India close in on victory at Trent Bridge despite Buttler's defiance

SAM MORSHEAD: Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes shared a stand worth 169 in 58 overs to give the hosts a smidgen of self-respect, after the top four had collapsed earlier in the day, only for the visitors’ pace attack to rip the rest to shreds

^{Jasprit Bumrah was in the wickets on day four}

Trent Bridge (fourth day of five): India 329 & 352-7d, England 161 & 311-9 - Englsand need 210 runs to win with 1 second-innings wicket remaining

Patient India hauled themselves back into the Test series despite being made to work by a mammoth partnership between Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, but they will have to wait until Wednesday to finish the job.

The England pair shared a stand worth 169 in 58 overs to give the hosts a smidgen of self-respect on day four at Trent Bridge, after the top four had collapsed earlier in the day, only for the visitors’ pace attack to rip the resistance apart with the new ball.

Buttler made 106, accumulated in considered fashion over the course of 176 deliveries, while Stokes contributed the slowest half-century of his Test career before falling for 62, as once again the middle order were left to do the bulk of the work.

It was the highest partnership made by an English duo for the fifth wicket in the fourth innings of a Test, beating a 65-year-old record, but ultimately it was never likely to change the direction of the game after India had set the opposition 521 for victory.

^{Jos Buttler made a century in vain for England}

And once Buttler had been removed, lbw to Jasprit Bumrah offering no stroke, the familiar rot which had blighted England at the start of the day set in once again.

Four wickets fell for 10 runs and India seemed destined to wrap up the match in the final session, only for first Stuart Broad and Adil Rashid, and then Rashid and Jimmy Anderson, to cause them frustration.

The likelihood of England's final pair surviving 90 overs on the final day, with the weather largely set fair, is practically nil, however, and the visitors will be just 2-1 down when the carnival moves on to Southampton next week.

For the series as a whole, that is an excellent result. For England, it provides far more questions than answers.

The home team have now been 100 for four or worse in exactly half their Test innings since the start of 2016. That’s 31 times out of 62 or, in less statistical terms, far too bloody often.

Here it was a lot worse than 100 for four. Knowing full well that saving this match would require a show of stamina, mental strength and perseverance, England’s opening pair were both back in the pavilion inside 15 minutes on day four, while numbers three and four followed before lunch.

All had gone in similar circumstances, pushing hard at balls they could quite safely have left alone - be that on length or line, or a combination of the two. While the Indian bowling had been disciplined and probing, none of the deliveries which resulted in wickets wickedly deviated. None swung savagely. None hit a crack or shot along the floor. This was a case of England simply not being capable enough of dealing with the situation.

Keaton Jennings and Alastair Cook could not resist the nagging lines of Ishant Sharma - the latter dismissed by the Indian seamer for the 11th time in his career - while Joe Root dug himself into a play-and-miss hole against Jasprit Bumrah and tried to haul himself out with a half-hearted back-foot prod which flew into the hands of KL Rahul at second slip.

^{India ripped through England's top order again}

Just like in the first innings, when Root was convinced Rahul had claimed a dodgy catch, the England captain shook his head as he headed off. This time, though, the grab was not in dispute. Root’s recent form, however, leaves much to be desired.

Ollie Pope followed his captain’s lead in the march towards oblivion. Now Pope obviously enjoys the feel of leather on willow, and he comes from a generation brought up on 20-over rumpy pumpy. But to be a Test No.4 there must surely be at least an element of genteel romance about one’s batsmanship.

Pope punched his first ball down the ground for four - an impish, nerve-settling shot that showed just how good he is - but that he then tried to hammer his second and third deliveries through the covers spoke to an over-enthusiasm which must be curbed, and surely with time will be.

The 20-year-old survived a thick edge off the third but a handful of overs later he met his comeuppance, waving his bat wildly outside off to a ball from Mohammed Shami which might just have worried Che Pujara at first slip had it been left to its own devices.

Kohli took the tumbling catch. England, with less than 90 minutes gone, were 62 for four. It was a miserable, myopic display.

The Buttler-Stokes interlude provided those who had gone before with a lesson in how to bat long. Both players left well and defended correctly, showing the importance of shot selection against a wiley attack.

They were blessed by more attractive batting conditions than the first hour of the day but the application still had to be there. And Buttler and Stokes obliged.

^{Joe Root was out cheaply on the fourth morning}

So deep had they dug their heels in that the two must have been thinking about the possibility of coming back on Wednesday morning around the time Buttler shouldered arms to Bumrah. He, Bumrah, they all know straight away the gig was up. Not even a review could save England’s vice-captain, though DRS did suggest the ball would only just have clipped the bails.

The dismissal sounded the starter’s gun for England to go running off into the night.

Jonny Bairstow, batting with a fractured finger, was bowled first ball by a snorter from Bumrah that pitched on middle and off and spat itself at the top of off.

Chris Woakes was surprised by a bouncer from the same bowler, edging through to Rishabh Pant and then Stokes was caught in the slips off Pandya.

Broad and Rashid went on the counter-attack, much to the enjoyment of those fans left inside Trent Bridge, and there was a small cheer when Broad reached the impressive landmark of 3,000 runs to go with his 400 wickets in Test - only four other men have managed the feat.

But he eventually went, caught in the slips by the glue-like hands of Rahul to give Bumrah five wickets, and while Anderson stuck with Rashid until the close their time together in the middle tomorrow must surely only be limited.