Chennai Test: India Beat England By 317 Runs, Series Level 1-1 (Day Report)

Local hero Ravichandran Ashwin starred with ball and bat as India thrashed England by 317 runs in the second Test in Chennai to level the series at 1-1 on Tuesday.

Brief scores: India 329 & 286 (Ravichandran Ashwin 106, Virat Kohli 62; Moeen Ali 4/98) vs England 134 & 164 (Moeen Ali 43, Joe Root 33; Axar Patel 5/60, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/53), India win by 317 runs

Chennai Test: India vs England, Match Report

Chasing a target of 482, England were all out for 164 in 54.2 overs in the second session of the fourth day of the five-day match.

Axar Patel dismissed England captain Joe Root (33 off 92 balls) early in the second session on Tuesday to all but end the visitors' slender chances of saving the Test. While all-rounder Moeen Ali put up a quickfire 38-run stand with Stuart Broad (5 not out) for the last wicket, he eventually fell to Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who ended England's second innings with two wickets. Moeen hit three fours and five sixes in his 18-ball 43.

Ashwin claimed eight wickets in the match and hit 106 with the bat as India bounced back from their crushing opening loss in the four-match series. Axar ended up with figures of 5/60, following up on his first-innings figures of 2/40. 

Opener Rohit Sharma hit an attacking 161 to set up India's big innings after they won the toss and elected to bat first. Sharma's seventh Test ton and first against England raised the pitch of the returning Indian crowd -- present in a stadium for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic.

Ashwin's five wickets to help bowl out England for 134 in the first innings in response to India's 329 set the tone for the host's dominance. England conceded a lead of 195 and then struggled on a pitch that offered turn from day one and was criticized by some pundits.

The win takes India to the second spot on the World Test Championship points table. India needs one more win in this series to seal a spot in the final which will be played in June at Lord's, London, in England. New Zealand have already qualified for the final.

The series now moves to Ahmedabad where the third day-night Test will be played from February 24 at the newly constructed Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera. The fourth Test will also be played at this venue.