Dharamshala: Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir took his second five-wicket haul in Tests while veteran pacer James Anderson becomes the first fast-bowler to pick 700 wickets in the format as England bowled out India for 477 in their first innings early on day three of the fifth and final Test at the HPCA Stadium on Saturday.
India now have a lead of 259 runs over England, with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma making 100 and 103 respectively. The hosts’ were also helped by a fine 65 from debutant Devdutt Padikkal and 56 from Sarfaraz Khan.
In the morning, Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah added four more runs to the overnight total before Anderson picked his 700th Test wicket in the form of the former. Anderson lured Kuldeep into poking outside the off-stump and got a healthy nick behind to keeper Ben Foakes, ending the 49-run stand for the ninth wicket.
It made Anderson only the third bowler to pick 700 or more Test wickets after Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) and Australia’s Shane Warne (708 wickets). Bashir then got his five-wicket haul when he drew Bumrah forward on the front foot and had him stumped from behind to end India’s innings quicky.
Bashir has now become the first England bowler to claim a five-wicket haul twice in Tests before the age of 21. India will be aiming to bundle out England quickly, especially with captain Rohit Sharma not taking the field on day three due to a stiff back, as per the BCCI.
Brief Scores: England 218 trail India 477 in 124.1 overs (Shubman Gill 110, Rohit Sharma 103; Shoaib Bashir 5-173, James Anderson 2-60) by 259 runs
–IANS