4th Test: In pursuit of 245, India reach 126/4 at Tea

Southampton, Sep 2 (CRICKETNMORE) India reached 126 for four wickets at tea in their second innings in pursuit of 245 to win the fourth Test against England on the fourth day here on Sunday.

The only wicket to fall in the session was of Indian captain Virat Kohli, who got out after a well-made 58 at the Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium.

Ajinkya Rahane (44 not out) and Hardik Pandya (0 not out) were at the crease when tea was called, with India still requiring 119 runs to win and level the series 2-2.

Rahane and Kohli shared a 101-run stand for the fourth wicket to revive India's hopes as they joined hands before lunch when the visitors were 22/3.

Resuming the session at 46/3, Kohli and Rahane batted sensibly to guide India past the 100-run mark. Kohli survived a close LBW decision against spinner Moeen Ali to lead his side's revival.

The experienced pair dealt mostly in singles and twos to collect the runs. With England also being guarded against conceding quick runs, Joe Root's fielding placements were slightly defensive. It allowed spaces to open up for Kohli and Rahane to look out for singles and twos.

For more than two hours in the session, Kohli and Rahane were in control. Kohli perished after registering his 19th half-century in Tests. A delivery from Moeen got a sharp bounce to kiss Kohli's gloves and Alaistair Cook took an easy catch at short leg in a big relief for the hosts.

Brief scores: England 246 & 271 (Jos Buttler 69, Joe Root 48, Sam Curran 46, Keaton Jennings 36; Mohammad Shami 4/57, Ishant Sharma 2/36) against India: 273 all out and 126/4 (Virat Kohli 58, Ajinkya Rahane 44 not out; James Anderson 2/33) on Day 4.