India vs England Second Test Day 4, Highlights: India Stay on Track for First Win at Lord's Since 1986
Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar exhibited some great counter-punch batting to help India set a daunting target of 319 for England in the second Test at Lord's. In reply, England lost four of their main batsmen in Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell and Alastair Cook to end Day 4 at 105/4. Catch all the highlights here.
England finished Day 4 at 105/4 after being set a daunting target of 319 vs India. Catch all the highlights here (Scorecard):
23:10 (IST): India just need 6 more wickets to win an away Test match after a long, long time! England continue to struggle as India hold firm in this game. Earlier Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar helped India to get to a good total and let England chase a target of 319 runs. India wasted no time to remove the English opener, for a change it was not of Cook. Ballance and Cook then tried to rebuild but Shami got the breakthrough and Ishant grabbed two quick wickets to send the English captain and Bell back to the dressing room. Cook's struggle continues as that is not helping his team at all. The hosts require 214 more runs to chase the total on a difficult day 5 track. Join s tomorrow to catch the action. Good bye and take care!
23:03 (IST): England 105/4 at stumps chasing 319 to win vs India. Moeen Ali 15*, Joe Root 14*.
22:58 (IST): DROPPED! It came off the back of the bat of Moeen and Dhoni made a mess of it. Jadeja looks sad, ENG 104/4. Ali tried to sweep it but the ball hit the toe end of the bat and went to Dhoni, who was going for an LBW shout and missed it.
22:52 (IST): Is this going to be another time India fail to win a Test match in overseas conditions after being in a position to win? They failed to do it twice recently in Wellington and Johannesburg. England 101/4 now.
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22:41 (IST): We still have 6.4 overs remaining today and England are 93/4. A loud shout from Ravindra Jadeja for LBW goes begging! Everyone thought Moeen Ali was trapped there in front of the wicket. Possibly a poor decision from the umpire Dharmasena. The ball pitched outside off and turned in a lot to hit Ali low on his pads. Replays show it would have gone to hit the middle stump.
22:29 (IST): Root and Moeen Ali are the only English batsmen that Bhuvneshwar has not got out in this series. ENG 88/4.
22:27 (IST): India last won a Test match at Lord's in 1986 when the Kapil Dev-led side beat England by 5 wickets. Here in 2014, England are 88/4 at the moment, chasing 319 runs to win.
22:17 (IST): FOUR! Deft! Nicely run down! Length delivery around off stump from Ishant. Ali gets forward to defend and decides to open the face of the bat at the last moment. The ball goes away through gully to the third man fence. ENG 84/4 now.
22:11 (IST): FOUR! Impeccable! Back of a length from Shami and just outside off stump, Root stays back and punches elegantly through cover for a boundary. ENG 80/4.
22:07 (IST): FOUR! Fuller outside off, Moeen Ali drives it through the point region for a boundary off Ishant Sharma. ENG 76/4.
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22:03 (IST): OUT! Cook c Dhoni b Ishant 22. England have lost three wickets for two runs. Ishant gets the away movement and gets his man. He pitches it up from round the wicket outside off and gets a bit of away movement. Cook tries to defend it off the front foot and gets an outside edge. This is the 8th time he has dismissed Cook. England 72/4, chasing 319 runs to win vs India. Moeen Ali is in at number six.
21:57 (IST): Ishant Sharma has removed Bell for the 6th time in Test matches. Only Ryan Harris has got Bell out more times at 7. Mitchell Johnson has got the better of Bell 6 times in Tests too. England still 71/3. Interestingly, Ishant has also got Cook, Ponting and Clarke out seven times each in Tests. Staggering!
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21:51 (IST): OUT! Bell b Ishant Sharma 1. Bowled 'em! Ishant bowls a length ball outside off. There is no such movement in the ball apart from keeping low. Bell tries to defend it but misses it completely. That's three down for England, 71/3 now.
21:42 (IST): OUT! Ballance c Dhoni b Shami 27. Shami gets his man off the first ball. Fuller outside off and angled away. Ballance tries to defend it off the front foot and gets an outside edge. Easy take for Dhoni. England 70/2, chasing 319 to win vs India.
