Washington Sundar’s brilliant unbeaten 85, followed by Ravi Ashwin’s 6fer helped India fight back at the end of day 4 of the first test in Chennai on Monday.
Resuming at an overnight score of 257/6, the pair of Sundar and Ashwin scored briskly in the first hour of play to help reduce India’s deficit. The duo added another 48 runs, before the latter fell to a brilliant catch by Jos Buttler off Jack Leach for 31.
Shahbaz Nadeem became Leach’s second victim as he edged one to Ben Stokes at first slip for a 12 ball duck.
Ishant Sharma fended a James Anderson delivery to Pope at short leg for 4.
Jasprit Bumrah was the last man to be dismissed courtesy a brilliant one handed catch at slip by Stokes, as India were bowled out for 337, giving the visitors a massive lead of 241 runs. The 21 year old Sundar remained unbeaten on 85.
Dom Bess was England’s best bowler with figures of 4/76, while James Anderson, Jofra Archer and Leach bagged 2 wickets each.
England opted to bat again and choose not enforce the follow. They however lost Rory Burns in the very first delivery of the second innings, with the opener edging an Ashwin delivery to Rahane at slip.
Dom Sibley and Dan Lawrence added 32 runs for the second wicket, before the former was caught at leg slip by Cheteshwar Pujara.
In the 16th over, Ishant Sharma reached the milestone of 300 Test wickets when he trapped Lawrence leg before wicket for 18.
Ben Stokes failed to get going as he was caught by wicket keeper Rishabh Pant for 7. Indian spearhead Jasprit Bumrah then got into the act by dismissing the well set Root for 40, reducing England to 101/5.
Ollie Pope was sent back by Shahbaz Nadeem for 28. Jos Buttler along with Dom Bess stitched together a valuable 35 run stand for the seventh wicket before the former was stumped by Pant off Nadeem.
The 34 year old right arm spinner then dismissed Archer to pick his fifth wicket of the innings and followed it up with the wicket of Anderson in the same over as England were bowled out for 178, leaving the home side 420 to chase.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 6/61.
In their pursuit of 420, India lost Rohit Sharma early with left-arm spinner Jack Leach getting through his defences with a beauty.
Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara saw the day through without any further alarms, as the home side ended Day 4 at 39/1, still requiring an improbable 381 runs to win on the final day.
Stumps at the end of Day 4- England 578 and 178 (Joe Root 40, Ollie Pope 28, Ashwin 6/61); India 337 (Washington Sundar 85*, Bess 4/76) and 39/1 (Shubman Gill 15*, Cheteshwar Pujara 12*, Jack Leach 1/21)