Ranchi Test: Bashir spins England towards big lead

Shoaib Bashir
Shoaib Bashir, third left, celebrates with teammates after removing Rajat Patidar. Photo: AFP/Tauseef Mustafa

Ranchi: Shoaib Bashir ripped the heart out of India's batting line-up to keep England on course for a big first innings lead on day two of the fourth Test in Ranchi on Saturday.

The lanky off-spinner justified his selection with figures of 4/84 to restrict India to 219/7 on a spiteful pitch where the ball often kept low.

India's in-form opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (73) was done in by one such delivery and the hosts, who are 2-1 up in the five-match series, finished the day trailing England by 134 runs.

Dhruv Jurel (30) and Kuldeep Yadav (17) provided late resistance with a 42-run partnership for the unbroken eighth wicket.

Earlier, Joe Root led England's remarkable turnaround from a precarious 112/5 with an unbeaten 122 before the tourists were all out for 353.

Ollie Robinson
Ollie Robinson en route to his fifty. Photo: PTI/Viay Verma

Tailender Ollie Robinson raced to his maiden Test fifty, hitting a six and nine fours in his counter-attacking 58.

Ravindra Jadeja (4/67) removed Robinson and Bashir in the same over and went on to dismiss James Anderson to claim the final English wicket.

Root remained unbeaten after his 31st Test hundred, a masterly knock studded with 10 fours.

India wobbled early in their reply after skipper Rohit Sharma, having made two, edged Anderson to be caught behind.

Jaiswal was fluent at the other end, though, and the nearest England got to dismissing him before his half-century was when Ben Foakes grabbed an edge. Replays, however, confirmed the ball had touched ground before the wicketkeeper collected it.

Shubman Gill (38) got off to a decent start but could not capitalise on it, falling lbw to Bashir.

James Anderson
James Anderson celebrates after taking the wicket of Rohit Sharma. Photo: Reuters/.Amit Dave

Rajat Patidar (17) fell in the same manner to the spinner, while Jadeja (12) was snared at short leg off Bashir's bowling.

Jaiswal, the leading scorer of the series, passed the 50-mark for the fourth time in seven innings, which include two double hundreds.

The left-hander, however, fell just when he was looking good for another hundred and his exit put England in charge.

Jaiswal rocked bat wanting to play Bashir through the off-side but the ball stayed low and hit the toe-end of his bat before hitting the stumps.

India were reeling at 177/7 when left-arm spinner Tom Hartley twisted the knife dismissing Sarfaraz Khan and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Jurel and Kuldeep, however, frustrated England with their dour rearguard action.

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