21:32 (IST): Ishant Sharma looks to be India's best bowler among the seamers as of now. He has bowled six overs and given away just four runs, testing English batsmen. England 63/1.
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21:19 (IST): 50 partnership comes up between Ballance and Cook off 99 balls. England 62/1.
21:17 (IST): Short and turning in a lot, Cook gets hit on the glove and falls short of Virat at leg slip. There was some excitement over whether there will be a wicket but Cook wasn't holding the bat while the ball hit is glove. Would have been not out anyway.
21:11 (IST): Interestingly, Dhoni is standing four yards behind the stumps to Jadeja. England 57/1 chasing 319 to win. Cook 19*, Ballance 17*.
21:00 (IST): FOUR! Fuller and flighted, Ballance tries to defend it off the front foot off Jadeja but gets an outside edge through the gully for a boundary. ENG 53/1 now.
20:56 (IST): Vijay is brought on by India in the hope of getting wickets but Dhoni lets one pass through for 4. Fuller ball outside off, Cook tries to defend but misses. Dhoni also misses it. ENG 47/1.
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20:44 (IST): FOUR! Good shot! Length delivery outside off stump from Bhuvneshwar, Cook stays back and punches the ball to the mid off region. Vijay was wide at mid off, comes to his left and dives but can't get to the ball. He even chases but fails yet again. England 36/1.
Dare I whisper it but Cook is shaping up well. Playing straight and late. Come on England. #EngvInd
- Alec Stewart (@StewieCricket) July 20, 2014
20:40 (IST): Ballance slaps Bhuvneshwar for four! And four more leg byes! England 29/1 chasing 319 to win vs India.
20:30 (IST): Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes back into the attack. England still 18/1.
20:26 (IST): Meanwhile, England players claim the London hotel they are staying in is haunted. Read more here.
#EngvsInd Nothing can compare to a tense Test match. Test cricket is unique: Srinivasan http://t.co/wk2Z6yFjz2
- CricketNDTV (@CricketNDTV) July 20, 2014
20:24 (IST): India are on top early in England's pursuit of 319! The Indian lower-order flourished once again and took the target past 300. Their pacers bowled well and applied some pressure but the trump card turned out to be Jadeja who came into the attack and dismissed Robson off the very first ball. India will look to make more inroads in the final session with their tails up. Join us back for the final session.
20:10 (IST): England 18/1 at tea, chasing 319 runs to win vs India. Cook 5*, Ballance 1*; Jadeja 1/2.
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20:01 (IST): OUT! Robson lbw b Jadeja 7. Jadeja strikes first ball! This looked close to the naked eye too! Flighted on off, Robson gets forward to defend but keeps his bat behind his pad. The ball hits the front leg and Jadeja appeals hard straightaway. The umpire takes his time and then raises his finger. This proved to be a lovely bowling change by Dhoni. England 12/1 chasing 319 to win vs India.
19:55 (IST): Ishant Sharma into the attack now. England 11/0.
19:50 (IST): FOUR! Clipped away! Full and straying on the pads, Robson flicks easily to the mid-wicket fence off Shami. England 9/0.
19:48 (IST): India have lost only once while defending 300+ runs in the 4th innings of a Test match. It happened in the Perth Test against Australia in 1977.
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19:44 (IST): Terrific delivery from Shami! Length delivery around off, Cook goes back to defend but the ball goes just past the edge, through to Dhoni. The Indians appeal and the finger doesn't go up, good to see that. This is followed by boos from the Lord's crowd. England still 4/0.
19:41 (IST): Captain Cook announces his intentions with a four off Shami straight away. Short and angled outside off, Cook goes back and cuts through cover-point for four. England 4/0 chasing 319 to win.
19:39 (IST): Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowls a maiden right after scoring 52 to help India set England a target of 319 runs. England 0/0. Cook and Robson on strike.
19:29 (IST): India have played very well in the third innings to set a hefty target on this pitch for the hosts. 319 won't be easy for them and they will have to contend with the seaming ball first and then with some spin on this track that is turning dusty. Cook will be under pressure while Kumar will be brimming with confidence when he gets the ball in his hands. Murali Vijay deserves special mention for his excellent knock. Join us for the chase!
