London: A superb defensive masterclass from Ajinkya Rahane (61) and Cheteshwar Pujara (45) helped India keep themselves alive on Day 4 of the second Test against England Lord’s on Sunday. Rishabh Pant and Ishant Sharma are currently at the crease when bad light forced early stumps as India finished 181/6 and with a 154-run lead.
After Bundling out the hosts for 391, India faced the heat on the Sunday morning as Mark Wood ran through the opening duo picking both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul up cheaply with Sam Curran adding the spice removing skipper Virat Kohli forcing the visitors against the wall.
Reeling at 55/3, the two maestros of this format, Pujara and Rahane came in for the rescue of India adding a viral 100 runs for the fourth wicket. English bowlers tried their best but the resilience from the duo was absolutely top-notch.
Pujara whose place was in doubt after a few disappointing outings answered all his critics with his 206-ball 45 which kind of reminded everyone that there is still a place for an old-fashioned refined style of play in the longest format.
Rahane brought up his half-century providing ample support while after his partner’s dismissal carried the hopes for a few more overs before falling into the trap of Moeen Ali.
England though still made a comeback later in the day picking up three wickets to ensure India found it hard to take a chunk of lead in the second-innings through Mark Wood (3/40) who surprisingly was the pick of the bowlers alongside Moeen Ali (2/52).
The game though is still in the balance and all-the three possible results are on the cards. If India can post a few more runs on board on the final day they would feel like having a chance while England who ignited the sense of the belief after picking up late wickets on the fourth day will possibly think of getting early wickets to keep the target within their grasp.
Brief scores: India 364 all out and 181/6 (Ajinkya Rahane 61, Cheteshwar Pujara 45; Mark Wood 3/40, Moeen Ali 2/52) vs England 391 all out. India lead by 154 runs.
