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on June 9, 2024
Ben Stokes dropped his bat to the ground and shrugged with weary resignation at being beaten again by the masterful Jasprit Bumrah.
He had produced a similar response to an unplayable delivery that cut short his innings of 70 in the first Test and now, with his side again looking to their captain to save them, there was a hint of despair at one that kept a little low and rattled into Stokes off-stump.
It really did look as though England would Bazball their way into another position of superiority on the second day of this second Test when Zak Crawley came flying out of the traps in response to India's 396 all out.
But once Stokes had gone to the brilliant Bumrah, who turned the game on its head with his world-class reverse swing bowling, England were left with a mountain to climb almost as perilous as the one they scaled last week in Hyderabad.
How different it could have been for England had Crawley not left the door ajar for Bumrah and India to barge through by giving his wicket away to Axar Patel after scoring 76 of the most eye-catching runs on his 26th birthday it is possible to imagine.
Jasprit Bumrah produced a sensational bowling performance on day two of the second Test
But Stokes was also once again dismissed by Bumrah, with the England captain looking dismayed as he left the pitch
Stokes held his hands up and shrugged with weary resignation after being bowled by Bumrah
Crawley was sublime as England rattled along at more than five an over, hitting two sixes and 11 fours, but fell in Patel's first over to a leading edge trying to whip him through mid-wicket for a second successive boundary.
It would be easy to point fingers at Crawley as the catalyst for England's demise but, for want of a better phrase, this is how England play and this is how they have achieved so much in this extraordinary transformation of Test cricket.
There was certainly little they could do once Bumrah, playing, remarkably, in only his sixth home Test, got the ball reverse swinging and provided an examination of the England batting that nobody was fully able to pass.
His immense skill and ability to take what was still a flat Vizag pitch out of the equation was emphasised by the reverse swinging yorker that completely flattened the middle and leg stumps of the man who made 196 in the first Test in Ollie Pope. It was totally unplayable and the biggest moment of another compelling day.
Before that Bumrah had claimed Joe Root for the eighth time in Test cricket and he went on to add Jonny Bairstow and then Stokes, ending any chance England had of coming close to first innings parity, before completing his five-wicket haul by forcing Tom Hartley into an edge to Shubman Gill.
Bumrah took six wickets during the innings, including destroying the stumps of Ollie Pope
The Indian fast bowler has now taken a whopping 12 wickets in the first two Tests
England started the day with the ball in hand, with James Anderson taking two wickets
India are missing their most important slow bowler in Ravindra Jadeja here but his replacement in left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav proved a worthy deputy when he started the England slide by claiming Ben Duckett and added Ben Foakes and Rehan Ahmed before Bumrah completed the job by trapping Jimmy Anderson lbw.
It is no exaggeration to say Anderson was earlier almost as impressive as Bumrah in a morning session when England took India's last four wickets for 32 as they were dismissed for what felt at the time like a score a little below par.
Anderson, taking on a new role as England's only seamer at 41 and starting his 23rd year as an England player, BioXtrim Bewertung was superb in an eight over spell lasting an hour and a quarter, taking two for 17 to end up with three for 47 off 25 tireless overs.
It was a remarkable display of skill and stamina that included the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal for a quite brilliant 209 in only his sixth Test.
Rehan Ahmed would dismiss Bumrah later on in the morning, his third wicket of the match
Shoaib Bashir would wrap up the first innings after dismissing Mukesh Kumar to take his third wicket of the match
Zak Crawley arrived at the crease for England and struck 76 runs before being dismissed
Axar Patel drew the England opener down the wicket before Crawley sliced a shot out to Shreyas Iyer, who caught the strike at backwards point
How reliant India were on the 22-year-old in the absence of Virat Kohli and, now, KL Rahul and what a moment it was when Jaiswal slog swept Shoaib Bashir for six and four in successive balls to reach his double century.
Jaiswal celebrated, with arms outstretched, in the manner of Jude Bellingham rather than cricketing convention and he looks set to go on to be just as big a star as the Real Madrid footballer, at least in this cricket-mad country, with his stunning array of shots.
This though, despite all he has achieved, was a significant display from Anderson. He went into the Ashes with a groin injury and had a disappointing series while watching his old strike partner Stuart Broad stage a storybook finale to his own career at the Oval.
Anderson could have been forgiven for wondering if he should have gone out at the same time as his great mate but retirement seemingly never entered his head and he arrived here in lean shape even for a cricketer who has never carried any weight.
Joe Root endured a difficult time at the crease after he was dismissed for five runs by Bumrah
Captain Stokes amassed a score of 47, England's second highest score of the day
The fast bowler would wrap up a sensational day claiming the wickets of both Tom Hartley and James Anderson
Now, after missing out in favour of Mark Wood in the first Test, Anderson has entered this series to give England the control they needed with such an inexperienced spin attack all around him and prove that his skills remain utterly undimmed.
At the other end of the scale this was a highly encouraging start for Bashir who, when he took the final wicket of Mukesh Kumar, had finished with three for 138 off 38 overs and really does look as though he belongs at this level after just six games for Somerset.
India had a first innings lead of 143 and extended it by 28 without loss by the close. England, of course, overcame a deficit of 190 last week but if they are to pull off another miracle they will have to do it batting last.India, thanks to Jaiswal with the bat and Bumrah with the ball, are well on top after two days - just as they were in Hyderabad. This time, though, they are strong favourites to make the most of their position of strength.
Ben StokesIndia CricketJames AndersonIndia