Mian Shakeel Aslam : England finally saw off Rahul Dravid as they closed in on a 4-0 series rout of India at The Oval on on the fourth day of last Test..
Dravid bravely batted for more than seven hours in the fourth Test before England finally found a way to break "The Wall".
But the tourists, following on, were 3-129 in their second innings at the close of the fourth day, still 162 runs behind England s first innings of 6-591 declared.
Sachin Tendulkar - bidding for an unprecedented 100th international century - was 25 not out, with nightwatchman Amit Mishra on eight.
England need just seven more wickets on the final day to complete a 4-0 series clean sweep for the first time since a home whitewash of the West Indies in 2004.
"It s been a tough series," said Dravid, who carried his bat for an undefeated 146 in the first innings.
Meanwhile, England off-spinner Graeme Swann, who removed both Dravid and Virender Sehwag before stumps, was looking forward to bowling on a last-day pitch already offering turn.
"It excites me, especially after you play a whole season on belting batting and seaming wickets," Swann said. "It is nice to get a spinning wicket.
India resumed on Sunday in the desperate first-innings position of 5-103, with Dravid on 57 not out and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on five.
But Dhoni, who never looked settled, was out for 17 when he pushed tentatively at a James Anderson outswinger and was caught behind.
Dravid, responsible for all three India centuries this series, sped through the 90s and made a hundred for the second time while opening in the absence of regular opener Gautam Gambhir.
Dravid s 35th Test century took him in front of hero Sunil Gavaskar s mark of 34 tons, and fourth in the all-time list behind Tendulkar (51), South Africa s Jacques Kallis (40) and Australia s Ricky Ponting (39).
India started the second session on 6-218, with Dravid 109 not out and Mishra, who d driven Swann for six off the last ball before lunch, on 38.
However, Mishra added just five more runs before he was brilliantly caught by a diving Ian Bell at an unusually positioned short backward square leg off a pull shot against Tim Bresnan.
The new ball got Gambhir - who suffered concussion while fielding on Friday - when he fended at Stuart Broad and was caught by Kevin Pietersen at gully.
Bresnan struck twice in three balls as India were bowled out for 300 - the first time they reached the score this series.
Dravid contributed nearly 50 per cent of India s first innings total thanks to a masterful 146 not out in 266 balls, including 20 fours.
He was only the third Indian after Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag to carry his bat in a Test innings, but India were still 92 adrift of avoiding the follow-on at the conclusion of their innings.
The selfless Dravid kept his pads on for the second dig but his resistance ended controversially when, on 13, he turned Swann to Alastair Cook at short leg.
Umpire Rod Tucker said not out but England asked for a review and Tucker s fellow Australian Steve Davis gave Dravid out. However, replays indicated the ball may have gone to Cook straight off Dravid s pad.
Sehwag made a typically dashing 33 before he was bowled between bat and pad by Swann in a classic off-spinner s dismissal.
England nabbed one more wicket before stumps when VVS Laxman, who has had a wretched series, was bowled for 24 by a superb Anderson delivery that angled in and uprooted his off stump.
Posted By : Mian Shakeel Aslam
Source : http://twitter.com/#!/MianShakeel
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