Ojha takes five as India force England to follow on
India forced England to follow on after the visitors folded for 191 with left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha grabbing his career's fourth five-wicket haul in the first cricket Test here today.
India, who had made a massive 521 for 8 declared yesterday, enforced the follow on and an early tea was taken by the two teams.
Ojha finished with superb figures of 5 for 45 in 22.2 overs and he was supported well by his off-spin partner R Ashwin who was more expensive by giving away 80 runs in 27 overs while bagging three wickets.
The other two wickets fell to medium pacers Umesh Yadav and Zaheer Khan.
England, who started the day at 41 for 3, were pushed to the brink before lunch when they were reduced to 110 for 7.
The visitors fought back a bit through Matt Prior (48) and Tim Bresnan (19) before losing all their wickets.
Prior, who faced 100 balls while striking four fours, was the last man out when he stepped out to Ojha and lost his off stump after having kept the Indians at bay in the company of Bresnan with whom he added 47 runs in 71 minutes.
Prior's was the top score of the innings with only captain Alastair Cook (41) being the only other batsman to cross 40 in a pathetic display against the hosts' spin attack.
Prior, who had come to the wicket at the fall of Ian Bell when the total was a miserable 69 before lunch, top-scored for the visitors with positive intent while most others looked clueless.
India's hopes of wrapping up the England first innings quickly after lunch suffered a setback when he and Bresnan defied the hosts for 71 minutes after both survived chances on either side of lunch.
Bresnan, who was dropped by Virender Sehwag on 6 at slip, was caught at second slip by Virat Kohli off the outside edge when Ojha made a ball bounce a bit more than he expected.
He faced 112 balls and hit a couple of boundaries in his 19, but more importantly showed better application than most of the other frontline batsmen. This brought vice-captain Stuart Broad to the crease with Prior.
Broad took on Ashwin, striking the off spinner for two fours and a straight-field loft for a six.
India shuffled their bowlers constantly and Ojha got the breakthrough by dismissing Bresnan and then followed it up with the wicket of Prior after Zaheer got his only wicket of the innings by trapping Broad leg before.
Ojha had earlier picked up two wickets off successive balls in the first session.
Ojha, who took one wicket in England's overnight 41 for 3, packed off a nervous-looking Kevin Pietersen (17) and a clueless Ian Bell (0) at the same score of 69 while Ashwin broke through the stubborn defense of rival skipper Alastair Cook (41 in 149 minutes) with a big off break eleven runs later.
Yadav, not given a ball to bowl till the 48th over, struck in his first over late in the second hour of play by trapping Samit Patel (10) as the batsman attempted to turn to leg.
Umpire Aleem Dar, who did not uphold a very confident leg before appeal against the same batsman off Ashwin earlier, this time raised his finger.
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