KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant's centuries led India to a formidable total of 371 against England before Josh Tongue triggered a dramatic lower-order collapse.
The Karnataka boys, Karun Nair and KL Rahul, walked out as India looked to push towards a 400-run total. The final session of Day 4 began with Shoaib Bashir conceding a run, and in the first 30 minutes, Indian batters found boundaries almost every over.
Carse Removes Rahul, Opens the Door for England
Brydon Carse, England’s standout bowler of the day, created several close chances before finally dismissing KL Rahul for 137 (247) with a short-of-length delivery that Rahul inside-edged onto his stumps. He walked off to a standing ovation from the Headingley crowd.
Rahul’s wicket proved to be the turning point, sparking a collapse. Karun Nair followed soon after, falling to a soft dismissal off Chris Woakes. Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja hung on briefly, picking up a few boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking.
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Tongue’s Sensational Over Wrecks India’s Tail
Then came Josh Tongue’s moment. After a quiet match, he produced a sensational over, removing three batters in a single maiden. First, Shardul Thakur was caught by Joe Root at first slip. Then, Mohammed Siraj was undone by a short ball. Tongue was suddenly on a hat-trick, and though Jasprit Bumrah survived the hat-trick delivery, he was bowled trying an aggressive shot on the very next ball. It was a 3-wicket maiden that dismantled India’s lower order.
Jadeja Fights Back, England Finish Strong
Jadeja added a few more boundaries and sixes before Shoaib Bashir ended the innings at 364 all out. India lost their last 6 wickets for just 31 runs, another collapse that gave England renewed hope, facing a 371-run target with one day remaining.
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England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett safely negotiated the remaining 6 overs of the day. With two boundaries, they ended Day 4 at 21/0. England now need 350 runs on Day 5, setting up an exciting finale to the Test.
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