Shoaib Bashir’s wonderful 4-84 gave England a golden opportunity to take control of the fourth Test against India in Ranchi.
Off-spinner Bashir, who is playing in only his second Test, bowled 31 consecutive overs in a spell that stretched across all three sessions of the second day.
At one stage he picked up three wickets for five runs in 41 deliveries, then crucially got Yashasvi Jaiswal to chop on to his stumps for 73.
From 177-7, India rallied to 219-7 thanks to an unbroken stand of 42 between Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav, leaving the hosts 134 behind the 353 England were dismissed for on Saturday morning.
Joe Root and Ollie Robinson added 102 for the eighth wicket, with Robinson making 58 for his first half-century in Test cricket.
Robinson was the first of three wickets taken in 11 deliveries by Ravindra Jadeja, who mopped up the tail to leave Root unbeaten on 122.
England may have sensed a chance to be batting again before the day was out, but Jurel and Kuldeep fought hard and face the prospect of the second new ball on the third morning.
England have been excellent since they were reduced to 112-5 in spicy conditions on the first morning.
Root mastered the situation, cajoling 241 runs out of England’s last five wickets, then the brilliant Bashir led the visitors’ steady work through the India batting.
Bar fleeting moments, India were outplayed. They were flat during the first hour as Root and Robinson extended their partnership, then their top order would have been blown away had it not been for the prolific Jaiswal and 38 from Shubman Gill.
There were times when the pitch looked docile, but increasing signs of uneven bounce are a good sign for England as they will bowl last in the match.
As a sub-plot, England benefited from three ‘umpire’s call’ lbw decisions, having questioned the decision review system after defeats in the second and third Tests.
India are not out of this, especially if they can defy England on Sunday morning, but Ben Stokes’ side will know they are a strong second innings away from being on the brink of a series decider.
Brilliant Bashir puts England on top
Bashir is turning into one of the most inspired England selections in recent memory, having been chosen for this tour after only six first-class matches for Somerset.
Just last summer, he was still playing club cricket for Taunton Deane.
Left out of the third Test following a debut in the second, the 20-year-old showed why he appears most likely to succeed the injured Jack Leach as England’s first-choice spinner.
Though James Anderson had Rohit Sharma caught behind for his 697th Test wicket, England’s pace bowlers struggled to get the same life out of the surface as India’s. Robinson looked rusty and down on pace, having not bowled in any competitive cricket since July.
Bashir was plugged into a marathon spell that started before lunch and would have lasted until the close had he not switched ends for his final over of the day. He bowled with relentless control, helped by some occasionally defensive fields from Stokes.
England were just beginning to look bereft when Jaiswal and Gill were adding 82, but Bashir got sharp turn to Gill for a first tight leg-before decision.
Rajat Patidar was trapped on the back foot and Jadeja got in a tangle to be caught at short leg.
Jaiswal remained, looking immovable, until Bashir found some low bounce, taking the toe of the bat en route to the stumps. Tom Hartley had been ignored until the 32nd over, but in an 18-over spell of his own, the left-armer had Sarfaraz Khan edge to slip and pinned Ravichandran Ashwin in front.
Bashir was into the longest spell by an England bowler for 11 years and he went down with cramp in his 24th over. For an England squad down to 14 players, assistant coach Marcus Trescothick donned his whites to run the drinks.
It was a huge collective effort, only halted by the determination of Jurel and Kuldeep.
