VISAKHAPATNAM, India — England was left with a mountain to climb after India made 455 in its first innings before returning to blow away the tourists’ top order on a spin-dominated second day of the second Test Friday.
England reached 103 for five, trailing India by 352 runs, at stumps with all-rounder Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow unbeaten at the crease.
The touring side was rattled in the third over when paceman Mohammed Shami breached captain Alastair Cook’s defense with an incoming delivery that split the left-hander’s off-stump in two.
Joe Root and young opener Haseeb Hameed survived a hostile spell of bowling from the Indians to add 47 for the second wicket before the latter was run out on 13 by some smart work from wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
England’s batting mainstay Root, who hit a century in the previous test in Rajkot, made 53 before he fell to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who also picked up the wicket of Ben Duckett.
Debutant off-spinner Jayant Yadav picked up his maiden wicket with a review after Moeen Ali advanced and then padded the ball away.
England was 80-5 at that stage, but Bairstow, unbeaten on 12 and Stokes ensured there was no further damage. Stokes was not out on 12 and survived when a delivery from Yadav kissed, but did not dislodge, his bail.
Earlier, Ashwin scored his second half-century of the series to guide India to a strong first-innings score.
Ashwin scored 58 and added 64 for the eighth wicket with Yadav (35) after England off-spinner Moeen had claimed three quick wickets to peg back the hosts.
Resuming the second day on 317-4 in the first ever Test match in the port city of Visakhapatnam, captain Virat Kohli and Ashwin added 35 in a fifth-wicket stand.
Stokes failed to hold on to the straightforward chance from Ashwin but made amends with the very next ball, catching Kohli when the India captain attempted a cover drive.
Kohli, who was unbeaten on 151 overnight, hit 18 boundaries in his knock of 167.
Moeen dismissed Saha and Ravindra Jadeja in the same over to reduce India to 363-7.
Saha wasted a review on a plumb lbw decision while Jadeja did not appeal his leg-before dismissal to a delivery which, replays confirmed, was missing the stumps.
Ashwin, who scored 70 and 32 in the first Test at Rajkot, and Yadav then added some crucial runs to India’s total.
Du Plessis charged
with ball tampering
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has been charged with ball tampering during the second Test against Australia in Hobart, the International cricket Council (ICC) said Friday.
The ICC announced Wednesday that it would review footage of the match that appeared to show du Plessis applying saliva to the ball with a lolly in his mouth.
“The charge relates to changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 42.3 and has been laid by the ICC Chief Executive David Richardson who has exercised his right to do so,” the ICC said in a statement.
“Du Plessis has pleaded not guilty to the charge ... Details of the hearing will be announced in due course,” the governing body added.
The 32-year-old, the stand-in captain for the injured AB de Villiers has previously been in hot water for ball tampering.
In 2013, Du Plessis was fined 50 percent of his match fee for ball tampering in the second Test against Pakistan.
He was caught on camera rubbing the ball against a zip on his pocket on the third day of the match in Dubai, leading umpires Ian Gould and Rod Tucker to penalize South Africa five runs and change the ball. Du Plessis did not contest the charge. — Reuters
Scoreboard
India (1st innings)
M. Vijay c Stokes b Anderson 20
L. Rahul c Stokes b Broad 00
C. Pujara c Bairstow b Anderson 119
V. Kohli c Stokes b Ali 167
A. Rahane c Bairstow b Anderson 23
R. Ashwin c Bairstow b Stokes 58
W. Saha lbw b Ali 03
R. Jadeja lbw b Ali 00
J. Yadav c Anderson b Rashid 35
U. Yadav c Ali b Rashid 13
M. Shami not out 07
Extras (b4, lb5, w1) 10
Total (all out, 129.4 overs) 455
Falls: 1-6 (Rahul), 2-22 (Vijay), 3-248 (Pujara), 4-316 (Rahane), 5-351 (Kohli), 6-363 (Saha), 7-363 (Jadeja), 8-427 (Ashwin), 9-440 (J. Yadav), 10-455 (U. Yadav).
Bowling: Anderson 20-3-62-3, Broad 16-2-49-1, Stokes, 20-4-73-1 (w1), Ansari 12-1-45-0, Rashid 34.4-2-110-2, Ali 25-1-98-3, Root 2-0-9-0.
England (1st innings):
A. Cook b Shami 02
H. Hameed run out (J.Yadav/Saha) 13
J. Root c U. Yadav b Ashwin 53
B. Duckett b Ashwin 05
M. Ali lbw b J. Yadav 01
B. Stokes not out 12
J. Bairstow not out 12
Extras (b 4, lb 1) 05
Total (5 wickets, 49 overs) 103
Falls: 1-4 (Cook), 2-51 (Hameed), 3-72 (Duckett), 4-79 (Root), 5-80 (Ali).
Bowling: Shami 8-2-15-1, U. Yadav 6-1-14-0, R. Jadeja 15-3-38-0, Ashwin 13-5-20-2, J. Yadav 7-3-11-1.
To bat: Z. Ansari, A. Rashid, S. Broad, J. Anderson.
