Axar Patel inspires crushing India victory over England with day to spare to level series

It was always coming and when it arrived it did so with little fanfare. India needed just 34.2 overs on the fourth morning to confirm victory in the second Test against England at Chennai. By inflicting a 317-run defeat on their opponents, the hosts square the series 1-1, returning some telling blows of their own after receiving a few last week in the opening match.

The result was confirmed just past 7am in the United Kingdom, in time for England supporters to enjoy some rigorous post-mortem with their cornflakes and coffee. There will no doubt be plenty, especially considering this was the largest run-defeat inflicted by India on England. Axar Patel, on debut, was the chief instigator taking three of the final seven wickets to give him five for 60 in a second innings of 164.

That the margin was not greater owed to Moeen Ali, who thumped five sixes in a 18-ball 43 in a late bid to draw something of worth from this fixture. It ended up being England’s highest individual score of the match.

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It’s important not to let scale of this defeat dictate the reaction. This was their first in nine matches, a sequence that includes six wins. It also brings to an end a run of six consecutive wins overseas, which had not been done in over a century.

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There is also the manner of their victory in the first Test: dictating terms throughout, scoring 578 and then plugging away to an eventual 227-run win. India have done similar unto them.

For starters, they won an important toss and through Rohit Sharma’s 161 were able to post 329 in their first effort which, as some predicted, was more than England could manage in two attempts: their 298 across both their innings was only 12 more than India’s second innings of 286.

They resumed overnight on 53 for three, their target of 482 for the win and the prospect of two days batting to draw both equally as unlikely on this pitch, which many felt would never take the game to a third day, never mind a fourth.

And beyond the seven wickets needed for India to win, there was a history in the horizon for Ashwin. His century on day three of 106 out of the second innings of 286 saw him become the second player to score a hundred and take five wickets in three or more Tests. With that five for 46 in the first innings, and Monday evening’s dismissal of Rory Burns, Ashwin arrived into Tuesday just four dismissals from being the fifth player to score a hundred and take 10 across a game.

Number seven arrived when the fourth England wicket. Dan Lawrence, having imposed himself on India’s bowlers to return overnight on 19, was given a bit back at the start of the 26th over. Using his feet to get down the pitch throughout his innings, Ashwin spotted him go early and slid one down the leg side, short of a length, from over the wicket.

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It required Rishabh Pant to scuttle to his left, collect the ball and then dive back to the stumps to affect the stumping, as Lawrence turned back to dive in vain. England were 66 for four and India were off and running.

That meant Joe Root, who resumed his innings on two, was joined by Ben Stokes at the crease. And the responsibility on captain and vice-captain, not to mention two of the side’s best players of spin, was to at least see out what remained of the session.

The pair were able to stay together for 77 deliveries – the 28 runs redundant – until Ashwin registered his third from around the wicket to snare Stokes for the second time in the match. The left-hander played for turn, pressing forward in the defence, only for the ball to go on with the arm and clip the inside edge of his bat on to his right thigh to balloon to Virat Kohli in close at gully.

Stokes was visibly disappointed, 51 balls of graft coming to an unfortunate demise. As a batsman who can absorb ridiculous amounts of pressure, it felt like an end had opened up. And while Ollie Pope was energetic for his 12, one shot too many saw him top-edge a sweep to Ishant Sharma running in from deep-ash square leg.

There was some English fortune. Root, looking to tick over with runs, hit a reverse sweep off Kuldeep Yadav straight to Mohammed Siraj at point. Root bowed his head in dismay and so missed an awful drop. It was particular blow for Yadav, brought into the XI for his first Test since January 2019 and bowling just six overs in the first innings without success.

He would finally register in his seventh Test by accounting for Ben Foakes. The wicketkeeper has been England’s standout player across these few days, performing immaculately behind the stumps and top-scoring in the first innings with 42. But when the left-arm wrist spinner served up a full toss, Foakes could only guide the ball to Patel who was lurking in front of square on the leg side for 116 for seven.

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That brought lunch and Patel was back in the game two balls after the break to dismiss Root (33 off 92) for the second time match with an unplayable delivery that took the right-hander’s edge to Ajinkya Rahane at first slip. The fifth, Olly Stone trapped leg before, was a relative formality.

Then came Moeen’s blitz. The off-spinning allrounder had a decent 61st Test relative to his teammates, returning for a first cap since August 2019 to take eight for 226 in the match and, with those clubbed sixes which momentarily threatened to net him the fastest fifty in this format – owned Misbah-ul-Haq from 21 balls. That accolade remains in the possession of the former Pakistan captain, but Moeen was still able to leave with the most runs (49) and wickets in the match for England when he was stumped charging Yadav (two for 25) one last time. As for Ashwin, he had to make do with math figures of “just” seven for 96.

There is a chance Moeen will miss the next two Tests to return home as part of England’s rest-and-rotation policy that sees Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood return to the squad. Further departures are to be confirmed in due course, with inevitable changes to the XI for the third Test in Ahmedabad which is a day-night match. Even after such a chastening loss, there is no need to overreact. But there will be a temptation to alter their revolving door policy provided those in line for rests are willing.