25-Feb-2024 03:11 PM
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Ranchi, Feb 25 (Reporter) After a valiant fightback with the bat by Dhruv Jurel in the morning session, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja crippled England in the second innings as the fourth Test hanged in balance here on Sunday.
Ashwin and Jadeja dismissed half of the English side for 120, leading India by 166 at Tea on Day 3.
India started the proceedings by employing spin at both ends. Ben Duckett swept both Ashwin and Jadeja to fetch a couple of boundaries, but the Tamil Nadu star had the left-hander in his kitty.
Duckett defended hard on his forward defence only for the ball to fall safely into the hands of Sarfaraz Khan at short leg.
England lost their second wicket in the next ball when Ollie Pope was bamboozled by Ashwin and was adjudged leg-before. The No.3 batsman opted for DRS, but the replays showed the ball hitting stumps.
The onus rested on Zak Crawley and Joe Root to restore to life the dipping England's second innings. Crawley tore apart Ashwin by spanking three boundaries in an over, and then smacking another in his next.
Captain Rohit Sharma brought in pace for the first time in the form of Mohammad Siraj, but Ashwin further dented the visitors.
Ashwin thought he had Root leg before and opted for DRS, and it proved right as replays confirmed the ball clipping the leg stump.
Quick wickets forced Crawley and Jonny Bairstow to up the ante, and they did with great finesse.
The English opener brought up his fifty, but his elation was short-lived as Kuldeep grabbed his first wicket by cleaning him up for 60.
The leg-spinner caused more problems by castling skipper Ben Stokes minutes before the Tea break...////...