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Ashwin rocks England after India’s lower-order surge
- Updated: November 28, 2016
England 283 and 78 for 4 (Root 36*, Batty 0*) trail India 417 (Jadeja 90, Ashwin 72, Kohli 62, Jayant 55, Pujara 51, Stokes 5-73, Rashid 4-118) by 56 runsLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details
India gave a lesson in how to take a grip on a Test match that was in the balance. Firstly their lower order built a commanding lead of 134, anchored around Ravindra Jadeja’s career-best 90 and Jayant Yadav’s maiden Test fifty, then R Ashwin’s three wickets left England floundering on 78 for 4, still 56 behind.
The runs from the bottom half of India’s order has been a feature of their recent Test success and here they enjoyed one of their more stellar days. In total, the last four wickets added 213 to turn a precarious 204 for 6 into a three-figure advantage and it was the first time India’s Nos 7, 8 and 9 had scored half-centuries in the same innings.
From a position at the start of the day where England would have hoped for something near parity – a manageable deficit of around 50 at worst – by the close it felt as though India had made the definitive moves of the series. Joe Root, who had been promoted to open in place of the injured Haseeb Hameed, remained unbeaten on 36 but Ashwin’s dismissal of Ben Stokes in the final over capped a perfect day for India.
Alastair Cook’s stay was tortuous. In the space of four deliveries he survived two close DRS calls. The first was an India review for an appeal given not out against Jadeja which was, eventually after some problems forming the Hawk-Eye graphics, shown to be missing leg. The second was after he had been given lbw to Ashwin only for the review to show the ball pitched outside leg. However, the reprieve was brief as Ashwin worked him over by sliding a straighter delivery between bat and pad.
Moeen Ali batted at No. 3, the only spot in the top nine he had yet to occupy in Tests, and added to the list of England’s inglorious dismissals in the match when he chipped …
