CRICKET
It's the end of the fourth day of the Third (and final) Test between England and India, with India very much in a dominant position. On Wednesday it is the 60th anniversary of India's independence from Britain and their players will celebrate that day with a convincing win over England, which should come tomorrow and giving them a 2-0 win in the three-game series. England haven't lost a test series in England since 2001.
At the start of today's play England, the batting team, failed to amass enough runs to avoid the follow-on (having to bat again if India desire) but India decided not to enforce it and went in to bat themselves.
India "declared" (deciding that they are sufficiently in front of England that they no longer need to continue batting so putting in England to bat) on 180-6 in the Second Innings - a massive 499 runs in front of England. That means England, at the start of their second batting innings, needed 500 runs to win. Having scored 56 runs without loss by the end of today's play they start tomorrow - the final day - needing a miracle. They have to get another 444 runs to win.
England resist fate against India
By Giles Mole and agencies
12/08/2007
The Telegraph
END OF 4TH DAY OF THE 3RD TEST, ENGLAND VS INDIA
Current score
1st Innings
India 664
England 345
2nd Innings
India 180-6 declared
England 56-0
India lead by 443 runs with one day's play remaining. England need 444 runs to win. India lead 3-game Test Series 1-0 with the first game a draw.
England have made a good fist of avoiding defeat in the final Test against India at The Oval.
Set an improbable 500-run victory target to extend their undefeated sequence to 12 series, England were given a sound start in a bid to save this particular match as openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook progressed to 56 without loss by the close of the fourth day.
Digging in: Andrew Strauss could make history with England
England had begun the day still trailing by 338 on 326 for nine and although they frustrated India for half an hour, they eventually conceded a 319-run first innings deficit to present India captain Rahul Dravid with a dilemma.
Eager to push for victory but equally conscious of the need to protect their 1-0 lead and secure a series victory, Dravid opted not to become the first opposition to enforce the follow on against England since West Indies in Antigua three years ago.
Instead, India, who celebrate their 60th anniversary of independence from Britain on Wednesday, chose to bat on and increase their lead in the hope they could advance quickly enough to declare with enough time to bowl England out in the final innings on a dry, worn Oval surface.
Their plan was undermined, however, by a spirited display from an England attack deprived of left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom, who had not recovered from the side strain he suffered during the first innings.
Lancashire seamer James Anderson began the top order collapse by winning a fortuitous lbw decision against Wasim Jaffer which appeared to be bouncing over the stumps by some margin but did not prevent umpire Ian Howell adding to his series of mistakes during this Test by raising his finger.
If that was perhaps fortunate, there was no doubt about England's next two wickets with Chris Tremlett, given the new ball in Sidebottom's absence, inducing Dinesh Karthik into a tentative push outside off-stump which he edged to Paul Collingwood at second slip.
Anderson then followed that with the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar in probably his final Test innings in England with a superb delivery which shattered his stumps as the batsman pushed forward and left India reeling on 11 for three, although they did have a cushion of a 33-run lead.
Stunned by the demise of their top order, captain Rahul Dravid changed tactics and set about trying to block India into a lead comfortable enough for him to declare. With Sourav Ganguly adopting an aggressive role in hammering 57 off 68 balls, Dravid dropped anchor in determined fashion and contributed only five to their 65-run stand.
Ganguly fell trying to maintain his aggressive policy by edging Collingwood's medium pace to Strauss at slip and Dravid followed in identical fashion six overs later. But by the time he was out he had occupied the crease for 140 mind-numbing minutes for his 12, having taken 91 balls to register his first boundary.
His next major contribution would be to decide when India should halt their innings to give them enough time to push for a victory which would bring them level with England into second place in the world Test rankings.
He waited long enough to watch a more entertaining 69-run stand between VVS Laxman and Mahendra Dhoni and finally called a halt with India 499 runs ahead with a day and 20 overs to try and force victory.
Hoping to make inroads before the close, India were instead confronted with a stubborn opening partnership between Strauss and Cook, which was only their second of 50 or more in the series. But with evidence of extravagant turn even from the occasional off-spin of Tendulkar before the close, England knew there was plenty of more hard work ahead of them if their Test summer was not going to end with a 2-0 Test series defeat.
dailymail.co.uk
It's the end of the fourth day of the Third (and final) Test between England and India, with India very much in a dominant position. On Wednesday it is the 60th anniversary of India's independence from Britain and their players will celebrate that day with a convincing win over England, which should come tomorrow and giving them a 2-0 win in the three-game series. England haven't lost a test series in England since 2001.
