Youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal batted with supreme confidence to compile yet another fifty but England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir’s triple strike reduced India to 131 for four at tea on day two of the fourth Test here on Saturday.
Jaiswal hit five boundaries and a six on way to his unbeaten on 54 off 96 deliveries, his fourth fifty-plus score in seven innings this series, which includes two double hundreds.
While Jaiswal stood firm, India kept losing wickets to Shoaib Bashir (3/32) at the other end with Shubman Gill (38), Rajat Patidar (17) and Ravindra Jadeja (12) falling in addition of just 44 runs.
England were bowled out for 353 in the opening session with Joe Root standing tall with an unbeaten 122 as the visitors showed tremendous recovery from being reduced to 112/5 at one stage on the opening day.
In reply, India lost skipper Rohit Sharma (2) cheaply inside the third over when old warhorse James Anderson produced a superb delivery that moved away slightly off the surface after pitching on a perfect
After a watchful start, Gill acclerated in the post-lunch session, taking on Anderson with two elegant boundaries — one flick off the pads, and a punch straight back down the ground.
But the young off-spinner Bashir, who came in place of Rehan Ahmed, provided the breakthrough for England, breaking the fine 82-run alliance between Gill and Jaiswal.
He delivered a ball that took off from the crack just outside off stump, trapped Gill on the pad as Indians reviewed unsuccessfully.
Jaiswal also survived a scare on 40 when he edged one to Ben Foakes, who took a forward diving catch but replays confirmed that the ball had bounce on the ground before going into his glove.