Kohli, Ashwin, Jadeja Put India on Course For Victory on Day Four
England end day four of the fourth Test against India at 182/6. The visitors trail India by 49 runs.
advertisement
India put themseleves on the cusp of completing a comprehensive series victory with England caught in a spin web following skipper Virat Kohli's career-best 235 at the end of the fourth day of the fourth Test at Mumbai on Sunday.
Records tumbled one after another as Kohli's third double ton in as many Test series was complemented by Jayant Yadav's maiden Test hundred with India piling up a mammoth 631 runs tereby taking a lead of 231 runs.
In reply, England were left tottering at 182 for 6 needing another 49 runs to avoid innings defeat as the hosts are now all but assured to regain the Anthony De Mello Trophy that they had lost in 2012.
Ravichandran Ashwin (2/49), Ravindra Jadeja (2/58) and Jayant Yadav (1/39) shared five of the six wickets. The other wicket-taker was Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/11).
It was a day of records with Jayant being the first Indian to score a Test hundred at number nine and 241 runs added for the eighth wicket between Jayant and Kohli literally put England out of the game.
The partnership between Kohli and Jayant, that consumed 244 minutes and 352 balls, obliterated India's previous best partnership for the eight wicket of 161 runs, set by Mohammed Azhauddin and Anil Kumble in 1996-97 against South Africa at Kolkata.
Among the other records broken, Kohli eclipsed predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose 224 against Australia at Chennai in 2013, was the previous best score by an Indian captain.
Jonny Bairstow was the not out batsman for England, on 50, after Jake Ball departed in the final delivery of the day.
Earlier in the day, skipper Kohli yet again proved why he is among the top three batsmen in world cricket. The India captain struck 25 fours and one six in his monumental eight-and-a-half hour innings while he faced 340 deliveries.
With an able ally in Jayant, Kohli dictated terms for the second successive hitting boundaries on both sides of the wicket. He attacked the loose deliveries, the intennsity didn't drop one bit even after he reached 175 plus as he was still running the second run as hard as ever.
With each run that the duo scored, England players were frustrated a degree more.
Eventually, Jayant Yadav was stumped off Adil Rashid’s bowling in the second session for 104 runs and a few overs later, Kohli looped a catch to James Anderson off Chris Woakes’ bowling and walked back to the pavilion.
Adil Rashid wrapped up the Indian innings after getting Bhuvneshwar’s wicket as the home team were dismissed 48 minutes into the second session.
When England came out to bat, they quickly plunged into deep trouble to be 49 for three at tea.
Jadeja scalped Alastair Cook(18) and Moeen Ali (0) after Bhuvneshwar had packed off Jennings in the second ball of the innings.
Thereafter, they were revived by a fourth wicket partnership of 92 runs between Joe Root (77) and Jonny Bairstow.
Joe Root, who smashed 11 fours in his innings, looked in terrific touch untill he was trapped on the backfoot by Jayant for 77 runs.
Following his wicket, Ben Stokes (18) and Bairstow looked determined to finish the day without losing a wicket, but Ashwin had other ideas.
In the tow end of the day, the off-spinner dismissed Stokes and then Ball was stumped for two runs.
India could have got rid of Bairstow too but Kolhi standing at slip could not hold on to a catch, when the batsman went for a reverse sweep off Ashwin. Bairstow was on 14 and England were 98 for 3.
India, however, have also wasted both their reviews off appeals against the England wicket-keeper batsman.
(With inputs from PTI)