IND vs ENG Match Highlights: Despite Jasprit Bumrah’s outstanding performance on day four of the postponed fifth Test, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow put England on track for a record-breaking run chase against India, setting up a fitting series conclusion in Birmingham on Monday.
After England openers Alex Lees (56 off 65) and Zak Crawley (46 off 76) eventually rediscovered their form and established a 107-run partnership while chasing a record 378-run goal, India’s captain Bumrah restored parity with wickets on either side of lunch.
From 107/0, it quickly changed to 109 for three before the dangerous pair of Root (batting off 112 and scoring 76 runs) and Bairstow (batting off 87 and scoring 72 runs) baffled the Indians with a dominant 150-run partnership off just 197 balls.
At the end of day four, England was 259 for three, needing 119 runs to win and tie the series.
Indian bowlers struggled to apply pressure to English hitters who played with the aggressiveness that has come to be associated with the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum style of cricket, despite the fact that the pitch did not provide much assistance.
Additionally, it was beneficial because India set up a highly defensive, wide-open field, which allowed England’s batsmen to rotate the strike with vigor.
Hanuma Vihari dropped Bairstow on 14, and the man who is in the best shape of his life made India pay dearly.
India will need a miracle to win from here since Ben Stokes and Sam Billing are yet to come. The way India bowled in the second innings reminded me of their difficulties in South Africa, where they twice failed to successfully defend the target after winning the series opener.
On day five, India may have forced England to chase down more than 400 if it weren’t for some bad shot choices. India finished the second innings with a score of 245 all out after beginning the day at 125 for three.
With the exception of the first two overs, India had virtually nothing going for them in the final session. Ollie Pope was caught behind by Bumrah before Lees was run out after Root attempted a single that was out of reach.
Following that, Root and Bairstow put on a show, scoring runs at will.
To get England to 107 for one at tea, under-fire openers Lees and Crawley had also shown a lot of promising intent. Towards the close of the session, India made a breakthrough when Bumrah dismissed Zak Crawley (46 off 76), who erred by misjudging a leave, with a ball that darted in from length.
After lunch, India could only eat 8.5 extras. Unlike the previous innings, the tail did not wag, but expert hitters giving up their wickets kept India from gaining a lead of more than 400 runs.
Chasing a record total, England started out well and quickly reached 53 for no loss in nine overs, thanks in large part to Lees’ two fours off Ravindra Jadeja’s opening over. The first one, which he hammered past mid-off after stepping out of the crease, was followed by a reverse sweep with the second.
Earlier, India had given England easy wickets, but Rishabh Pant’s half-century helped them increase their margin to 361 runs at lunch.
Cheteshwar Pujara (66 off 168) and Rishabh Pant (57 off 86), the overnight batsmen, got off to a strong start.
Pujara started off by hitting James Anderson with a back-foot punch and a flick for two straight boundaries.
The English pacers caused little bother for Pujara, who had scored 50 runs on Sunday. After the game began, Ben Stokes gave part-timer Joe Root three overs, which made Pant and Pujara’s work simpler.
Pant joined Shreyas Iyer (19 off 26) in the middle, but after a few strokes, Iyer once more succumbed to the short ball. Iyer was set up by England, and when he pulled a short ball straight to mid-wicket, he fell victim to it.
With a tickle off the pads to finish his fifty, Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper to achieve a hundred and fifty in an international Test.
After sweeping Jack Leach for a boundary in the next over, Pant attempted a reverse pull but was caught by Joe Root at first slip, leaving India at 198 for six.
IND vs ENG 5th Test Day 4 Highlights: Indian players fell into England’s trap; England enjoys victory against India
