India struggling at 58-3, face uphill task chasing target of 464
London : India stared at an embarrassing defeat after Alastair Cook’s fairytale farewell knock and Joe Root’s classy hundred enabled England to pile more misery on the visitors during the penultimate day of the fifth Test.
Cook made dogged 147 off 286 balls in his final knock while skipper Root roared back to form with a stylish 125, his first hundred in 28 innings, as the duo grinded the Indian bowling into submission with 259-run stand.
Courtesy the twin hundreds by the former and current skipper, England declared their second innings on 423-8 with a massive target of 464 for the Indians.
Deflated after fielding for over 112 overs, India’s wobbly top-order once again faltered with Shikhar Dhawan (1), Cheteshwar Pujara (0) and Virat Kohli (0) dismissed in quick succession with day end score being 58 for 3. With 406 runs required on the final day and seven wickets in hand, an embarrassing 1-4 series defeat looks imminent for India as of now.
The wily Jimmy Anderson (2-23) equalled Glenn McGrath’s 563 Test wickets and is expected to break the record on Tuesday while Stuart Broad (1-17) with 433 wickets is just one short of Kapil Dev’s (434 wickets).
Dhawan’s poor technique was once again exposed as he was adjudged plumb leg before to an incoming delivery from Anderson. Ditto for Pujara, who got a sharp incutter that breached his defence.
Skipper Virat Kohli after a tremendous English summer where he scored 593 runs finally got out for a duck as he nicked one off Broad to Jonny Bairstow, leaving India in tatters. KL Rahul (46 batting) batted in cavalier fashion hitting eight boundaries in company of Ajinkya Rahane (10 batting).
However the day certainly belonged to Cook, who scored his 33rd hundred his last appearance to join a select band of players having scored a hundred on debut and final Test. He is fifth in the list after Reginal Duff, Bill Ponsford, Greg Chappell and Mohammed Azharuddin.
His 286-ball knock had 14 boundaries and it certainly overshadowed Cook’s 190 ball effort that had 12 fours and a six.
In the post lunch session, the duo looked to build on their partnership and further frustrate the Indian bowlers, bringing up their 200-stand off 303 balls. Root, on 94, got a second life as Cheteshwar Pujara dropped him at first slip off Mohammed Shami (2-97) in the 77th over. He then went on to score his 14th Test hundred off 151 balls. Thereafter, Root started attacking as England crossed 300 in the 88th over. India were a bowler short with Ishant leaving the field due to ankle pain.
Hanuma Vihari (3-37) struck twice in the 95th over. First, Root holed out and then Cook was caught behind, with the opener walking off to a standing ovation as well as congratulatory handshakes from the Indian team. Shami then got reward as Jonny Bairstow (18) played on and Ravindra Jadeja (2-147) removed Jos Buttler for a duck as England looked to score some quick runs in sight of a declaration.
England
First Innings: 332
India
First Innings: 292
England
Second Innings:
Overnight score: 114-2
Cook c Pant b Vihari……………. 147
Root c sub (Pandya) b Vihari……..125
Bairstow b Shami……………. 18
Stokes c Rahul b Jadeja………………37
Buttler c Shami b Jadeja……………. 0
Curran c Pant b Vihari……………. 21
Rashid not out……………. 20
Extras: (b 14, lb 4, w 2, pen 5)…….25
Total: (8 wkts; 112.3 overs) 423d
Bowling: Bumrah 23-4-61-0, Ishant 8-3-13-0, Shami 25-3-110-2, Jadeja
47-3-179-3, Vihari 9.3-1-37-3.
India
Second Innings:
Rahul not out……………. 46
Dhawan lbw b Anderson……………….1
Pujara lbw b Anderson……………. 0
Kohli c Bairstow b Broad……………….0
Rahane not out……………. 10
Extras: (lb 1)……………………………….1
Total: (3 wkts; 18 overs) 58
Bowling: Anderson 5-2-23-2, Broad 5-0-17-1, Moeen 4-1-8-0, Curran 2-1-1-0, Stokes 2-1-8-0.
