Ravichandran Ashwin losing his cool on the cricket field is not a regular sight. He having an animated chat with the umpire rather than a witty one is even rare. Just after stumps were called on Day 1 of the second Test between India and England, Yashasvi Jaiswal was busy acknowledging all the congratulatory pats on the back and handshakes from the England cricketers but at the same time, his batting partner, Ashwin, was seen in an entirely different mood.
As the cameras moved from the pleasantries exchanged between Jaiswal and pretty much all the English cricketers to the other end, Ashwin was seen having an animated chat with umpire Marais Erasmus. The India all-rounder did not seem to be in the best of moods. It appeared like he was upset about something.
It was not clear what triggered such an animated reaction from Ashwin. He was the one who batted the last six balls of the day off leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed and even hit an attacking slog sweep for a boundary. But just after he defended the final ball of the day, he turned towards the umpire and started to complain about something.
Yashasvi Jaiswal the highlight of IND vs ENG 2nd Test Day 1
India, who trail the five-match series 1-0, reached 336-6 at stumps with the left-handed Jaiswal and Ashwin, on five, batting in Visakhapatnam.
Bashir and fellow spinner Rehan Ahmed took two wickets each.
Bashir, 20, got skipper Rohit Sharma as his first Test wicket and pace bowler James Anderson made it two down before Jaiswal hit back.
Jaiswal took on the England spinners to smash Tom Hartley for three successive boundaries and set the pace.
“I wanted to play it session by session. When they were bowling well, I just wanted to get through that spell,” Jaiswal said after the end of play.
“Initially, the wicket was damp and there was spin and bounce, with a bit of seam. However, I wanted to convert the loose balls, and play till the end. I would love to double this up, and play till the end for the team.”
He reached his second Test ton with a six off Hartley and removed his helmet, raised his arms and blew a kiss to the cheering crowd.
It was India’s first century in the series. England’s Ollie Pope hit 196 in the opening Test.
Jaiswal kept up the attack and India dominated the final hour of play despite losing Axar Patel and hometown hero K.S. Bharat.
The 22-year-old Jaiswal, playing his sixth Test, smashed 17 fours and five sixes to surpass his previous Test best of 171 on debut in the West Indies last year.
Bashir got Axar caught at backward point for his second wicket as he bowled disciplined spells to showcase his variety and guile in just his seventh first-class match.
Bharat (17) was out similarly while trying to cut Ahmed.
