India wilt as Bess 'Dom'inates

England extended the discipline, determination and patience they exhibited with the bat to ball as they continued to mount enormous pressure on India, who are now in a battle of survival in the opening Test on Sunday.

If Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Dom Sibley were the heroes with the bat, off-spinner Dom Bess (4/55) and pacer Jofra Archer (2/52) were the protagonists with the ball as the duo’s brilliant display and some good fortune reduced India to 257/6 on an engrossing third day at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Still 321 runs behind and the pitch slowly beginning to change character, India really have a challenge at their hands.

Young pace sensation Archer, playing his first Test in India and carrying a lot of spotlight, showed why he is rated so highly. On a placid Chepauk pitch which offered very little help for the Indian pacers on the opening two days, the 25-year-old got the ball to talk in remarkable fashion. Generating appreciable pace, bounce and movement, Archer kept asking difficult questions to Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill.

Archer, playing just his 12th Test, was smart too. He didn’t just focus on releasing the ball at great speeds but varied them beautifully. With puffs of dust coming off the surface, he constantly employed the leg-cutter, trying to take the ball away from Rohit and Gill.

Archer accounted for the dismissals of the Indian openers before Bess took over. The 23-year-old, arriving on the back of a very good Sri Lanka tour where he bagged 11 wickets in two Tests that including a fifer, just stuck to the basics. He just kept bowling in the good-length channel, preying on the patience of the Indian batsmen.

Initially, skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara (73, 143b, 11x4) handled him very well. While Kohli, keenly watching Bess at the non-striker’s end, typically used the crease, going front and back nicely, Pujara relied on his footwork, constantly stepping down the ground to smother the spin of Bess.

Both looked hardly troubled during their stay despite some good sustained pressure created by England. But two quick dismissals in a space of 10 minutes changed the complexion of the game. Bess got Kohli to stride forward and the ball just turned enough to take the skipper’s inside edge to a waiting Ollie Pope at forward short leg. Then Rahane, stepping down to Bess, was caught brilliantly by a diving Root at cover. India were in trouble at 73/4.

Like they did so well in Australia, India chose to hit their way out of trouble through Rishabh Pant (91, 88b, 9x4, 5x6). The left-hander, in smashing form, unloaded on England, especially left-arm spinner Jack Leach. England, like Australia, stationed three fielders in the deep on the leg-side and dared Pant to have a crack. The youngster, who barely backs away from a fight, took it head-on and kept blasting Leach into the stands at the very same region.

Pant’s aggression rubbed onto Pujara, who also got into the act with some nice drives and punches. Together they looked like carrying India to safety before bad luck ended Pujara’s stay. His attempted pull shot off a long-hop from Bess ricocheted of forward short leg fielder's shoulder straight into the hands of Rory Burns. Then Pant, looking on course for a deserved century, brought about his downfall with a rash shot while on 91.

Local boys Washington Sundar (33 n.o.) and R Ashwin (8 n.o.) then forged a mini unbroken alliance but they know they have an awful lot to do on Monday if India are to draw this game.