India will be hoping for a miracle, and then some, when they walk into Day 5 of the third Test against England, with the mammoth task of batting out the entire day, with just six wickets in hand, staring at them in the face.
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The final day of the third Test in Southampton is scheduled for an 11 am local time (3.30 pm IST, 6 am ET) start with live coverage on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports HD1 in India. The match can also be watched via free live streaming online HERE. Watch the match live online in the UK HERE or HERE, with TV coverage on Sky Sports 2. Listen to the Test match via BBC Radio 5 Live HERE. The match will be telecast live on ESPN 3 in the US, while the action can also be live streamed HERE.
In another utterly dominant day for England, India were left battered and bruised, and in the end leaving them on a broken 1124 for four in 42 overs, chasing a target of 445 set by the hosts.
England scripted Day 4 perfectly – scalping the final two India first innings wickets quickly, before scoring briskly to set a daunting target, and then finishing it all off with a few wickets before the close of play.
"I thought the tone was set this morning [Wednesday] with us getting those two early wickets, I thought the guys did really well to take those," Joe Root told ECB's official website.
"Then Cooky [Alastair Cook] was brilliant setting the platform and allowing the other guys to bat round him. Cooky laid the foundations and read the situation extremely well. He made it possible for Ian [Bell], myself and Gary [Ballance] to be a bit more free around him so credit has to go to Alastair there.
"To get four wickets is obviously fantastic. We wanted to make inroads but four is brilliant and obviously gives us a great chance going into tomorrow to get a result.
"We wanted to have at least a session at them tonight and it's given us an opportunity to take wickets and we're in a great position going into tomorrow [Thursday] with four on the board already."
Having lost their top four of Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli – India have nowhere to run or hide when Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane walk into bat on Day 5 in Southampton.
If the duo and the rest of the India batsmen can bat out the day to save the Test, then it will surely be one of the best performances by an Indian side abroad.
"It is going to be hard [to save the Test from the current position]," said Dhawan, who got a start but yet again failed to capitalise. "England are in a very good position.
"The wicket has turn in it and the ball is seaming around as well because of the rough patches. It's not easy to bat out there because it's very unpredictable – despite pitching on the same spot, some balls are going straight whereas others are spinning. When you get out on a good ball, you can't do much about it."
Moeen Ali looks like being the main man for England on the final day, with the off-spinner already accounting for Pujara and Kohli, via two outside edges. Part-time spinner Root also got a wicket on Day 4, that of Dhawan, with a peach which turned off the rough, and the offie could again play a major role come Thursday.
"If we can get a couple of early ones tomorrow then we'll put them really under pressure," Root said. "All we can do is make sure we put the ball in the right areas often enough, create chances and make sure we take them."
India need another 333 runs for victory on the final day – that part of the equation can be completely thrown out. The final day will be about survival for India, with a big partnership between Rohit and Rahane essential if the away side are to stand even the minutest of chances of forcing a draw and with it keeping their series lead.
