England vs India, 5th Test: Day 4 report and stats
England rallied over India on Day 4 of the Edgbaston Test. Ben Stokes pocketed three scalps on the penultimate day. Cheteshwar Pujara (66) and Rishabh Pant (57) pushed India to 245. Chasing 378, England struck the right chords from the start. Later, Joe Root (76*) and Jonny Bairstow (72*) compiled runs at a brisk pace. England (259/3) need 119 runs to win this Test.
Stokes cleans the Indian tail-end
Stokes ran through the Indian lower order. The short-ball ploy worked for the English skipper as he snared the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah. He concluded with the best figures for England (4/33). Matty Potts (2/50) played his cards right. Stuart Broad trumped Pujara to finish with figures worth 2/58. Jack Leach and James Anderson clipped a wicket each.
Pant cashes in on his red-hot form
After slamming an audacious 146, Pant continued his sublime run in the second innings of the ongoing Edgbaston Test against England. The 24-year-old scored an 86-ball 57 to put India in a commanding spot. The keeper-batter hit eight fours while striking at over 66. He has raced to 2,123 Test runs at 43.32. Against England, Pant now has 781 runs at 39.05.
Pant matches Farokh Engineer's record
As per Cricbuzz, Pant is the second wicket-keeper from India to score a ton and a half-century in the same Test. The left-handed batter emulated the feat of former Indian wicket-keeper Farokh Engineer, who smashed 121 and 66 against England in 1973 (Mumbai BS). Interestingly, Pant has become the first Indian wicket-keeper to achieve this double away from home.
Pujara grounds English bowlers
Pujara stamped a gritty 66 off 168 deliveries in the second innings. Resuming from 50*(139) on Day 4, the opening batter managed additional 16 runs. He hammered eight fours during his stay. He has belted 275 runs in the second innings in this series at 68.75. Against England, Pujara has now raced to 1,778 runs at 39.51. Overall, Pujara has 6,792 runs at 43.81.
Second Test fifty for Lees
Lees was the aggressor and delivered a more than desirable start for the hosts. He toyed with the Indian attack, hitting eight fours and striking at over 80. The southpaw was run-out by Jadeja but not before he clocked 56 off 65 deliveries. He brought up only his second Test fifty and first against India in whites. He now has 357 runs at 25.50.
Crawley falls short of his sixth Test fifty
Crawley was the perfect partner to Lees, as they added a laudable 107-run stand for the opening wicket. Crawley looked set to cross the 50-run mark but was bowled out by Bumrah on a incoming delivery. The right-hander fell short of his sixth fifty in whites. He managed a 76-ball 46 laced with seven fours. He now has 1,229 runs at 26.71.
Root, Bairstow upset the Indian seamers
Fifties from Root and Bairstow put England in the driver's seat. The duo sneaked in runs from every nook and corner. Root showcased a clutch display, bringing up his 55th Test fifty. He has hammered nine fours in his 112-ball 76*. Bairstow looked his aggressive self as he marched to 72* off 87 deliveries, hitting eight fours and a six.
