Trott leads way in batting out time

England, on 161 for 3 in their second innings in Nagpur, probably need to bat for just one more session to ensure the draw in the fourth and final Test that would confirm their first series victory in India since 1984-85.

Jonathan Trott, with an unbeaten 66, led England's dogged resistance through 79 overs after India had batted on carefully during the fourth day's opening hour before declaring a mere four runs behind on 326 for 9 in their first innings.

Alastair Cook, Nick Compton and Ian Bell all played their part too, with only Kevin Pietersen (6) failing to occupy the crease for some time. He was bowled by Ravindra Jadeja, the left-arm spinner, when he puzzlingly decided to played no stroke at a gentle delivery that drifted in to clip the outside of his off stump.

Cook stayed 93 balls for his 13, setting the tone of England's approach to playing out time on a lifeless surface which has made strokeplay ridiculously difficult throughout.

For the second time in the match, however, Cook was only prised from the crease because of an appalling umpiring error. First time around he was given out lbw by Kumar Dharmasena when the ball was clearly missing the off stump and now the same official ruled that he had touched to keeper MS Dhoni a ball from Ravi Ashwin that television replays showed he had comfortably missed.

Compton made it to 34, from 135 balls, before he was adjudged lbw pushing forward to Pragyan Ojha, and although TV replays again showed that Dharmasena had erred - failing to spot an inside edge - the ball then looped up to Virat Kohli in the gully so the Somerset batsman would have been out in any case.

When Pietersen fell, after a scratchy stay of just 30 balls and, ironically, one ball after his only boundary, a leg-glance off Jadeja, it was left to Trott and Bell, with 24 not out, to bat out the bulk of the day's final session.

In truth, Trott played perhaps the most fluent innings of the match, reaching his fifty from 106 balls before slowing down as stumps loomed. On 123 for 3, India thought they had Trott caught at the wicket off Ishant Sharma, but Dharmasena turned down the appeal and television replays seemed to suggest that he had not touched the ball.

Trott also featured in the day's most comic moment, when a ball from bowler Jadeja slipped from his grasp and dribbled along the ground towards the short leg fielder. The Warwickshire batsman, quite within his right, skipped out of his crease and walloped the almost stationary ball to the mid wicket boundary for four.

India began the day on 297 for 8 in reply to England's 330, and batted with undue caution for an entire hour, to ultra-defensive fields, but declared when Ojha was bowled off an inside edge by Monty Panesar.



Date: 16/12/2012 11:18:00 by TheCricketer
In: Today | England |