Ashwin, Rohit too Good for England | India vs England 2nd Test Match Review |

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going". This statement fits perfectly with the scenario left after the 2nd Test match was played. After a humiliating defeat in the 1st Test, the Indians were desperate to strike back and strike back they did. All 11 players brought in their A game and as a result, India inflicted a crushing defeat on the England side. 

How did it all unfold? Read the full article to find out just how.

Playing XI : India made three changes as Bumrah was rested while Sundar and Nadeem were out in place for Mohammad Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and debutant Axar Patel. England one-upped the hosts in terms of changes made to the playing XI by making four changes. Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Olly Stone and Ben Foakes were in for Jimmy Anderson, Dominic Bess, Jos Buttler and an injured Jofra Archer. 

India 1st Innings : THE HITMAN OBLITERATES THE BOWLING ATTACK

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, India had a rough start. Shubman Gill was dismissed for 0 in the second over by Olly Stone. Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara then put up a solid 85 run stand as Rohit reached his half century. Jack Leach dimissed Pujara for 21 not much before Moeen Ali removed Kohli for 0 as India was struggling at 86-3. Ajinkya Rahane joined his fellow Mumbaikar in the middle and put up a solid 162 run partnership. Both of them played proper cricketing shots in the tricky conditions, shutting up all their doubters in the process. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 161 by Jack Leach followed by Rahane (67) by Ali as the duo helped boost India's total. Rishabh Pant played his natural game and made an unbeaten 58 and with some support from the tailenders, guided India over the 300 run barrier to a respectable total of 329. Moeen Ali picked 4 wickets, ending his spell with figures of 29-3-128-4 while Olly Stone, Jack Leach and Stuart Broad picked 3, 2 and a wicket respectively.

England 1st Innings : LET ME TELL YOU A KUTTY STORY FT. RAVI ASHWIN 

The pitch was deteriorating at a fast rate and England had to score as many runs as possible before the game reached out of their hands. But there was one hindrance in between, Ravichandran Ashwin. 

England had a horrible start to their innings after Ishant Sharma removed opener Rory Burns for a duck. The spinners, Ashwin and debutant Axar Patel joined hands and completely dismantled the English front. Sibley (16), Larence (9), Root (6) and Stokes (18) were all dismissed by the duo as England was already on its knees, at 52-5. Ollie Pope made a cameo of 22 runs before being dismissed by Siraj, who was playing his first test match in India. Ben Foakes batted with grit and character till the very end whilst Ashwin and Axar ran through the tail end of the batting lineup. Foakes' 42 helped England avoid follow on, halting at 134, which was 27 short of what Rohit Sharma had alone scored in the first innings. The extent of the devastation could be felt and it was largely made possible by the efforts of one man, Ravi Ashwin. He kept things super tight from his end and did not give the batsmen any margin for error. Ashwin bowled 23.5 overs, ending with figures of 43-5. He also registered his 28th 5-Wicket haul in the process. Siraj and Axar picked two wickets each too as India seemed to be in total control of the game. 

India 2nd Innings : ASHWIN AND VIRAT MAKE SURE THE GAME STAYS BEYOND ENGLAND'S REACH

After leading by 195 runs, India just had to make sure the game stays out of England's reach. After a fairly okay start, India lost Shubman for 14. Pujara was dismissed for 7 shortly followed by Rohit (26) as India stood at 55-3. Rahane (10), Pant (8) and Axar (7) all came and went by but none of them could really hold on and build a partnership with skipper Virat in the middle. At 106-6, already 301 runs ahead of the English team, any team would have given away the innings but the Indians had other ideas. Ashwin and Kohli put up a 96 run partnership before Virat was dismissed by Moeen Ali again for an estatic innings of 62. Wickets continued to fall but Ashwin stood at one end. He and Siraj added a vital 49 run partnership towards the very end, not before Ashwin scored his 5th Test Century (106) in the process, helping India put another 286 runs on the board. Not only with the ball, Ravi Ashwin was oozing confidence with his bat as well. Jack Leach and Moeen Ali both picked 4 wickets each as England had an almost impossible task ahead of them. Chase down 482 runs in Day 4 and Day 5 conditions of Chepauk. 

England 2nd Innings : ENGLAND SURRENDER TO SPIN

Chasing down such a huge target is almost difficult and to do it with 3 wickets down at the end of day 3 is next to impossible. Axar removed Sibley early for 3 as Dominic Lawrence joined the party. He played some good shots along with Burns before his fellow left hander was dismissed by Ashwin for 25. Jack Leach failed to do the job of the night watchman as he was dismissed on the very first ball he played off Axar Patel. Joe Root played through the first session of Day 4 as the Indian spinners totally out-played the English batsmen. Stokes (8), Foakes (2), Pope (12), Stone (0) none could get going and soon after lunch, skipper Root was dismissed for a gritty 33 (92) as well. At 126-9, Moeen Ali did some fireworks with his bat but could only add 38 runs. Mo (43 off 18) was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav as England was bowled out for 164, 337 short of what was asked of them. Axar Patel was the pick amongst the bowlers, ending with figures of 21-5-60-5 while Ashwin and Kuldeep picked 3 and 2 wickets each. 

CONCLUSION : India really needed a win of this sorts as this helps bring back the confidence in a lot of players. Rohit and Rahane got their forms back and the inclusion of Axar and Kuldeep really boosted up the bowling strength. All 10 wickets came courtesy of the spinners in the 2nd innings and this shows the quality of spinners we have. A lot of positives are to be taken away from this match and Rishabh Pant's improved wicket keeping abilities is one of them. Ravi Ashwin's all-round performance adjudged him the man of the match. With the series levelled at 1 win a side, the fate of the Anthony de Mello Trophy as well as the finals of the World Test Championship hangs in the balance. We hope we get to see more neck and neck competition between the two side as they fight for greatness. 

 Here's hoping Jofra Archer a speedy recovery from his injuries.