Indian opener Ajinkya Rahane might not be doing his bit with the bat, but he is a live wire when it comes to fielding. After a dismal first Test as a fielder at Rajkot where he dropped a sitter, Rahane took a blinder in Mohali to dismiss dangerous Joe Root.
Root was playing at 78 when he got out. He was the only England batsman to pose a challenge to the mighty Indian spin attack. Spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who scored a half-century on Day 3, hit the ball on a rough patch, generating sharp turn and bounce. Joe Root nicked the ball and was caught at first slip by Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane’s reaction after he completed the catch was priceless.
Ajinkya Rahane has been under pressure due to his poor performance with the bat in the series. Rahane has batted in 5 innings so far and has scored just 63 runs. His average is a horrible 10.60. His fielding has also remained ordinary in the series. This catch will take some pressure off him.
Meanwhile, the Indian team has strengthened its position against England on the fourth day. England lost 7 wickets for a paltry score of 152 runs. Indian spin trio – Jayant Yadav, R Ashwin and Jadeja- did all the damage to the English batting. This was another low scoring innings by England after they scored just 283 runs in the first innings. In reply, India scored 417 runs, courtesy half-centuries by Ashwin, Jadeja, and Jayant Yadav.
It was expected of the England batsmen to linger on and post a huge score to give their bowlers a chance to bowl out India in the fourth innings. However, the batsmen failed to play Indian spinners as they gave away their wickets.
England were dominant in the first Test of the series as they made India struggle for a draw. However, in the second Test, India were on the top as they dominated England, handing a 246 runs defeat. In the ongoing Test, India are in a very strong position and are the favourites to win the match.
