AHMEDABAD, India, (Reuters) – England suffered a drop in top order before they registered a sub-par 205 in their first innings in the fourth and final test against India in Ahmedabad yesterday.
A sixth total of under 200 in a row looked at the cards for the tourists after falling to 30-3 in the morning session.
Ben Stokes (55) and Dan Lawrence (46) supported them but England may regret not making the most of the perfect batting conditions at Narendra Modi Stadium.
India, who are 2-1 up in the four-Test series, were 24-1 at the bases and will be confident of a spiraling English attack with James Anderson as the lone frontline sailor, while Stokes battles a distressed stomach.
Rohit Sharma was batting at eight and Cheteshwar Pujara was at 15 with the 181st forces behind.
“We are more than capable of scoring at least 300 on that pitch,” Stokes said.
“It’s frustrating, but we can’t wait too much for it.
“Overall, it’s a much better wicket than the last time we played here.”
Axar Patel was the ultimate wreck in that fight, which won India in two days, and the left-arm spinner returned to bat England again after Joe Root elected to bat.
Dom Sibley made two before he inserted a distribution on his sticks and, in Patel’s next pass, Zak Crawley stepped out to cut the ball into the middle of the game and left at nine.
Speedy Mohammed Siraj, replacing Jasprit Bumrah in the squad, hit the biggest blow when the England Root spinner caught a wicket kick for five with an inswinger.
Jonny Bairstow looked determined to compensate after scoring a pair of ducks in the third test but Siraj caught it shortly after the lunch break at 28.
Stokes could not be denied his 24th fifty-second test though.
All-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin (3-47) and Washington Sundar struck for six and then re-swept Patel (4-68) to grab his half-century.
Sundar dismissed the Stokes lbw spinner with a sliding delivery to shorten his stay.
The Lawrence failed and his fifty was remembered after charging down the track and missing the ball from Patel to be stumped.
Indian spinners claimed eight of the 10 English wickets on a field that looked very different to the one used for the third test where they dropped 30 wickets in five sessions.
Anderson gave England a strong start with the ball by dismissing Shubman Gill lbw for a duck with his third delivery but Rohit and Pujara looked certain.
“It was a batting wicket, and it came on the bat nicely, so we planned to patiently bow and keep bowling in the same spot,” said Siraj.
England also remembered spinner Dom Bess when dropping quizzes Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer.
“Jofra Archer is not playing in this test match due to his ongoing right elbow issue,” said a team spokeswoman.
India need an equalizer to secure their place in the June final of the World Test Championship against New Zealand.