It is set up for a Super Saturday with the pivotal fourth Test delicately balanced and England once again looking to their seam bowlers for inspiration.
England hold a lead of 56 but India’s openers calmly negotiated a tricky hour to reach 43 without loss with James Anderson once again let down by his slip fielders after Rory Burns gave Rohit Sharma a life on six and the score 11 for nought.
India battled hard to stay in touch with the ball and England did not make the most of better batting conditions than day one with their 290 all out lighter than it should have been when the initiative was there to be grabbed.
Saturday should be the best day of the Test for batting and if India can cobble together some confidence and form against the seamers they could take a big step towards controlling the game. But this is a match played by two flawed batting line ups and anything is possible, which is why it has been such a fascinating series.
A 99 run first innings lead for England was an acceptable result from 62 for five, one of those outcomes that allows players to talk up the…
