India vs England, 2nd Test at Chennai, IND v ENG, Feb 13 2021 - Ball by Ball Commentary

1.30pm After collecting the Man-of-the-Match award, Ashwin receives a warm hug from his captain Kohli. Sweet as...The Chepauk crowd continues to cheer Ashwin on and he acknowledges them. Phew. That's a wrap. The series is locked at 1-1 after the Chennai leg, setting things up beautifully for the pink-ball day-night Test in Ahmedabad, starting on February 24. We can't thank you enough for your company and comments - keeps us on our toes. Do come back for the third Test and all other matches. Until next time, this is Deivarayan Muthu signing off on the behalf of Karthik Krishnaswamy, Chandan Duorah and Venkat Raghav. Take care and cheers.

Here is Root, again, speaking to Channel 4: Probably on day one if I have to be brutally honest (where did England lose this Test?) Credit has to go to India and it's a bit of an education and learning process for the group as well. We will have a different challenge with the pink ball in a new stadium. We have learnt quickly [in recent times] and we have to do that again. We have to have honest conversations and that's what it comes down to and be true to yourself (how can you learn quickly?) It's about how I can defend and bat for long periods of time on a wicket like that. It's also about learning from the opposition - how they managed spitting deliveries and big-turning balls. I thought he (Foakes) had an excellent game with the bat in the first innings and didn't let the situation of the game faze him. He's a fantastic bloke and we know how good he's with the gloves.You can talk about how quickly it [the pitch] can deteriorate - it deteriorated faster - but the fact of the matter is that they [India] managed it better than us. It's very important that we don't dwell too much on this and look forward. This experience will hold us in good stead and we take it into the rest of the series. I can't think any other off the top of the head - it was challenging out there [most challenging pitch you've played on?) You try to learn from that and it [conditions] could be different at Ahmedabad. I think Moeen has been bowling very well, getting better at practice, and throughout the game he got better and better. He looked somewhere near his best towards the end of the game. I thought Olly was excellent and looked threatening with the limited opportunities he was given to bowl. Really, really pleasing to see him and make an impact. Obviously, Jimmy was discussed [for selection], but you have to look at the whole series and manage the players as best as you can. You have to make sure they don't get burned out and it's tricky and we're trying to manage it. And we replaced Jimmy with Broad, the No.2 bowler in the world. Stokes not bowling much was purely tactical - he's fit and I'm sure he will have an impact at some point in the series like he did in the first game. I think so you can expect some changes for Ahmedabad - look at the surface and conditions and utilise this break.

Local hero R Ashwin, Man of the Match (massive cheers in the background): Look actually, this wicket is very different to the first game. Those balls which were doing much didn't get wickets, it was the mind doing things. It takes a certain amount of pace and guile to do it on this wicket - I've been playing for years here. I think keeping the intent was very, very important. I was having a chat with Rohit and the batting coach (Vikram Rathour) about the options to put pressure on the bowler than waiting for the loose balls. First couple of sweeps I connected, I got a hang of the wicket. I'm someone who tries hard, and when it doesn't go my way, I try harder. It's not just Vikram alone, it was more about hands and getting through the ball, think tactically and not technically. Anjinkya (Rahane) told me I was overthinking and that innings at Sydney set the tone for me. I'm so happy that it happened in Chennai that I got a hundred and five-for. Look, I think every sort of load-up gives a different result in terms of the pitch and conditions. All these things are working beautifully because of my awareness. The joy is coming out and hence the bowling is coming the way it is.

Ashwin speaks in Tamil and the cheers swell to a crescendo at Chepauk. Ashwin pauses for a moment and soaks everything in. "I've watched a lot of cricket in these stands, my father brings me here," he recalls. "I'm speechless right now. I've played four Test matches here and this is easily the most special Test match. It gave me a hero feeling. In Covid times, a of lot of people came without any worries and even though some didn't wear masks they cheered for us. Every time I came out to bat or bowl, the cheers were great - vera [different] feeling. I dedicate this win to the Chennai crowd. We went one-up after they allowed the crowd, hopefully we continue to do well [in the presence of crowds] in Ahmedabad as well"

