Axar Patel makes early inroads as England struggle to 74/3 at lunch
Ahmedabad: A scarred England were once again done in by Axar Patel's straight deliveries before partially recovering to reach 74 for 3 at lunch during an intriguing opening session of the fourth and final Test against India here on Thursday.
Brought into action as early as in sixth over, the left-arm orthodox spinner bowled an arm ball which had Dom Sibley (2) leaving a huge gap between bat and pad, trying to play for the spin. The result was an inside edge onto the stumps.
Zak Crawley (8) felt that the easiest way to survive was to attack Patel (9-3-21-2). He got a boundary but then jumped out and lofted the spinner without getting to the pitch of the delivery.
The result was a simple catch to Mohammed Siraj stationed at mid-off, who didn't even have to move an inch from his position.
Joe Root (5), who went off the boil post his double hundred in the first game, got a peach of an inswinger from Siraj (6-0-23-1), which had him caught plumb in-front, leaving his team at 30 for 3 inside the first hour.
Jonny Bairstow (28 batting, 64 balls) after a terrible pink ball Test, looked more assured as he struck six boundaries.
He punished the fast bowlers whenever they offered width and also negotiated Patel's straight deliveries with his bat close to the pads and assured front-foot movement.
Ravichandran Ashwin (3-2-7-0) was introduced into the attack in the 20th over as Virat Kohli kept up the pressure by having Patel continue at one end and rotate his two pacers at the other end.
Ben Stokes (24 batting, 40 balls) showed patience leaving any deliveries outside the off-stump but lofted Ashwin for a six in his very first over.
However, Ashwin got extra bounce and troubled Stokes with a couple of lovely deliveries. The Stokes-Bairstow partnership yielded 44 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket and looked to stem the rot set in by Patel.
The first day Motera pitch didn't have any extraordinary turn on offer for the bowlers and can be safely called good for batsmen if they applied themselves.
After the fall of three wickets, Stokes and Bairstow both showed that they had at least tried to make technical adjustments and were ready to grind it out which is exactly what was needed.
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TMC worker shot dead in Bengal's Malda, two other party men injured
Malda (PTI): In less than a fortnight after a senior Trinamool Congress councillor was murdered in West Bengal's Malda district, a TMC worker was killed and two other party members were injured in a shootout incident in broad daylight in the same region on Tuesday, police said.
Like in the previous incident, police suspected that Tuesday's shootout was also a fallout of the party's infighting.
The deceased was identified as Ataul Haque alias Hasu Sheikh and the two injured are Bakul Sheikh, a TMC local committee president, and Esaruddin Sheikh, a senior officer said.
The incident took place in Kaliaganj area in the morning when the TMC local committee president along with party workers went to a function to inaugurate a road, an officer said.
"One of the party workers who were shot at was declared dead by doctors at the Malda Medical College and Hospital. Two others are undergoing treatment there, and their condition was stated to be critical," he said.
"We are questioning people and witnesses. So far, we have not arrested anyone in this matter," the police officer told PTI.
TMC councillor in Malda Dulal Sarkar was killed on January 2, and seven people have been arrested in this connection.
