LONDON: India opening bowler Ishant Sharma turned the first test against England on its head on Sunday with three wickets in the space of 16 balls on the fourth morning at Lord’s.
Bounding in from the Nursery end, Sharma accounted for Kevin Pietersen (1), Ian Bell (0) and Jonathan Trott (22).
Altogether four wickets fell in 32 balls for eight runs and at lunch England were 72 for five in their second innings, an overall lead of 260, with five sessions remaining.
Pietersen, England’s first innings hero with an unbeaten 202, edged a steepling delivery to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps. The same combination accounted for Bell in the same over, nibbling fatally outside the off stump.
Openers Andrew Strauss (32) and Alastair Cook (1) also succumbed in the morning session after England had started the day well placed on five for no wicket after dismissing India for 286 on Saturday evening in reply to their 474 for eight declared.
Strauss, who has had a lean test run in the English summer so far, looked in good order, taking 10 runs off a Praveen Kumar over including consecutive leg-side boundaries.
But he lost Cook with the total on 23, caught by Dhoni off Kumar from a delivery moving just enough to catch the edge of the left-hander’s bat. It was only the second ball Cook had faced from Kumar and his first on Sunday in 43 minutes at the crease.
Trott hooked Sharma to the boundary and Strauss slashed Kumar for another four but there was still plenty in the pitch to interest the bowlers and both batsmen were forced on occasion to hurriedly adjust their shots.
Strauss, who had scored only 49 runs in his previous five test innings in the English summer, was dismissed lbw by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh trying to sweep a ball which would have hit middle stump.
Pietersen and Bell departed in a double wicket maiden from Sharma who then knocked Trott’s off stump back as the batsman went to drive.
Eoin Morgan, who failed to score in the first innings, and wicketkeeper Matt Prior were both on five at the interval.
Zaheer Khan, who left the field in England’s first innings with a hamstring strain, was still missing on Sunday morning while Sachin Tendulkar was also absent with a virus infection.
Scoreboard:
England first innings 474-8 declared (K. Pietersen 202 not out, M. Prior 71, J. Trott 70; Praveen Kumar 5-106)
India first innings 286 (R. Dravid 103 not out)
England second innings (overnight 5-0)
A. Strauss lbw b Harbhajan Singh 32A. Cook c Dhoni b Kumar 1J. Trott b Sharma 22K. Pietersen c Dhoni b Sharma 1I. Bell c Dhoni b Sharma 0E. Morgan not out 5M. Prior not out 5
Extras (b-3, lb-1, w-2) 6
Total (five wickets; 31 overs) 72
Fall of wickets: 1-23 2-54 3-55 4-55 5-62
Still to bat: G. Swann, S. Broad, J. Anderson, C. Tremlett
Bowling (to date): Praveen Kumar 12-1-39-1 (1w), Ishant Sharma 13-6-15-3 (1w), Harbhajan Singh 6-0-14-1
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