Kohli, India captain: Look, it was a bit strange in the first game to play at home without crowds in the stands. Things were flat to be honest, and myself included. [we needed] to pick up the energy. We were on the money this game and the crowd makes a massive different and you push more as a team. This game is an example of the grit and determination we've shown as a side. The Chennai crowd everyone knows is very, very intelligent and they understand their cricket really well. For the 15-20 mins, when the bowler needs support from the crowd, it's my responsibility [to egg the crowd on]. When I'm bowling in the heat, you need motivation from the crowd. The conditions were challenging for both sides, but we showed more application, determination and grit to battle it out. I don't think the toss would've mattered much in this pitch, and we believed we could score runs in the second innings and got almost 300. Look, Pant has really worked hard in Australia and the difference when he moves with the gloves you can see in his reflexes and reactions. He has shed a lot of weight in Australia and it shows and we want him to get stronger and stronger with his skill sets because we know how much value he adds to the team. It's a special, special moment for Axar. He'd have played the first game too if not for a niggle. He bowls fast and is all smiles, and hopefully he builds it here from here on. I've taken a lot of pride in correcting mistakes quickly, which I haven't done in the past because I'm rigid. But, I want to correct those quickly now. Ashwin batted outstandingly well and in the second half I decided not to go after runs and I'm going to trust my defense to get me out of trouble. Yeah, pink-ball cricket is going to be challenge and we expect no easy cricket from England. The energy and enthusiasm from the crowd is really important for us.

12.55pm Root, England captain: I think credit has to go to India, they outplayed us in all departments. We have to learn from this and find ways to score in these conditions and bowl six balls to one better. On day one, we could have been tighter and made it harder for them to score freely as they did. We're 1-1 in the series and there are two important games in the series. We played very well in the first Test, so we're in the series. India went in with two seamers as well, it's always easy to see in the flipside of things. The wicket was dramatically different to the first Test match. I think Moeen got better with the ball as the game went on and we all know how destructive he can be. Foakes - his keeping was world-class. We have to stay level and understand we have played good cricket in the recent past. We have to learn quickly and that's something we've done in the recent past. The pink-ball Test will be different - one in Australia with Kookaburra and one in England with Dukes - and we're very much looking forward to that.

12.45pm This 317-run victory is among India's biggest wins in terms of runs in Test cricket. Here are India's left-arm spinners speaking to the host broadcaster.

Axar Patel: "A very good experience. It feels so good to pick up five wickets on debut. There was a lot of help for the spinners, so it was important to bowl at the right speed, because if you were too slow, there was time to adjust. So I was bowling stump-to-stump, and waiting for errors from the batsmen. Even if we had bowled first, I don't think it would have made a big difference because there was a lot of help from the pitch even on the first day."

Kuldeep Yadav: "It's very important when your team is doing well, to keep giving them support. Axar and Ashwin were bowling very well, so my job was to maintain that control. It felt like a debut for me, because I've not played for so long. Bowling in a match is very different, no matter how much you bowl at the nets. I always speak to Ash bhai a lot, even during the Australia tour. He was telling me a lot about where to bowl to which batsmen, what shots they like to play. We've been in this situation before [losing the first Test of a series]. Even in my debut series we had lost the first Test against Australia in Pune. Then we lost in Adelaide as well, and you saw the morale of the team even after that defeat. We are always prepared to come back and perform in the next match. Even Rishabh's keeping was brilliant today. Everyone contributed."

12.35pm India have won by 317 runs, and the series is 1-1. A telling response to going down last week, and a clinical performance on a pitch that turned from ball one. In winning by this sort of margin on this sort of pitch, India showed their clear superiority in skill and accuracy as a spin-bowling team, and in skill, footwork and decision-making as a batting team against spin. No ten-for for Ashwin, but he won't mind because he's played a massive, massive role in winning a Test match on his home ground, with ball and bat. Rohit Sharma's first-day century set everything up, so they're probably the two biggest contenders for Player of the Match. I'll hand it back to Deiva, who'll bring you the presentation.

Samrin: "All the criticism over Moeen's performance but the match summary tells a different story!"

Tejas: "Moeen Ali becomes the highest scorer for England in the match (both innings) with 43. Also, this 10th wicket partnership was the highest of both innings for England. Talk about a one-sided affair this."

Mustafa Moudi: "Fun Fact: This Win breaks the 4-Test Losing Streak of India under Kohli. Interestingly, every single Test Kohli has Led India in the WTC has Fetched a Result. The Last Test to end in draw under Kohli was the 4th Test in Sydney against Australia 2 years ago !!"

Mohan: "Ali trying hard to impress Virat for IPL auction !"

VIRENDER : "Misbah's record of 21-ball fifty is in danger."

Damodar: "Looks like Moeen Ali is giving an audition for the IPL auction on the 18th. "

After those three sixes, Axar gives way to Ashwin.

A fielder now moves to short extra-cover from the leg side

Kuldeep continues. Slip, gully, silly point and leg gully for Broad.

Stays over the wicket to Moeen. Two left-handers at the crease.

In walks Stuart Broad. Axar goes over the wicket to him. Slip, short leg, leg gully.

Axar has a slip, a gully and a silly point for Stone.