The Wall hits 35th Test ton, surpasses Gavaskar’s record
London: Rahul Dravid batted through with a heroic unbeaten 146 but India failed to avoid follow on and were left with a daunting task of batting out the entire fifth day to save the final cricket Test against England hereon Sunday.
Dravid notched up his 35th century to surpass Sunil Gavaskar and become the second highest century maker from India got some support from tailenders as India’s first innings folded up for 300, forty minutes before tea break.
Following on, India were 129 for three at close on an eventful penultimate day with the visitors needing 162 more runs to avoid the ignominy of an innings defeat and a 0-4 series whitewash.
Sachin Tendulkar and nightwatchman Amit Mishra were batting on 35 and eight respectively at the draw of stumps.
Dravid displayed tremendous temperament and class to hold the innings together as wickets fell at the other end. India touched 300 for the first in the series yet they finished 291 runs behind England’s 591 for six declared.
Dravid, who was left stranded on 146, walked in again to open India’s second essay as Gautam Gambhir was still feeling the after-effects of concussion he suffered while fielding in England’s first innings but could not contribute much as he was out for 13 in controversial circumstances.
He was ruled not out by the umpires but given out after referral by England though the television replays of the the snickometer apparently showed that there was no contact with the ball and the bat.
When on seven, Dravid was given out by umpire Rod Tucker, caught at forward short leg. The batsman immediately asked for the DRS and was vindicated when the replays showed the ball had gone off his pads. Dravid’s partner Virender Sehwag too had his moments of anxiety as he found Swann a tough proposition to come to terms with.
Just before his dismissal, Sehwag called for physio seemingly having pain in his right shoulder which has recently been operated upon. Sehwag finally departed after making 33 runs, a classical dismissal for an off-spinner, as a Swann delivery pitched outside off stump and spun back to find the gap between his bat and pad and knock back his middle stump.
Sehwag, by his standards, played a defensive knock as he made 33 from 67 balls with five boundaries. India by then had lost both its openers for 64 runs.
Tendulkar and VVS Laxman then batted briskly, putting on 50 runs for the third wicket from 59 balls.
However, India suffered a massive setback when Laxman played inside the line of an Anderson delivery and his off-stump went cartwheeling to leave India in dire straits at 119 for 3.
The score could have been worse for Tendulkar appeared to have been stumped off Swann as he lifted his feet just at the moment wicketkeeper Prior removed the bails. Fortunately none of England players appealed. (PTI)