England's hopes of chasing down a monumental 608 were dealt a severe blow as their top order faltered against a relentless Indian bowling attack at Edgbaston. Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, and Joe Root all fell cheaply, leaving the home side reeling at 72-3 at the end of day four.
The day began with India in a commanding position, having set England a daunting target. Shubman Gill's magnificent 161 formed the backbone of India's second innings total of 427/6 declared. Gill's knock was an exhibition of elegant strokeplay, including punishing Joe Root with slog-swept sixes, although he was dropped once. His aggregate of 430 runs in the match broke the record for most runs by a visiting player in a Test in England. Useful contributions from Rishabh Pant (65) and Ravindra Jadeja (69*) further compounded England's woes.
England's chase got off to the worst possible start when Zak Crawley edged a drive off Mohammed Siraj to backward point and was out for a duck. This marked England's seventh duck of the match. Ben Duckett, in aggressive mood, struck five boundaries in his brief innings of 25. However, his entertaining cameo was cut short when Akash Deep bowled him with a delivery that rearranged his stumps.
Akash Deep then followed up with an even bigger wicket, dismissing Joe Root for 6 with a ball that nipped away and crashed into the off-stump. Deep's performance showcased why he belongs in the side.
Earlier in the day, India resumed their innings on 64/1, losing KL Rahul and Karun Nair early. However, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant then accelerated the scoring. Gill's innings included some towering sixes, pushing the target past 600. Pant's aggressive innings of 65 from 58 balls demoralized the England bowlers. Ravindra Jadeja then joined Gill to add a composed 69.
England now face a Herculean task on the final day, requiring a further 536 runs with seven wickets in hand. Harry Brook (15) and Ollie Pope (24) are the not-out batsmen, and they have a massive challenge to either chase down the total or salvage a draw. India, on the other hand, are just seven wickets away from leveling the series.
