India vs England 5th Test: 4-1 on cards after Alastair Cook bows out with fantastic farewell century

Sep 10 (AZINS) Alastair Cook marked his final test innings in fairytale fashion with a century as England closed in on another victory over India.

India, 58/3 at the end of day four, were staring at defeat after Cook's farewell knock and Joe Root's classy hundred enabled England to pile more misery during the penultimate day of the fifth and final Test.

Courtesy the twin hundreds, England had declared their second innings on 423/8 with a massive target of 464 for the Indians.

India then lost their first three wickets for two runs as the top-order once again faltered. James Anderson removed Shikhar Dhawan (1) and Cheteshwar Pujara (0) lbw in his second over. Stuart Broad then sent back Indian captain Virat Kohli for a golden duck.

KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane steadied the ship somewhat to end the day on 58-3. Rahul played some attractive shots to reach 46 at the close with Rahane on 10.

Cook's last stand

Earlier, Alastair Cook was earned himself numerous standing ovations from the crowd. The longest and loudest coming when he completed his 33rd test century before lunch. England's most-capped test player and highest run scorer made a dogged 147 off 286 balls in his final knock.

Skipper Root too roared back to form with a stylish 125, his first hundred in 28 innings, as the duo grinded the Indian bowling into submission with 259-run stand.

Root and Cook were dismissed in consecutive balls by part-time off spinner Hanuma Vihari. The opener walked off to a standing ovation as well as congratulatory handshakes from the Indian team.

England added some quick runs before declaring.

India in trouble

Jimmy Anderson (2/23) equalled Glenn McGrath's 563 Test wickets and is expected to break the record on Tuesday while Stuart Broad (1/17) with 433 wickets is just one short of Kapil Dev's (434 wickets).

Dhawan's poor technique was once again exposed as he was adjudged plumb leg before to an incoming delivery from Anderson.

Ditto for Pujara, who got a sharp incutter that breached his defence. He wanted a DRS but was late in appealing for one.

Skipper Virat Kohli after a tremendous English summer where he scored 593 runs finally got out for a duck as he nicked one off Broad to Jonny Bairstow, leaving India in tatters.

A day to remember

It was special day as Cook brought up his 33rd hundred his last appearance to join a select band of players having scored a hundred on debut and final Test. He is fifth in the list after Reginal Duff, Bill Ponsford, Greg Chappell and Mohammed Azharuddin.

Cook was on record-breaking spree. First, on 76, he went past Kumar Sangakkara as the highest-scoring left-handed batsman in Test cricket history, and will finish as the fifth-highest run-scorer overall after Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid.

This was his seventh Test hundred against India, more than any other English batsman, ahead of Kevin Pietersen's six hundreds. He is now also the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket after Ponting (2555 runs).

With 15 hundreds in second innings in Test cricket, he also over took Sangakkara's record of 14 hundreds.