Nottingham: Jasprit Bumrah’s dramatic new-ball burst left India just one wicket away from victory in the third Test against England come stumps on Tuesday’s fourth day.
England were 311 for nine, still 210 runs adrift of a huge target of 521, at the close.
It seemed England might bat out the day comfortably while Jos Buttler, whose 106 was his maiden Test century, and recalled all-rounder Ben Stokes (62) were sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 169 that rescued the hosts from the depths of 62 for four before lunch.
But the advent of the new ball changed the course of the day’s play with fast bowler Bumrah taking three wickets for eight runs in five balls as England, who had been 231 for four, found themselves 241 for eight.
India claimed the extra half hour in a bid to wrap up the match with a day to spare but England’s last-wicket duo of Adil Rashid, riding his luck for 30 not out, and James Anderson saw out the day’s play.
That meant the teams would have to return for what could be just one ball on Wednesday.
After England resumed on 23 for none, India needed just five balls to take a wicket Tuesday.
Ishant Sharma, from round the wicket, had Keaton Jennings (13) caught behind to one that straightened and he removed England’s other left-handed opener Alastair Cook (17) with a similar ball held by KL Rahul at second slip.
England lost their next two wickets on 64, captain Joe Root (13) and Ollie Pope (16) both caught in the cordon.
It was the 31st occasion in their past 62 Test innings since 2016 that England, who were bowled out for 161 in their first innings, had lost their fourth wicket having scored 100 or fewer runs.
Buttler was dropped on one by debutant wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant and Stokes — recalled by England just days after an acquittal on an affray charge following an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September last year — survived off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s lbw review on 38.
Buttler, 67 not out at tea, cover-drove Ashwin for four to surpass his previous highest Test score of 85, made against India at Southampton on debut four years ago.
Meanwhile usually attacking left-handed batsman Stokes, unlike many of his team-mates, grafted away and a 147-ball fifty was his slowest in Tests.
Buttler, in his 38th innings at this level, raced through the 90s with a succession of boundaries off Mohammad Shami and went to his hundred when he clipped the paceman legside for a 21st four in 152 balls.
But the advent of the new ball at 223 for four off 80 overs swung the day India’s way.
Bumrah had Buttler lbw playing no shot and next ball Jonny Bairstow, batting down the order because of a broken finger suffered while keeping wicket on Monday, had his off-stump uprooted for a golden duck.
Chris Woakes survived the hat-trick, with England now 231 for six.
But Woakes, who made a maiden Test century in England’s innings and 159-run win in the second Test at Lord’s, fell for four when caught behind off Bumrah’s bouncer.
And 241 for seven became 241 for eight when Stokes was caught by Rahul off medium-pacer Hardik Pandya, who had stunned England with a first-innings return of five for 28
India thought England were 245 for nine when Rashid was caught in the slips by India captain Virat Kohli — whose innings of 97 and 103 had done so much to establish his team’s dominant position — but a review by the umpires uncovered a marginal no-ball.
Rashid had another break on 22 when dropped by Kohli off Shami.
Stuart Broad, during a 20 on his Nottinghamshire home ground, became just the fifth player to complete the Test double of 3,000 runs and 400 wickets before he edged Bumrah, with Rahul holding his seventh catch of the match.
