test Career and becomes 14th Indian batsman to do so.
• Kohli has now 8 centuries as captain only 3 behind leader Sunil Gavaskar, who hit 11 centuries as captain of Indian team.

©sportskafun.blogspot.com

England reeling at the end of day 3

Team India in complete control of the Mohali Test. Indian spinners are on a roll. England still trail by 56 runs in 2nd innings with almost half of their side back into the pavilion.

It was a good day at the office for Team India. First with the bat and then with the bowl. Ravindra Jadeja resumed from where he left on day 2 along with Ashwin. They both added some valuable runs with their partnership. After Ashwin got out, Jadeja found a new partner in Jayant Yadav, who only in his 2nd test match scored his first test fifty. A fifty of real quality. England were helpless in the first session of the day. Striking just one blow on India.

India's lower order showed great resistance and helped mount a good lead of 134 runs. India batted for almost two sessions of day 3. It was a remarkable performance from Ashwin, Jadeja and Jayant.
India ended their 1st innings on 417 runs. Ben Stokes was the pick of the bowlers with a five-wicket haul. His figures were 5/73.

England started their 2nd innings under real pressure with such a big lead to overcome, they knew they could not afford to lose early wickets. But looking at the form India bowlers were in, wickets were inevitable.

And as it was written in the script for India, Ashwin drew the first blood in the form of Alastair Cook's wicket. It was just 27 runs on board. Ashwin's blistering performance continued as he scalped Moeen Ali's wicket to get his 2nd of the innings.England were 39/2 at the moment. Bairstow and Root tried to make amends for the early losses but could not go the distance as England lost two more wickets by the end of day's play.

The killer blow was Ben Stokes' wicket in the last over of the day when he was given not-out by umpire Chris Gaffaney and Team India challenged the decision and got it right as the three reds which brought smile on India's face made Ben Stokes' face red.

England ended day on 78/4 and have their lives on the sword as team India are completely on top. 

©sportskafun.blogspot.com

How India downed England in Vizag?

India scripted a famous win against England in the second test match of the series in Vizag.

Virat Kohli continued his excellent form, both as a captain and a player, as he led his side to an all time 2nd biggest win over England.

It was the 92nd test win for India at home. India haven't lost at home since January 2013. A record which displays the kind of form Team India are in.

Virat Kohli has become the face of cricket in India. He is a consummate professional and time and again he shows it on the field. India is lucky to have a player of his credibility. 

Let's have a look at things which proved to be the difference between India and England:-

1. Bowlers-  

Rajkot was not so good for Ashwin and co. as they were criticized for lacking hunger and attacking intent.

But in Vizag, Ashwin reminded everyone why he is the best bowler of tests in the world. Taking his first 5-wicket haul and 22nd overall in the first innings. Ashwin clearly made all the doubters hide their faces.

His strict bowling and knocking out key wickets pressurized England in both the innings. And he ended the match with a total of 8 wickets.
The pitch was not so helping in turn and bounce. But he made sure his arsenal has enough armoury to tease and trouble the English batsmen.

Ashwin had a great support in the face of Jadeja. Both strangled the English batsmen, not allowing them to pick any run. This pressure from the spinners helped the seamers too.

Mohammed Shami was deadly with the 2nd new ball in the first session of the last day, picking up a crucial wicket of Joe Root.

Ashwin with 8 wickets in this test took his tally to 56 and is now the leading wicket-taker in tests this year. Rangana Herath is 2nd with 54.

2. Virat Kohli' individual brilliance- 

On the pitch where England batsmen struggled to get going, here was a man who scored a 150+.

The talent this player has, sometimes it cannot be described in words. He came out to bat when India were 2 down in the first half hour on the first morning of the test. His temperament, composure and ability to overcome any situation, shows why he is undoubtedly India's and world's best batsman.

Virat's 167 in the first innings and Pujara's 119 helped India put up a big total on board.
In 2nd innings, no Indian batsmen really held onto the crease, but Kohli again scored 81. He really proved to be a big difference with his bat.

3. Jayant Yadav -

 The debutant, who produced an all-round performance was the icing on the cake.
His experience in First-class cricket helped him earn the praise he is receiving from everyone. 

First with the bat in the 1st innings, partnering with fellow off spinner Ashwin to add some runs at the end and then with the bowl picking up a crucial wicket of Moeen Ali with the help of DRS. 

In his first match, his understanding of the game was plausible.
Jayant didn't stop here, in 2nd innings he scalped 3 wickets, and helped India won the match with a big margin.
Kohli and Ashwin heaped praise on Jayant after the game and why not. After all he produced such an excellent performance.

The players are high on confidence and ready to win a series against the only team which has not lost in India in last 4 years. 

Next test starts on 26th November in Mohali.

©sportskafun.blogspot.com

Debutant Jayant Yadav creates a unique record even before coming onto the pitch

Haryana's Jayant Yadav has been selected in the playing 11 for the second test match against England which  starts at Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy stadium in Vizag from 17th November.

He was presented the test cap by the former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri before the match. He will be the 286th player to play test cricket for India. 

By earning the cap Jayant Yadav has created a unique record. He joins the list of players who made their debut in ODI and Test Cricket on the same ground. 

It's notable that Jayant made his ODI debut in the final match of ODI Series against New Zealand in Vizag last month. He even picked up a wicket in that match. 

Jayant is brought in the team in the place of Amit Mishra. One reason for his inclusion in the side is that he is a handy with the bat and also England has few left handed batsmen so he will be beneficial. 

©sportskafun.blogspot.com