Ashwin tests England with strong all-round display

An impressive all-round display from R Ashwin handed India the advantage on the second day as they posted a sizable 455 and then reduced England to 103 for 5 at stumps in the second Test in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

The hosts had already stamped their authority by ending day one on 317 for four. R Ashwin ensured they added to England's woes by joining forces with debutant Jayant Yadav to add 64 runs for the eighth wicket. Ben Stokes eventually accounted for Ashwin for a 95-ball 58 after he edged a short delivery to the keeper.

In 2016, Ashwin has scored two centuries and two fifties in Tests. He has also scored his fourth half-century against England, which is the most he has scored against any opposition. He averages 50.90 against them.

England's batsmen had 16 overs to negotiate before tea and they had hoped to keep their wickets in tact as the day wore on. But they lost their captain, Alastair Cook, in the third over of the day when Mohammad Shami uprooted his off stump after the ball angled away.

Haseeb Hameed and Joe Root added 47 runs for the second wicket, but Hameed's innings was cut short as he was run out for 13. Kohli held back his trump card, Ashwin, till the 16th over and he didn't disappoint his captain when he finally got the ball, as he got it to drift and turn sharply. Ben Duckett was his first victim of the Test as he got the third ball of his fourth over to drift into middle and leg, beat the outside edge and hit middle stump.

Joe Root stood tall, on 53 from 98 balls, for England, as wickets fell at the other end. But two overs after Duckett's departure, Root erred against Ashwin by misreading the length as he stepped out of the crease. He went through with his shot but miscued it to long-off. Jayant then trapped the centurion from the first Test, Moeen Ali, lbw for one. Ashwin's 12 overs yielded just 15 runs and two wickets.

In the end, Stokes and Jonny Bairstow hung grimly on for 14.4 overs, but they got just 23 runs in those. India will look to bowl England out of the Test on day three.

"I'm enjoying my batting, I tried to stay positive," Ashwin said. "There are some attacks where you feel good about going out and batting. Ever since England toured here last time, I have been batting well against them and that's a psychological advantage I carry into a game when I play against them. It's a very different pitch to what we saw in Rajkot and it's not one of those easy-paced wickets."