adminENGLAND gave India a huge scare on the final afternoon before the first Test in Rajkot ended in a draw.
Set 310 from a minimum of 49 overs, India slumped to 71-4 with at least 25 left, but were steadied by Virat Kohli (49 not out) and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha fell in the space of 16 balls, before Ravi Jadeja joined Kohli to take India to 172-6.
Alastair Cook made 130 in the tourists’ 260-3 declared, with Haseeb Hameed (82) missing out on a debut century.
The second of the five Tests begins in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
England, heavy underdogs at the start of the series, will travel east buoyed by this performance. They dictated the terms for most of the Test and, in the end, world number ones India were hanging on.
In making 537, England became the first visiting team to claim a first-innings lead in India for four years, their spinners outbowled India’s and Hameed may have ended the long search for an opener to partner Cook.
But Visakhapatnam is likely to offer much more for the slow bowlers, which could favour India and provide England with a sterner challenge.
“England will take confidence from having competed well and they outperformed India,” said ex-England batsman Geoffrey Boycott on BBC Test Match Special. “But in five Tests, I’d suspect somewhere the ball will turn earlier, so winning the toss could be very important.”
England had India on the run during the final session and may have secured a remarkable victory had they held their chances before tea.
After Gautam Gambhir gloved Chris Woakes to second slip in the second over, left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari dropped a very sharp return chance off Murali Vijay and, in Ansari’s next over, Stuart Broad grassed a more straightforward catch low down at point off Cheteshwar Pujara.
Still England pressed. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, continuing his excellent bowling of the first innings, had Pujara lbw to a ball that pitched outside leg stump – the batsman not opting to review – and, after the break, Vijay inside-edged Rashid to short leg before Moeen Ali found huge turn to bowl Ajinkya Rahane off his pads.
With the pitch starting to play tricks, Rashid and off-break bowler Moeen had the ball spinning, spitting and bouncing, all while England catchers swarmed over the home batsmen.
India, not used to being under this sort of pressure in home conditions, were kept afloat by Kohli and Ashwin’s stand of 47.
Just as the visitors began to tire, Ashwin needlessly drove Ansari to cover and the cavalier Saha jammed a catch back to Rashid.
England rushed around to squeeze in extra overs, but were denied by the pugnacious, defiant Kohli and the counter-punching of Jadeja.
– BBC Sport
Online Reporter