Mumbai, Dec 11: India put themseleves on the cusp of completing a comprehensive series victory with England caught in a spin web following skipper Virat Kohli’s career-best 235 at the end of the fourth day of the fourth cricket Test.
Records tumbled one after another as Kohli’s third double ton in as many Test series was complemented by Jayant Yadav’s maiden hundred with India piling up a mammoth 631 tereby taking a lead of 231 runs.
In reply, England were left tottering at 182 for 6 needing another 49 runs to avoid innings defeat as the hosts are now all but assured to regain the Anthony De Mello Trophy that they had lost back in 2012.
Ravichandran Ashwin (2/49), Ravindra Jadeja (2/58) and Jayant Yadav (1/39) shared five of the six wickets. The other wicket-taker was Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/11), who removed first innings centurion Keaton Jennings (0).
It was a day of records with Jayant being the first Indian to score a Test hundred at No 9 and 241 runs added for the eighth wicket between Jayant and Kohli literally put England out of the game.
With Indian spinners proving to be much superior in quality than their Indian counterparts, it will be a matter of time before the home team take series clinching lead going into Chennai for the fourth Test.
Jonny Bairstow was the not out batsman for England, on 50, after Jake Ball departed in the final over of the day.
Skipper Kohli yet again proved why he is among the top three batsmen in world cricket. The India captain struck 25 fours and one six in his monumental eight-and-a-half hour innings while he faced 340 deliveries.
With an able ally in Jayant, Kohli dictated terms for the second successive hitting boundaries on both sides of the wicket. He attacked the loose deliveries, the intennsity didn’t drop one bit even after he reached 175 plus as he was still running the second run as hard as ever.
With each run that the duo scored, England players were frustrated a degree more.
The home team were dismissed 48 minutes into the second session and England – with only a draw to play – plunged into deep trouble to be 49 for three at tea before being revived by a fourth wicket partnership of 92 runs between Joe Root (77) and Bairstow.
The dismissal of Root, who looked in good touch till he was trapped on the backfoot by Jayant, followed by Ben Stokes (18) and Ball (2) in the last session has left the visitors with a very difficult chance to save the penultimate game of the series. Captain Alastair Cook (18) and Moeen Ali (0) were also dismissed cheaply.
Jadeja scalped Cook and Ali after Bhuvneshwar had packed off Jennings with the second ball of the innings.
Post tea, England were in total shambles as Jayant sent back danger man Root while Ravichandran Ashwin, after changing ends, dismissed Stokes 13 minutes before close, caught off a reverse sweep, and then added the scalp of Ball, who was caught behind.
India could have got rid of Bairstow too but Kolhi standing at slip could not hold on to a catch, when the batsman went for a reverse sweep off Ashwin. Bairstow was on 14 and England were 98 for 3.
The first session of the day totally belonged to the Indian pair of captain Kohli and rookie Jayant, playing in only his third Test but showing great signs of maturity.
The home team sent England on a leatherhunt for more than 12 hours thereby piling up the third highest score against the same opponents. (PTI)
SCOREBOARD
England 1st innings 400
India 1st innings
(overnight 451-7; V Kohli not out 147, J. Yadav not out 30)
L. Rahul b Ali 24
M. Vijay c & b Rashid 136
C. Pujara b Ball 47
V. Kohli c Anderson b Woakes 235
K. Nair lbw b Ali 13
P. Patel c Bairstow b Root 15
R. Ashwin c Jennings b Root 0
R. Jadeja c Buttler b Rashid 25
J. Yadav st Bairstow b Rashid 104
B. Kumar c Woakes b Rashid 9
U. Yadav not out 7
Extras: (B-5, LB-8, W-3) 16
Total: (10 wickets, 182.3 overs) 631
Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-146, 3-262, 4-279, 5-305, 6-307, 7-364, 8-605, 9-615
Bowling: Anderson 20-5-63-0, Woakes 16-2-79-1, Ali 53-5-174-2, Rashid 55.3-5-192-4, Ball 18-5-47-1, Stokes 10-2-32-0, Root 10-2-31-2.
England 2nd innings
A. Cook lbw b Jadeja 18
K. Jennings lbw Kumar 0
J. Root lbw J Yadav 77
M Ali c Vijay b Jadeja 0
J Bairstow batting 50
B Stokes c Vijay b Ashwin 18
J Ball c Patel b Ashwin 2
Extras (b-13, lb-2, nb-2) 17
Total (For 6 wickets; 47.3 overs) 182
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-43, 3-49, 4-141, 5-180, 6-182
Bowling: Kumar 4-1-11-1, U Yadav 3-0-10-0, Jadeja 18-3-58-2, Ashwin 16.3-1-49-2, Yadav 6-0-39-1.
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