DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) – India took control of the fifth and final test match against England, grabbing a substantial first innings lead of 259 runs. The Indian team then made early inroads into England’s top order, reducing them to 103-5 by the end of the third day’s play.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin played a key role in dismantling England’s top order, taking three crucial wickets. With captain Ben Stokes falling just before lunch, England found themselves in a precarious position, still 156 runs behind India.
Captain Joe Root held the fort with an unbeaten 34, but the lower order will need to produce something special to prevent India from securing an innings victory at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.
India, starting the day at 473-8, could only add four runs before being bowled out. England’s veteran fast bowler James Anderson made history by becoming the first paceman to reach 700 test wickets when he dismissed Kuldeep Yadav.
Despite Anderson’s milestone, England faced an uphill task as they came out to bat, trailing by a significant margin after India’s impressive first innings performance.
India’s decision to hand the new ball to Ashwin, along with Jasprit Bumrah, paid off early as Ashwin struck in his first over to remove Ben Duckett. The opener’s aggressive approach backfired as he was bowled.
Ashwin continued his dominance by dismissing Zak Crawley for a duck in his third over, further denting England’s hopes of a comeback. Crawley, who had been a standout performer for England in the series, fell to a smart catch by Sarfaraz Khan.
Ollie Pope showed promise with a quick 19 runs before falling to a well-taken catch by Yashasvi Jaiswal off Ashwin’s bowling. The entertaining duel between Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow, both playing their 100th test, saw Bairstow hitting three sixes before being trapped lbw by Kuldeep Yadav.
Ashwin struck once again, this time to dismiss Stokes with the final delivery before lunch, leaving England in a precarious position going into the final two days of the test match.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by William Mallard)
