England were left reeling at 78/4 at the end of Day Three on Monday at Mohali, trailing India by 56 runs in the second innings.
The hosts’ lower-order batsmen packed a strong punch and frustrated the England bowlers to stretch their lead past the three-figure mark. Ravindra Jadeja (90) brought up his career-best Test score and was aided with ample support from Ravichandran Ashwin (72) and Jayant Yadav (55) to take India to 417 in reply to England’s 283.
Ashwin’s (3/19) outstanding form with the ball continued to rattle the England batsmen, outsmarting Alastair Cook, Moeen Ali, and Ben Stokes, who was dismissed off the last ball of the day. Jayant Yadav picked up the wicket of Jonny Bairstow, who was dismissed after keeper Parthiv Patel took a fine low catch. England’s hopes now rest on Joe Root, who was unbeaten on 36 after opening the batting.
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