Jadeja mows down top order, England in dire straits
CHENNAI (Reuters) - Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja returned after lunch to wreck England's top order and take India to within six wickets of another comprehensive win in the fifth and final test on Tuesday. Openers Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings defied India in the morning session but Jadeja claimed three wickets and took a brilliant catch to reduce England to 167 for four at tea on the final day of the contest. Moeen Ali was batting on 32 at the break with Ben Stokes on 13 at the other end with England still 115 behind India's highest test total of 759 for seven declared. Having already lost the series with a match to spare, the task before the tourists were to bat out the final day and Cook and Jennings batted through the morning session to boost their chances of salvaging a draw. Cook looked ill at ease against spin and got a life at four when he lunged forward to edge Ravichandran Ashwin but the ball popped out of wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel's gloves. Jennings looked more confident at the other end though was nearly caught by Lokesh Rahul at short leg off Amit Mishra when on 31. Jadeja changed the complexion of the match in the second session. The left-arm spinner has haunted Cook since the tourists landed in India and he dismissed the England captain for the sixth time in the series by getting him caught at leg slip. It was a poor shot from Cook who edged a down-the-leg delivery to Rahul to depart for 49. Jennings followed up his century in the previous test in Mumbai with a fifty but offered a tame return catch to Jadeja after making 54. England's batting mainstay Joe Root did not last long. Root was hit on the pad by a fuller delivery from Jadeja and was probably relieved after India's leg-before appeal was turned down. Home captain Virat Kohli took his time before deciding to review the decision, which was overturned after replays suggested the ball would have hit the leg stump. Jadeja, meanwhile, was not done yet. The all-rounder sprinted backwards to take a brilliant running catch to dismiss Jonny Bairstow for one off the bowling of paceman Ishant Sharma. (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
