Ashwin, Jadeja strike late as India sniff victory in Vizag Test

Visakhapatnam [India]: Indian spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin struck late to take the price wickets of Alastair Cook and Haseer Hameed on Day Four of the second Test at the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium as India inched forward to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series on Sunday.

At Stumps on the fourth day, England were 87-2 and still need another 318 runs to avoid a probable defeat on the last day of the Test match.

After bowling out India for 204 in their second innings, both Cook (54) and Hameed (25) batted for more than 50 overs and frustrated the hosts, who were hoping for some early wickets.

But India stuck to their job and managed to produce those two wicket-taking deliveries to send the two openers back in the last 10 overs of the day.

Earlier, resuming at the overnight score of 98 for three, England bowlers Adil Rashid and Stuart Broad wreaked havoc to tear apart the Indian middle order and bundle the hosts’ innings just before lunch at 204 which in turn gave the visitors a target of 405 runs to win.

Broad and Rashid, both finished the second innings with four wickets each. The Indian skipper, who had made 167 in the first innings, top scored with 81.

Earlier, India had made 455 in the first innings after opting to bat, replying to which England had posted 255. (ANI)