LONDON (Reuters) – England’s Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow forged an unbroken 77-run partnership for the sixth wicket to guide the hosts to 139-5 against India at lunch on day two of the fourth test on Friday.
England lost two wickets in the morning session to slump to 62-5 but Pope and Bairstow capitalised on some erratic bowling by the Indian seamers to prop up the innings.
Pope was batting on 38 at the break, while Bairstow was on 34 with England 52 behind at the Oval.
Umesh Yadav (3-49) dismissed England’s in-form captain Joe Root late on Thursday to help India claw their way back into the contest after the tourists folded for 191 in the first innings.
The seamer, playing his first match of the series, struck twice after England resumed the second day on 53-3.
Nightwatchman Craig Overton was the first to go, snared at first slip by India captain Virat Kohli.
Dawid Malan, who made 31, followed suit after Rohit Sharma at second slip dived to his right to take a sharp catch.
The Indian seamers, who had been bowling with lot of discipline, suddenly took their foot off the pedal and boundaries started flowing.
Pope looked in particularly good shape and hit Shardul Thakur for three boundaries in the same over.
His aggression appeared to rub off on Bairstow who meted out similar treatment to Mohammed Siraj in the next over.
The five-test series is level at 1-1.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Ken Ferris)
