LONDON // Chris Woakes was delighted after England’s seamers continued to torment India and fully justified Alastair Cook’s decision to put the tourists in to bat on Day 1 of the fifth Test.
Woakes, with three for 30, and Chris Jordan, who took three for 32, both cashed in career bests in Test cricket, while Stuart Broad and James Anderson took two wickets each as India were all out for 148.
With England closing on 62 without loss, captain Cook, unbeaten on 24, and Sam Robson, on 33 not out, will look to build a match-winning score today.
Woakes said: “Having won the toss and choosing to bowl first, we were under a bit of pressure to bowl them out, so to do it for under 150 is fantastic and then the way the boys batted to get us through to the close was brilliant.”
It could have been even worse for India, who were down to 90 for nine at one point, but captain MS Dhoni’s defiant knock of 82 from 140 balls made the hosts wait.
Woakes said: “When he is in that sort of mood and batting at the tail he’s pretty good at it. He was hard to bowl out, but I thought we did pretty well to restrict them.
“He could have got away from us so to get him out in the end was nice. It would have been nice to get them all out a little bit cheaper, but we’d have taken that at the start of the day.”
At any rate, Dhoni’s fourth half-century of the summer – and eventual contribution of more than half his team’s total – limited damage above the embarrassment that persisted for India in the north-west, where they also folded tamely in their second innings.
As last week, when they lost five wickets by lunch having opted to bat, they found immediate trouble once more – this time after Alastair Cook chose to bowl.
Conspicuous movement off the pitch and in the air vindicated his decision. England’s prospects of closing out a much-needed series victory, from 2-1 up, were therefore substantially enhanced despite Dhoni’s determination and expert shepherding of his last-wicket stand with Ishant Sharma.
Anderson had needed only four deliveries, and Gautam Gambhir’s first, to instantly advance one nearer to Ian Botham’s England all-time Test wicket-taking record.
Gambhir was caught-behind off the face of the bat as he tried to leave a ball that bounced and seamed alarmingly.
The prodigious new-ball movement continued, and it was Broad who profited next when he snaked a perfect ball back through Cheteshwar Pujara’s defence to hit the top of off stump via the No 3’s front pad.
Virat Kohli’s hugely disappointing tour continued, out leg before to Jordan with no shot played.
When Jordan held a return chance from Ajinkya Rahane, India’s chances of posting a competitive total were fading fast.
Opener Murali Vijay had stood firm but could not extend his vigil beyond Woakes’s second over – Joe Root posted close at gully and wearing a helmet, held on to a juggling catch as bounce compromised back-foot defence.
After lunch, Anderson made short work of Stuart Binny with a routine edge to Cook at slip.
With Broad off colour in his second spell, the hint of a fightback from Dhoni and Ravi Ashwin was short-lived as the No 8 fell to another low gully catch by Root off Woakes. Jos Buttler was safe again as Bhuvneshwar Kumar chased a wide one to give Jordan a wicket in the first over of a spell for the second time.
Varun Aaron tried to stick around only to eventually loop a return catch back to Woakes.
England then had their chances to bowl India out in double-figures, only for Broad to miss the stumps when a direct hit from midwicket would have run Ishant out for nought and an Ian Bell catch away to his right at second slip would have seen the tail-ender off for a single.
Instead, Ishant survived to play an effective foil as Dhoni delayed tea in an innings that contained 15 fours and a six through and over attacking fields to give Cook his share of frustration until the India captain was last out when he pulled Broad to deep backward-square.
By the close, Cook had good reason to smile again – especially after a reprieve on nine when Hawkeye indicated Kumar’s appeal for lbw, turned down by Paul Reiffel, had plenty of merit.
