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PHOTOS: Jadeja's heroics put India on course for victory at Lord's
The second cricket Test was headed for nail-biting finish with England needing 214 runs with six wickets intact on a tricky fifth day track as India rode on Ravindra Jadeja's brilliant counter-attack to set a competitive target of 319 at Lord’s.
It was a day when fortunes swung like a pendulum as England finished the fourth day's play at 105 for four on deteriorating track.
If India manage to pull off a win, it will be their first at Lord’s in 28 years having last time won here in 1986.
England lost three wickets in a space of 14 deliveries with an addition of two runs.
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Ishant removes Cook, Bell in quick succession
From a comfortable 70 for one, they slumped to 72 for four.
Ishant Sharma (2/13 in 10 overs) removed seasoned Ian Bell (1) with an incutter while skipper Alastair Cook (22) did all the hardwork before fishing oustide the off-stump to give Mahendra Singh Dhoni a simple catch.
Mohammed Shami (1/20) also fared much better than the first innings removing centurion Gary Ballance (27) with an away going delivery.
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Jadeja's counter-attacking game
While India have their nose slightly ahead, a lot of credit should go to Ravindra Jadeja for his belligerent 57-ball-68 (9x4) that enabled India to reach 342 thereby extending their lead to a healthy 318.
Murali Vijay (95) missed century by a whisker while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (52, 71 balls) continued his stupendous all-round show. It was the 99-run eighth wicket stand between Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar that could well turn out to be decisive in the final context of the game.
At stumps on fourth day, youngsters Joe Root and Moeen Ali were at the crease batting on 14 and 15 respectively.
It will be an uphill task for England if they manage to successfully chase down the total which will be their second highest having chased down 332 in an Ashes Test at the MCG way back in 1928-29.
A successfull chase from the home team will be the second highest chase at this ground with West Indies having chased 344 against England in 1984 courtesy a crushing double hundred by Gordon Greenidge.
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Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar combine well for India
The pace with which Jadeja and Kumar scored was what hurt England the most. They added 66 runs in the first ten overs after lunch, with Jadeja reaching his first half-century in Test cricket in the 92nd over.
He got there off only 42 balls, hitting 7 fours, also bringing up their 50-run partnership in doing so. In the next over, the 300-run mark came up for India.
The duo scored at near six runs an over for much of their partnership and England had no reply as they altered their plans every over.
It didn't help then that Jadeja was dropped on 66 not out by Ian Bell at midwicket off Stokes (3-51) in the 98th over.
But he had already made them pay and was out for 68 runs off 57 balls, with 9 fours, two overs later caught off the same bowler with Cook running back from first slip and completing a catch similar to the one Shikhar Dhawan took in the first innings.
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Bhuvi's third half-century of the series
The last two batsman, Mohammad Shami (0) and Ishant Sharma (0 not out), couldn't stay long enough at the crease, but they gave enough support to Kumar to complete his third fifty in this series.
He got there off 65 balls, with 8 fours, in the 102nd over, and was the last man out. Plunkett (3-65), Ali (2-28), James Anderson (1-77) and Stuart Broad (1-93) were the other wicket-takers in this innings.
In the morning, under overcast skies with floodlights on, India started the day 145 runs ahead, needing Murali Vijay and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (19 runs, 86 balls, 2 fours) to bat long enough to see out the second new ball that was due after 17 overs.