England's Dom Bess must draw on reserves of pluck after luck runs out in India | Andy Bull


Spinner was in luck and in wickets earlier in the tour but will need to dig deep to recover from the mauling he received here

Tea-time on day two, and the match is in the balance. India are 153 for six, 52 runs behind, with Rishabh Pant at one end and Washington Sundar the other. England are one wicket away from the tail, and four cheap ones from a lead. So Joe Root decides to open the bowling in the evening session with Dom Bess. It is a show of faith. Bess hasn’t bowled well, but both batsmen are left-handed and, since Bess will have the advantage of turning the ball away from them, Root’s hoping this is his moment. His first ball floats up, a full toss, Sundar swats it off his hip for four. Bess looks up at the sky, scrunches up his eyes, wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, turns, comes again.

Related: 'If the crowd like it I'm happy': Pant on his reverse flick against Anderson

There have been a few English spinners whose careers have been cut short by experiences just like this in recent years

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