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India bounced back in style in Vizag to level the five-match Test series against England 1-1, with three games still to go. After suffering a shocking 28-run defeat in Hyderabad, Rohit Sharma and company won the second Test by 106 runs.
The win in Vizag was headlined by Yashasvi Jaiswal's double hundred and Jasprit Bumrah's nine-wicket haul. Jaiswal had set the tone with his mammoth knock in the first innings, scoring 209 off 290 balls, including 19 boundaries and seven sixes. Riding on his superb knock, the hosts posted 396 runs in the first innings.
In response, England got off to a rollicking start before Jasprit Bumrah produced magic to help India secure a crucial lead. The ace Indian pacer picked up six wickets and also crossed the 150 Test-scalp mark.
Shubman Gill stormed back to form in the second innings to help the team set up a 398-run target. Ben Stokes and company showed signs of chasing it down but Indian bowlers did well to bowl out England for 292 runs to take home the game.
The win had many many experts across the world talking. On that note, let's take a look at five top expert comments on India's win.
#1 "We definitely cannot say that we have gotten rid of Bazball" - Parthiv Patel
Former wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel reckons that Team India are yet to overcome the Bazball approach despite winning the second Test in Vizag. He opined that despite setting an almost 400-run target, the hosts were not the favorite to win the match.
During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Patel said:
"We definitely cannot say that we have gotten rid of Bazball because when India had set a nearly 400-run target in the fourth innings, we were still thinking that they might be able to chase it."
"332 runs were required on the fourth morning and yet it seemed like that. 106 runs were left when they got all out. If Joe Root hadn't played that shot and Ben Stokes hadn't gone for a walk in the park, if that run-out dismissal hadn't happened, it might have been difficult," he added.
#2 "This Indian side can definitely be beaten again" - Alastair Cook
Former England skipper Alastair Cook believes that India would be relieved with the win in Vizag. He also added that England would feel the home side are vulnerable to another defeat.
"India will be relieved more than anything. They were under the cosh after the first Test," Cook said on TNT Sports.
"England lost the game because not one of their batsmen had a match-winning innings," he continued. "That is what they'll look back at. Scores of 30-70 don't win Test matches... England have got close here without any hundreds. They'll be disappointed. There will definitely be things that England will take from this game, though. This Indian side can definitely be beaten again."
#3 "Getting under the skin of the Indian team in a home series" - Sanjay Manjrekar after Vizag Test
Former cricketer Sanjay Manjarekar reckons England opener Zak Crawley's wicket was the turning point of the second Test, which shifted the momentum in India's favor.
During a discussion on ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar said:
"Crawley’s wicket was the turning point. If you looked at the faces of all the Indian players, they were tensed when Crawley was batting in the way he was. This is one team that I’ve seen in a long long time that is getting under the skin of the Indian team in a home series."
#4 “The biggest positive is India winning the game on a good wicket" - Harbhajan Singh
Former spinner Harbhajan Singh lauded Indian cricketers for beating England on a wicket that assisted both batters and bowlers. It was a crucial win for the Men in Blue to level the five-match series 1-1.
In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan said:
“The biggest positive is India winning the game on a good wicket. That’s how you build a team. There’s no fun in winning on bad wickets. We failed to win the World Test Championship finals because we aren’t used to playing on such [good] wickets."
"I hope that the mindset of Team India will change from here on. They go forward with positive intent and will make it a habit of winning on good wickets," he added.
#5 "I don't think we were in any position at any stage" - Rahul Dravid on India dominating England
Indian head coach Rahul Dravid admitted that they were under pressure in the game in a few situations but individual performances bailed them out.
Addressing reporters at the end of the Test, Dravid said:
"We were put under pressure at various times, but I think a couple of individual brilliances kept us in the game in the first couple of days. And then, we needed a bit more of a team performance over days three and four to get us over the line."
"I don't think we were in any position at any stage in this game to ever think about putting pressure back on the opposition," he continued. "So I think more than that [forcing the play], I think after we lost the first couple of wickets, we soaked the pressure really well to get that partnership, but we couldn't just capitalise on it enough."
