Second Test: R Ashwin’s genius, Axar Patel’s supporting act in Chennai spin England into trouble

There was an air of inevitability when England came out to bat in their first innings of the second Test against India. The pitch on day two in Chennai was expected to help spinners a great deal and not many fancied the visitors to survive for long.

In addition to that, there was another outcome that several experts predicted: Ashwin Ravichandran running through the England batting lineup. India’s star off-spinner boasts of an incredible record at home and the onus was once again on him to deliver for his team in a crucial game.

And indeed, the day did pan out according to script. England crumbled with the bat on a dusty Chepauk track and Ashwin capped-off another five-wicket haul at his home ground to put India well ahead in the contest.

Data check: A special double century for R Ashwin as he adds another Test five-for to his name

Joe Root and his men started the day on a positive note. After bearing the brunt of a Rohit Sharma masterclass on day one, they bagged India’s last four wickets for just 29 runs in the opening session on Sunday. But that little passage of play was perhaps the lone bright spot for the visitors.

Signs of England being fearful of the threat India pose in home conditions have been visible through the series so far. It was there for all to see when they delayed declaration in the first Test in order to take an India win out of the equation, and it was once again visible in the tentativeness they showed at the start of their innings in the second Test.

In terms of strategy, one of the smartest things India have done in the second Test is to look for runs against the new ball. On a pitch as spinner-friendly as this, the hosts have made the most of the pace that a hard new ball offers. It was Rohit’s aggression that set the tone in the first innings and in the second essay too, the Indian openers’ intent was loud and clear as they hit two sixes in the first five overs. Rohit’s intent in both innings not only gave his team crucial runs which are hard to come by on this sluggish pitch, but it also ensured the opposition’s spinners couldn’t settle into a rhythm.

England, on the other hand, failed to challenge India’s bowlers when they came out to bat on Sunday. The pitch was going to play tricks and India were expected to spin a web but the visitors didn’t do themselves any favour by going into a shell and not being proactive.

Second Test, day two: R Ashwin’s five-for puts India in firm control against England

However, that’s also precisely where the genius of Ashwin, along with a mighty impressive effort by debutant Axar Patel, made the difference. The relentlessness of the duo with the harder ball early on in the innings choked England’s batsmen and never allowed them to gain momentum.

England’s bowlers had produced unplayable deliveries too, but they were peppered with loose balls that gave Indian batsmen the much-needed confidence and belief to survive on this pitch. England’s batsmen, though, got very little of that from Ashwin and Axar. The duo bowled the magic balls but also kept things very tight in between.

Ashwin took the new ball in the second over while Axar joined the attack in the ninth, and the two bowled 16 and 15 overs respectively in their first spells. And by the end of the 33rd over, till they were bowling in tandem, England had been reduced to 76/5. Ashwin’s figures at that time were 3/33 (16) while Axar’s were 1/28 (13). Root and Co had been dealt a killer blow by that stranglehold.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was Ashwin’s dismissal of Ben Stokes. It was a battle between two heavyweights of the game and it was the off-spinner who ended up stealing the show. England were 52/4 at that time and they desperately needed Stokes to provide a burst, like he did in the first innings of the opening Test, to bail them out. But Ashwin was going to have none of it.

The ball was bowled at just the right pace from around the wicket to the left-hander, it drifted in before dipping late and pitching at the perfect spot in front of the middle stump, and finally zipped past the bat to knock back the off stump. What elevated the moment even further was the celebration, or lack thereof, by Ashwin. He was expressionless and simply went across to give high-fives to his teammates as if to say he knew this was inevitable.

For his part, Axar picked up a first Test wicket that he could tell his grandchildren about. Not just for the identity of the batsman but for the form he was in. Root, over the two Tests in Galle and one in Chennai, had two doubles centuries and a near-double century to his name and if anyone was going to give England a chance it was their captain. But, in a twist of fate, the shot that brought him so much success over the last three Tests turned out to be his undoing. Axar, with his line and pace, induced the false sweep shot that was caught by Ashwin, as the two fittingly combined for the defining moment of day two.

By stumps, England were left a long way behind in the contest thanks to Ashwin’s 29th five-for in Test cricket and a fine supporting act by Axar. They trail India by 249 runs, with the hosts having nine wickets in hand in their second innings, and will need to bat out a good part of two days on this increasingly difficult pitch to avoid defeat. They’ll deserve all the respect if they manage to do that but from what Ashwin and Axar showed on Sunday, that seems highly unlikely.