India take 18-run lead in first Test (Tea report)

Nottingham, July 12 (IANS) India needed only 4.5 overs at the start of the second session, unlike the morning, to bowl out England for 496 and then score 57/1 to take a lead of 18 runs in their second innings at tea on Day 4 of the first Test at Trent Bridge here Saturday.

The visitors finally ended their frustration when tailender James Anderson (81) was caught brilliantly by Shikhar Dhawan at first slip off the bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who clinched the first five-wicket haul of his Test career (5/82).

This brought an end to the record 10th-wicket partnership between Anderson and Joe Root which helped the hosts get out of a precarious position Friday and take a 39-run first innings lead. England added 11 runs post lunch as Root remained unbeaten on 154.

In their second innings, India were batting at 57/1 when tea was called with opener Murali Vijay not out on 19 and Cheteshwar Pujara not out on 8.

Dhawan was the only wicket to fall just before tea when he hit back a full toss to be caught and bowled by spinner Moeen Ali.

Earlier, Root and Anderson's partnership of 198 runs became the highest 10th-wicket partnership in Test cricket, surpassing the previous record held by Australia's Phillip Hughes and Ashton Agar, who together made 163 against England in July 2013 on the very same ground.

The duo not only bailed out England but helped the hosts take a first innings lead of 39 runs.

Resuming the day at 352/9, Root and Anderson put on another 133 runs in 34 overs in the morning session to take the hosts to 485/9 against India's first innings total of 457. The Indian bowlers, who appeared quite lethal Friday, were completely helpless and failed to scalp the last wicket.

Root, who resumed at 78 not out, brought up his fourth century in Tests. The 23-year-old hit 15 boundaries in his 295-ball knock. He was given good support by Anderson, who also achieved a personal milestone by scoring his first ever half-century in his 95th Test.

This is also the first time that there have been two century partnerships for the 10th wicket in one match after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami put on 111 runs during India's first innings Friday.