Finance
In the pursuit of 192 runs for a series win, India reached 40/0 in eight overs at stumps on day three of the fourth Test against England at the JSCA International Stadium on Sunday.
With two days remaining in the contest, India has to win by 152 runs to win the fourth Test. The England spinner’s inexperience with the new ball was evident as captain Rohit Sharma made excellent use of full and overpitched deliveries from Hartley to hit four boundaries and be 24 not out.
Meanwhile, India left with smiles on their cheeks as Yashasvi Jaiswal easily defeated Joe Root to remain undefeated at 16. With just three wickets remaining, India started Day Three 134 runs behind England’s first innings total. However, Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav (28 off 131 balls) shared a crucial 76-run stand for the eighth wicket to help the hosts fight back in the match.
Though Kuldeep later became James Anderson’s 698th Test scalp, Jurel, playing just his second Test, survived a caught-out chance on 59 and shifted gears well to be India’s top-scorer with a terrific 90 off 149 balls.
England had a first innings lead of 46, but Ravichandran Ashwin wreaked havoc with the new ball to pick his 35th five-wicket haul in Tests via a splendid 5-51. Ably supporting him was Kuldeep taking 4-22, while Ravindra Jadeja had a scalp to his name.
In the final session, England lost five wickets for 25 runs in 21 overs. Jonny Bairstow was dismissed on the first ball of the session, pushing at a Jadeja delivery which turned and spooned to short cover. Kuldeep came in to have Tom Hartley caught at mid-on and trapped Ollie Robinson lbw with the one which turned in to hit the pad past the willow.
Robinson attempted to overturn the ruling, but was unable to do so since the umpire had called a leg-stump on the ball. Ben Foakes held off an under-edge from Ashwin, but the off-spinner slid in a carrom ball that the batter misread and returned to the bowler for a return catch.
James Anderson attempted a reverse sweep but failed, allowing Ashwin to finish with a five-fer. When the ball bounced off the bat, Jurel extended his right glove to make a diving grab. India’s incredible day was further enhanced when Rohit and Jaiswal grabbed all the wickets needed to win the series in Ranchi by taking advantage of a spate of England misplayed balls.
Brief scores:
England 353 & 145 all out in 53.5 overs (Zak Crawley 60, Jonny Bairstow 30; Ravichandran Ashwin 5-51, Kuldeep Yadav 4-22) lead India 307 in 103.2 overs (Dhruv Jurel 90; Shoaib Bashir 5-119) & 40/0 in 8 overs (Rohit Sharma 24 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 16 not out) by 152 runs
Source:IANS
