England vs. India, 3rd Test: Day 4 Highlights, Scorecard, Report

England took a huge stride towards a series-levelling victory, reducing India to 112-4 in pursuit of their total of 445 by stumps on Day 4 at the Ageas Bowl.

India managed to add just seven runs to their overnight score before they were bowled out for 330.

England declined to enforce the follow-on but batted instead, adding 205 runs in just over 40 overs before declaring just before the tea break.

India made a decent start as they set about negotiating the four remaining sessions of the match, but moments of misjudgement and some impressive English spin handed the hosts the initiative.

It marked a remarkably successful day for the home side, who have responded with character to the defeat at Lord's.

Total	all out (106.1 ovs)	330
Batsman	Dismissal	Bowler	Runs	Mins	Balls
Vijay		b Broad	35	140	95
Dhawan	c Cook	b Anderson	6	29	17
Pujara	c Buttler	b Broad	24	75	52
Kohli	c Cook	b Anderson	39	107	75
Rahane	c Sub	b Moeen	54	170	113
Ro Sharma	c Broad	b Moeen	28	79	61
Dhoni	c Buttler	b Anderson	50	166	113
Jadeja	lbw	b Anderson	31	78	52
B Kumar	c Ballance	b Broad	19	44	35
Shami	c Buttler	b Anderson	5	36	15
Singh	not out		1	9	9
Extras	0nb 8w 16b 14lb	38
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Anderson	26.1	10	53	5
Broad	25.0	7	66	3
Jordan	17.0	4	59	0
Woakes	20.0	8	60	0
Moeen	18.0	0	62	2

The morning began with Stuart Broad and James Anderson bowling. The latter, celebrating his 32nd birthday, made sure that he marked the occasion with a five-wicket haul, first beating MS Dhoni with a short ball, then doing the same to Mohamed Shami.

That was not before the crowd had been amused by the batting of Pankaj Singh on debut, who had several ungainly and unsuccessful swipes at the ball before the wicket fell at the other end.

With a lead of 239, England chose to push their advantage further.

Alastair Cook and Sam Robson began slowly, Robson falling when he was beaten outside off stump and edged behind.

But thereafter Cook's partners got going. Gary Ballance punched 38 before he was given out caught via a bat-pad—for the second time in this Test, replays showed his bat had made no contact with the ball.

After lunch Ian Bell breezed to 23 from 21 balls, while Joe Root was selfless in scoring 56 from 41 before taking one risk too many.

Cook, anchoring proceedings with an unbeaten 70, called time on England's innings with Root's dismissal, meaning tea was taken early.

Total	for 4 (40.4 ovs)	205
Batsman	Dismissal	Bowler	Runs	Mins	Balls
Robson	c Dhawan	b B Kumar	13	31	20
Cook	not out		70	183	114
Ballance	c Pujara	b Jadeja	38	57	48
Bell		b Jadeja	23	27	21
Root		b Jadeja	56	65	41
Extras	0nb 1w 4b 0lb	5
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
B Kumar	10.0	0	59	1
Singh	10.0	4	33	0
Shami	4.0	0	24	0
Ro Sharma	5.0	0	32	0
Jadeja	10.4	1	52	3
Vijay	1.0	0	1	0

When play resumed, England could not find a breakthrough via their seam attack—but Broad did effect the first wicket, pouncing after a moment's hesitation from the opening batsman and hitting the stumps with a low through from mid on. Murali Vijay—by a camera frame—had not made his ground.

Moeen Ali, for the first time in the series brought on to bowl early by Cook, then paid back the faith invested in him by beating Cheteshwar Pujara. Chris Jordan took a spectacular low catch in the slips.

Total	for 4 (42.0 ovs)	112
Batsman	Dismissal	Bowler	Runs	Mins	Balls
Vijay	run out (Broad)		12	51	35
Dhawan	c Jordan	b Root	37	124	85
Pujara	c Jordan	b Moeen	2	4	6
Kohli	c Buttler	b Moeen	28	79	56
Rahane	not out		18	48	45
Ro Sharma	not out		6	32	25
Extras	0nb 0w 4b 5lb	9
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Anderson	8.0	3	13	0
Broad	9.0	4	18	0
Woakes	5.0	2	7	0
Moeen	12.0	2	33	2
Jordan	5.0	0	22	0
Root	2.0	0	5	1
Ballance	1.0	0	5	0

Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli rebuilt for India, their stand yielding 51 runs until occasional spinner Root was thrust into the attack and got a ball to turn away from Dhawan's blade and Jordan grabbed another catch.

Ali returned late in the day and accounted for Kohli, who got a faint edge on a ball that turned in on him and Jos Buttler did the rest.

Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma saw the team to stumps—and there is more batting to come—but with 333 more runs to get for victory, India's slim hopes surely now rest entirely on defying the odds and batting to a draw.