England No 3’s hour-long 18 in Chennai must have been about the hardest little stretch of batting he has had to do
It was a hot, humid afternoon in Chennai, the grandstands at Chepauk were empty, but the atmosphere in the middle looked close and claustrophobic. England were 241 runs ahead, but you would never have guessed it from the way the Indian fielders were buzzing.
Ravi Ashwin had just had Rory Burns caught at slip off the very first ball of the innings, a devilish delivery that drifted in towards his pads, bit, broke back, flicked off the shoulder of his bat, and triggered a first little flush of panic. The wicket begged the question of how many England could get – and more importantly, how many they might need, since India made 328 to win at the Gabba just the other week.
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