India 224 (Nair 57, Atkinson 5-33) and 75 for 2 (Jaiswal 51, Tongue 1-25) lead England 247 (Crawley 64, Brook 53, Prasidh 4-62, Siraj 4-86) by 52 runs*
Now this, party people, is what it’s all about. We had to wait until the final Friday of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but here it was—the best day’s play so far, and it has, at this juncture, put India in control. At 75 for 2 in their second innings, they lead by 52 runs.
That it happened on day two of the fifth and final Test only added to the spectacle. The tension was palpable—a slalom through angst and nerves. Gus Atkinson, returning after two months out, claimed his fourth five-wicket haul to close India’s first innings at 224. He also delivered the final meaningful act of the day, trapping Sai Sudharsan LBW—the last of 15 wickets to fall on Friday.
In between, England were dismissed for 247—a lead of just 23, which had once looked like it could be much larger when Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett blitzed 92 runs off 77 deliveries. But from lunch, with England at 109 for 1 and trailing by only 115, India stirred.
A rousing middle session from Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, who took 4 for 86 and 4 for 62 respectively, triggered a collapse that saw the final nine wickets fall for just 155 runs. If there was any doubt that England had surrendered the initiative, it was dispelled during the final 16-over session.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, aggressive and unbeaten on 51 from just 49 balls, was dropped twice—first on 20 by Harry Brook and again on 40 by substitute fielder Liam Dawson. Although Crawley held on to a chance off Sai Sudharsan at seven, the mood was of a stretched and stumbling England side. With Chris Woakes ruled out due to a shoulder injury sustained on day one, the hosts now appear to be desperately grasping at a match that could soon drift beyond their reach. (ESPNcricinfo)
