Contrasting, classy centuries from KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant combined to set England a stiff target of 371 to win the first Test against India at Headingley, with a thrilling fifth and final day in store.
Rahul’s 137 – his ninth Test ton, and eighth overseas – was a masterclass in patience, concentration and touch, while Pant’s 118 was typically destructive as he wrestled momentum away from England in the afternoon, becoming the first ever Indian batter to score hundreds in both innings against them.
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Take a look at the best bits from Rishabh Pant’s classy century during day four of the first Test between England and India
Josh Tongue (3-72), just as he did in the first innings, tore through the tail – taking three wickets in four balls – as India were bowled out for 364, a late collapse of 6-31 to rival their 7-41 first time round.
England, closing on 21-0, will fully believe they can pull off another memorable run-chase, six years on from the Ben Stokes-inspired 359 seen off on the same ground in the 2019 Ashes, and with fresh memories of their 378 chase against India at Edgbaston just three years ago.
England’s fourth morning got off to the best possible start when India skipper, and first-innings centurion, Shubman Gill (8) chopped one on to his stumps to end Brydon Carse’s opening over.
At that point, with India three down and the deficit only 98, England will have been eyeing a much more modest fourth-innings target, though Rahul and Pant had other ideas.
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Harry Brook drops a catch with KL Rahul on 58 runs and then sees the India opener hit a century as the tourists stretch their lead over England
Both did provide England with early opportunities, Rahul dropped on 58 by Harry Brook at a wide second slip, while the start of Pant’s innings was typically chaotic, flashing four over the slips to get off the mark, and he was thankful to a thin inside edge that spared his blushes on a Carse lbw shout when playing his ‘falling ramp’ to the England quick.
Though the India wicketkeeper would also be grateful to a surprisingly gappy slip cordon after lunch seeing a couple of edges go unclaimed, he gradually grew into his innings and raced through the gears after bringing up his half-century.
From only 28 runs being scored in a tight, tense opening hour’s play, and 63 across the entire first session, India suddenly scored 74 in a 10-over spell in the afternoon as Pant led the charge, hitting two sixes off one Shoaib Bashir over in that span.
Stokes dropped him on 75 in the spinner’s next over, albeit a near-impossible chance diving to his left at cover that he did well to even get his left hand on.
Rahul ticked on through to a richly-deserved hundred and arguably his best, with Pant not far behind as he notched his seventh Test ton – five of those coming against England – but turned down Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar’s urging from the crowd for a second look at his somersault celebration for the match.
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England’s Shoaib Bashir takes the wicket of Rishabh Pant after an amazing 118 for India during day four of the first Test
The 195-run partnership was finally ended when Pant holed out to wide long-on off Bashir (2-90) shortly before tea, with India’s latest lower-order collapse coming with the fall of Rahul, chopping Carse (3-80) onto his stumps, in the final session.
Chris Woakes (1-45) claimed his first wicket of the Test, snapping up a sharp caught-and-bowled chance of Karun Nair (20), before Tongue’s burst that saw off Shardul Thakur (4), Mohammed Siraj (0) – seemingly hurting his bowling hand in the process – and Jasprit Bumrah (0) in the same over.
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Josh Tongue took three wickets in four deliveries during day four of the first Test for England against India
Jadeja (25no) struck a couple of big blows to the boundary before Bashir wrapped up the innings and England set about their run chase, Zak Crawley (12no) and Ben Duckett (9no) safely negotiating a tricky six-over spell through to stumps.
There is still plenty of work to be done for the hosts, however, with the form of Bumrah – fresh from a five-for in the first innings – the uneven bounce and spin starting to appear in the surface, plus the prospect of rain on day five all potentially combining to scupper Stokes’ side.
Watch day five of of the first Test between England and India, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.15am on Tuesday (11am, first ball) or stream with no contract.
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Speaking ahead of day four of the first Test between England and India, Sky Sports cricket’s Nasser Hussain says it is ‘quite tricky’ to come up with a solution for a fair World Test Championship
England vs India Test series ☀️
All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports
- First Test: Friday June 20-Tuesday June 24 – Headingley
- Second Test: Wednesday July 2-Sunday July 6 – Edgbaston
- Third Test: Thursday July 10-Monday July 14 – Lord’s
- Fourth Test: Wednesday July 23-Sunday July 27 – Emirates Old Trafford
- Fifth Test: Thursday July 31-Monday August 4 – The Kia Oval
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