India captain Rohit Sharma was truly ecstatic as the team got rid of the dangerman Zak Crawley on Day 4 of the second Test against England. Crawley emerged as the most threatening England batter on the day, scoring 73 runs before being dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav. his breakthrough came just before the end of the first session in Vizag on Monday but wasn’t a straightforward one. While the umpire turned down Team India’s appeal, Kuldeep managed to convince skipper Rohit to take a review.
On the sixth ball of his first over, Kuldeep got one to turn back in from middle stump. It seemed the ball was going down leg but DRS showed a different trajectory. Rohit, who has had a few animated chats with Kuldeep when it comes to DRS calls in this Test, agreed to go for a review and was rewarded.
Crawley didn’t have the answer for a delivery from Kuldeep that kept low and hit him on the pads. After much deliberation, India went for the review and were rewarded. Here’s the video:
Review…..successful!
Kuldeep Yadav picks up the big wicket of Crawley to keep #TeamIndia in the driving seat #BazBowled #IDFCFirstBankTestsSeries #JioCinemaSports#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/c4hMunPVSP
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 5, 2024
And they say Rohit doesn’t show energy #RohitSharma #IndvsENGpic.twitter.com/afNhZ7KC6g
— Daily Dose of Hitman !!(@PureRohitian45) February 5, 2024
The review, however, triggered a big debate on social media as fans suggested that it didn’t look like Crawley should’ve been given out from the naked eye.
Kuldeep Yadav seemed to be saying “bahut seedha hai” to Rohit, trying to convince him for the DRS.
I honestly thought it was pitching just outside, but clearly Kuldeep knew what he was doing.
— Mayank (@freehit_mj) February 5, 2024
Massive wicket with Crawley sent back before lunch!
A brave DRS call by Rohit & the luck going in India’s favour for a change! Unbelievable!#INDvENG
— Nish Navalkar (@YUVI_NISH) February 5, 2024
https://t.co/7EK7KLkSeO pic.twitter.com/KTeHRCaZ6j
— sk (@v_k_1988) February 5, 2024
Strongly disagree with that LBW decision! The 3rd stump was nearly visible, hard to believe the impact was in line. Not even umpire’s call – feels like a rigged DRS. #INDvENG #INDvsENG #McCullum #Stokes #Crawley #Rohit #RohitSharma #Bumrah #Kuldeep #Bairstow #Cheating https://t.co/wlNCmUd7Ik pic.twitter.com/II5As61Rgu
— Sheikh Rakeen (@rakeenteur) February 5, 2024
With 6 England batters out before the end of first session, India took a giant step towards securing a series-levelling victory in Visakhapatnam.
On expected lines, England did not hold back in attacking the Indian spinners who hung in there to get the timely breakthroughs. The visitors still managed to make 127 runs in the session but lost too many wickets.
Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Crawley (73) while Jasprit Bumrah trapped Jonny Bairstow (26) in front at the stroke of lunch to deal a massive blow to England, who still need 205 runs for an improbable win.
Crawley was by far the best batter on show, mixing caution and aggression perfectly before being adjudged lbw off Kuldeep with a close DRS call.
With PTI inputs
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