England is heading back to Abu Dhabi for a brief period. The visitors will not be staying in India following the completion of the second Test in Vizag within four days.
Ben Stokes and his team conducted their practice camp in Abu Dhabi prior to the commencement of the five-match series in India. They reached India just three days before the first match in Hyderabad.
This decision appears to be geared towards providing the players with a break from the action and spending time with family, allowing them to relax before returning for the third Test in Rajkot.
Earlier, former England captain Michael Vaughan slammed this decision to leave the country for a break.
"One thing I don’t like is that England look set to leave India to return to Abu Dhabi in the break between the second and third Tests. I think this feeds into a rather dated viewing of touring India that we sometimes have. It used to be harder, but now the hotels are magnificent, the food is great, and you are looked after like royalty. And yes, there are golf courses,” Michael Vaughan wrote in The Telegraph.
“There’s been talk about England’s preparation largely taking place outside India, in Abu Dhabi, and not including any warm-up games. I don’t mind that at all,” the former cricketer added.
On day four, chasing 399 runs for their second consecutive win, the Ben Stokes-led team was bowled out for 292.
The batters went for reckless shots and lost their wickets on a track that was still good for batting. Barring Zak Crawley’s 73, no one else stayed at the crease for a long time.
Ordinary batting by former captain Joe Root and needful run out of the current skipper, Ben Stokes, played a major role in a defeat by a big margin.
The competitiveness that England showed in the opening game was missing in the second.
A double hundred by Yashasvi Jaiswal, a hundred by Shubman Gill, and Jasprit Bumrah’s nine-wicket match haul were instrumental in a much-needed win. Bumrah was named the Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling.
India and England will now lock horns in the third Test in Rajkot, which will start from February 15.
