England still need 210 but Brook and Root have added 58 in the last ten overs, after India’s early incision

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2025

There’s never a shortage of belligerence when Harry Brook’s batting•AFP/Getty Images

Lunch Harry Brook launched an exhilarating counterattack to help England recover from the loss of two wickets on the fourth morning, keeping the fifth Test in the balance. India were on top when Mohammed Siraj trapped Ollie Pope lbw, leaving England 106 for 3 in pursuit of 374, but Brook and Joe Root added 58 in 10.3 overs to put their seamers back under pressure.Brook made the play, and was given a life on 19: he picked out long leg with a miscued pull off Prasidh Krishna, only for Siraj to step on the advertising toblerone on the boundary rope after completing the catch. He continued to attack, lashing Prasidh through cover and cutting him past gully having cracked back-to-back boundaries off Akash Deep’s previous over.It was Prasidh who struck the first blow of the morning, dangling a carrot outside off stump which Ben Duckett snatched at. He was drawn into driving at a fuller ball in the channel, and KL Rahul made a sharp chance at second slip look straightforward. India came out fired up, their close fielders vocal, and regularly beat the bat in the first hour.

Pope, England’s stand-in captain, hit three boundaries in an over off Prasidh to pass 300 runs for the series, but was trapped plumb in front by Siraj’s nip-backer and took a review with him. He has only reached 50 once since his first-innings century in Leeds, and incredibly, the 27 was his second-highest score in the fourth innings of a Test.Root started uncharacteristically skittishly, surviving a tight lbw shout from Prasidh, but steadily grew into his innings. He was happy to play in Brook’s slipstream, and is the key wicket for India as they bid to square the series.