England’s batters had no answer for the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah as India’s star paceman left the tourists in need of another dramatic turnaround in the second Test.
Ben Stokes’ side have made a virtue of never knowing when they are beaten – and overcame India’s 190-run lead to win last week’s series opener in Hyderabad – but found themselves back in familiar trouble as they were bowled out for 253 in Visakhapatnam.
That left them 143 behind after the first innings with India’s openers adding another 28 before the close.
Zak Crawley hit a free-flowing 78 on his 26th birthday and Stokes chipped another 47 off the deficit but Bumrah was almost unplayable at times as he claimed six for 45.
He served up a pace bowling clinic, getting the ball to reverse swing both ways at high speed and alternating between attacking the stumps and threatening the edge.
Ollie Pope suffered most extravagantly, with middle and leg sent flying as he groped at a toe-crusher, but he was not alone in finding Bumrah’s best too hot to handle.
At 114 for one and with Crawley motoring England were well positioned to take on India’s 396 but less than 34 overs later they were all out.
England took India’s last four wickets for 60 as James Anderson pre-empted Bumrah by showing off his own enduring skills. Handed a brand new ball in the morning the 41-year-old bowled eight overs unchanged, taking two for 17 in the latest reminder of his class.
He had the last word in a minor spat with Ravichandran Ashwin, who had been distracting him at the non-striker’s end before falling caught behind, and removed the brilliant Yashasvi Jaiswal for a match-defining 209.
The 22-year-old seems destined for cricketing superstardom but found out why so few have slogged Anderson and lived to tell the tale, stepping away and hacking straight to deep cover.
Anderson finished with impressive figures of three for 47, with Rehan Ahmed and debutant Shoaib Bashir wrapping things up to finish with three each.
England started their innings with a typically vibrant stand between Crawley and Ben Duckett, who put on 59 at a run-a-ball either side of the lunch break. Duckett could not kick on, popping Kuldeep Yadav’s wrist spin to silly point on 21, but Crawley was in fine form on the day he turned 26.
He needed a life on on 17 but the very next over saw him dispatch Bumrah for four boundaries. Crawley also slog-swept Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav for sixes but this was a sprint next to Jaiswal’s marathon.
The introduction of left-armer Axar Patel drew him into one big shot too many and he was well caught by the back-tracking Shreyas Iyer.
The ball had begun to take reverse swing and that meant trial by Bumrah. It took him only five balls to set up and knock over Joe Root, shaping a couple away in the channel then taking his outside edge with one that ducked back in and held its line.
Six balls later he summoned something even more spectacular to floor Pope, a match-winning centurion in Hyderabad. Fizzing in a furious yorker, he had Pope hopping on the crease as the ball snaked through and sent two stumps flying in opposite directions.
England survived until tea without further danger but the break in play merely allowed Bumrah to rest up and come again. Jonny Bairstow was next, following one that left him and threading to Shubman Gill at slip.
Pressure was building too fast for England’s liking and Yadav took advantage. Ben Foakes played inside the line and lost his off stump and Ahmed dragged a short ball straight to the midwicket catcher.
At 182 for seven, Stokes landed a few blows of his own and Tom Hartley shared the load in a stand of 47 but the resistance did not survive Bumrah’s return.
After one sighter he lit the crowd up again, coming round the wicket and knocking back Stokes’ off stump with one that scuttled through lower than expected. The England skipper let the bat fall from his hands and shrugged in disbelief before making his way to the pavilion.
Bumrah sealed his five-for at his next visit, Hartley off a thick edge, and closed the innings when Anderson fell lbw. Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma negotiated five overs at the end of the day, stretching the lead to 171 by stumps.
Archer back in IPL auction despite being left off the shortlist
Jofra Archer will be in the IPL auction after all, having been left off the shortlist initially.
The fast bowler was an entry on the longlist but did not appear among the names after it had been whittled down to 574 last week.
There had been no word from Archer as to why he had pulled out of the auction and re-entered, although the prospect of playing in the IPL in future could have been key.
According to new rules in the competition, a player will be ineligible to play in the IPL for two years if they do not enter the auction.
Archer has struggled with injury since 2020 and has carefully worked his way back from an elbow problem he suffered last year. Having been part of England's white-ball set-up since May, he has a desire to get back into Test cricket.
The 29-year-old has not played the longest form of the game in nearly four years and, if picked for the IPL, could find it harder to get back into it.
With the early rounds of the County Championship season clashing with the IPL, it could harm Archer's ability to prove his fitness and reduce his chances of playing in a home Test in 2025. Additionally, he could also find it difficult to force his way in for the Ashes in Australia next winter.
Magnificent Bumrah humbles Australia after India batting collapse
India wrestled control back from Australia to leave them 67-7 at the close of play, despite having been bowled out for just 150 earlier on a remarkable first day in Perth.
The tourists chose to bat first, having made six changes from their Test defeat to New Zealand earlier this month, but things did not go well for them as they were reduced to 32-3 and 73-6.
Virat Kohli struggled again and went for just five after being caught by Usman Khawaja. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and number three Devdutt Padikkal were both playing in Australia for the first time and were dismissed for ducks.
