Captain Alastair Cook led a remarkable England fightback with a heroic unbeaten 168 as the defiant visitors wiped out India's mammoth first innings lead with a gritty batting display to raise hopes of saving the first cricket Test on Sunday.
Twenty-seven-year-old Cook displayed immense concentration and skill to not only notch up his 21st Test century under pressure but also keep his team in the game as he steered England to 340 for five at close on the penultimate day which saw the Sardar Patel track ease out quite a bit.
Cook found an able ally in Matt Prior (84) as the duo put on an unfinished 141-run partnership to leave the Indians frustrated. The spinners, who were expected to do the bulk of the damage, found it difficult to get the wickets. England, who conceded a mammoth 330-run first innings lead and were asked to follow-on, have now taken a lead of 10 runs, setting the stage for an interesting fifth day's play tomorrow with all three results possible.
India will look to claim the remaining five wickets as quickly as possible tomorrow and push for a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
England, on the other hand, will try to bat as much as possible and may even put pressure on India by taking a substantial lead on a tricky fifth day track. Resuming at the overnight score of 111 for no loss, England lost the wickets of Nick Compton (37), Jonathan Trott (17), Kevin Pietersen (2), Ian Bell (22) and Samit Patel (0) but it was Cook who stood like a rock to hold the English innings together showing superb endurance.
Cook batted the whole day with exemplary patience, determination and composure to remain unconquered. Cook, who has faced 341 balls and struck 20 fours, was given splendid support by Prior, who was not out on 84 that came off 190 balls and contained 10 fours.
The duo batted resolutely even as Indian skipper MS constantly shuffled his bowling attack that lacked the bite of the first innings. India can still come back strongly with a few quick blows on Monday morning and press for victory on a track which is offering slow turn. But the day belonged entirely to Cook after a couple of quick blows by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and wickets off successive balls by pacer Umesh Yadav on either side of lunch.
Prior, on the other hand, played the ideal foil to his captain. It was the sixth 150-plus score by Cook who had scored a century on debut in Nagpur in 2006.
WICKET HAS BECOME FLAT: YADAV
Indian pacer Umesh Yadav said the home team's bowlers will have to put in a lot of effort on the final day to pack off the visitors on a pitch that has become flat. ‘The wicket has become very flat. It helped the spinners earlier on but it has now become very easy to bat on it. There is no help for the bowlers. We have to put in a lot of effort to get something out of it. I took my wickets after putting in a lot of effort,’ said Yadav who shone with a two-wicket burst in as many balls in the middle session of play.
Yadav dismissed Ian Bell and Samit Patel, earning leg before decisions against the two batsmen, to leave England struggling at 199 for 5 chasing the follow-on-saving mark of 330 before visiting captain Alastair Cook and wicketkeeper Matt Prior did the grand recovery act.
‘It would need a lot of patience tomorrow and a lot of effort to get wickets,’ he added. England coach Graham Gooch also conceded that the wicket had become very flat but pointed out that India were still having the dominant hand. ‘India are still in a strong position and still in a position to win. We have to take it ball by ball and not look too far ahead tomorrow. The wicket has become flat,’ said Gooch.
BEREAVED GAMBHIR LIKELY TO JOIN TODAY
India’s Gautam Gambhir, who returned to New Delhi following his grandmother’s death, is expected to join the team in Ahmedabad for the final day’s play in the first Test against England on Monday. Gambhir was bereaved when he lost his maternal grandmother Asha Gulati. She was 71 and suffered cardiac arrest last night.
Twenty-seven-year-old Cook displayed immense concentration and skill to not only notch up his 21st Test century under pressure but also keep his team in the game as he steered England to 340 for five at close on the penultimate day which saw the Sardar Patel track ease out quite a bit.
Cook found an able ally in Matt Prior (84) as the duo put on an unfinished 141-run partnership to leave the Indians frustrated. The spinners, who were expected to do the bulk of the damage, found it difficult to get the wickets. England, who conceded a mammoth 330-run first innings lead and were asked to follow-on, have now taken a lead of 10 runs, setting the stage for an interesting fifth day's play tomorrow with all three results possible.
India will look to claim the remaining five wickets as quickly as possible tomorrow and push for a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
England, on the other hand, will try to bat as much as possible and may even put pressure on India by taking a substantial lead on a tricky fifth day track. Resuming at the overnight score of 111 for no loss, England lost the wickets of Nick Compton (37), Jonathan Trott (17), Kevin Pietersen (2), Ian Bell (22) and Samit Patel (0) but it was Cook who stood like a rock to hold the English innings together showing superb endurance.
Cook batted the whole day with exemplary patience, determination and composure to remain unconquered. Cook, who has faced 341 balls and struck 20 fours, was given splendid support by Prior, who was not out on 84 that came off 190 balls and contained 10 fours.
The duo batted resolutely even as Indian skipper MS constantly shuffled his bowling attack that lacked the bite of the first innings. India can still come back strongly with a few quick blows on Monday morning and press for victory on a track which is offering slow turn. But the day belonged entirely to Cook after a couple of quick blows by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and wickets off successive balls by pacer Umesh Yadav on either side of lunch.
Prior, on the other hand, played the ideal foil to his captain. It was the sixth 150-plus score by Cook who had scored a century on debut in Nagpur in 2006.
WICKET HAS BECOME FLAT: YADAV
Indian pacer Umesh Yadav said the home team's bowlers will have to put in a lot of effort on the final day to pack off the visitors on a pitch that has become flat. ‘The wicket has become very flat. It helped the spinners earlier on but it has now become very easy to bat on it. There is no help for the bowlers. We have to put in a lot of effort to get something out of it. I took my wickets after putting in a lot of effort,’ said Yadav who shone with a two-wicket burst in as many balls in the middle session of play.
Yadav dismissed Ian Bell and Samit Patel, earning leg before decisions against the two batsmen, to leave England struggling at 199 for 5 chasing the follow-on-saving mark of 330 before visiting captain Alastair Cook and wicketkeeper Matt Prior did the grand recovery act.
‘It would need a lot of patience tomorrow and a lot of effort to get wickets,’ he added. England coach Graham Gooch also conceded that the wicket had become very flat but pointed out that India were still having the dominant hand. ‘India are still in a strong position and still in a position to win. We have to take it ball by ball and not look too far ahead tomorrow. The wicket has become flat,’ said Gooch.
BEREAVED GAMBHIR LIKELY TO JOIN TODAY
India’s Gautam Gambhir, who returned to New Delhi following his grandmother’s death, is expected to join the team in Ahmedabad for the final day’s play in the first Test against England on Monday. Gambhir was bereaved when he lost his maternal grandmother Asha Gulati. She was 71 and suffered cardiac arrest last night.