When this series ends, the two players who will, no doubt, the lion’s share of the accolades will go to Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin. Yet, when the dust settles, the efforts of Ravindra Jadeja also need to be lauded. The Indian all-rounder has been utterly brilliant, with bat, ball and on the field, in this series. And in the second session of the last day in Chennai, he, yet again, showed why he is special.
England had put up an opening partnership of more than 100. They looked reasonably settled. Both their openers were close to half-centuries. Step forward, Sir Ravindra Jadeja.
His old, familiar bunny Alastair Cook was accounted for, perhaps not by the best of the deliveries but it only showcased the hold Jadeja has had on the England captain: an innocuous delivery outside leg-stump was deposited by Cook straight to leg-slip. And thus, Cook fell victim to Jadeja for the sixth time in this series.
Then the wheels started coming off: Jennings skipped down and hit a boundary off Jadeja, but found himself all at sea when he tried the same thing next delivery, beaten in flight and only chipping a simple catch back to the bowler.
Then, Joe Root, perhaps England’s best batsman on this trip, found the lack of loose balls disconcerting and tried a dangerous sweep only to miss it completely and be dismissed leg-before-wicket. England had lost 3/23 but Ravindra Jadeja was not done yet. Three runs later, Jonny Bairstow played a loose chip shot over the on-side where that man, Jadeja again, took a stunning catch, running backwards, completely in control of himself.
England scampered through to 167/4 at tea. A tense final session awaits.
Brief scores:
England 477 and 167/4 (Keaton Jennings 54, Alastair Cook 49; Ravindra Jadeja 3/38, Ishant Sharma 1/17) trail India 759/7 declared by 115 runs
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