Rishabh Pant (37) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) dragged India to a level of respectability before their bowlers tore through the Australian batting lineup.
Jasprit Bumrah (4-17) was India's saviour, producing a spell to leave the hosts 19-3. Nathan McSweeney (10) went on lbw after a review, Khawaja (8) was caught in the slips and Steve Smith was out on his first ball after another lbw.
Both Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh went for a combined total of 17 runs, with Marnus Labuschagne next to go for two off 52 balls. Pat Cummins was the final wicket of the day, meaning Australia finished on 67-7 with Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc at the crease.
Data debrief: Australia and India go wicket crazy
It was undoubtedly a day for the bowlers on the first day in Perth, with 17 wickets being the most to have fallen on the opening day of a Test in Australia since 1952.
While all 10 of Australia's wickets were caught, India managed four dismissals through either bowling their opponent or lbw.
Following his unplayable performance in Perth, Bumrah now has 177 Test wickets for his country and can count himself unlucky not to have had more.
50 years of Greatness: Philip Spooner sits down with Sir Viv and Sir Gordon on their famous Test debuts
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first day that two of the greatest cricketers of all-time set foot on the international stage.
On November 22, 1974, Sir Gordon Greenidge and Sir Vivian Richards made their Test debuts against India. The match was played at the Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium in Bangalore.
These two cricketing titans had illustrious careers that spanned from 1974 to 1991 and cemented their place among the pantheon of global sporting icons. During that time, they were pillars of the all-conquering West Indies team, which ruled the cricket world in red ball and white ball formats.
Both remembered the first day of action on Indian soil “like it was yesterday”.
The 23-year-old Greenidge was officially the 150th West Indies Test player. He entered with a flourish, scoring 93 and 107. This piloted West Indies to a huge win by 267 runs and a great start to the five-match series.
Sir Gordon Greenidge
The 22-year-old Richards is officially listed as the 151st West Indies Test player. He endured a tough start against the wizardry of Bhagwant Chandrasekhar. He fell to ace spinner in both innings for only three and four. But he rebounded in spectacular fashion next match with a sensational 192 not out at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi. He struck 20 fours and six towering sixes to showcase his prowess and announce his arrival. West Indies won the match by an innings.
Sir Gordon said: “It was a great feeling ... a truly wonderful feeling to walk out and open the batting for the West Indies in my first Test match in India. You were going to face four of the best spinners in the world, and that was a frightening aspect. But I’m pleased to say I was able to overcome those fears pretty quicky and was able to get a formidable score and a personal achievement. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to triple figures in the first innings. But I was able to buckle down again in the second innings and got the hundred and the team won the Test match.”
Sir Viv said: “I didn’t really expect to play … I thought I was going as a replacement … I hit some good form going into the series and the confidence was there. I remember in those day we had some huge crowds … They were maybe 60 000 to 70 000 people in the stands. They (India) were renowned for their spinners, Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkat, so it was just different in my perspective. Coming from a small island, you were playing in front of a crowd that was as many as the country where you lived… There was quite a lot happening. Those were testing times…”
He added: “Wow! To get a century in my second Test was a great feeling. I felt that with the mindset of selectors back in those days I was on my last lap, so I had to get something done … better than I did in Bangalore … ‘192 clicks not out’. That was a serious comeback and created the confidence a young man needed to have a successful tour and successful career.”
Sir Isaac Vivian Richards
Sir Gordon and Sir Viv are rated among the best batsmen in history. Among their many accolades, they were named as Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1977 and are inductees in the International Cricket Council’s prestigious Hall of Fame. They were also members of the West Indies team that won the inaugural ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 1975 at Lord’s in England and repeated in 1979.
Both ended their careers with stellar records. Richards played 121 matches and made 8 540 runs at an average of 50.2. His best score was 291 against England at The Oval on the historic 1976 tour of England. In his first-class career, he made 36,212 runs with 114 centuries. Greenidge played 108 Tests and made 7 558 runs at an average of 44.7. His top score was 226 against Australia at Kensington Oval in 1991 in his penultimate Test innings. In his first-class career, he made 37 354 runs with 92 centuries.
Looking back over the 50 years, Richards said that above all, wearing the West Indies colours brought him greatest pride. This was echoed by Greenidge.
Sir Viv said: “It is not about what you achieve personally, as an individual…but it is much more about what we did as a collective for the people of the West Indies. The same way when we bleed, we bleed together and when we win, we win together, and we have fun.”
Sir Gordon said: “Getting the nod to play for West Indies. I would have to say is the greatest moment of my career. In a land where people found it difficult to go and I managed to start so well. It might seem very strange to say that, but to get the opportunity to play, I would say I accomplished something that so many people dream of doing. I am happy to get that opportunity to play for the West Indies and for as long as I did. Representing the West Indies is the ultimate. We played for our people in the West Indies and the many people overseas who supported us.”
Philip Spooner is the former Media Manager of the West Indies team and the former Head of Media for Cricket West Indies. He was also the Global Media Manager for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
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