Last-wicket heroes lift India

Sports Page– India were in danger of surrendering the advantage they had built so carefully over four sessions as they lost four wickets for four runs immediately after lunch on the second day. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami restored it with a 111-run last-wicket stand that punctured the fuel reserves of a frustrated England attack and extended India’s total to 457.

Shami then dismissed Alastair Cook in the fourth over of England’s reply, bowling the England captain round his legs as he walked too far across his stumps.

Over the remainder of the final session, India’s seam bowlers searched for the right length to discomfit the notoriously front-foot-shy Sam Robson and Gary Ballance. They generally found themselves a touch shorter, but Ishant Sharma landed one in the perfect spot two overs from stumps only for the outside-edge from Ballance to drop a foot short of second slip. Ravindra Jadeja, who bowled two overs, showed he could be key later in the Test after he got one ball to explode out of rough at Ballance. England have three left-handers in their top six.

When India lost their ninth wicket, their survivors from the 2011 tour would have seen flashbacks of their collapse from 267 for 4 to 288 all out at the same venue. India had gone on to lose that Test match by 319 runs.

This England side, though, is different. Since the time Tino Best clobbered 95 against them two years ago, they have been hurt by numerous tail-end partnerships

Summarized scores: England 43 for 1 trail India 457 (Vijay 146, Dhoni 82, Bhuvneshwar 58, Shami 51*) by 414 runs