India at stumps on day four reached 181/6 as they lead by 154 with their top-order back in the pavillion. After a mediocre performance from the top-order, the middle order of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara added a 100-run stand before it was broken. That opened the game for another slump in the batting line-up as England aimed at resting control of the game. Finally, the umpires called stumps almost 30 minutes ahead of scheduled time due to bad light. More about the report in detail below.
Indian openers KL Rahul (5) and Rohit Sharma (21) failed to replicate their first innings credentials. This time around, Rahul fell early to Mark Wood who bowled with pace and fire. It was Wood again who gave England their second wicket, dismissing Rohit Sharma to his favourite pull shot. Indian skipper Virat Kohli fell to his off-side trap after scoring a quick 20 off 31 balls. During his stay he had an exchange of words with James Anderson which was one of the highlights of the day’s play.
It's Stumps on Day 4⃣ of the 2nd #ENGvIND Test at Lord's!#TeamIndia move to 181/6 & lead England by 154 runs.
6⃣1⃣ for @ajinkyarahane88
4⃣5⃣ for @cheteshwar1 @RishabhPant17 (14*) & @ImIshant (4*) will resume the proceedings on Day 5.Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/KGM2YELLde pic.twitter.com/ulY0tJclSl
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 15, 2021
Pujara-Rahane 100-Run Stand Steadies India’s Ship
After the top-order was dismissed Pujara (45) and Rahane (61) added a 100-run stand in nearly 300 balls. That stand between the two made the English skipper Joe Root think hard about breaking the partnership. Just when the duo looked good to carry the bat through, Wood again broke the partnership with a delivery that bounced sharply and took Pujara’s gloves for Root to complete an easy catch. That happened in the 73rd over of the Indian innings.
Moeen Ali then struck twice in quick succession to send back Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja to further peg India back. Since their dismissal, the last half an hour Rishabh Pant and Ishant tried to bat through the poor light.
An animated Virat Kohli finally asked the duo to come out of the field citing reasons of bad light. After an elaborate discussion, the on-field umpires offered the light to the Indian batsmen who were relieved to get out of the park.
The current match situation presents an exciting prospect in the final day’s play with England slightly edging ahead of India in terms of winning the Test match.
Also Read: ENG vs IND 2021: Virat Kohli Showcasing Naagin Dance In Lord’s Balcony
India 364 (KL Rahul 129, Rohit Sharma 83; James Anderson 5-62, Ollie Robinson 2-73) & 181/6 (KL Rahul 61, Cheteshwar Pujara 46; Mark Wood 3-40, Moeen Ali 2-52) lead England 391 (Joe Root 180*, Jonny Bairstow 57; Mohammad Siraj 4-94, Ishant Sharma 3-69) by 154 runs
