03/03Result
4th Test, England tour of India at Ahmedabad, Mar 4-6 2021
India won by an inns & 25 runs
Player of the Match
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh PantIndia
03/03Result
4th Test, England tour of India at Ahmedabad, Mar 4-6 2021
India won by an inns & 25 runs
Player of the Match
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh PantIndia

11.08pm Poor old Washington. All he had to do was put away a full toss in that last over - Patel pretty much assumed he had, and hurtled for the single without looking where it had gone ... and suddenly three wickets have tumbled in five balls. Makes for a curious scorecard, and a further reminder of how close England came to keeping India in sight... but then there's no legislating for the new-age stylings of Pant and Sundar! Magnificent batting, and England will have to bat for about 10 minutes before lunch.

A word for Ben Stokes though - just 17 overs in the series before this match, and went England desperately needed him, he came to the party with a knackering and wholehearted spell of aggressive seam bowling. Two late strikes give him 4 for 89, which is no less than his toils deserve.

But, India still lead by an imposing 160... which on recent showing ought to be enough to put a three-day innings victory within reach. The pitch is not a raging turner, but Root was extracting plenty bite to suggest that Axar and Ashwin will thrive once again...

Gaurav Sundaraman has been ferreting in the stats-cave. shockingly this is just the third ever instance in Tests where both 7th wicket and 8th wicket have added 100+ . the first two were in 2008 and 2011 .

Vivek Rao: "Seven wickets to seamers and one runout. Did someone say it was a spinner's wicket?" Well quite. It's just a strip of earth that rewards good bowling, and good batting.

Jacq: "Brett Lee in 2005 Ashes, SA in worldcup semis, NZ in the WC finals and Sundar today....there are some moments where you just feel that pain for the other player / teams."

Kamal Andiwal: "Oh nooooo! I am at my office in Kabul, and was glued to my computer screen just to witness the celebration moments after hitting the century but it wasn't to be unfortunately !"

Rupam: "4 ducks in the whole Indian inning. Rohit, Pant, Sundar and Axar saved the face. You got to feel for Sundar. Hope India can now cast a web of spin around the English."

114.4
W
Stokes to Mohammed Siraj, OUT, bowled him! Top of off stump, Siraj can't get behind the line, and he's crestfallen for his team-mate, as Stokes cleans up with some late reward for his efforts

Mohammed Siraj b Stokes 0 (3m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

114.3
0
Stokes to Mohammed Siraj, no run, full again, attempting the yorker, but spearing it past the legs
114.2
0
Stokes to Mohammed Siraj, no run, backing away, and flapping at the ball outside off. Dicey!

Mind you, Siraj is a proven century-maker for No.8 batsmen... here he is

114.1
W
Stokes to I Sharma, OUT, nailed in front of the stumps! Ishant anticipated the rib-tickler, shuffled across his crease, and Stokes doesn't need to look at the umpire to know that is stone dead! A penny for Sundar's thoughts... he is in sudden danger of being stranded!

I Sharma lbw b Stokes 0 (3m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Right, Stokes has the ball once more. And England have an opening at last. Can they end their suffering before lunch?

END OF OVER:
114 | 2 Runs 1 Wkt | IND: 365/8

  • Washington Sundar96 (174b)
  • Joe Root18-1-56-0
  • Ben Stokes27-6-89-2

So, amid all that talk of Jayant Yadav, Saurabh spoke to him during lockdown

113.6
W
Root to Washington Sundar, OUT, low full toss, Sundar whips straight to mid-on, and Patel is streaking for the single! He's been sent back, but can't make it as the shy comes in! Root gathers well, whips off the bails, and the partnershop comes to a sad end. Patel had designs on a milestone of his own!

AR Patel run out 43 (132m 97b 5x4 1x6) SR: 44.32

113.5
0
Root to Washington Sundar, no run, too wide to chase that one, Sundar bides his time
113.4
0
Root to Washington Sundar, no run, spin from outside off, no stroke offered
113.3
1
Root to Patel, 1 run, on the back foot, punched with a high elbow into the covers
113.2
1
Root to Washington Sundar, 1 run, clipped off the legs to the on-side
113.1
0
Root to Washington Sundar, no run, round the wicket, plays inside the line as Root finds more turn outside off

END OF OVER:
113 | 6 Runs | IND: 363/7

  • Washington Sundar95 (169b)
  • Axar Patel42 (96b)
  • Ben Stokes27-6-89-2
  • Joe Root17-1-54-0
112.6
1
Stokes to Washington Sundar, 1 run, nurdled off the legs to keep the strike. He's one blow away...
112.5
1
Stokes to Patel, 1 run, anchored on the back foot, pressed through mid-on to rotate the strike

The hundred partnership is up as well. And to think England scented a lead at tea yesterday...

112.4
3
Stokes to Washington Sundar, 3 runs, tremendous thumping out through wide long-on, hopping back to pull the hip-high delivery. Bess on the boundary does brilliantly to intercept, his back leg is very close to the rope as he does so, but nope, one precious run saved
112.3
0
Stokes to Washington Sundar, no run, short again, wide of off stump, too far outside of the eyeline for Sundar to chase that one
112.2
1
Stokes to Patel, 1 run, short, and swiped out to deep midwicket
112.1
0
Stokes to Patel, no run, round the wicket again, banged in short again

END OF OVER:
112 | 6 Runs | IND: 357/7

  • Washington Sundar91 (166b)
  • Axar Patel40 (93b)
  • Joe Root17-1-54-0
  • Ben Stokes26-6-83-2

Mandar: "Has the pitch flattened out or have England bowlers flattened out" I suspect the latter. Pant steamrolled them yesterday

111.6
0
Root to Washington Sundar, no run, pressed on the front foot to the off side

Match Coverage

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England 3rd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st10DP SibleyZ Crawley
2nd0JM BairstowDP Sibley
3rd10JE RootDP Sibley
4th10JE RootBA Stokes
5th35JE RootOJ Pope
6th0JE RootDW Lawrence
7th44BT FoakesDW Lawrence
8th2DW LawrenceDM Bess
9th23MJ LeachDW Lawrence
10th1JM AndersonDW Lawrence