Team India’s Shreyas Iyer took a brilliant running catch to cut short a dangerous-looking innings from Zak Crawley during Day 2 of the second Test in Visakhapatnam. Crawley had the India bowlers at his mercy, racing to 76 off 77 deliveries when a mistimed shot against Axar Patel travelled towards backward point.
As Crawley attempted to maintain his dominance on the crease, he charged down the pitch to tackle a full delivery from Axar Patel. However, Axar’s variation in line deceived Crawley; despite the challenging nature of the catch, Iyer exhibited remarkable athleticism as he swiftly moved backward and executed a perfectly timed dive.
This was Crawley’s eighth dismissal against left-arm orthodox spin in Asian conditions, further highlighting his weakness against such spinners.
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The catch, in some ways, was reminiscent of the ominous dismissal of Rohit Sharma in the 2023 World Cup Final against Australia, when a running Travis Head caught a similar shot. Justifiably, the catch from Iyer added to the delight of fans present at the stadium in Visakhapatnam.
The right-handed batter had looked dangerous throughout his stay at the crease as he led a counter-attack against Indian bowlers after Ben Duckett departed cheaply. He smashed 11 fours and two sixes throughout his stay at the crease.
Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed a maiden double ton and largely carried the Indian innings, as the side posted 396 on the board. Jaiswal contributed with 209 runs to the total, with the second-highest score being 34 by Shubman Gill.
For England, James Anderson was the pick of the bowlers, picking three wickets for 45 runs at a brilliant economy rate of 1.90. Rehan Ahmed and debutant Shoaib Bashir also picked three wickets each in the innings, as they restricted India on a significantly batting-friendly surface in Visakhapatnam.
England are leading the five-match series 1-0, having registered a stunning 28-run win in the first Test in Hyderabad.
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