IND vs ENG Highlights: England openers unbeaten at stumps in 371-run chase as Bumrah, Siraj fail to get a wicket

IND vs ENG Live Score, India vs England Test Series Day 4: Follow Latest Updates

IND vs ENG Highlights, India vs England Test Series Day 4: Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj went wicketless as England’s openers safely negotiated the final session, reaching 21 without loss at stumps on Day 4 in pursuit of a 371-run target. India’s tailenders offered little resistance following the brilliant centuries from KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, as the visitors were bowled out for 364, setting England a target of 370. Josh Tongue turned the tide in England’s favour with a stunning triple strike in a single over. KL Rahul fell short of a 150, departing for a well-made 137 after being dismissed by Brydon Carse. Karun Nair soon joined him in the dressing room after scoring just 20. Rishabh Pant becomes the first Indian batter to score centuries in both innings of a Test in England, as his hitting took India to a lead of 304 at tea on day 4. He fell just before the session break, but did his job. 

 Heading into day four, the first Test match of the newly-anointed Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy feels remarkably balanced. It truly is anyone’s game from here, and depending on how day four goes, it is set up to be a real cracker. India are effectively 96/2, their first innings performance having been whittled down to just a 6-run lead after sloppiness in the field and a slew of missed chances meant England were able to string together strong partnerships. Will India grow to heavily regret those missed chances? If their batting falls apart on day four, almost certainly, their safety net having been untethered by their own hands. But with an in-touch KL Rahul batting on 47* joined by captain Shubman Gill, fresh off a terrific century in the first innings, the hope will be that the team can bat through the majority of the day.

Against this English team, anything short of 250 will almost certainly not be enough, even if the pitch begins to deteriorate. India must look at a score well in excess of 300 to have any sort of run-pressure, and that means that batting at least two of today’s sessions will be integral. On what has been a pretty flat deck so far, that might seem doable. But there was enough bite and venom in this pitch towards the end of play on day three that England’s bowlers will be interested. Both Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue have seemed to settle into a solid rhythm after being a touch expensive on day one, and that means they will be a threat, particularly early in the day. Add to this Ben Stokes and his unorthodox bowling that tends to produce results, and Shoaib Bashir also finding purchase in the pitch, and it’s not that straightforward a question for India.

The hope for the visiting team will be to have the overnight pair take this total closer to 200, before allowing Rishabh Pant to do what he does by playing his typical attacking cricket to push it even further. Of course, that is easier said than done: two early wickets for England, and they will be immediate favourites for the remainder of this match, with a shaky lower middle order to follow. With that in mind, both Rahul and Gill might look to take it easy and very safe early on, to ensure that India’s in-form batters are at the crease when the afternoon session rolls around.

At this point in time, it feels almost as if all three results are equally possible, which means this match is heading towards being a potential classic. But what will decide the direction it swings is how the teams perform in the first session in particular, which will set the gameplan and the tactics for the remainder of this match. It is quickly turning into a can’t-miss Test match — and if this is the entertainment and knife’s-edge cricket that is promised for this tour, it will be a can’t-miss series. Buckle up for a hugely important day of Test cricket.