India take control of 3rd Test after England collapse

NOTTINGHAM: Hardik Pandya took five wickets and debutant wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant claimed five catches before India´s batsmen piled on the agony for England in the third Test at Trent Bridge.

India were 124 for two in their second innings at stumps on Sunday´s second day, an already commanding lead of 292 runs in a game where victory would see them keep the series alive at 2-1 down in a five-match contest.

Cheteshwar Pujara was 33 not out and India captain Virat Kohli, whose 97 was key to his side´s first-innings 329, eight not out with three days left in the game.

Earlier, England collapsed to 161 all out in a first innings that lasted a mere 38.2 overs.

All-rounder Pandya took five wickets for 28 runs in six overs, including four for eight in 11 balls, as he revelled in the swing-friendly conditions. This was the second time this year that England had lost all 10 wickets inside a session of Test cricket following an embarrassing 58 all out against New Zealand in Auckland in March.

The irony was that England enjoyed a solid opening partnership to be 54 without loss. But the exit of left-handers Alastair Cook (29) and Keaton Jennings (20) on that total sparked a collapse that saw eight wickets lost for 74 runs.

Only Jos Buttler´s 39 kept India at bay and denied Kohli the chance of enforcing the follow-on.

Admittedly, the overcast conditions made batting difficult, but England´s top-order problems run deeper than bad luck with the weather.

When Cook edged Ishant Sharma to give Pant an easy first Test catch it meant England´s all-time leading Test run-scorer had made 252 runs in the format at a meagre average of 19.38 this year. Next ball, Jennings, one of 12 batsmen to have opened in Tests with Cook since Andrew Strauss retired six years ago.