NOTTINGHAM – India beat England by 203 runs in the third Test at TrentBridge on Wednesday to cut the home side’s lead in the five-match series to2-1.
England, set a mammoth 521 to win, were bowled out for 317.
The fourth Test starts at Southampton on August 30.
Play on Wednesday lasted just 17 balls after England resumed the fifth dayon 311 for nine, the match ending when Ravichandran Ashwin had England No11 James Anderson caught by Ajinkya Rahane at slip — the first wicket foran India spinner in this fixture.
The match was a personal triumph for India captain Virat Kohli who made 103in his side’s second innings 352 for seven declared following hisfirst-innings 97.
England, whose captain Joe Root won the toss and fielded, slumped to 161all out in their Hardik Pandya’s five for 28 the medium-pacer’s maidenfive-wicket haul in Test cricket.
They suffered another top-order slump in a second innings where they had tomake cricket history to pull off an improbable win — no side have mademore in the fourth innings to win a Test than the West Indies’ 418 forseven against Australia at St John’s, Antigua in 2003.
England were in dire trouble at 62 for four before a stand of 169 betweenJos Buttler, whose 106 was his maiden Test century, and Ben Stokes (62)kept India at bay.
But the recalled India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah then took three wicketsfor eight runs in five balls on his way to innings figures of five for 85in 29 overs to leave England on the brink of defeat. – APP/AFP