In order to have nay hopes of winning or even drawing the Vizag Test, England needed to make the most of the morning session on Day Four of the Vizag Test. Their day began on a promising note when they dismissed Ajinkya Rahane for 26, then removed Ravichandran Ashwin and added Wriddhiman Saha to the list to take early honours.
However, the visitors knew very well that unless they removed the biggest fish of ‘em all, they would be in serious danger of trailing by a massive margin in the fourth innings.
It is often said that to remove special players, it takes a special effort. And to remove Virat Kohli, England did need something special and it arrived courtesy their talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes.
Coming into bowl the 48th over of the innings, Adil Rashid bowled and Kohli went for the drive. The ball took the outside edge and Stokes leapt in the air and took a one-handed blinder to send the Indian captain back for 81 and deny him a century in each innings of his 50th Test.
If one goes back to the first innings of this Test, Rashid had dropped Kohli on the long leg boundary off the bowling of Stokes and that proved to be costly as Kohli made a superb 167, but Stokes ensured in the second innings, the right-hander did not go on to get a big score with a superb effort.
Here’s a video of that stunner from Stokes.
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