At the start of today's play England, the batting team, failed to amass enough runs to avoid the follow-on (having to bat again if India desire) but India decided not to enforce it and went in to bat themselves.
India "declared" (deciding that they are sufficiently in front of England that they no longer need to continue batting so putting in England to bat) on 180-6 in the Second Innings - a massive 499 runs in front of England. That means England, at the start of their second batting innings, needed 500 runs to win. Having scored 56 runs without loss by the end of today's play they start tomorrow - the final day - needing a miracle. They have to get another 444 runs to win.
England resist fate against India
By Giles Mole and agencies
12/08/2007
The Telegraph
END OF 4TH DAY OF THE 3RD TEST, ENGLAND VS INDIA
Current score
1st Innings
India 664
England 345
2nd Innings
India 180-6 declared
England 56-0
India lead by 443 runs with one day's play remaining. England need 444 runs to win. India lead 3-game Test Series 1-0 with the first game a draw.
England have made a good fist of avoiding defeat in the final Test against India at The Oval.
Set an improbable 500-run victory target to extend their undefeated sequence to 12 series, England were given a sound start in a bid to save this particular match as openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook progressed to 56 without loss by the close of the fourth day.
Digging in: Andrew Strauss could make history with England
England had begun the day still trailing by 338 on 326 for nine and although they frustrated India for half an hour, they eventually conceded a 319-run first innings deficit to present India captain Rahul Dravid with a dilemma.
Eager to push for victory but equally conscious of the need to protect their 1-0 lead and secure a series victory, Dravid opted not to become the first opposition to enforce the follow on against England since West Indies in Antigua three years ago.
Instead, India, who celebrate their 60th anniversary of independence from Britain on Wednesday, chose to bat on and increase their lead in the hope they could advance quickly enough to declare with enough time to bowl England out in the final innings on a dry, worn Oval surface.
Their plan was undermined, however, by a spirited display from an England attack deprived of left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom, who had not recovered from the side strain he suffered during the first innings.
Lancashire seamer James Anderson began the top order collapse by winning a fortuitous lbw decision against Wasim Jaffer which appeared to be bouncing over the stumps by some margin but did not prevent umpire Ian Howell adding to his series of mistakes during this Test by raising his finger.
If that was perhaps fortunate, there was no doubt about England's next two wickets with Chris Tremlett, given the new ball in Sidebottom's absence, inducing Dinesh Karthik into a tentative push outside off-stump which he edged to Paul Collingwood at second slip.
Anderson then followed that with the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar in probably his final Test innings in England with a superb delivery which shattered his stumps as the batsman pushed forward and left India reeling on 11 for three, although they did have a cushion of a 33-run lead.
Stunned by the demise of their top order, captain Rahul Dravid changed tactics and set about trying to block India into a lead comfortable enough for him to declare. With Sourav Ganguly adopting an aggressive role in hammering 57 off 68 balls, Dravid dropped anchor in determined fashion and contributed only five to their 65-run stand.
Ganguly fell trying to maintain his aggressive policy by edging Collingwood's medium pace to Strauss at slip and Dravid followed in identical fashion six overs later. But by the time he was out he had occupied the crease for 140 mind-numbing minutes for his 12, having taken 91 balls to register his first boundary.
His next major contribution would be to decide when India should halt their innings to give them enough time to push for a victory which would bring them level with England into second place in the world Test rankings.
He waited long enough to watch a more entertaining 69-run stand between VVS Laxman and Mahendra Dhoni and finally called a halt with India 499 runs ahead with a day and 20 overs to try and force victory.
Hoping to make inroads before the close, India were instead confronted with a stubborn opening partnership between Strauss and Cook, which was only their second of 50 or more in the series. But with evidence of extravagant turn even from the occasional off-spin of Tendulkar before the close, England knew there was plenty of more hard work ahead of them if their Test summer was not going to end with a 2-0 Test series defeat.
dailymail.co.uk
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