India take unbeatable lead

AFP, MOHALI: Ravindra Jadeja's sparkling all-round performance floored England and handed India an unbeatable 2-0 lead after they cantered home to a comprehensive eight-wicket win in the third Test on Tuesday.
Top-ranked India surpassed the 103-run target in the final session of the fourth day at Mohali with recalled opener Parthiv Patel (67 not out) hitting the winning runs.
Left-handed Jadeja scored a career-best 90 in India's 417-run first innings total before finishing with a match haul of four wickets to be named man-of-the-match.
India's road to victory was smooth despite Chris Woakes striking early to send back opener Murali Vijay for nought.
Patel and Cheteshwar Pujara (25) then put on an 81-run partnership to enable the hosts register their second straight win of the five-match series.
The first Test in Rajkot ended in a draw before India won the Visakhapatnam game by 246 runs.
Patel, returning to the Test side after an eight-year gap, struck 11 fours and a six off 54 balls on way to his fifth Test half-century.
Skipper Virat Kohli, who was at the other end when stumps were drawn, hugged Patel to celebrate his team's well-earned victory.
It was the steely lower-order resistance from the Indian batsmen and a combined effort by their bowlers that set up victory for the Kohli-led side.
Jadeja's knock surpassed his previous-best of 68 he made against the same opposition at Lord's in 2014.
Ashwin, who claimed three wickets in England's second essay, also hit 72 with three other Indian batsmen making half-centuries.
The Indian lower-order contributed 213 runs to the total score after the hosts were reduced to 204-6 following a fightback by the England bowlers on the second day.
“I think we got in a bit of a bother on the second day but the belief inside the dressing room was tremendous,” said Ashwin. “We always backed the lower order to get a lot of runs. We tell ourselves that we are capable of making 125-150 runs. And I think we put up a stellar show.”

India take unbeatable lead

AFP, MOHALI: Ravindra Jadejas sparkling all-round performance floored England and handed India an unbeatable 2-0 lead after they cantered home to a comprehensive eight-wicket win in the third Test on Tuesday. Top-ranked India surpassed the 103-run target in the final session of the fourth day at Mohali with recalled opener Parthiv Patel (67 not out) hitting the winning runs. Left-handed Jadeja scored a career-best 90 in Indias 417-run first innings total before finishing with a match haul of four wickets to be named man-of-the-match. Indias road to victory was smooth despite Chris Woakes striking early to send back opener Murali Vijay for nought. Patel and Cheteshwar Pujara (25) then put on an 81-run partnership to enable the hosts register their second straight win of the five-match series. The first Test in Rajkot ended in a draw before India won the Visakhapatnam game by 246 runs. Patel, returning to the Test side after an eight-year gap, struck 11 fours and a six off 54 balls on way to his fifth Test half-century. Skipper Virat Kohli, who was at the other end when stumps were drawn, hugged Patel to celebrate his teams well-earned victory. It was the steely lower-order resistance from the Indian batsmen and a combined effort by their bowlers that set up victory for the Kohli-led side. Jadejas knock surpassed his previous-best of 68 he made against the same opposition at Lords in 2014. Ashwin, who claimed three wickets in Englands second essay, also hit 72 with three other Indian batsmen making half-centuries. The Indian lower-order contributed 213 runs to the total score after the hosts were reduced to 204-6 following a fightback by the England bowlers on the second day. I think we got in a bit of a bother on the second day but the belief inside the dressing room was tremendous, said Ashwin. We always backed the lower order to get a lot of runs. We tell ourselves that we are capable of making 125-150 runs. And I think we put up a stellar show.