- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE ongoing England-India Test series was set for yet another absorbing Day 5 as the hosts were set to score 291 runs to take an unassailable lead over India in the five-match series with all their wickets intact.
England openers Rory Burns (31 not out off 109) and Haseeb Hameed (43 not out off 85) gave their team a solid start after India set them a target of 368. They batted for 32 overs on Day 4 to put up 77 runs which means the Three Lions now need less than 300 runs to win the match which has seen an interesting progress.
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The series is currently tied 1-1.
India came back strongly into the game after getting bowled out for 191 in their first innings and conceding a lead of 99. Their effort with the bat improved by a few notches in the second innings with opener Rohit Sharma (127 off 256) hitting his maiden Test hundred abroad. India started Day 4 at 270 for 3 but lost three quick wickets to get reduced at 312 for 6 with both overnight batsmen Virat Kohli (44 off 96) and Ravindra Jadeja (17 off 59) and an out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane (zero off eight) getting dismissed.
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However, wicket-keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant (50 off 106) and Shardul Thakur (60 off 72) added exactly 100 runs for the seventh wicket to take India past 400. Tail-enders Umesh Yadav (25 off 23) and Jasprit Bumrah (24 off 38) scored some brisk runs to take India past 450. The tourists were eventually bowled out for 466, taking a lead of 367.
For Thakur, it was the second fifty of the match after his key 57 off 36 in the first innings when India were in serious trouble.
Chris Woakes was the most successful England bowler with 3 for 83 while Ollie Robinson and Moeen Ali took two wickets each for 105 and 118 runs, respectively.
India will look up to Jadeja, their only spinner playing in the match, to make some vital inroads into the England innings on the final day of the Test. He finished Day 4 bowling 13 overs in which he conceded 28 runs without any success.
“It’s poised to be an excellent game, I thought the boys batted excellently tonight,” England all-rounder Moeen Ali told Sky Sports. “Jadeja is going to be the biggest threat,” he added.
India batting coach Vikram Rathour told reporters: “Jadeja will play a massive role tomorrow…He’s bowled really well today, with a lot of control and did create opportunities. Tomorrow, with a little bit of luck, I think those opportunities will turn into wickets.”
The highest score that England have scored in the fourth innings of a Test match is 362 for 9 which they made against Australia at Headingley in 2019. However, Ben Stokes, the hero in that game with an unbeaten hundred, is not playing this game.
While a promising fifth day of the first Test in Nottingham was ruined by rain resulting in a draw, India made a tremendous comeback on the fifth day of the second Test match at Lord’s to win by 151 runs.
