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Virat Kohlis strengths - and weaknesses - come to the fore, more disappointment for Ben Duckett and dog stops play as India triumph over England in the second Test. Ravichandran Ashwin and Adil Rashid also exploited the conditions superbly on a pitch that offered turn and increasingly variable bounce as the match went on.Ultimately though, the England leg-spinners efforts were in vain as India took a 1-0 lead in the series after an intriguing five days in Visakhapatnam. Kohlis mixed bagThe India skipper showed his class with the bat once again, taking full advantage of favourable conditions for batting on the first day to score a brilliant 167. And then, in Indias second innings, with other batsmen scratching around on a rapidly deteriorating surface, he cruised his way to 81 - his innings finally brought to an end by a stunning catch from Ben Stokes. India vs England November 26, 2016, 3:30am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass However, while pundits fell over themselves in a clamour to praise his batting prowess, his captaincy during Englands second innings - particularly on day four - drew a very different reaction.Staggeringly bad was Bob Willis assessment on The Verdict and Nasser Hussain was equally unimpressed by his field settings and the ends at which he used his bowlers during Englands stubborn resistance on the fourth afternoon and evening.You can lead by example, as Kohli does with the bat, you can show a lot of passion which Kohli does in abundance, he said. But tactically I think he is pretty naive. Virat Kohli batted superbly but his captaincy was less impressive There was at least an improvement on the final day as India wrapped up victory, Hussain acknowledged.Hes been better today, he told Sky Sports. He hasnt been as noticeable; sometimes he interferes a bit too much but what he did today was not move the field as much and not tinker as much. But that doesnt take away from the fact that he was poor yesterday.Should England gain the upper hand by winning the toss in Mohali, Kohlis marshalling of his troops will come under scrutiny once more though and it remains to be seen how he will respond to that pressure.Rashid steps upBob Willis is not a man shy of offering his opinion and after Rashids unconvincing displays in the Bangladesh Tests, plenty were in full agreement with his typically frank judgement that the leg-spinner should be on the next flight back to the UK.Two Tests and 13 wickets later, Rashid has delivered a most eloquent riposte on the pitch. After seven wickets in Rajkot, another six in Visakhapatnam proved that his opening-Test effort was no fluke. Alastair Cook praised the improved bowling of Adil Rashid in the 2nd Test That he was capable of producing deliveries of supreme quality was never in doubt; but it was the full tosses and long-hops that came with along them which drew criticism. Saqlain Mushtaqs arrival as Englands spin coach for the first three Tests in India seems to have helped to eradicate those aberrations and Rashid is now bowling with a previously unseen control and confidence. So much so that Alastair Cook had no reservations about throwing him the ball just five overs into Indias second innings.His faith was rewarded with four wickets in the innings and Rashids resurgence is such that even his biggest critics are beginning to be won round… Test Cricket: The Verdict November 21, 2016, 3:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Hes getting better and better, isnt he? Willis told The Verdict. Hes shoving my words right back down my throat when I said he should be on the plane back to Leeds-Bradford airport - thats come back to haunt me!Hes fast becoming Englands leading spin bowler and making a case for Moeen Ali to bat high up the order and be a second spinner.Ashwin up and runningHe was the man England were told to fear most ahead of the series. Ashwin had risen to the top of the Test bowling rankings after a succession of stunning performances in the past two years. Not least, his 20 wickets at just 21.05 against New Zealand in October.However, against England it has been a different story. The 30-year-old had struggled to make any real impact in his previous encounters with Indias opponents in this five-match run and he fared little better in the first Test. 3-230 in 69.3 overs his rather underwhelming match figures. Indias Ravichandran Ashwin says experimenting with his bowling in Tests will help him improve still further as a spinner He spoke ahead of the Visakhapatnam Test about his desire to improve and that is exactly what he did, taking his 22nd five-wicket haul in Tests - his first against England - as the tourists succumbed to 255 all out in their first innings.Ashwin quickly found his rhythm and his threat was amplified by the additional drift that he was able to find compared to Rajkot and, after a further three wickets in the visitors second innings, he looks to have overcome his England hoodoo.Duckett in the doldrumsOne man who struggled more than most against Ashwins off-spin was Duckett. Having been heralded as Englands bright new hope following his exploits during the ODI series and an entertaining