Team India’s Shreyas Iyer took a brilliant running catch to cut short a dangerous-looking innings from Zak Crawley during Day 2 of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.
Crawley had the India bowlers at his mercy, racing to 76 off 77 deliveries when a mistimed shot against Axar Patel travelled towards backward point.
As Crawley attempted to maintain his dominance on the crease, he charged down the pitch to tackle a full delivery from Axar Patel. However, Axar’s variation in line deceived Crawley; despite the challenging nature of the catch, Iyer exhibited remarkable athleticism as he swiftly moved backward and executed a perfectly timed dive.
This was Crawley’s eighth dismissal against left-arm orthodox spin in Asian conditions, further highlighting his weakness against such spinners.
The catch, in some ways, was reminiscent of the ominous dismissal of Rohit Sharma in the 2023 World Cup Final against Australia, when a running Travis Head caught a similar shot. Justifiably, the catch from Iyer added to the delight of fans present at the stadium in Visakhapatnam.
The right-handed batter had looked dangerous throughout his stay at the crease as he led a counter-attack against Indian bowlers after Ben Duckett departed cheaply. He smashed 11 fours and two sixes throughout his stay at the crease.
Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed a maiden double ton and largely carried the Indian innings, as the side posted 396 on the board. Jaiswal contributed with 209 runs to the total, with the second-highest score being 34 by Shubman Gill.
For England, James Anderson was the pick of the bowlers, picking three wickets for 45 runs at a brilliant economy rate of 1.90.