Batsmen hold sway as draw looms large
From Madhu Jawali Rajkot, Nov 13, 2016, DHNS
England push overall lead to 163
Batsmen’s dominance of the first Test between India and England extended to the fourth day, more or less reducing the possibility of a result anything other than a draw.
England, who had piled up 537 all out in their first hit, became the first team to gain first innings lead in a Test in India since 2012 when the Englishmen themselves did so in Nagpur but the narrow 49-run cushion here wasn’t going to hurt the hosts much on a pitch that didn’t break as much as it was expected to.
There was turn for the spinners but the bounce, by and large, remained predictable. England, however, all but ensured they wouldn’t lose the match by finishing the fourth day on 114 for no loss in 37 overs for an overall lead of 163 here at the SCA Stadium on Saturday.
Debutant Haseeb Hameed (62, 116b, 5x4, 1x6) went one better on his first innings, bringing up his maiden half-century while skipper Alastair Cook helped himself to an unbeaten 46 (107b, 3x4). It remains to be seen if England make a bold declaration on Sunday’s final day on what still appears to be a good batting surface or decide to gain more confidence against Indian spinners.
India, at one stage, faced the genuine prospect of conceding a big lead when they lost two of their best batsmen – Ajinkya Rahane and skipper Virat Kohli (40, 95b, 5x4) -- in the space of 17 balls during the first session of play. R Ashwin (70, 139b, 7x4), like he has done often in the last one year or so, calmed India’s nerves with another solid, mature display of batsmanship that kept India’s deficit to a manageable level.
Ashwin walked in after an indecisive Rahane was bowled by Zafar Ansari with the score reading 349/5 and then involved himself in five partnerships before becoming the last man to be dismissed at 488 in 162 overs.
India found themselves in a real spot of bother when a well-set Kohli rocked back to pull an Adil Rashid (4/114) delivery but in the process lost some of his balance, resulting in his front foot disturbing the base of leg-stump. He became only the second Indian captain to fall in such fashion after Lala Amarnath in 1948-49 against West Indies in Chepauk.
India still trailed England by 176 runs at this point and it was now left to the pair of Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha (35, 82b, 1x4, 1x6) to lift the hosts out of the hole they had dug themselves into. Ashwin and Saha have grown into India’s most trusted pair in the lower middle-order and they further enhanced their reputation by adding 64 runs for the seventh wicket that took India well past 400 runs. While Ashwin appeared impregnable both against spin and pace, Saha survived a few anxious moments on his way to a useful cameo.
This was Ashwin’s fifth 50-plus score (including two hundreds) since the tour of Sri Lanka in August 2015. And if there was a hushed talk about him being good only against average sides, the right-hander underlined his batting credentials with an innings that stood out as much for its craft as for its graft. His reading of spinners was impressive. He picked up length early and either came forward to smother the spin or rocked back to cut as he gathered 45 of his runs against spinners. The visiting pacemen toiled hard in demanding conditions for fast bowling and their inability to get the ball reverse blunted their effect. The highlight of Ashwin’s innings though was the way he farmed strike with Mohammad Shami for the last wicket that produced 29 runs, helping India cut England’s lead to sub-50.
It was once again Indian bowlers’ turn to struggle as Hameed and Cook showed few signs of fatigue despite spending almost six sessions (translating to 12 hours) in energy-sapping dry heat. Kohli introduced the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja in the second over of the innings but barring occasional oohs and aahs, Hameed and Cook didn’t have many issues. Hameed was particularly impressive, displaying remarkably calm head and assurance for a debutant. Together with Cook, the 19-year-old ensured it’s England’s match to lose from this stage.
England, who had piled up 537 all out in their first hit, became the first team to gain first innings lead in a Test in India since 2012 when the Englishmen themselves did so in Nagpur but the narrow 49-run cushion here wasn’t going to hurt the hosts much on a pitch that didn’t break as much as it was expected to.
There was turn for the spinners but the bounce, by and large, remained predictable. England, however, all but ensured they wouldn’t lose the match by finishing the fourth day on 114 for no loss in 37 overs for an overall lead of 163 here at the SCA Stadium on Saturday.
Debutant Haseeb Hameed (62, 116b, 5x4, 1x6) went one better on his first innings, bringing up his maiden half-century while skipper Alastair Cook helped himself to an unbeaten 46 (107b, 3x4). It remains to be seen if England make a bold declaration on Sunday’s final day on what still appears to be a good batting surface or decide to gain more confidence against Indian spinners.
India, at one stage, faced the genuine prospect of conceding a big lead when they lost two of their best batsmen – Ajinkya Rahane and skipper Virat Kohli (40, 95b, 5x4) -- in the space of 17 balls during the first session of play. R Ashwin (70, 139b, 7x4), like he has done often in the last one year or so, calmed India’s nerves with another solid, mature display of batsmanship that kept India’s deficit to a manageable level.
Ashwin walked in after an indecisive Rahane was bowled by Zafar Ansari with the score reading 349/5 and then involved himself in five partnerships before becoming the last man to be dismissed at 488 in 162 overs.
India found themselves in a real spot of bother when a well-set Kohli rocked back to pull an Adil Rashid (4/114) delivery but in the process lost some of his balance, resulting in his front foot disturbing the base of leg-stump. He became only the second Indian captain to fall in such fashion after Lala Amarnath in 1948-49 against West Indies in Chepauk.
India still trailed England by 176 runs at this point and it was now left to the pair of Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha (35, 82b, 1x4, 1x6) to lift the hosts out of the hole they had dug themselves into. Ashwin and Saha have grown into India’s most trusted pair in the lower middle-order and they further enhanced their reputation by adding 64 runs for the seventh wicket that took India well past 400 runs. While Ashwin appeared impregnable both against spin and pace, Saha survived a few anxious moments on his way to a useful cameo.
This was Ashwin’s fifth 50-plus score (including two hundreds) since the tour of Sri Lanka in August 2015. And if there was a hushed talk about him being good only against average sides, the right-hander underlined his batting credentials with an innings that stood out as much for its craft as for its graft. His reading of spinners was impressive. He picked up length early and either came forward to smother the spin or rocked back to cut as he gathered 45 of his runs against spinners. The visiting pacemen toiled hard in demanding conditions for fast bowling and their inability to get the ball reverse blunted their effect. The highlight of Ashwin’s innings though was the way he farmed strike with Mohammad Shami for the last wicket that produced 29 runs, helping India cut England’s lead to sub-50.
It was once again Indian bowlers’ turn to struggle as Hameed and Cook showed few signs of fatigue despite spending almost six sessions (translating to 12 hours) in energy-sapping dry heat. Kohli introduced the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja in the second over of the innings but barring occasional oohs and aahs, Hameed and Cook didn’t have many issues. Hameed was particularly impressive, displaying remarkably calm head and assurance for a debutant. Together with Cook, the 19-year-old ensured it’s England’s match to lose from this stage.
