England have established an 134-run lead against India at stumps on day two of the fourth Test, guided by a four-wicket haul from Shoaib Bashir.
Earlier on Saturday, Joe Root ended unbeaten on 122 as England were bowled out for 353, but India never looked overly comfortable in their reply as young spin bowler Bashir struck four times during a mammoth 31-over spell.
Although India showed resilience during the closing part of the day to reach 219-7, England will be delighted with the position that they find themselves in ahead of what could prove to be the pivotal day of the Test match.
Resuming on 302-7, England understood the importance of continuing to add to their score on an unpredictable pitch, and Root was supported by Ollie Robinson (58) who made his first Test half-century.
There would have been disappointment with how England went from 345-7 to 353 all out - Bashir and James Anderson both out for ducks - but it created a scenario where the tourists could set about making their mark with the ball.
HUGE WICKET! 💥
— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) February 24, 2024
Bashir has got the big one... Jaiswal is OUT! 🏏#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/NCcNmKvfnl
After Anderson dismissed Rohit Sharma (2), Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill put together an 82-run partnership for the second wicket before Bashir took over.
The 20-year-old accounted for the wickets of Gill (38), Rajat Patidar (17) and Ravindra Jadeja before he ended another magnificent knock from Jaiswal, who made 73 from 117 balls.
With Jaiswal gone, India were further reduced from 161-5 to 177-7, Tom Hartley taking two quick wickets, but Dhruv Jurel (30*) and Kuldeep Yadav (17*) negotiated the final 17.4 overs of the day to at least give India some momentum after a difficult day.
Darren Plant
