It was 5.30 PM. The shadows were lengthening across the ground. Mohammed Siraj, India‘s No.11 batter, charged down the deck to Tom Hartley and was stumped by Ben Foakes. The wicket brought to an end a great Test match, as England essayed a believe-it-or-not come-from-behind win to usurp India by 28 runs in Hyderabad. India could muster 202 in a chase of 231.
England have played Test cricket for 147 years now. But this would go down as one of their finest wins, considering they were playing India in their own den. And they had to claw their way back into the game after giving away a lead of 190 runs. Tom Hartley, the Test debutant, bagged a seven-for in the second innings while Ollie Pope was the cornerstone of the win, composing a brilliant 196.
There were so many twists and turns in the game that it is difficult to remember each one of them. At the start of Day Four, India would have still believed of posting a victory. However, Pope continued to collect runs at a brisk pace. Initially, he found an able ally in Rehan Ahmed, with the duo of Pope and Rehan sharing a partnership of 64. Pope stuck to his tried and tested method of employing sweeps and reverse sweeps. Rehan also crunched a few eye-catching shots.
Eventually, Jasprit Bumrah, the one Indian bowler who looked like making the breakthrough, removed Rehan with reverse swing. Hartley, who later on starred with the ball, also made an impression, essaying a crucial hand of 34. He used his reach to play lofts and drives. This was the stand that took the game away from India’s grasp.
With the score reading 419, Ashwin got one to keep low to castle Hartley. India then took the last two wickets to fall for just one run. Pope was the last man to be dismissed, losing his wicket to a reverse scoop. As Pope walked back to the pavilion, he aptly got a standing ovation from not just the sporting crowd but also his teammates. Pope showed great temperament after looking completely clueless in the first innings. It is true that the track slowed down in the second innings, but Pope deserves a lot of credit for using his hands to adjust to the turn off the deck.
It has to be also remembered that at one point, England were 163 for 5. But Pope stitched vital stands with Ben Foakes, Rehan and Hartley. In pursuit of the target, India found it tough to handle the English spinners, especially with rough around. Hartley, who in the first innings was wayward, bowled with much better control. In the first essay, it was quite evident that Hartley gets it to turn at pace and extracts bounce. Just that he couldn’t hit good areas.
Pope also played his part by grabbing a couple of excellent catches to dismiss Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. For a while Rohit Sharma looked in decent touch before he was trapped in front by a straighter-one from Hartley. The left-arm spinner also made short work of Axar Patel, with Root getting one to turn at pace to trap KL Rahul in front.
Ben Stokes also made a valuable contribution by running out Ravindra Jadeja with an excellent piece of fielding, where he reverse-flicked to effect the direct hit. R Ashwin and KS Bharat then raised hopes of India sealing a famous win with a stand of 57. But Hartley once more put paid to India’s hopes by removing both Bharat and Ashwin. With just one wicket left in the shed, England availed for the extra half an hour. After a few nervy moments, Hartley provided the finishing touches by luring Siraj to come out of the crease, with Foakes effecting the stumping.
On expected lines, there was pandemonium in the English camp after picking up the last wicket. So, what about the Indian camp then? For the moment, you expect the dressing room to be quiet. India seemed to have all the aces in the pack as they had taken a very healthy lead of 190. Perhaps India could have extended the lead a little further. But in those conditions, India should have bowled England out for a lot less than 420. Under pressure, the Indian batting unit also failed to deliver.
Meanwhile, the England camp would be chuffed about the win. Stokes later went on to say, “Since I have taken captaincy on, we have had a lot of fantastic moments. This victory is probably 100% our greatest triumph.” Stokes and Brendon McCullum, the captain-coach duo, seem to be on some kind of a mission.
India vs England, Day 4: Post-day discussion https://t.co/BXKgCLuETH
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) January 28, 2024