IND vs ENG 5th Test: Bumrah sizzles but Root and Bairstow roast the rest
Just four overs before the close of play, Mohammed Siraj staggered in from around the stumps against Jonny Bairstow in an ambitious bid to bounce him out. It was the last-ditch effort of a lost and tired team to take some hope back to the dressing room. But Bairstow, in emphatic touch, blasted a weary bouncer from the wearier bowler into the stands. The ball and the shot captured the mood of the match. India, defending 377, looked defeated and deflated. England, who have never chased a score as steep as this to win a Test, looked triumphant and just 119 runs from the dreamland.
The last hour was perhaps the most damning for India. For, England were not trading in the currency of Baz-ball or blinding aggression, but risk-averse text-book cricket, anchored by Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, ...