It took two century stands from England to deflate India on Day 4 of the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston. After dominating much of the match, India found themselves gasping for air as England shifted gears when it mattered, on a dry day in Birmingham. At the close of play on Monday, England were 259/3 in 57 overs, needing 119 runs to level the five-match series 2-2.
India could add only 120 more runs to their overnight score of 125/3. Cheteshwar Pujara (66 off 168) and Rishabh Pant (57 off 86) hit contrasting fifties. The lead at lunch was 361 runs with Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami unbeaten on 17 and 13 runs respectively. But Ben Stokes cleaned up the Indian tail in the post-lunch session with a barrage of bouncers. India, despite seemingly dominating the proceedings, were dismissed for 245 in the second innings. And the target, 378 runs.
India then ran into Alex Lees (56 off 65) and Zak Crawley (46 off 76), who stitched an opening stand of 107 runs in 21.4 overs. But Jasprit Bumrah claimed two quick wickets on either side of the tea. A run out in the 25th over and England slipped to 109/3 from 107/0. However, India's best-laid plans were thwarted but a second century stand, this time between Joe Root (76 off 112) and Jonny Bairstow (72 in 87).
Meaning, India's chance of winning a fourth Test series in England are fading, and fast. Teasingly, "Edgbaston" teasingly took to Twitter towards the end of the day to announce that "Tomorrow’s Day Five allocation is SOLD OUT."
Catch Day 4 highlights and cricket scores of ENG vs IND, 5th Test match here:
11:03 PM IST: Stumps
Jasprit Bumrah on with 13th over. A single off the fifth and 150-run stand in 196 balls between Joe Root (76 in 112) and Jonny Bairstow (72 in 87). Two from the over, and that's stumps. 152 runs in 34 overs at 4.47 for two wickets in the session. England need 119 runs. ENG - 259/3 (57)
11:00 PM IST: Need 121
Mohammed Shami on with his 12th over. Jonny Bairstow takes a single off the last ball, and he's quickly catching up with Joe Root (75 off 108). Bairstow on 71 off 85. Stand is 148 in 191. England need 121 runs. ENG - 257/3 (56)
10:43 PM IST: Fifty For Bairstow
Mohammed Shami continues. Jonny Bairstow takes a couple off the fourth, and fifty in 75 balls (six fours). He follows it up with a four. Eight from the over. Bairstow's stand with Joe Root (71 off 98) is now worth 127 in 173. England need 142 runs. IND - 236/3 (53)
10:23 PM IST: Century Stand
Shardul Thakur continues. A couple off the fourth as Jonny Bairstow survives another chance. A flick but the ball doesn't stick for a diving Rishabh Pant. That brings up a century stand in 141 balls. Five from the over. England need 167 runs. ENG - 211/3 (48)
10:13 PM IST: 200 Up
Shardul Thakur returns for his 6th over. Joe Root takes a single off the first to complete his fifty, in 71 balls (seven fours). And another single off the fifth, this time by Jonny Bairstow to bring up England's 200. Five from the over. 60 in the last 10. England need 177 more runs to level the series. ENG - 201/3 (46)
9:56 PM IST: Stand Growing
Mohammed Siraj resumes proceedings after drinks. Five singles from it. His figures: 0/47 in 8 overs. Joe Root (47 off 66) and Jonny Bairstow (25 off 45) are in an unbeaten stand of 72 in 107 balls. England need 197 runs. ENG - 181/3 (42)
9:37 PM IST: 50-run Stand
Ravindra Jadeja on with his 12th over. Nine runs from it, including a four off the fourth, hit by Joe Root. The fourth-wicket stand with Jonny Bairstow is now worth 57 in 89. 25 of those came in the last three overs. England need 212 runs. ENG - 166/3 (39)
9:21 PM IST: England Fight Back