19:26 (IST): Bhuvneshwar departs for 52 and India are all out for 342. Length delivery around off stump, Kumar pokes at the ball and edges it to second slip where Bell takes a comfortable catch to finish off the innings. England need to chase 319 to win, which was also their 1st innings score. Interesting!
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19:19 (IST): Four! Outstanding shot! Pitched up around off stump, Kumar launches the ball straight down the ground and picks up another boundary to get to his fifty. Bhuvneshwar gets his third Test fifty in eight Test matches, all in the same series. India 342/9, lead 318.
19:17 (IST): OUT! Shami c Prior b Moeen Ali 0. Duck for Shami! Flighted but it goes through straight around off stump. Shami gets forward to defend but the ball goes past the edge as Shami comes forward to defend. Prior appeals, might as well do so as he isn't catching many that hit the edge. The umpire raises his finger and Shami can't have a happy outing this time around. India 338/9, lead England by 314 runs.
19:09 (IST): Drinks is also taken! Mohammad Shami walks out to bat.
19:08 (IST): OUT! Ravindra Jadeja c Cook b Stokes 68. There is the much needed wicket for the Brits! Short on middle, Jadeja launches towards the bowler and looms to play an on-the-walk pull. He gets a big top edge and the ball goes behind Prior and the slip cordon. Cook calls for it from first slip, runs behind and takes another good catch. Jadeja has done his job though, the lead already seems pretty meaty. India 334/8 lead England by 310 runs.
18:59 (IST): FOUR! Smart and cheeky from Kumar! By now, not just the Indian players, even those watching on TV or reading commentary online know that England don't have a third man. Kumar sits back to a length delivery outside off and dabs the ball away late to the third man fence. India 332/7. Lead 308.
18:56 (IST): Successive boundaries take the Indian lead past 300. India 328/7 lead England by 304 runs now.
18:53 (IST): India have been going at around 6.78 runs per over right now in this session after lunch. India 319/7 lead England by 295 runs. Jadeja 66*, Bhuvneshwar 35*.
18:48 (IST): Fullish on the pads, Kumar flicks the ball nonchalantly through mid-wicket. Anderson gets around from mid on but his dive can't prevent the ball from going through. The ball goes to the deepest part of the ground and an easy 'four' is taken. India 314/7. Lead 290 runs now.
18:45 (IST): Out comes the physio for some repairs to Jadeja's pinky on his left hand. The tape is going around that little finger.
18:43 (IST): FOUR! Scenic beauty, this shot! Kumar stretches out to a fullish delivery outside off and drives the ball elegantly through extra cover for four. India 307/7. Lead 283.
18:39 (IST): The ball is being changed now. The umpires aren't happy with the current one after the English protest against it.
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18:37 (IST): The boundaries keep flowing and India go past the 300-run mark. India 302/7 lead England by 278 runs now.
18:34 (IST): FOUR! Up and over! Anderson bowls another short one, but this one is outside off. Jadeja rocks back and cuts uppishly to the backward point fence, well away from the fielder in the deep. India 297/7. Lead 273.
18:33 (IST): FOUR! Dead arrow-straight! Length delivery, just outside off, Jadeja clears his front foot and smacks the ball over Anderson's head for a boundary. India 293/7. Lead 269.
18:30 (IST): FOUR! That shot will make any batsman proud! Kumar goes back and punches this length delivery around off, through cover for a boundary. India 289/7 now. Lead 265.
18:29 (IST): Jadeja gets to his maiden Test fifty with a single off Plunkett! India 285/7 lead England by 261 runs.
18:28 (IST): Interesting scenes here! Jadeja asks for a spare helmet. Kohli who is standing on the famous Lord's balcony, comes to the edge near the fencing and drops the helmet down on to the field where Pankaj Singh accepts a gentle catch and runs to Jadeja. And wait, that happens one more time as Jadeja wasn't happy with the first one that came out.
18:18 (IST): FOUR! Nicely driven! Fullish outside off, Jadeja drives from the crease and finds the gap through cover for a boundary off Plunkett. India 278/7 and the lead goes past 250 now.
18:15 (IST): First over after lunch bowled by Anderson brings three more runs for India (270/7). Lead goes up to 246 vs England.
