🏏 Third Test Thriller: Day 4 Summary and Final Day Preview

This third Test has been a real battle. It’s still unclear which side will pull off the win. The fifth day will likely be short, and India have a slight edge. But after Ben Stokes took a wicket with the final ball of the fourth day, England still have hope.

India need 193 runs to win. When play ended on day four, India were 58/4 and had 135 runs left to chase for victory. If England’s bowlers and the Lord’s crowd can recreate the same energy seen at the end of day four, India’s chase won’t be easy.

In their second innings, England managed 192 before losing all wickets. Seven batters were clean bowled. Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar led the attack brilliantly. Sundar took four wickets, putting England on the back foot.

Both teams had roughly equal first-innings scores. But England couldn’t set a big target in their second innings. The pitch had unpredictable bounce, making batting hard.

In England’s bowling, Jofra Archer got Yashasvi Jaiswal out in his very first over, exciting the fans. But India responded well. Brydon Carse picked up two crucial lbws, including the in-form Shubman Gill.

KL Rahul stayed not out on 33 when India’s innings ended for the day. He survived a caught-and-bowled chance but then hit two boundaries. Toward the end, India tried to slow things down, even bringing the physio onto the field repeatedly to use up time, drawing ironic cheers from the crowd.

On the final ball of the day, Stokes bowled out Akash Deep, who had been sent in as a nightwatchman to survive the day but couldn’t manage it.

Both teams’ physios were busy throughout the match. Rishabh Pant didn’t bat in the third innings due to a finger injury. England’s spinner Shoaib Bashir also has a finger issue that might limit his role on day five. Meanwhile, Sundar delivered excellent bowling, much like Ashwin in top form.

After lunch, England’s innings fell apart, with their final six wickets tumbling for only 38 runs.Sundar’s deliveries didn’t turn dramatically but had deceptive drift that caused trouble. Both Root and Stokes were dismissed while sweeping, preventing England from posting a large total. The tone was set early when India reduced England to 98 for 4 by lunch. Bumrah went wicketless but bowled testing deliveries with variable bounce, keeping the batters uncomfortable.

Mohammed Siraj was especially aggressive. He forced Ben Duckett into a poor shot and then trapped Ollie Pope lbw. He even had a minor face-off with Duckett while celebrating, but that’s typical Siraj.

Substitute wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel also helped put pressure on England by standing up to the stumps. Zak Crawley’s dismissal felt like a result of that tight field. Harry Brook tried to fight back with big shots but fell to a smart field change by Gill and was bowled by Akash Deep. Overall, day four went India’s way. But with four wickets already down in the chase, they’ll need to bat carefully on the final day. England will stay in the hunt until the last ball.

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