Stories, scorecards, epic matches: screenshots, scorecards, stories: no vids please.

[harishankar]

Played another England India Test after a long time. This time in Delhi on a dustbowl.

Here are the scorecards.

India won the toss batted first and looked good early on but kept losing wickets. Ultimately out for a below par score of 168. Ruturaj Gaikwad made some good runs at the top and Kuldeep played a bit of a cameo to get India at least a decent 1st innings score. From 110-9 India salvaged 168 with a crucial 10th wicket partnership between K Yadav and Bhuvaneswar Kumar. In reply, England started off strongly with a huge 87 run opening stand, but then quickly lost their way from 87-1 to 181 all out with major middle order collapse and only the tail salvaging a thin lead. It was a magnificent spin display from R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav as the Indians restricted the first innings lead of England to just 14.

The second innings started off with a decent opening stand from Sharma and Gaikwad, but then India again lost wickets in the middle and were in trouble at one stage with 126-5. Kohli kept the innings together and salvaged a respectable score with useful partnerships with R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav lower down. Finally running out of partners, Kohli was out for a well made 83 on a difficult dusty and turning wicket. M Parkinson won the bowling honours for England with a good fifer, supported well by S. Broad and M. Potts. Finally India managed to set a challenging score of 215 for England. Not going to be easy.

In the second innings England started off tentatively losing Lees early for just 9 runs and then Ollie Pope run out at 5, meant England were tottering at 30-2. Despite starts from some of the middle order, England quickly collapsed to 92-6 and 103-7 and staring down the barrel. A useful partnership from S. Broad and James Anderson, and contributions from Parkinson and Archer brought England close, but the Indian spinners struck at crucial intervals, at 165-8 and 179-9. Archer gave some nervous moments for the Indians, with a useful knock of 15 and brought England within touching distance, however the last wicket was mopped up by R. Jadeja, taking the final wicket of the match with a slip catch to Kohli, giving India their win by 14 runs.

MOTM Kuldeep Yadav for 11 wickets in the match (fifers in both innings) and useful lower order contribution which made the difference.

As I said, after a long time getting back to Cricket games, and ended up with a very satisfying match.

 

[Viper.]

You played out an entire test match, or simulated??

 

[harishankar]

You played out an entire test match, or simulated??

Played it as India. Used classic batting and standard bowling controls, on Medium difficulty and I think, Pro AI. Match got over in 1st or 2nd session of day 3 (didn't follow the session breaks all that closely!).

Much tense match, really enjoyed because the AI is surprisingly good at bowling to the set fields and pressurizing batsmen. Wickets felt hard enough to take without being a chore. The biggest issues being fielding (as usual) and one AI run out each innings (at least the running wasn't suicidal but just risky enough though).