Day three of the India-England test match currently underway at Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Cricket stadium certainly had it all; wickets galore, spinners running amok and a resolute fightback by batsmen who had their backs to the wall bringing the curtains down on an intriguing day of test cricket........
Resuming their innings at the paltry overnight score of 41/3, the Englishmen soon found themselves in a quandary from which they could never extricate themselves adroitly or suitably, reduced to a disastrous 97/7 at one stage, it took two resolute partnerships of 43 and 47 for the eighth and ninth wickets to give their innings a modicum of respectability, though their final aggregate of 191 saw them 330 runs in arrears and following on.........
Left arm tweaker Pragyan Ojha led the charge for team India with career best figures of 5/45, and he was adequately supported by Ravichandran Ashwin who ended up with returns of 3/80, while wicket keeper Matt Prior top scored for the Englishmen with an attacking 48, the only other English batsman who acquitted himself adequately was skipper Alastair Cook who staved off the Indian spinners long enough to aggregate 41 respectable runs........
Staring down the wrong end of a dark and seemingly desolate barrel, the Englishmen began their second innings 330 runs in deficit and facing the ignominy of following on, however the determination and resolve of the Englishmen to give a good account of themselves the second time around certainly helped their cause no end and they ended up putting paid to team India's hopes of knocking them over for a second time with lots to spare.......
A resolute and fairly productive 111 run unbeaten partnership between skipper Alastair Cook and rookie Nick Compton must certainly have given the Englishmen plenty of hope and a renewed lease of life, with the pitch showing signs of easing up and the Indian spinners signs of weariness, team England must certainly be harbouring hopes of still making a fist off a seemingly hopeless position.......
Their openers will saunter to the crease with respective scores of 74 and 34 not out, while team India's bowlers or more particularly spin twins will have to rediscover their wicket taking form of the first two sessions on day three if they nurture any hopes of ending the ongoing test match on day four........
Resuming their innings at the paltry overnight score of 41/3, the Englishmen soon found themselves in a quandary from which they could never extricate themselves adroitly or suitably, reduced to a disastrous 97/7 at one stage, it took two resolute partnerships of 43 and 47 for the eighth and ninth wickets to give their innings a modicum of respectability, though their final aggregate of 191 saw them 330 runs in arrears and following on.........
Left arm tweaker Pragyan Ojha led the charge for team India with career best figures of 5/45, and he was adequately supported by Ravichandran Ashwin who ended up with returns of 3/80, while wicket keeper Matt Prior top scored for the Englishmen with an attacking 48, the only other English batsman who acquitted himself adequately was skipper Alastair Cook who staved off the Indian spinners long enough to aggregate 41 respectable runs........
Staring down the wrong end of a dark and seemingly desolate barrel, the Englishmen began their second innings 330 runs in deficit and facing the ignominy of following on, however the determination and resolve of the Englishmen to give a good account of themselves the second time around certainly helped their cause no end and they ended up putting paid to team India's hopes of knocking them over for a second time with lots to spare.......
A resolute and fairly productive 111 run unbeaten partnership between skipper Alastair Cook and rookie Nick Compton must certainly have given the Englishmen plenty of hope and a renewed lease of life, with the pitch showing signs of easing up and the Indian spinners signs of weariness, team England must certainly be harbouring hopes of still making a fist off a seemingly hopeless position.......
Their openers will saunter to the crease with respective scores of 74 and 34 not out, while team India's bowlers or more particularly spin twins will have to rediscover their wicket taking form of the first two sessions on day three if they nurture any hopes of ending the ongoing test match on day four........
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