Ravindra Jadeja on with his 10th over. A maiden to Jonny Bairstow (9 off 26). 0/27 for Jadeja so far. Bairstow and Joe Root (20 off 41) have added 29 runs in 65 balls for the fourth wicket. England need 240 runs. ENG - 138/3 (35)
8:42 PM IST: Chaos
Then the run out. India are on top. Panic in England camp. Ravindra Jadeja returns for his fifth over, and Alex Lees gets an inside edge to short fine off the first, and goes for the non-existent single. Poor judgment. Mohammed Shami collects and returns to the bowler for an easy run out. Lees goes for a well-made 56 off 65. Jonny Bairstow in the middle. England need 267 runs. ENG - 110/3 (24.1)
8:34 PM IST: 2nd For Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah to resume the proceedings, and he's done it again. First ball after tea, and the skipper strikes. Tickle through. Low catch. Rishabh Pant makes no mistake. Ollie Pope goes without scoring (0 off 3). Joe Root is the new man. England need 271 runs. ENG - 107/2 (23.1)
8:12 PM IST: Tea
Mohammed Shami on with his 6th over. A maiden to Alex Lees (56 off 61). He is with Ollie Pope (0 off 2). 43 runs and one wicket in the last ten overs. England need 271 runs. ENG - 107/1 (23)
8:05 PM IST: A Beauty
Wow! Jasprit Bumrah produces a magical delivery to break to the 107-run stand. Zak Crawley decides to leave, but the ball gets the top of off. He goes for 46 off 76. Ollie Pope joins Alex Lees in the middle. England need 271 runs. ENG - 107/1 (21.4)
7:56 PM IST: 100-run Stand
Mohammed Siraj on with his fifth over. A single off the fifth and 100-run stand in 120 balls for the opening stand. And four leg byes to end the over. Six from the over. Alex Lees and Zak Crawley on 54 and 45 respectively. England need 274 runs. ENG - 104/0 (20)
7:36 PM IST: Fifty
Alex Lees' second Test fifty with a four, to sweeper cover, in 44 balls (eight fours). Six runs from Mohammed Siraj's third over. England need 302 runs. ENG - 76/0 (16)
7:30 PM IST: Drinks
Ravindra Jadeja continues. Five dots and Zak Crawley looks to reverse sweep the last. But ends up offering a bat-boot catch to Hanuma Vihari to forward short leg. Soft signal from umpire Aleem Dar is out. But there's a puff of dust. And Crawley survives. England need 308. ENG - 70/0 (15)
7:20 PM IST: Off To A Flier
Ravindra Jadeja on with his second over. Two singles. Alex Lees on 41 and Zak Crawley on 22 as England got off to a flier. England need 314 runs. ENG - 64/0 (13)
6:26 PM IST: Chase Begins
Target is 378 runs. Jasprit Bumrah with the new ball. Alex Lees takes a single off the first ball, the five dots to Zak Crawley. END - 1/0 (1).
6:14 PM IST: Innings Break
Jasprit Bumrah hooks the fourth ball for a six, then goes for another. And he is caught, playing the same shot, by Zak Crawley. He goes for 7 off 20 and with that, the Indian second innings comes to an end. 4/33 for Ben Stokes in 11.5 overs. India lead by 377 runs. IND - 245 (81.5).
6:03 PM IST: Nine Down
Ben Stokes continues. Ravindra Jadeja, cramped for room, drags one and he is gone for 23 off 58. England captain gets his second since lunch. India going nowhere. Lead by 368 runs. Mohammed Siraj is the new man. IND - 236/9 (79.2)
5:45 PM IST: Eight Down
And it takes four balls for the England captain to strike post-lunch. Mohammed Shami holes out at backward square leg, caught by Alex Lees. Shami goes for 13 off 14. Jasprit Bumrah is the new man. India lead by 362 runs. IND - 230/8 (73.4)
5:41 PM IST: Post-lunch Session
Ben Stokes to resume the proceedings. Ravindra Jadeja on strike. Just in case - The highest target England chased down was 359 against Australia at Leeds in 2019. Against India, it was 339 by Australia at Pert in 1977.
