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IND vs ENG: India struggle on unresponsive track

Off-spinner R Ashwin takes 1 for 151 as England fold out for 477 in first innings; hosts finish Day Two at 60/0

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India opener KL Rahul plays an upper cut against England’s Stuart Board on Day Two of the fifth Test at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday
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There was little that the Indian bowlers could do on an unresponsive pitch. Just like the way the series started in Rajkot with England batting for more than five sessions, the visitors frustrated the home team bowlers to pile on the runs in the fifth and final Test.

That India went on to win the matches in between Rajkot and here showed the great character that Virat Kohli and Co are made up of.

It is this same feature that they will look to put up here over the next three days if India are to maintain a clean slate in this series as they resume their first innings on Sunday at 60/0, trailing England by 417.

For England, it is a question of going back home for Christmas and New Year with pride salvaged after losing the series 0-3 before coming to the fifth and final game here.

For his 27 wickets in the four previous Tests, playing in front of his home crowd and who had taken 12 wickets in his previous Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here in March 2013, Ravichandran Ashwin could not do much to stop England from posting their second highest total of the series – 477.

Neither could Ashwin's mates, spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra, and the medium-pacers Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, who were waiting for the batsmen to make mistakes rather than get their skills to reward them. Yadav stepped up the speed and peppered the England lower half with short balls too.

Blame it on the pitch that settled down to a good batting surface, or whatever, England have taken a commanding position from where they would lose only if they totally surrender with the ball and bat in the second innings.

Leading England's revival after losing their two dangerous batsmen – Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler – for single digit scores in the first 35 minutes of Day 2 morning on Saturday were Adil Rashid (60) and debutant Liam Dawson (66*).

For someone who has scored 10 centuries in first-class cricket and averages in the mid-30s, Rashid has often come across as one who was least interested in batting in Tests. He has thrown away his wicket on one occasion too many in the past when his team expected a handy contribution from him at No. 8 or 9.

On Saturday, Rashid took upon the responsibility of playing a major role in taking his team to safety. Some of the strokes that Rashid displayed were breathtaking. He was a busy batsman, the use of his wrists came to the fore while driving Mishra twice to long-on boundary. But the shot of the day was a drive through covers off the leg-spinner that beat three fielders, Virat Kohli at short cover while the extra cover and mid-off fielders were mere spectators before fetching the ball from the boundary.

In complete contrast was 26-year-old Dawson, who batted like a top-order batsman, keeping a cool head and executing strokes as if he has been batting in Tests all his life. The Indian bowlers found it difficult to dislodge the right-handed batsman Dawson.

England took cue from India, whose tail has wagged big time in the series. Like India's Ashwin, Jadeja and Jayant Yadav in the previous three Tests at Nos. 7, 8 & 9, England had their spinners Moeen Ali (at No. 4 on Friday), six down Dawson and seven down Rashid contribute to 272 of the team's total.

Having dismissed the first half of England batsmen for 287, India had the golden chance to remove the lower half early and restrict them to under 350. However, they let it score an additional 190 runs.

Ashwin dismissed Stokes in the day's first over with a classical off-spinner's wicket, the ball pitching and turning, inducing the left-hander to lean forward to defend, taking the edge on way to the wicket-keeper. There was little that Ashwin could do further as he finished with 1/151.

Mishra was expensive, bowled loose deliveries before a googly ended the England innings 25 minutes post tea. The medium-pacers Sharma and Yadav bowled their heart out on a lifeless pitch in short spells and were rewarded. Yadav was responsible in sending overnight centurion Moeen Ali with a short ball and then forced Rashid to play a rash shot, chasing a wide delivery and nicking to Patel. But for this reckless shot, the 28-year-old Rashid looked like taking England past 500.

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