Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
clear sky
weather
OMAN
25°C / 25°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Advantage India after Pandya fiver

1423097
1423097
minus
plus

Nottingham, United Kingdom: Hardik Pandya bowled his best spell in Test cricket to scalp five wickets and scuttle England to 161 all out as India took a lead of 168 runs in the third Test at Trent Bridge on Sunday.


India were bowled out for 329 in their first innings after resuming at 307/6 on day two.


Rishabh Pant, who made a dream start to his Test debut with a second ball six off Rashid, was bowled by Stuart Broad for 24.


Ashwin tried to hang around but Broad cleaned him up too for 14.


Anderson claimed the wickets of Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah to wrap up the Indian innings for 329.


Earlier on the first day, it was the heroics of skipper Kohli and Rahane that ensured India fought back after losing three early wickets.


After the visitors went to lunch at 82/3, it was the fourth-wicket partnership of 159 between Kohli and Rahane that revived the Indian innings.


Chris Woakes took all those wickets en route to figures of three for 75 in 20 overs.


The partnership spanned 40 overs and brought the much needed runs for India while making the England bowlers think.


Unfortunately for India, neither batsman reached three figures with Kohli — who made a superb first Test century in England in the series opener at Edgbaston — dismissed when, driving at an Adil Rashid leg-break, he edged to Ben Stokes at slip.


Rahane too perished for 81 when he was well set for a big hundred.


A day of fluctuating fortunes ended when James Anderson, England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker, struck with the new ball to have Hardik Pandya (18) caught by Jos Buttler at second slip.


That meant Anderson, who prior to this match had 60 Test wickets at Trent Bridge at just 18.95, had become only the second bowler after Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan to take 100 Test wickets against India.


Chris Woakes took all those wickets en route to figures of three for 75 in 20 overs. But a fourth-wicket partnership of 159 between Kohli (97) and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (81), that spanned more than 40 overs, revived India.


Unfortunately for India, neither batsman reached three figures with Kohli — who made a superb first Test century in England in the series opener at Edgbaston — dismissed when, driving at an Adil Rashid leg-break, he edged to Ben Stokes at slip.


Much of the pre-match attention had been focused on Stokes, recalled just days after his acquittal on Tuesday by a court on an affray charge that stemmed from a fight outside a Bristol nightclub in September last year.


But until his catch to dismiss Kohli, it had been a frustrating day for Stokes, whose 15 wicketless overs cost 54 runs.


India were well-placed at 60 for none when Woakes took two wickets for one run in nine balls to remove both openers, with Shikhar Dhawan (35) caught at second slip before KL Rahul (23) was lbw.


And on the stroke of lunch, Cheteshwar Pujara hooked Woakes, man-of-the-match after scoring a maiden Test century in England’s innings and 159-run win in the second Test at Lord’s last week after replacing Stokes, straight to Rashid at long leg.


But Kohli, who on Friday had urged India “to stand up” was as good as his word, while showing no sign of the back trouble that hampered him at Lord’s as he and Rahane treated an engrossed crowd to a traditional top-order Test partnership. — AFP


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon