England three down after being set record 608 as India chase final-day victory

11 hours ago 1

England plummeted to 72-3 after being set a world-record target of 608 to win the second Test at Edgbaston as India's new-ball bowlers took the tourists nearer to a series-levelling victory.

Zak Crawley (0) was caught at backward point driving Mohammed Siraj to chalk up England's seventh duck of the match before Ben Duckett (25 off 15) inside-edged an Askash Deep in-ducker onto his stumps after a breezy start that featured five fours.

Deep - playing in place of the rested pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah - then bowled Joe Root (6) with a peach from wide of the crease as England were left reeling.

Scorecard: England vs India, second Test, Edgbaston 🏏
Day four as it happened - England vs India, second Test ✍️ ▶️
Not got Sky? Stream England vs India no contract 📺
Got Sky Sports? Watch cricket on the Sky Sports app 📱

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Zak Crawley was out for a duck in England's second innings, after playing a loose drive against Mohammed Siraj

One solace, perhaps, is that India have shredded two reviews ahead of a final day which will begin with Ollie Pope (24no) and Harry Brook (15no) - the latter having shared a stand of 303 with Jamie Smith in the first innings from 84-5 - at the crease.

England have only had one draw in 37 Tests in the Bazball era - a rain-enforced Ashes stalemate against Australia at Emirates Old Trafford in 2023 - with Ben Stokes' men targeting victories at all costs in that time and pulling off a number of remarkable chases.

One of those came in the first Test of this series as the hosts reached 371 in Leeds and another occurred at Edgbaston against India in 2022 when tons from Joe Root and the now-jettisoned Jonny Bairstow cinched an England-high 378 only three down.

Picking off this mammoth target - 190 more than the record Test chase of 418 West Indies achieved versus Australia in Antigua in 2002 and 72 more than the highest in all first-class cricket - is now surely even beyond Stokes' trailblazers.

A draw is not totally of the equation, though, on a pitch still good for batting but the exits of Crawley and Duckett - who shared an opening stand of 188 in that Headingley heist last month - and latterly Root were an evening hammer blow as India's new-ball quicks, once again, enjoyed more joy than their English counterparts.

More to follow.

Watch day four of the second Test between England and India live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.15am Saturday (11am first ball) or stream without a contract.