India are on the verge of losing the ongoing rescheduled fifth Test against England at the Edgbaston as the Ben Stokes-led side are just 80 runs away from clinching the final Test with seven wickets in hand on Day 5.
Meanwhile, former Pakistan ace spinner Danish Kaneria lambasted India head coach Rahul Dravid for the exclusion of India's star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from the fifth Test between India and England.
The no.2 Test bowler was not selected in India's playing XI for the re-arranged Test match.
Jasprit Bumrah-led side posted a 378-run target against England after adding 245 runs in their second innings. In reply, Alex Lees (56) and Zak Crawley (46) sticthed a 107-run opening partnership before Joe Root (108*) and Jonny Bairstow (92*) steered the English side to the brink of winning the match.
Kaneria said that the Indian team is paying the price of a bad selection call as the bowlers struggled to take wickets on Day 4.
"Winning to losing position team India at Edgbaston. Why Ravichandran Ashwin was not in playing eleven who made the call, Dravid, as coach played so much in England, know the condition very well it’s England summer where the wickets get baked and dry and from day 3 ball gets to spin, where there is seam it will spin because of moisture. Only Bumrah looks that he can do wonders. India made the mistake and paying the price," Kaneria said.
Earlier, till Day 4, Root and Bairstow put England on course for a ground-breaking run chase against India despite Jasprit Bumrah's brilliance on Day four of the rescheduled fifth Test, setting up a fitting series finale.
Skipper Bumrah brought India back in the game with wickets on either side of the lunch break after England openers Alex Lees (56 off 65) and Zak Crawley (46 off 76) finally found form and shared a 107-run stand chasing a record 378-run target.
From 107 for loss, it soon became 109 for three before the dangerous duo of Root (76 batting off 112) and Bairstow (72 batting off 87) frustrated the Indians with a commanding 150-run partnership off just 197 balls.
England were 259 for three at stumps on day four, needing a very gettable 119 runs for a series levelling victory.
Though the wicket did not offer much help, Indian bowlers were unable to maintain pressure on the English batters who played with the aggression that has become hallmark of the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum's school of cricket.
It also helped that India deployed very defensive spread out field, letting England batters rotated the strike.
Bairstow, who is in the form of his life, was dropped on 14 by Hanuma Vihari and he made India pay dearly for it.
With Ben Stokes and Sam Billing still to come, India will need something special to pull off a win from here. India's bowling performance in the second innings was reminiscent of their struggles in South Africa where they failed to defend target twice after winning the series opener.
