Bowlers set up an intriguing finale to the Lord's Test
14 wickets fell on Day 4 as India and England locked horns in a riveting day of Test cricket.
With the five-Test ICC World Test Championship series all square, the third Test between India and England is set for an exciting finish at Lord’s.
The day's action kickstarted at Lord's with Indian bowlers making early inroads as England resumed their second innings with a slender two-run lead.
Mohammed Siraj opened the floodgates by removing opener Ben Duckett in the sixth over with Jasprit Bumrah completing the catch at mid-on.
Not too later in his opening burst with the new ball, Siraj also got rid of Ollie Pope, trapping the right-handed batter lbw.
India’s bowling changes reaped further rewards in the first session as Nitish Kumar Reddy removed Zak Crawley and Akash Deep cleaned up Harry Brook.
Skipper Ben Stokes and Joe Root would add some valuable runs for England, stitching together a 67-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
However, later in the second session, Washington Sundar produced an inspiring four-wicket haul. The off-spinner ran through the England middle order - snapping the wickets of Root, Stokes, Jamie Smith and Shoaib Bashir.
Jasprit Bumrah would also nab a brace as England were dismissed in the third session, setting India a target of 193 runs to win.
Defending the total, the hosts would strike early with the ball as India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal fell to Jofra Archer in the second over.
Brydon Carse compounded India’s troubles by removing both Karun Nair and skipper Shubman Gill. England captain Ben Stokes then closed the day by cleaning up Akash Deep with India having 58 runs on the board at the loss of four wickets.
For the third time in the series - currently level at 1-1 - the fate of a Test match will be decided on Day 5, with India still requiring 135 runs to win. First-innings centurion, KL Rahul finished the day's play unbeaten at 33. England on the other hand, need six wickets to win.