17:35 (IST): A fine session for India. They lost Dhoni and Binny in quick succession and that was followed by the disheartening wicket of Murali Vijay on 95. So, why was it a good session? Because, Ravindra Jadeja counter-attacked and kept the lead on the rise. It is pretty close to 250 at the moment and India have three more wickets remaining. Kumar has looked as comfortable as he did throughout the series. India will push for a target of 390 in the next session. Seems like Root's drop catch off Kumar will prove costly for England unless they wrap the innings up soon after lunch.
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17:33 (IST): India (267/7) lead England by 243 runs at lunch. Jadeja 37*, Bhuvneshwar 13*.
17:29 (IST): The last four overs have yielded 31 runs for India. Amazing streak of runs. India 266/7. Lead goes up to 242.
17:25 (IST): 'Sir' Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar keeping the runs flowing here. Another 4! India 260/7 lead England by 236 runs now.
17:22 (IST): FOUR! Bludgeoned! Banged in short on off, Jadeja keeps his weight on his back foot and pulls with brute force to the mid-wicket fence. India 256/7 now.
17:21 (IST): FOUR! Magnificent! Broad pitches this up and Jadeja provides a straight bat, lofting the ball straight over the umpire's head. The ball lands just inside the ropes and goes over. That was unprecedented from Jadeja. India 252/7, lead moves on to 224 runs.
17:19 (IST): DROPPED! Straight through Root's hands! Back of a length and outside off. Kumar pushes hard at the ball and gets a thick edge. The ball goes over Root's head, he gets his hands up late and the ball bursts through his fingers towards third man. A single is taken. India 248/7.
17:15 (IST): Jadeja is looking very controlled out there. He moves on to 27 with another four off Anderson! India 244/7, lead England by 220 runs.
17:03 (IST): OUT! Vijay c Prior b Anderson 95. No hundred for Murali Vijay, goes back on 95! Back of a length and just outside off, Vijay would have normally left this one but on this occasion he looks to punch the ball by going up on his toes. He gets a meaty edge and the ball is taken by Prior. There is tremendous disappointment on Vijay's face and why not! He will have to wait for a few more years before his next opportunity to get up on the Lord's Honours Board. India 235/7 lead England by 211 runs.
16:57 (IST): Vijay moves on to 95 not out. He is approaching his 5th Test hundred. Stuart Broad taken for a nice triple. India 231/6 lead England by 207 runs.
16:48 (IST): Jadeja hits Plunkett for four and that takes the Indian lead past 200. Perfect drive! Pitched up outside off stump, Jadeja leans forward and drives the ball through cover. Anderson runs after the ball, dives and nearly keeps it in but the ball wins. India 225/6. Vijay batting on 91. England have the new ball now and Anderson comes back into the attack.
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16:41 (IST): FOUR! Hammered! Jadeja dances out, takes the ball on the full and clonks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. India 212/6 now. Runs flowing nicely once again despite the two wickets that have just been lost. Vijay nears another Test hundred in England, he is batting on 88.
16:40 (IST): The knock-hammer is back on the bowler's run up. The ground staff is levelling the area once again. India 208/6.
16:31 (IST): OUT! Binny c Cook b Moeen 0. Fantastic catch by Cook! Binny loses his head and goes for a duck! Charges out to Ali and looks to hit a six down the ground. He doesn't get to the pitch of the ball but goes for the loft anyway. Gets a lot of height and the ball dips beyond mid off. Cook runs back, keeps his eyes on the ball and takes an emphatic catch. Binny needn't have done that, reckless when you are a player who has to play each inning to save your spot in the playing XI. India 203/6 lead England by 179 runs in 2nd innings. Ravindra Jadeja walks in to bat now.
16:29 (IST): The second new ball is due after 3.3 overs for England. India 203/5.
16:28 (IST): Plunkett finishes the job with a wicket maiden after removing Dhoni on the first ball. India still 202/5.
16:23 (IST): OUT! Dhoni c Bell b Plunkett 19. Very good catch by Bell! Length around off at 135 kph, has some zip in it and Dhoni looks to dab at it with hard hands. He also gets squared up. The ball goes to the left of Bell at second slip. Cook doesn't move at first slip and Bell completes the catch with his fingers pointing upwards. Dhoni played well last evening and this morning as well, was a good delivery from Liam Plunkett. India 202/5 lead England by 178 runs in 2nd innings.
