Kohli, Vijay give India initiative
FOURTH TEST: India take a lead of 51 runs riding on a determined batting performance
MUMBAI: Indian skipper Virat Kohli and opener Murali Vijay struck wellmade hundreds as India gained a firm grip over England in the fourth Test at the Wankhede Stadium, leaving the game evenly poised at the end of the third day on Saturday.
The hosts, leading 2-0 in the fivematch series, reached 348 for six in their first innings at tea, still trailing England by 52 runs.
Captain Virat Kohli was unbeaten on 83 at the crease with Ravindra Jadeja 22 not out at the other end.
Vijay and Kohli, who got past 1,000 test runs in 2016 and 4,000 career runs in the longest format, added 116 for the third wicket before the former was out for 136, hitting a full toss from Adil Rashid straight back to the leg-spinner.
England then successfully reviewed the umpire’s not out decision to dismiss Karun Nair leg before for 13 off Moeen Ali before part-time off-spinner Joe Root picked up the wickets of Parthiv Patel and Ravichadran Ashwin in four balls.
India, who were comfortably placed on 262-2, were reduced to 307-6 before Kohli and Jadeja propped them up with an unbroken stand of 41 for the seventh wicket. The hosts could have been in more trouble if Rashid had managed to hold on to a return catch from Kohli, then on 68.
Resuming on 146 for one, the hosts suffered an early jolt when Cheteshwar Pujara (47) was bowled on the second ball of the morning while shouldering arms to paceman Jake Ball, ending a second-wicket partnership of 107 with Vijay.
However, it proved to be the only success for the English bowlers in the morning session as Vijay and Kohli flayed the attack during their productive partnership.
Vijay’s technique against rising deliveries had been questioned in the run-up to the fourth test as the righthanded batsman had fallen three times to short-pitched balls from England’s pacemen during the series.
The tourists’ fast bowlers dished out a number of bouncers to him during the innings but Vijay, who was 70 overnight, swayed away from most of them while dropping his wrists.
He reached his second century of the series with a single against off-spinner Moeen and hit 10 fours and three sixes in his knock.
Vijay was given out leg before to Rashid on 116 but managed to overturn the decision on review as replays suggested he got an inside edge before ball struck pad.
The in-form Kohli took little time to get out of the blocks and hit three boundaries through third man at the start of his innings, making sure England could not build pressure after the early wicket of Pujara. — Reuters
SCOREBOARD England first innings: 400 India first innings (O/n: 146/1): L Rahul b Ali ........................................................... 24 M Vijay c & b Rashid ............................................ 136 C Pujara b Ball ....................................................... 47 V Kohli (batting)................................................... 147 K Nair lbw Ali ......................................................... 13 P Patel c Bairstow b Root ....................................... 15 R Ashwin c Jennings b Root .................................... 0 R Jadeja c Buttler b Rashid .................................... 25 J Yadav (batting) .................................................... 30 Extras (B-5, LB-7, W-2) ................................. 14 Total (for 7 wkts, 142 overs) ...................... 451 Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-146, 3-262, 4-279, 5-305, 6-307, 7-364. Bowling: Anderson 15-5-43-0, Woakes 8-2-34-0, Ali 45-5-139-2, Rashid 44-5-152-2, Ball 14-5-29-1, Stokes 8-2-24-0, Root 8-2-18-2.