India vs England: Ishant Sharma grabs five, India set 194 to win Edgbaston Test

Ishant Sharma captured his eighth five-wicket haul in Tests to leave India needing 194 runs to pull off a great victory over England in the first Test at Edgbaston on Friday. (LIVE UPDATES)

The tall pacer, whose seven-wicket haul handed India a sensational victory at Lord’s on the 2014 tour, grabbed three wickets in one over either side of lunch on Day 3 before finishing with 5/51 as England were bowled out for 180 at tea on the third day.

Young England all-rounder Sam Curran helped England salvage something from an innings wrecked by Ishant Sharma and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (3/59). The 20-year-old, playing in only his second Test, smashed his maiden Test fifty after being the last man out for 63.

The southpaw had scored 24 in the first innings and taken four wickets in India’s first innings. He raised a 48-run stand for the eighth wicket with Adil Rashid and then put on 41 with Stuart Broad for the ninth wicket to give England something to try and bowl India out.

However, India left themselves with a great chance to go 1-0 up in the five-match series. Buoyed by skipper Virat Kohli’s brilliant 149 on the second day, Ashwin’s best figures (7/121) away from the sub-continent and the West Indies as well as Ishant’s special showing, they will look not to falter despite conditions favoured swing bowling.

Ishant Sharma, who has a match haul of 6/97, left Engalnd reeling at 87/7 in the first over after lunch. The tall paceman bowled with pace and extracted movement to grab three wickets in the space of five deliveries in one over.

Ashwin handed the early blows after England resumed on 9/1. Ishant Sharma then took over.

He first removed Dawid Malan (20) to complete his wretched Test where he failed in the first innings and then dropped Kohli twice during his century.

Ishant then got Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes caught in the slip cordon with the second and fourth balls of the final over before lunch.

He came back to have Jos Buttler too caught behind in that over, leaving the hosts gasping in their bastion.

England were 131 for seven after a fighting 44-run partnership between Sam Curran and Adil Rashid for the eighth wicket when bad light stopped play midway through the afternoon.

Ishant Sharma, more steady in the first innings, took over the strike role after Mohammed Shami failed to deliver. He bowled a great length and swung the ball as cloud cover aided seam bowling. England batsmen though showed little fight after struggling in the first innings.

Ishant had match figures of 6/97.

In the morning, Ashwin had removed Keaton Jennings and skipper Joe Root, both beautifully set up and caught in the cordon.

India, who have never won at Edgbaston in six previous Tests – five losses – are chasing their first series win since 2007.

First Published: Aug 03, 2018 21:06 IST