Afternoon delight for England

Graeme Swann, pictured, and James Anderson claimed two wickets apiece as India went to tea 145 for six
8 December 2012

England's irresistible afternoon session put them on the verge of a wide-margin victory, and unassailable 2-1 series lead, against India at Eden Gardens.

The tourists left a chastening morning behind with a devastating bowling performance after lunch as their hosts collapsed from 86 for none to trail by 62 on a teatime 145 for six.

Six wickets fell for just 36 runs, and an innings victory was therefore probable for England on day four of this third Test. At the very least, it seemed they would surely now head for the final Test in Nagpur in the knowledge they cannot lose the series.

England's last four wickets could muster only 14 runs on the way to 523 all out, and then they were unable to take one of their own this morning, but after Graeme Swann kickstarted India's troubles by bowling Virender Sehwag with the first ball of the afternoon, the hosts simply folded.

Their second innings had begun with a four from the first ball, Gautam Gambhir squeezing an inside-edge square off James Anderson.

By lunch, the most worrying aspect for the tourists was the increasing ease with which Sehwag in particular was playing their spinners, but they need not have been concerned - because Swann produced the perfect off-break to draw the drive, beat the bat and hit the outside of off-stump straight after the break.

Gambhir had accepted the blame in the first innings for Sehwag's run-out, and perhaps will need to do likewise for his part in a faulty single which saw off Cheteshwar Pujara thanks to Bell's direct hit from midwicket.

Transient controversy followed when Gambhir escaped on 36, umpire Rod Tucker apparently initially satisfied he had edged to slip but unsure whether the ball had carried to a diving Jonathan Trott. It had, but third umpire Vineet Kulkarni also seemed to convey the fact Gambhir had not got bat on ball after all.

The right decision, it appeared, had been reached via a grey area in the established process for series not involving DRS. But the fact that Gambhir followed some reverse-swing from Steven Finn to edge behind just four runs later relegated the discussion, and it appeared less relevant still when Sachin Tendulkar was next out - edging a Swann arm ball to slip.

Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli's attempt to stop the rot did not last long either, before the left-hander was bowled by one from Anderson that snaked in from round the wicket and kept low, and India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni edged the same bowler low to his opposite number Alastair Cook at slip.

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