As stumps were pulled on Day Four of the first Test in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley, England were required 350 runs to achieve a difficult victory.
The hosts were 21/0 after six overs when play ended, with openers Zak Crawley (12*) and Ben Duckett (9*) negotiated the difficult late evening period safely.
With wickets still intact and the weather conditions unknown, the game is evenly poised with all three outcomes still in contention.
India's dominant second-innings total of 364 was led by centurions KL Rahul (137) and Rishabh Pant (118), with the pair's 195-run association being the backbone of the innings. Rahul, in typical composure, scored his ninth Test hundred with 18 boundaries, while Pant thrilled with panache, hitting 15 fours and three sixes on his way to his eighth Test century.
This was not the first instance of the duo having shared centuries in a similar innings – the previous such instance was at The Oval in 2018. For Pant, this innings had historical significance: he became only the second wicketkeeper in Test cricket history to have centuries in both innings of a Test away from home, after Andy Flower did it in 2001. He also became the first Indian wicketkeeper to achieve the feat.
Pant, who chose a subdued version of his signature celebration – mimicking footballer Dele Alli rather than his signature handspring – had previously weathered tense moments, such as an overturned LBW and a misdirected top edge that fell safely. He restored order from mayhem and even indulged in audible self-motivation picked up on the stump mic as he rebuilt the innings with Rahul.
The post-tea session witnessed Pant come after Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir with vigor, reaching his half-century in a rush before sending Bashir for two consecutive sixes. Rahul also scored his hundred with classy strokeplay, carrying his bat after punching Bashir over the covers.
But after both established batsmen were gone, India's collapse was in full swing. Following tea, Brydon Carse came in and broke the stand by sending Rahul through an inside edge, before getting rid of Karun Nair with a return catch. Tongue then delivered a killer over to get three wickets – Thakur edged behind to slip, Siraj first ball off a bouncer, and Bumrah bowled after swinging across the line. Prasidh Krishna's ill-timed slog off Bashir ended India's innings, with their last six wickets falling for a mere 31 runs.
India had begun earlier in the day under overcast conditions, losing Shubman Gill early to Carse, who bowled him with a ball which seamed in. Pant weathered some early jitteriness, such as an LBW that was overturned on review, while Rahul was careful amidst seam movement and patchy bounce. A missed chance off Rahul at 58 — dropped by Harry Brook at gully — came expensive for England.
The last session saw Pant unleash a scorching spell against England's bowlers, led by Root, against whom he hammered 14 runs in an over before being dismissed off a mistimed slog-sweep. India's lead had passed the 300-mark by then, giving it a comfortable cushion going into the last day.
When England batted out for a brief six-over spell, Crawley offered a glimpse of positive intent, scoring two boundaries from Siraj. However, they will have to get through a big chase on a tiring surface, with Jadeja likely to come into the reckoning in light of the available turn and bounce.
With 350 runs to chase, 10 wickets intact, and rain threatening, Day Five holds a thrilling conclusion to what has so far been an absorbing contest.
Brief scores:
India: 471 & 364 in 96 overs (KL Rahul 137, Rishabh Pant 118; Josh Tongue 3-72, Brydon Carse 3-80)
England: 465 & 21/0 in 6 overs (Zak Crawley 12*, Ben Duckett 9*)
Target for England: 350 runs
Read also| 1st Test: Rahul Strengthens India’s Position After Bumrah’s Fifer Limits England to 465
Read also| 1st Test: Tongue’s Four-Wicket Haul Restricts India to 471 Despite Pant’s Brilliant 134
