Ben Stokes bowled it straight and the ball hardly bounced before rattling the stumps. Kohli shook his head, as he walked off, he was batting so well for his 72.
By the time Ishant Sharma joined Nadeem at the crease, it was all but lost as India teetered on 179/8 after a mammoth 420-run target set by England in the fourth innings of the first Test at Chennai.
England had a dream day at the office, on the back of what has been a great match for them in general. They out-batted India in the first innings with captain’s knock double hundred by Joe Root taking them to 578.
The Indian batting could not deliver one of those big knocks in their reply and they were bundled out for 337.
England decided to keep batting and not enforce the follow-on. Many were questioning their intent as the pace slowed on the dying fourth day, if they were allowing themselves enough time to have a go at the Indian batting, to set up a victory and go 1-0 up in the series.
Turns out they did, as modern-day England great, the
the world’s most successful fast bowler in Test cricket, Jimmy Anderson, needed one over to turn the game on its head.
Earlier in the day, a ball that angled in and turned just the right amount to took the outside edge from an uncharacteristic shot by the indefatigable Pujara to go into the safe hands of Ben Stokes in the slips.
Prior to Anderson’s entry, Shubman Gill, who had raced to 50 not out with his typical attractive shot-making, and captain Virat Kohli were putting the pressure back on the England bowlers and looked in control to chase down what would be a world-record run-chase.
Anderson looked every bit the menacing, “reverse-swinging in overcast English conditions” threat we all know, except he outsourced that skill to the dusty, humid, heat-sink of Chennai.
Gill’s off stump went cartwheeling as Anderson swung the ball in to sneak it between bat and pad. A couple of deliveries later, was an action replay, with vice-captain Rahane now finding his stumps uprooted. Anderson looked like he would wreck the Indian middle order within that over itself.
It didn’t take long for him to make Rishabh Pant hole one out to short-cover, with an off-cutter that nipped off the track, after a pressure-building maiden over prior. At 110/5, the game was slipping away from the hosts.
A repeat of the Australia heroics would have been too much to ask of Washington Sundar and warrior Ashwin, who copped a few blows in this match even. Sundar was quick to leave nicking one off Bess, and Ashwin followed in similar fashion trying to score off Leach on the backfoot.
Kohli could only do so much at the other end, other than reduce exposure to the tail, as they England attack would look to finish things off quickly. A ball from Ben Stokes that kept low and caught a little bit of dust on the way to Kohli’ stumps, was the final nail in the coffin, as he departed for a well-fought 72.
India were all out for 192, as Jasprit Bumrah was the last man to fall, edging it to keeper Buttler and Jofra Archer gets his first wicket.
Sixth win away from home in a row for England, as they outplay the hosts in the series opener.