Day 4 of the second Test match between England and India in Visakhapatnam was just as exciting as a high-stakes poker game. England appeared to be riding high on confidence as they pursued India’s ambitious 399-run mark, scoring five runs per over on average. Only one wicket separates Ravichandran Ashwin from the incredible feat of 500 Test wickets, putting him on the verge of making history.
Ashwin, seeing the English batsmen flex their muscles, staged a mini-carnage, taking three wickets and taking one step closer to becoming a cricketing legend. Ashwin was overjoyed, almost as if he could taste the sweetness of his imminent success, but the suspense increased when Jasprit Bumrah removed Jonny Bairstow, LBW, right before the lunch break. He walked abruptly over to Bairstow and gave him some words.
The incident’s footage is available here:
Anna’s adrenaline rush being on 499*pic.twitter.com/lTYxQsg4nS https://t.co/nmjnWYxNXu
— Shivani (@meme_ki_diwani) February 5, 2024
Ben Stokes, playing out of character in the Ashes 2023 innings, was at the crease as England, down by 205 runs, reached 194 runs for the loss of six wickets as the team prepared for lunch. Other Indian bowlers also made a contribution, with Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel taking a wicket apiece in addition to Ashwin’s outstanding performance; Mukesh Kumar did not pick up any wickets.
The off-field antics of Ashwin and Bairstow may have been the catalyst for their dispute.
Lunch, however, was more than simply refueling; it also saw an interesting exchange between Bairstow and the right-arm spinner. Rewind to the Ashes 2023 series, when Bairstow was controversially fired at Lord’s and found himself in a difficult situation. After the Englishman had strayed out of his crease, thinking the ball was dead, he was caught sleeping and sent packing amid cheering Australians when Alex Carey’s throw rattled the stumps.
The Tamil Nadu spinner had said that it is the responsibility of a batter to stay in the crease and had urged Bairstow to do the same. Fans could see the growing hostility between the two players in the second IPL game.
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