LEEDS: KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant extended India’s lead over England to 159 runs at lunch on the fourth day of the first Test at Headingley on Monday. The visitors were 153-3 in their second innings, with Rahul 72 not out and Pant unbeaten on 31. The two batsmen have so far shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 61. Captain Shubman Gill, a first-innings centurion, was the only batsman dismissed in the session. India are in the driving seat with seven wickets in hand as they seek to win the first Test of the five-match series. But they will be aware of their failures in the first innings to take a firm grip on the game.

Hundreds from Gill, Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal put India on course for a total well in excess of 500 but they were dismissed for 471 after losing their last seven wickets for just 41 runs. England mustered 465 in reply, with Ollie Pope making 106 and Harry Brook scoring 99. The match was still in the balance as play resumed Monday, with India 90-2. Rahul was 47 not out and Gill, in his first match as India skipper, unbeaten on six.

The captain had added just two runs to his overnight score when he chopped on to fast bowler Brydon Carse. Pant got off the mark in fortunate fashion when the aggressive left-hander almost swung himself off his feet as he charged at Chris Woakes and edged a wild slog over the slips for four.

He then advanced down the pitch to Woakes and this time hit a fierce drive straight down the ground. Pant had another lucky escape when a top-edged slog sweep off Carse soared high, only for the ball to land short of fine leg and run away for four.

England then squandered a review for lbw when Pant attempted an audacious over-the-shoulder flick off Carse, only for replays to confirm he had inside-edged the ball onto his pads. India’s fourth-wicket pair offered a vivid contrast in styles, with orthodox right-handed opener Rahul completing a relatively sedate 87-ball fifty after his first-innings 42. He was dropped by Brook at gully on 58 -- the latest missed chance by both sides during the match.

Earlier, Harry Brook fell for 99 on his home ground and the brilliant Jasprit Bumrah took five wickets on Sunday to leave the first Test between England and India at Headingley finely poised. England were bowled out for 465 on the third day in reply to India’s first-innings 471.

England captain Ben Stokes, so often a partnership breaker, ended a second-wicket stand of 66 when Sudharsan chipped an inswinger to Zak Crawley, stationed at short midwicket for such a dismissal.

Earlier, when Brook was dismissed just one run shy of three figures, England were still 73 behind at 398-7. But new-ball bowler Chris Woakes, recalled to lead the attack in place of the injured Gus Atkinson, almost got England on level terms with a handy 38, which included consecutive sixes off paceman Prasidh Krishna.

Bumrah then wrapped up the innings by bowling Josh Tongue to finish with excellent figures of 5-83 in 24.4 overs. Brook’s aggression, in an innings in which he had three reprieves, eventually proved his downfall. One run shy of what would have been a first Test century at Headingley—and ninth in 26 matches—he mishooked a Krishna bouncer to Shardul Thakur at fine leg.

The Yorkshireman threw his head back in agony following the end of a typically dashing 112-ball innings featuring 11 fours and two sixes. He had been caught off a Bumrah no-ball while still on nought in Saturday’s last over and on Sunday he was dropped on 46 and 82 -- with both those chances ones India should have taken. — AFP