"Now his tail will be up" - Sanjay Manjrekar points to Ravichandran Ashwin's late wicket as defining moment of second Test

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels Ravichandran Ashwin's wicket of Ben Duckett at the fag end of Day 3 could be the defining moment of the second India-England Test.

Chasing an improbable 399 in the fourth innings for victory, the visitors were off to the races at 46/0 in 10 overs. However, Ashwin struck in his first over by trapping an in-form Duckett LBW for 28 to provide India with the much-needed breakthrough.

England eventually ended the day at 67/1 in 14 overs, requiring a further 332 runs for a famous win.

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo at stumps on Day 3, Manjrekar feels the wicket can lead Ashwin on a rampage for the rest of the innings [0:01].

"We talk about moments in Test cricket and that wicket of Ben Duckett from Ashwin was one of them. Because he looked good and is a man who is high on confidence and Ashwin getting that wicket was important for India because now his tail will be up. Bowl Ashwin as much as possible in the first 50 overs while the ball is hard and that is where you'll get the best of Ashwin," said Manjrekar.

Ravichandran Ashwin was surprisingly off-color in England's first innings, with figures of 0/61 in 12 overs. The wily off-spinner is only three wickets shy of the magical 500-wicket mark in Test cricket.

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"They can't be expecting Bumrah to bail them out this time" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Bumrah single-handedly wrecked England's batting lineup in the first innings.

Sanjay Manjrekar reckons India would look towards ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah again for timely wickets to successfully defend the massive score of 398 and level the five-match Test series.

The 30-year-old has been India's best bowler in the series so far, including a remarkable 6/45 in the first innings of the ongoing second Test.

However, Manjrekar called for the spinners, especially Axar Patel, to perform better and not rely on Bumrah to replicate his first-inning heroics

"Like Jimmy Anderson for England, India will look towards Bumrah to get the crucial wickets. But they can't be expecting Bumrah to bail them out this time. They must have some support from either Ashwin or Axar. Axar has to bowl better than he has so far in this series. Because of his round-arm action, he may actually be useful on this pitch where some of the balls might come back in and the odd ball might turn," said Manjrekar [0:52].

While Kuldeep Yadav impressed with three wickets in the first innings, Axar bowled only four overs and conceded 24 runs despite picking up a wicket.

Should England successfully hunt down 399, it will be a record for the highest fourth-innings run-chase in India.