Mohali Test: India thrash England by 8 wickets, take 2-0 lead

Mohali (Punjab)[India], Nov. 29 (ANI): Recalled wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel on Tuesday smashed a brilliant half century to hand India a comprehensive eight-wicket win over England on Day four of the third Test at the Punjab Cricket Stadium (PCA) here in Mohali. Chasing a paltry score of 103, Patel, who was recalled into the Test side after a gap of eight years, along with inform Cheteshwar Pujara (25) anchored the chase and played an unbeaten knock of 67 runs to help the hosts take a 2-0 lead in the five match series. Murali Vijay's diminishing returns since Rajkot century continued when he fell for a duck but Patel and Pujara played positively and made sure there no hiccups in the run-chase. With this knock, Patel has now put forth a strong contention for his inclusion in the fourth match and it would be interesting to see whether the team management calls back Wriddhiman Saha or sticks with the 31-year-old left hander. Earlier, resuming the day at the overnight score of 78-4, the visitors lost the wicket of Gareth Batty when he was adjudged lbw on 0 off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja. Joe Root helped England erase the 134-run deficit during the morning session, although by then two further wickets had been shipped. When Root departed for 78, it was quite visible where the game was heading but 19-year-old Haseeb Hameed dug in and Chris Woakes and played positively to persuade India that the new ball was needed. Hameed, who came to bat at No. 8 due to his finger injury, produced a hugely resilient display to end unbeaten on 59 before the Alastair Cook-led side was eventually bundled out for 236, giving India a target of 103. Jadeja was adjudged Man of the Match for his overall match performance. The Saurashtra all-rounder finished with match figures of 4-121, besides his valuable 90-run knock in the first innings, which laid the foundation for India's victory. At the moment, India is looking dominant enough to clinch the five-match series with both their batters and bowlers performing exceedingly well. On the other hand, after the drawn Rajkot Test, Cook and his men have failed to come up with a good batting performance---a reason for their debacle in the other two games. It would be a herculean task for the visitors to restore their confidence and stage a comeback in the upcoming games. The two teams will now lock horns in the fourth Test to be played at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai from December 8. (ANI)