London: A sixth Test hundred by England wicketkeeper Matt Prior, and an unbeaten 74 by Stuart Broad put the hosts in a commanding position in the Lord's Test, after a hostile spell of fast bowling by Ishant Sharma led to an Indian fightback on day four of the Lord's Test on Sunday.
At stumps, India were 80/1 having lost Abhinav Mukund (12), and still 378 away from their victory target with Rahul Dravid (34) and VVS Laxman (32) at the crease.Broad picked up Mukund's wicket for the second time in the match, as India were dealt an early blow in their second innings.
Mukund was out for 12 as he chopped one on to his stumps very much like the first innings, when he was played on off the same bowler.
Dravid opened the innings in the absence of Gautam Gambhir who was rushed to the hospital after suffering an injury on his left arm.
Earlier, Prior and Broad were involved in an unbroken stand of 162 for the seventh wicket as the home team declared their second innings at 269/6.
The two came to the crease with the English innings in tatters at 107/6, and went on to take the hosts to a position where they can now dictate terms on the last day of the historic 2000th Test.
Prior struck five fours and a six on his way to an unbeaten 103, while Broad joined in the party with nine boundaries.
Prior brought up his 17th Test fifty as England progressed to 174/6 at tea.
After figures of 0/128 from 32 overs in the first innings, Sharma struck like a bolt of lightning, as England who were comfortably placed at 54/1, went into lunch at 72/5.
Sharma rocked the English middle order taking the prized scalps of Kevin Pietersen (1), Ian Bell (0) and Jonathan Trott (22).
Pietersen (1) who scored an unbeaten double ton in the first innings was done in by a snorter from Sharma that bounced high on him and brushed his gloves for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to complete an easy catch.
Bell was the next batsman to be dismissed as he edged a delivery from Sharma that was moving slightly away from him into the gloves of Dhoni, who took his third catch of the innings. Bell faced five deliveries but failed to open his account.
Sharma then castled Trott with a beauty to reduce the hosts to 62/5 before Morgan and Prior made sure that there were no further casualties for England in the opening session.
Sharma picked up his fourth wicket of the innings when he accounted for Morgan (19 ) to leave England six down soon after lunch.
Morgan's attempt to hook Sharma only went as far as Gambhir who took a brilliant diving catch.
After going wicketless in the first innings, Harbhajan Singh provided India with their second wicket of the innings by trapping England captain Andrew Strauss leg before wicket for 32.
England lost the wicket of Alastair Cook (1) early as India's hero in the first innings, Praveen Kumar managed to induce an edge, which was snapped up by Dhoni behind the stumps.
With no Zaheer Khan available to bowl and the England lead about to touch 200, India went into the fourth day of the historic 100th Test between the two teams seeking divine intervention in form of either rain or helpful conditions to bowl the home team out.
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