Hyderabad (Telangana) [India]: India stand at 95/3 after the end of the second session against England at tea in the first Test match on day four at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.
At Tea, India stand at 95/3 with KL Rahul (21*) and Axar Patel (17*) on the crease as the hosts need 136 runs to win the first Test match in Hyderabad.
India skipper Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal opened for the hosts to chase 231 runs. The openers started off well with a partnership of 42 runs.
However, youngster Yashasvi failed to stand in front of Tom Hartley. the English bowler dismissed Yashasvi in the 12th over for 15 runs. The 22-year-old smashed 2 fours after playing 35 balls.
Hartley’s fiery spell helped England to dominate as they removed Shubman Gill for a two-ball duck just one ball later after Yashasvi’s dismissal.
Hartley ended skipper Rohit’s knock in the 18th over. The 36-year-old scored 39 runs from 58, he also smashed 7 fours in the second session.
On the other hand, spinner Hartley shined on day four as he bagged three wickets in the second session.
As of now, Rahul and Axar will be looking forward to making a strong partnership to chase the remaining 136 runs of the target.
Recapping the first session, Ollie Pope’s 196-run knock helped England to take advantage as the visitors scored 420 runs at lunch on day 04 in Hyderabad on Sunday. Meanwhile, India needed 231 runs to win the first Test match.
The day started as Pope and Rehan Ahmed came on the crease for the visitors to start the first session on day four. Jasprit Bumrah made the first breakthrough of the day as the Indian speedster removed Rehan Ahmed for 28 runs in the 83rd over.
As the session continued, Pope and Tom Hartley stood still on the crease and kept batting to help England dominate the game.
However, in the 101st over, star Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was successful in breaking the solid 80-run partnership of Pope-Hartley. Ashwin dismissed Hartley for 34 runs.
After the dismissal of Hartley, England struggled to make runs and the India bowling attack took the best chance of it. Ravindra Jadeja picked his first wicket on day four after removing Mark Wood for 0 runs in the 102nd over. The last wicket of the day came in the hands of Bumrah after he dismissed the dangerous Pope for 196 runs in the 103rd over to end England’s second inning at 420 runs.
Brief score: England 246 & 420 (Ollie Pope 196, Ben Duckett 47; Jasprit Bumrah 4-41) vs India 436 & 95/3 (Rohit Sharma 39, KL Rahul 21, Axar Patel 17*; Tom Hartley 3-30).
