England V India 4th Test Day 3: India Crumble To 103/5 Despite Dravid 50

If one did not know MS Dhoni well, one would have been forgiven for believing that the Indian captain would probably spend his night speaking with the weatherman. Because if the entire service of 196 overs in the remaining two days did get bowled, it is difficult to see how the Indians would stave off the certainly looming fourth successive defeat.

By the time the third day of the fourth Test match had ended, India had lost five wickets for next to nothing and they were left with a mountain or three to climb. The script was dissimilar for England, only in that England were buoyed by their spinner, Graeme Swann, who hadn’t yet come into his own this series.

Swann got the ball to rip across the batsmen throughout his spell and was rewarded with three wickets; an unusually edgy Sachin Tendulkar and the perennially struggling Suresh Raina being two of the big ones. Later, night watchman Ishant Sharma also followed his more illustrious top-order into the pavilion, inside-edging the Swann delivery to the short-leg.

Virender Sehwag stalled his run of first-ball ducks with a couple of boundaries but still managed to get out in the very first over of the innings. He had been dismissed for golden ducks in the previous game off out-swingers, but this time, it was an in-swinging ball that trapped him out.

VVS Laxman joined the stand-in-turned-permanent opening batsman on this tour, Rahul Dravid, but his stay at the wicket was restricted to six balls. Off the seventh, an out-swinger shaved his bat through to the wicket-keeper.

Tendulkar’s was one of those innings that he would like to forget in a hurry. For most part, he tried to act positive but it seemed like a lurking fear of the short ball followed by the well-pitched up delivery held him back. On two separate occasions, he was hit on his body when he tried to get under bouncers – once on helmet and then on the shoulder – and there were other instances when he played and missed. This was interspersed with the four boundaries that got him to 23, but just when he had begun to read Swann well, his attempt to sweep the offie resulted in a simple catch off his gloves.

Raina’s was a 29-ball long duck in which he looked as comfortable as the current Indian government and he was quickly swooped up by Swann again.

Dravid, at the other end, seemed to be playing on a different pitch. Or probably the same one as the one that the English batsmen played on. Much like he had done throughout the series, with his two centuries from the first couple of games.

Most balls hit flush on the middle of the bat, some while patting it back down to the bowler in reverence, others while slapping or guiding them to their rightful destinations. He ended unbeaten on 57 by the time the play was called off, a satisfying innings amid the ruin but with the safe knowledge that life on the fourth day would get tougher.

India were 103 for five at the end of the day after England had earlier declared their innings closed at 591 for six.