The fourth day’s play at the third Test of the Investec series at Rose Bowl, Southampton began with India needing around 45 runs to avoid follow on, with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the crease, batting at 50 from overnight. Dhoni did not add a single run to his score, getting out easily to a James Anderson bouncer, meekly touching it down to the wicketkeeper Jos Buttler’s safe hands. Anderson had figures of 5 for 53. This was Anderson’s first 5-wicket haul for a long time. India’s innings quickly ended at 239 runs behind, giving captain Alastair Cook the opportunity to enforce the follow on, if he so desired.
But Cook did not do so, choosing to bat again, perhaps with the intention of giving his bowlers some much needed rest. Also, very few sides in Test cricket enforce the follow on any more, ever since the magical Eden Gardens Test in 2001 between India and Australia in which VVS Laxman made 281 to win the match for India after being asked to follow on. So it was hardly unexpected when England came back for their second innings.
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Cook and Sam Robson started slowly, till Robson got out in familiar fashion, edging behind to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. There are obvious technical glitches in Robson’s batting, and he must get them right to have a bright future in Test cricket. Gary Ballance has no such problems though, and he seems to be having a charmed Test career so far, this time showing his aggressive side, smashing every Indian bowler, hitting 5 fours and a glorious straight six, before getting out in his thirties.
Ian Bell came in next, and hit a quick 23. Cook was in his elements all along, playing solidly and anchoring the innings. Joe Root joined Cook, and the two England batsmen took the England score further ahead, sharing a quickfire 99-run partnership, with Root playing all sorts of shots, including the “dil-scoop” – glancing a straight ball from Kumar over the wicketkeeper to the boundary. Root was in full flow and he was the second England batsman to make a half-century after his Captain Cook. Cook immediately declared on Root’s getting out and England set India a mammoth victory target of 445 in the fourth innings, on a pitch that certainly had something for the bowlers.
India got off to a solid start, with both Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan safely negotiating the pace of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad. But inexplicably, Vijay got himself run out in the tamest fashion to Stuart Broad’s throw. This was completelt against the run of play and that started the mini-collapse.
Cheteshwar Pujara has had a disastrous tour by his high standards, and it got worse, as he got out for just 2 runs, getting caught behind at first slip by Chris Jordan in a stunning catch off Moeen Ali. Virat Kohli walked in. Kohli’s reputation in international cricket has been damaged by his poor performance in this series so far, and he didn’t do much to save the cause, despite his best efforts. Kohli got out for another small score, making only 28 before edging Moeen Ali to Jos Butter. Before that Shikhar Dhawan’s struggle at the crease was put to an end by a great off spin delivery by part time bowler Joe Root, which had Dhawan edging to the slip fielder, Chris Jordan.
Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma grimly held on to close the day with India at 112 for 2, still 333 runs behind. England look all set to square this exciting series 1-1 tomorrow, and will be hoping for James Anderson to get away with just a slap on the wrist when his disciplinary hearing comes up on Friday. The only negative on what was a perfect day for England was that the Rose Bowl was almost half empty yesterday. Hopefully we will have a lot more people coming to cheer their team to victory on the fifth day’s play today.