16:18 (IST): Dhoni wants the grip on his handle changed. One orange goes and another orange one goes on. IND 199/4.
16:12 (IST): England bring in Ben Stokes to bowl but it doesn't help. Vijay hits him for 4 after three balls. IND 196/4 now lead England by 172 runs. Vijay 80*.
16:00 (IST): Vijay hits Plunkett straight down the ground for four. India 191/4 now lead England by 167, Vijay 75*.
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15:52 (IST): Broad feeling the heat now, Vijay is batting very well. He moves on to 71 as the Indian lead extends to 161. IND 185/4. MS Dhoni 12*. England seem to enjoy allowing India easy runs down to third man! These are good deliveries that are costing four runs!
15:38 (IST): James Anderson is coming in sharply and the floodlights are on at Lord's. Crucial session for India (181/4).
15:31 (IST): Vijay & Dhoni bring up their 50 partnership and runs flowing for India straight away. Consecutive 4s from Vijay. Ind 177/4. The first one was a length delivery around off as Vijay pushed at the ball and edged it through gully for a boundary. The second one was length on the pads, Vijay couldn't get anything woody on the ball but got some thigh pad. Prior had to dive early on and could get only some glove on the ball. It went all the way to the fence for leg byes.
15:24 (IST): Floodlights are on and it's a bit overcast at the moment at Lord's where India have a lead of 145 runs with 6 wickets in hand. The Test is still balanced as England would be looking to get those remaining wickets quickly before allowing India to get a healthy total.
Kapil Dev rings the five-minute bell at the Lord's #Legend #EngvInd pic.twitter.com/k1LD2qt4iN
- BCCI (@BCCI) July 20, 2014
Murali Vijay kept alive India's hopes of setting England a tough fourth-innings chase. Vijay (59) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (12) will resume on Sunday with at least four capable men awaiting their turn to bat. If India can win this tie, they will extend England's run without a Test victory to 10 matches and go 1-0 up in the series. The match is so beautifully placed and like most classical five-day games, Day 3 on Saturday played it part. India are 169 for four, with a handy lead of 145. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly reckons 350 should be enough to force a result in about four sessions of play.
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Morning will surely show the day. As one of the finest chasers in the game, Dhoni is a proven match-winner in limited overs cricket. On Sunday and in the longer format of the game, he will have to reproduce that magic to ensure India are in the driver's position. Quite capable of playing strokes, Vijay must play sheet anchor, at least in the opening session.
On Day 3, while Vijay looked steady at one end, Dhoni rode his luck, surviving two LBW shouts from Liam Plunkett in one over as he insisted on playing as few balls as possible. Vijay passed 50 off 162 balls, while Dhoni knuckled down to offer the opener valuable support.
"Overall I think it's evenly balanced, but what we need to do is really bat well tomorrow and we need somewhere near 300 runs on the board and then get them out," Pujara told reporters. "The wicket has started deteriorating a bit, we have seen variable bounce on the wicket, so we are very confident we can get them out," he added.
The Lord's wicket has already started showing variable bounce. The odds will be against England. First they have to restrict India and then knock off the runs. Time will be of essence. Day 4 will either kill or set up a dramatic Day 5. One man who is bubbling with confidence is Plunkett.
Plunkett's maiden Test half-century helped England add 100 runs to their overnight total, their first innings eventually ending on 319. After Gary Ballance's second Test century on Friday, nightwatchman Plunkett provided the main resistance, reaching his half-century off 75 balls on his way to an unbeaten 55.
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It was Plunkett's double strike that pegged India back in the second innings. The wickets of Pujara and Virat Kohli (0) shook the visitors for sure. Plunkett acknowledged the importance of his double breakthrough midway through the final session, just as India looked to be gaining the upper hand. "I felt in good rhythm, obviously I got my lengths wrong first innings. It started to swing and it was good to get them two wickets in two balls," he said.
It's all set for another great day's cricket. The weather forecast is favourable too. Who will make hay while the sun shines?