India vs England: Ishant Sharma's 8th Five-Wicket Haul Rattles England

Ishant Sharma produced a disciplined bowling effort to bundle out England on 180 on Day 3 in the first Test at Edgbaston on Friday. Ishant Sharma ran through England's middle and lower order to record figures of 5/51. The Delhi bowler registered his eighth five-wicket haul in the longest format of the game in the process. Courtesy of Ishant's heroics with the ball, India will be chasing a total of 194 runs. Ishant, who played his last Test against Afghanistan in June, scalped the key wickets of Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad.

Ishant's scalps - Malan (20), Bairstow (28), Ben Stokes (6), Jos Buttler (1), Stuart Broad (11) all returned to the dressing room, without helping the hosts rescue their innings, which started on a poor note.

England started their second innings losing three quick wickets to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin were further put on the back-foot by the prolific spell from Ishant.

Alastair Cook once again fell victim to Ashwin's guile off the last ball of Day 2 - the ninth time the English left-hander has been dismissed by the Indian off-spinner in Tests.

Ashwin started where he left on Day 2, removing Keaton Jennings (8) early on Day 3. England captain Joe Root, who had done well against Ashwin in the first innings, was the next to fall, caught at leg slip for 14.

India were set a target of 194 to win the first Test with more than two days' play left in the game. 

The hosts slumped to 87/7 before Sam Curran's 63 bolstered the total in what is England's 1,000th Test.

His innings meant the 20-year-old Curran had scored a maiden Test fifty in just his second match at this level a day after the Surrey left-arm swing bowler returned Test-best figures of four for 74.

But with seven sessions remaining, England now need a supreme effort in the field to prevent India taking a 1-0 lead in this five-match series.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team England Cricket Team Ishant Sharma England vs India, 2018 Cricket England vs India, 1st Test