ENG vs IND 2018: England Make Steady Start After India Set Huge Target

England have made a steady start to their second innings in pursuit of an improbable 521-run target in the third England vs India Test.

England opener Keaton Jennings and Alastair Cook had to face 9 overs before the close of the day. And the duo did well to see off the overs, helping England close out the day on 23 for no loss.

Earlier in the day, Virat Kohli’s second century of the series and fifty from Hardik Pandya helped India set England a mammoth target.

Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara started the proceedings with the bat on day three. But unlike day two, the visitors did not go for quick runs. Instead they took their time and latched on to lose deliveries to keep the scoreboard ticking.

There were occasional deliveries that troubled both the batsmen but they managed to hang on. At the same time, they rarely squandered a chance to score the runs. India crossed the 150-run mark in the 47th over when Pujara took a single off Ben Stokes.

With the desperation to take a wicket growing, England took a review in the 50th when Stuart Broad managed to hit Kohli’s pad. However, a tiny edge saved the India skipper and rubbed more salt on England’s wounds. Both the batsmen soon started matching each other shot for shot as they headed towards their respective fifties.

And it was Pujara who achieved the landmark first. On the last ball of the 54th over, he took a single off Broad to complete his 18th Test fifty. One ball later, Kohli took a single off Adil Rashid to score his 19th Test fifty. Prior to that, India’s lead touched the 350-run mark. Pujara and Kohli went on to help India head into the break without losing any wicket.

Things did not change much after the break either. Joe Root handed the responsibility to Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid but they too failed to stem the flow of runs as India kept on extending the lead. England managed to get the breakthrough when Ben Stokes came in as first change and accounted for Pujara. The dismissal ended the 113-run stand but did not bring any respite for the hosts as Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane now troubled them.

During the course of the second session, Kohli took his run-tally in the series past the 400-run mark. He thus became just the second Indian captain to do so in a series in England after Mohammad Azharuddin (in 1990). When the session ended, India were comfortably placed at 270 for 3 with Kohli 7 runs short of his ton.

Kohli reached his ton soon after the restart but could not convert it into a big one as Woakes had him plumb for 103. Rishabh Pant, promoted to accelerate the run-rate, departed after scoring just 1. Hardik Pandya then went on to score a quickfire fifty before India declared their innings on 352, setting the hosts an improbable target of 521.