Sundar leaves England in a spin as India set 193 to win third Test / Photo: Ben STANSALL - AFP
Sundar leaves England in a spin as India set 193 to win third Test
Washington Sundar took four wickets, including the prize scalps of Joe Root, Jamie Smith and England captain Ben Stokes, as India were set a target of 193 to win the third Test at Lord's on Sunday.
The off-spinner struck either side of tea on the fourth day in a return of 4-22 in just 12.1 overs as England were dismissed for 192, a lead of 192 after both teams made 387 in their first innings.
Root and Stokes kept India at bay for much of the afternoon's play after coming together shortly before lunch with England in trouble at 87-4.
But a partnership worth 67 ended when Root, who made a hundred in the first innings, was bowled behind his legs for 40 after missing a sweep against Sundar.
New batsman Smith's three previous scores this series had been 184 not out, 88 and 51.
But the wicketkeeper managed just eight on Sunday before he was bowled by a Sundar delivery that kept a touch low.
Sundar, on an increasingly helpful pitch, had now taken two wickets for three runs in 11 balls, with England 164-6.
All-rounder Stokes, without a Test hundred in over two years, demonstrated great discipline while batting throughout all of Sunday's second session.
But, in common with several England team-mates, he gave his wicket away when on 33 the left-handed batsman swung himself off his feet trying to slog Sundar and was clean bowled.
Stokes banged his bat on the turf in anger, with England now 181-7.
And that became 182-8 when Jasprit Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, took his first wicket of the innings with a yorker that was too good for Brydon Carse.
Bumrah then bowled Chris Woakes with a superb delivery that seamed in down the slope to clip leg stump before Sundar knocked over last man Shoaib Bashir's stumps to end the innings.
- Stuttering England -
England resumed on 2-0 with Zak Crawley, who had angered India late Saturday with his time-wasting tactics, alongside opening partner Ben Duckett.
Duckett scooped a four off Mohammed Siraj but the fast bowler soon had his revenge when the left-hander, cramped for room, miscued a pull to Bumrah at mid-on to leave England 22-1.
Siraj then risked disciplinary action after yelling in Duckett's face, with both players likely to attract the attention of match referee Richie Richardson after making shoulder contact.
Crawley and Ollie Pope were then both fortunate to survive probing deliveries from Bumrah, who took 5-74 in England's first innings after being rested from India's win at Edgbaston that levelled this five-match series at 1-1.
But it was Siraj who struck next when he had Pope lbw after India's review overturned an original not out decision.
And 42-2 was soon transformed into 50-3.
Crawley (22) fell in all-too familiar fashion when edging a drive off a full-length delivery from Nitish Kumar Reddy to Yashasvi Jaiswal -- one of two gullies posted by India in the hope of such a dismissal.
Unsurprisingly, given Saturday's incident, Crawley received a verbal volley from Reddy as he left the field.
New batsman Harry Brook struck three successive boundaries off Akash Deep -- two scooped fours followed by a thumping straight six over long-off.
But fast bowler Deep had the last laugh by knocking over Brook's middle stump as the world's top-ranked Test batsman failed to make contact with an over-ambitious sweep and was out for 23.
Ch.P.Robertson--RTC
