First comes the bad light, then the rain, and with it, the penultimate day of this series of epic tests ended with the ultimate cliffhanger. England apparently traveled their 374 target, trained by sparkling centuries by Harry Brook and Joe Root, only for India to retaliate and leave them at six counters, 35 points are still necessary, when the players left the field.
And so despite the fact that a fourth dramatic day would bring the purpose of the competition, this fifth test test is now heading for the fifth day with everything that is still at stake.
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England will resume in the morning hoping that Jamie Smith, the last of the first seven strikers, could guide them towards a 3-1 victory and Chris Woake, his left arm dislocated in a scarf, is not required to beat.
India can always level the series at 2-2-part of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy-and, having slightly trampled during a fifth stand stand from 195 points between Brook and Root, they may have been the most injured when the procedures were interrupted at 5.30 p.m. The strength was with them at this stage and England abandoned their lives.
While the 10th century of Brook’s remarkable test had been finished on 111 from 98 bullets – the bat flying from his hand when Akash with the upper edges deeply in the ring – and Jacob Bethell lost his average stump for five trying to free himself from the chains, it is the removal of the root for 105 on a feathered edge of Prasidh Krishna of England in a feathered front.
The old ball had started late to move for the rapids of India and, from 337 for six, Smith and Jamie Overton played 20 bales of paralysis in which it seemed that everyone was beating the bat or spraying on the inner edge. Indian supporters, agitated while Brook and Root apparently break the back of the prosecution, were suddenly those in full voice.
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The most in demonstrating was that 30 minutes after the game were abandoned at 6 pm, the oval was soaked in the sun and the last remaining spectators shouted words like “shame”. If nothing else, the break of the day has given Smith and the time to reset the tail, even if it also means to face an Indian attack refreshed with the second new ball at only 3.4 Overs.
• Full report to follow …