half-century in Bangladesh, the left-hander has been found wanting in India thus far. Ian Botham believes England need to drop the struggling Ben Duckett His frailties against off-spin, on turning tracks, have been cruelly exposed with Ashwin dismissing him in each of his three innings in the series to date, leading his defensive technique to be called into question.It is amazing how quickly the game at the highest level presents challenges, Michael Atherton remarked. In his very first innings in Chittagong in Test cricket, he showed the off-spinner his stumps and paid the price, and he has done that twice here now.Hes got to look at that defensive technique to the off-spinner. At the moment he is showing too much of his stumps and with two quality off-spinners, Ashwin - the No 1 bowler in the world - and Jayant Yadav, thats going to be a problem. In a rare return to the nets, David Gower has some batting tips for struggling fellow left-hander Ben Duckett Duckett tried to address the issue ahead of his second knock in Visakhapatnam and looked to go on the attack against Ashwin. The result though was the same, Duckett gone cheaply and after only 18 runs in three innings, it seems unlikely that hell make the XI for Mohali.Dog stops play!Over the years we have seen all manner of creatures enter the field and hold up proceedings. From bees in Zimbabwe earlier this year to the Brisbane piglet, with Botham emblazoned on one side, in a 1983 World Series match between Australia and England. A stray dog brings play to a shuddering halt on day one of the second Test Crickets latest unexpected pitch invader arrived shortly before tea on the first day as a stray dog brazenly scampered onto the outfield as Stuart Broad readied himself to bowl to Cheteshwar Pujara. An early tea was called on day one thanks to the unexpected appearance of a dog on the outfield!! Stadium stewards were quickly sent onto the pitch to try and remove the canine but, with Broad and Cook allowing themselves a chuckle at the incident, the dog toyed with his would-be captors, evading their grasp and then trotting off the pitch… only to return moments later!Eventually, the decision was made to call for a slightly early tea and allow the stewards a full 20 minutes to shepherd the pesky pooch from the field of play.Watch the third Test between India and England at Mohali live on Sky Sports 2 from 3.30am on Saturday. Also See: England slump to heavy defeat WATCH: Day five highlights Rashid has made huge strides India v England: Story of 2012 Rogelio Armenteros Jersey . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Larry Dierker Jersey . 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James Taylors enforced retirement has opened up a spot in Englands middle order, with one possible option to promote Jonny Bairstow up to No 5 and hand Buttler the gloves. Pundits pick England squad Who would our experts play against Sri Lanka? However, Sky Sports pundit Knight reckons Buttler - who lost his spot as England wicketkeeper to Bairstow during the series against Pakistan in the UAE late last year - should continue to develop his game with Mumbai Indians. Whats best for his development now is for him to be where he is, the former England batsman said of Buttler, who is being coached at Mumbai by Ricky Ponting and teaming with the likes of Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard. Nick Knight has selected Gary Ballance at No 5 in his England Test team He is around star names and different conditions, which will stay with him for the rest of his career, so I think he is in the right place.I have no doubt that down the line, whether thats six months or a year, that he will be a Test match cricketer - he has all the skills, although it may take him a bit of time to find the right tempo to bat at in Test cricket.For consistency of selectiion and while he carries on doing what he has done, I would stick with Bairstow batting somewhere in the top six or seven and keeping the gloves in hand.dddddddddddd. Buttlers top score in his 10 IPL innings to date is the quick-fire 41 from 22 balls he lashed against Kolkata Knight Riders on his second appearance.He will feel like he hasnt announced himself yet, Knight added of Buttler, who has been batting at No 4 and 5 for his franchise since being picked up in the IPL auction for around £385,000.When he got 41 in his second game I thought it might allow him to kick on but he hasnt really done that. Jos Buttler has shown flashes of his skills in the IPL We have to remember, though, that while we have such high expectations of Jos from what we have seen with England, this is a whole new environment for himPlayers will tell you that there is nothing better than going into a dressing room where everyone knows you and you have nothing to prove.Here Jos will feel he has something to prove and want to justify his fee.Watch Englands Test series with Sri Lanka live on Sky Sports 2, starting with the first game, at Headingley, from 10am on Thursday, May 19.You can also catch each and every IPL game, live on Sky Sports. Click here for TV times. Also See: Pundits pick England squad England fixtures/results Sri Lanka fixtures/results WATCH: Root bowls out Stokes! ' ' '