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'Ab rone se koi faida nahi' - Fans react as Ben Stokes blames technology for England's top scorer Zak Crawley's wicket in second innings of Vizag Test

Crawley, batting at 72 off 123 deliveries, was initially given not out by the umpire. However, the bowler insisted captain Rohit to take the review.

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Mathew K
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Ball tracking shows Zak Crawley's dismissal in the 2nd innings (left), Ben Stokes (right) (Source: X)

Ball tracking shows Zak Crawley's dismissal in the 2nd innings (left), Ben Stokes (right) (Source: X)

Hosts India leveled the five-match series 1-1 with a resounding 106-run win in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. Although the Men in Blue were ahead throughout the game, the visitors were never out of the hunt with two days and nine wickets in hand. England's 'baseball' could not cope with the Indian spin attack and elite pacer Jasprit Bumrah's fiery spell.

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Opener Zak Crawley was their top scorer in both the innings. Riding on his 76-ball 78, England managed to score 253 in their first innings. Apart from captain Stokes' 47 runs, the right-hander did not get much support from his teammates. The story was no different in the second innings. Chasing 399, Crawley gave his team another good start, but wickets kept falling at the other end. 

The 26-year-old scored another half-century and kept the team in the hunt. However, in the 42nd over, left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav managed to give India a huge breakthrough when he trapped Crawley in front of the stumps. Undoubtedly, the turning point of the match, but came in a controversial manner, for which the English skipper blamed technology. 

Crawley, batting at 72 off 123 deliveries, was initially given not out by the umpire. However, the bowler insisted captain Rohit to take the review. The impact seemed to be outside the leg stump, but to everyone's surprise, the ball tracking showed the impact well inside the stump. The on-field umpire had to overturn his verdict and left England reeling at 194-5. 

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Stokes was asked about the controversial dismissal after the match and he did not hesitate to blame the DRS technology. "Zak Crawley's LBW decision was the wrong one by the technology,” the all-rounder said.

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Another great game to be a part of: Stokes

Chasing a big total in Indian conditions against quality bowlers was not going to be an easy task. However, England was 'confident' of causing another upset to the home team. Stokes praised his teammates for putting up a brilliant performance, especially on Day 3.

“Coming into this last innings, had full belief in ourselves that we would chase it down. In moments like that, in games with scoreboard pressure, that is where we get the best of ourselves. Another great game to be a part of. There’s no suggestion whatsoever about how to play. Everyone in the dressing room is a quality player,” Stokes said.

“They are good enough to go out there and assess the conditions, and decide how to go about it. I absolutely loved it (captaining the spinners). To put in the performance they did yesterday was incredible,” he added.

Here's how fans reacted to Ben Stokes' blaming technology for Zak Crawley's dismissal: 

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