India all out for 255, England need 399 to win Visakhapatnam,
VISAKHAPATNAM (Webdesk) – India were all out for 255 in their second innings, setting England a victory target of 399 on day three of the second test in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Shubman Gill top-scored for India with 104, while Axar Patel contributed 45.
As the five-match series stands at 1-0 in England’s favour, the visitors concluded the day at 67-1 after the dismissal of opener Ben Duckett for 28 in Visakhapatnam.
Duckett, a left-hander, established an aggressive 50-run partnership with Zak Crawley (29) before falling victim to Ravichandran Ashwin, who claimed his 497th Test wicket.
Nightwatchman Rehan Ahmed, accompanied by Crawley at 9 runs, was left to face the daunting task of chasing 332 more runs for victory.
The most successful fourth-inning chase against India was England’s 378 at Edgbaston in 2022, while India’s most successful defence was when they chased down 387 against England in 2008.
The day saw spinners Tom Hartley and Ahmed combine forces to bowl out India for 255 after Gill’s impressive century.
James Anderson, the veteran pace bowler, made early breakthroughs by dismissing the openers, and India faced further setbacks with a spectacular catch by captain Ben Stokes.
Gill’s resilience, marked by his third Test century, played a pivotal role in stabilising India’s innings after they were at 122-4, forming crucial partnerships, notably an 89-run stand with Axar Patel.
Gill’s century was achieved by debutant spinner Shoaib Bashir, earning him cheers from the Sunday crowd.
However, his innings concluded when Bashir got him caught behind with a sharp catch by wicketkeeper Ben Foakes. Gill had two close LBW calls on four, one of which was successfully reviewed, but he batted fluently with flicks and drives until his eventual exit.
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England continued to make inroads, with Hartley claiming Axar LBW for 45, leaving India six down by tea. Ashwin played a gritty knock of 29 before Ahmed secured his dismissal, wrapping up the Indian innings with his third wicket.
In earlier sessions, Shreyas Iyer made 29 before falling victim to an outstanding catch by Stokes.
Anderson’s superb morning spell included rattling Rohit Sharma’s stumps with a delivery that pitched and moved away, followed by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal for his 695th Test wicket.
India, starting their second innings with a lead of 143, began the day at 28-0.
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