India vs England 3rd Test Day 4: India stare down the barrel after another poor batting show
30 July 2014 8:58 PM IST
Face daunting task to save the test match with one day to go
England's Moeen Ali, third left, celebrates with his teammates after taking the wicket of India's Cheteshwar Pujara during the fourth day of the third cricket Test match of the series between England and India (Photo: AP)
Southampton: India were staring at acrushing defeat after yet another miserable batting display gave England a complete stranglehold in the third cricket Test here today. Chasing an improbable target of 445, India were tottering at 112 for four at stumps with Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma batting on 18 and 6 respectively. India still require 333 on the final day but more realistically have little chance of preventing England from equalizing the series with only six wickets in hand.
With Murali Vijay (12), Shikhar Dhawan (37), Cheteshwar Pujara (2) and Virat Kohli (28) back in the confines of the dressing room , the remaining batsmen need to bat out of their
skin in order to save the match. After being all-out for 330 in their first innings, India conceded a huge first innings lead of 269 runs but Alastair Cook decided against enforcing the follow-on in order to give his tired bowlers some recovery time.
England scored at a quick clip to score 205 for four in 40.4 overs before declaring with a lead of 444 runs. Joe Root smashed his way to a 41-ball-56 (9x4) while skipper Cook having regained some form helped himself to an unbeaten 70 off 114 balls with seven boundaries. With 22-yard strip producing some movement off it, the Indian batsmen did face some testing time with both JimmyAnderson and Stuart Broad asking questions in the 'Corridor of uncertainty'.
Shikhar Dhawan (37) played and missed on a number of occasions as he had no clue about the outgoing delivery from Jimmy Anderson while Murali Vijay didn't look in his usual
composed self that he has been till now in the series. Vijay (12) was run-out as he failed to beat a Stuart Broad throw. Cheteshwar Pujara (2)'s dry run continued as Chris Jordan showed his alertness at first slip latching onto a catch off part-time off-spinner Moeen Ali's (2/33) bowling.
Having lost two wickets for 29, the Delhi boys Kohli and Dhawan batted sensibly to add 51 runs for the third wicket before disaster struck again. The most disappointing was Dhawan's dismissal having done all the hardwork against pacers threw his wicket away as Joe Root bowled a classical off-break that kissed his edge for Jordan to grab his second catch in the slips.
Ali took his wickets tally to 11 when he bowled a straighter one which took Virat Kohli's outside edge which Jos Buttler fumbled before completing the catch.
Scorecard
England (1st innings): 569/7 decl.
India (1st innings): M. Vijay b Broad 35, S. Dhawan c Cook b Anderson 6, C. Pujara c Buttler b Broad 24, V. Kohli c Cook b Anderson 39, A. Rahane c sub b Ali 54, Rohit Sharma c Broad b Ali 28, M. S. Dhoni c Buttler b Anderson 50, R. Jadeja lbw b Anderson 31, B. Kumar c Ballance b Broad 19, Mohammed Shami c Buttler b Anderson 5, Pankaj Singh (not out) 1. Extras (b16, lb14, w8) 38. Total (in 106.1 overs) 330.
FoW: 1-17, 2-56, 3-88, 4-136, 5-210, 6-217, 7-275, 8-313, 9-329.
Bowling: Anderson 26.1-10-53-5, Broad 25-7-66-3, Jordan 17-4-59-0, Woakes 20-8-60-0, Ali 18-0-62-2.
England (2nd innings): S. Robson c Dhawan b Kumar 13, A. Cook (not out) 70, G. Ballance c Pujara b Jadeja 38, I. Bell b Jadeja 23, J. Root b Jadeja 56. Extras (b4, w1) 5. Total (for 4 wkts, in 40.4 overs) 205 decl.
FoW: 1-22, 2-80, 3-106, 4-205.
Bowling: Kumar 10-0-59-1, Pankaj 10-4-33-0, Shami 4-0-24-0, Rohit 5-0-32-0, Jadeja 10.4-1-52-3, Vijay 1-0-1-0.
India 2nd Innings (target 445)
M. Vijay run out (Broad) 12, S. Dhawan c Jordan b Root 37, C. Pujara c Jordan b Ali 2, V. Kohli c Buttler b Ali 28, A. Rahane not out 18, R. Sharma not out 6
Extras (b4, lb5) 9 Total (4 wkts, 42 overs, 174 mins) 112
To bat: MS Dhoni, R Jadeja, B Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Pankaj Singh
Fow: 1-26 (Vijay), 2-29 (Pujara), 3-80 (Dhawan), 4-89 (Kohli)
Bowling: Anderson 8-3-13-0; Broad 9-4-18-0; Woakes 5-2-7-0; Ali 12-2-33-2; Jordan 5-0-22-0; Root 2-0-5-1; Ballance 1-0-5-0
( Source : AFP )
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