17:02 PM IST: Lunch
Jack Leach on with his 8th over. Three singles and that's lunch on Day 4. Ravindra Jadeja (17 off 36) and Mohammed Shami (13 off 12) in an unbeaten 22-run stand off 23. 28 overs, 104 runs and four wickets in the session. India lead by 361 runs. IND - 229/7 (73)
16:51 PM IST: Dropped
Almost a second for Matty Potts in the over. A leading edge off the fifth. Brilliant effort from James Anderson at cover, leaping to his right and again off the rebound. Ravindra Jadeja gets a life at 10. Five from the over. India lead by 344 runs. IND - 212/7 (70)
16:45 PM IST: Wicket
Matty Potts continues and gets the wicket of Shardul Thakur, caught at fine leg by Zak Crawley. Short ball working for England in the second innings. Thakur made 4 off 26. Mohammed Shami is the new man. India lead by 339 runs. IND - 207/7 (69.1)
16:35 PM IST: Thakur Cops One
Matty Potts on with his 15th over. A snorter to Shardul Thakur (1 off 20), on the helmet. The batters ducks expecting a bouncer, but ends up putting his head on the line. The helmet is cracked. Concussion protocol on. The physio in the middle. Ravindra Jadeja on 8 off 22. India lead by 335 runs. IND - 203/6 (67.4)
16:17 PM IST: A Gift
Rishabh Pant just gifts his away to Jack Leach. Playing a no shot, err reverse sweep straight to Joe Root at slip. Pant goes for 57 off 86. Shardul Thakur is the new man. India lead by 330 runs. IND - 198/6 (62.2)
16:02 PM IST: Iyer Goes
Bad shot. Short ball and pulls straight to James Anderson at midwicket. Fielder was put there by Ben Stokes just moments ago. 100th Test catch for Anderson. Shreyas Iyer goes for 19 off 26. 37-run stand in 41 balls broken. First wicket for Matty Potts. Drinks. Ravindra Jadeja will be the new man. India lead by 322 runs. IND - 190/5 (59.2)
15:59 PM IST: Pant Fifty
Stuart Broad on with his 16th over. A four to fine leg off the third ball and fifty for Rishabh Pant in 76 balls, with the help of seven fours. Eight from the over, and the fifth-wicket stand is now worth 33 in 39. India lead by 318. IND - 186/4 (59)
15:51 PM IST: In Pallekele
Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana were on a race to century, but none reached there with the latter stranded on 94 off 83 balls. Verma (71) took the winning run as India women thrash Sri Lanka women by ten wickets with 146 balls to spare. The visitors have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 173.
15:46 PM IST: Lead Now 300
Matty Potts gets his first over of the day, and a single to start as Rishabh Pant gently guides it to square led. India's lead is now 300. And signs of pitch opening up. Shreyas Iyer gets one that kicks off. One from the over. IND - 168/4 (56)
15:31 PM IST: Pujara Goes
Cuts straight to point, and Cheteshwar Pujara goes for 78 off 136. Caught by Alex Lees. Lucky wicket for Stuart Broad. Short and wide, but Pujara fails to find the gap. A 78-run stand in 137 balls broken. Shreyas Iyer is the new man. India lead by 285 runs. IND - 153/4 (52.3)
15:10 PM IST: Root On
Joe Root on. Probably to test Rishabh Pant's patience. Quiet over though. Five from it, including two byes. One from the day's first over. India lead by 263 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara (53 off 146) and Rishabh Pant (31 off 51) in an unbeaten 56-run stand. IND - 131/3 (47)
15:01 PM IST: Pujara Up Against Anderson
James Anderson to start the proceedings. His figures so far: 1/26 in 14 overs. On strike is Cheteshwar Pujara (50 off 139). IND - 125/3 (45)
14:57 PM IST: Ready
Will be a busy day in Birmingham. Conditions permitting, there will be 98 overs of minimum. Players are out for the penultimate day's play in the rescheduled fifth Test. India have never won three matches in a Test series. And they are on the cusp of a historic win.
14: 48 PM IST: Weather Update
The good news is that the sky looks clear and and it's a bright, sunny day. There is no forecast of rain and 98 overs are scheduled to be bowled on the day.
14:33 PM IST: How Far IND Can Go?
England have been magnificent in chasing recently as we have seen in the New Zealand series and India have to keep that in mind while batting on Day 4. Anything more than 400 will be really challenging for the hosts on the final day.
14:25 PM IST: Welcome Greetings
Hello and welcome to Day 4 of the fifth Test between India and England.
