IND vs ENG: England's Spin Misery Puts India Back In Series Hunt

When Dan Lawrence slumped to his knees after getting out on Sunday, it was the surest sign that England was groggy against India's master spinners on a devilish pitch. As England stares at defeat

England conceded a lead of 195 which India extended to 249 at the end of the play. Thorpe admits it will need a miracle now to avoid defeat. "It's going to be tough. We need something very, very special to happen to us and somebody to do something amazing with the bat," said Thorpe. We knew we would have some tough days and the most important thing is our dressing room doesn't get too affected by today.

"We've some guys touring this part of the world for the first time against a very, very strong India side." England "must not get too down by this," said Thorpe who went through peaks and troughs in his 100-plus Tests. India batted for 95.5 overs after electing to bat first with Rohit Sharma hitting an aggressive 161.

Ashwin said playing spin is an art and traveling teams must rise to the challenge. "I do not know if they have complaints in the first place. When you come across adverse conditions, it is quite natural to be taken aback by it," said Ashwin.

"But to be honest, England have competed really well so far. "There will be challenges when it comes to seam or spin. I would say the challenges are far greater when the ball is seaming at 140 km/h compared to spin at 80-85 km/h."