On the second day of the opening Test against England, India continued to strengthen their command, with the inexperienced spin lineup struggling to contain the formidable batting unit of the hosts.
By the final hour of play, India’s lead had surpassed 100, with all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin at the crease. Jadeja had already scored a half-century, while Ashwin was fresh at the crease after KS Bharat’s dismissal.
In a late twist, the visitors found a moment of relief, albeit playing a minimal role, as the batting duo engineered an unfortunate dismissal.
In the 91st over, Ashwin, facing Joe Root, rocked back in the crease and gently pushed the ball towards the cover region before calling for a run. Jadeja, at the other end, responded and took a couple of strides outside his crease.
However, as Ashwin sprinted past the halfway mark, Jadeja realized he wouldn’t make it in time. Unfortunately, Jadeja made the mistake of watching the ball instead of his teammate, and by the time he called off the run, Tom Hartley had already gathered the ball to throw it back to the keeper.
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Displaying maturity, Ashwin halted a foot away from the bowler’s crease, allowing Jadeja to scramble back inside but ultimately handing England an easy scalp.