Kuldeep Yadav played a pivotal role for India, securing a key breakthrough by dismissing England vice-captain Ollie Pope just before Lunch on Day 1 of the fifth Test at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.
This marked England’s second wicket loss at 100 runs, with Pope departing after scoring 11 runs off 24 balls. The wicket fell in the 26th over, courtesy of Kuldeep’s googly that Pope failed to read, resulting in a swift stumping by Dhruv Jurel.
The left-arm wrist-spinner delivered a ball with a shorter length than anticipated. It spun sharply past the outside edge, allowing Jurel ample time to complete the stumping with ease. You can watch the video here:
https://www.bcci.tv/bccilink/videos/DBFDtW2i
After scoring 196 in the opening Test in Hyderabad, where England secured a 28-run victory, Pope has struggled with the bat, recording scores of 23, 23, 39, and 3. In the previous Test, he faced a pair, registering consecutive ducks. Meanwhile, Kuldeep has increased his wickets tally to 14 in the ongoing Test series, spanning four Tests.
Kuldeep Yadav dismisses Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope during the first session of the Dharamshala Test between IND and ENG
A precise bowling display by Kuldeep Yadav resulted in India claiming two wickets against England in the initial session of the fifth Test on Thursday. Kuldeep’s earlier dismissal of Ben Duckett was aided by a remarkable catch from Shubman Gill.
At Lunch on Day 1, England, opting to bat first after winning the toss, stood at 100/2 after 25.3 overs, with Zak Crawley (61 off 71 balls) at the crease. Joe Root is expected to join him in the second session.
The match signifies the 100th Test for both star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and England wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow. With a convincing five-wicket victory in the fourth Test in Ranchi, the hosts have already secured an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the five-match Test series.
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