England openers decimated India's bowling attack to hand the home team a clear edge in the fourth Test in Manchester on Thursday.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett got England off to a flying start but both fell short of deserved centuries. Their efforts did not go to waste, though, as the hosts raced to 225-2 in just 46 overs in reply to India's 358, trailing by just 133 runs.
Captain Ben Stokes had earlier picked up five wickets to restrict India to well below 400 even as injured wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant made a fighting fifty.
Crawley (84) and Duckett (94) shared an opening stand of 166 - the pair's fifth century partnership in 53 Test innings together.
Crawley played some trademark stylish drives as India's seam bowlers failed to get anywhere as much purchase as their English counterparts managed in the first innings.
Crawley, however, fell short of what would have been his sixth century in 58 Tests when he edged spinner Ravindra Jadeja to slip where KL Rahul held a fine low catch.
It ended a fine 113-ball innings that featured 13 fours and a six.
Duckett, meanwhile, went on the attack from the start and played hardly any false strokes. He relayed his intentions by smashing three fours off debutant Anshul Kamboj's first over in Test cricket.
Kamboj, who was called in for injured all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, was largely ineffective like most of the Indian attack.
Duckett also flicked Jasprit Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, off his pads for two fours in three balls as the hosts motored along at five runs an over.
The left-hander was eyeing his second hundred of the series, following a brilliant 149 in England's five-wicket win in the first Test at Headingley, when he edged a cut off Kamboj to reserve wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, deputising for the injured Pant.
Duckett trudged off with England 197-2. Ollie Pope and Joe Root then took England to safety.
Earlier, Pant returned to action despite a fracture in his foot.
The vice-captain had to retire hurt on 37 during Wednesday's opening day when he took a painful blow on the foot attempting an audacious reverse-sweep off a Chris Woakes yorker.
After Shardul Thakur fell to Stokes for 41, leaving India 314-6, Pant slowly made his way down the dressing room steps and out into the middle.
The left-hander's movements were restricted but runners are no longer allowed in international cricket.
With enough help in the pitch to keep England interested, Stokes gleefully cleaned up the tail at the other end.
When Kamboj was caught behind off the England skipper for a duck, Stokes had his first five-wicket haul in a Test since a career-best 6-22 against the West Indies at Lord's in 2017.
The all-rounder finished with 5-72 in 24 overs.
Pant reached his half-century in 69 balls, including a pulled six off Jofra Archer despite his lack of mobility, before he was bowled by the paceman for 54.
England lead the series 2-1 and are favourites to clinch the series at Old Trafford.
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
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Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
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Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Results
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
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If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
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Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why the Tourist Club?
Originally, The Club (which many people chose to call the “British Club”) was the only place where one could use the beach with changing rooms and a shower, and get refreshments.
In the early 1970s, the Government of Abu Dhabi wanted to give more people a place to get together on the beach, with some facilities for children. The place chosen was where the annual boat race was held, which Sheikh Zayed always attended and which brought crowds of locals and expatriates to the stretch of beach to the left of Le Méridien and the Marina.
It started with a round two-storey building, erected in about two weeks by Orient Contracting for Sheikh Zayed to use at one these races. Soon many facilities were planned and built, and members were invited to join.
Why it was called “Nadi Al Siyahi” is beyond me. But it is likely that one wanted to convey the idea that this was open to all comers. Because there was no danger of encountering alcohol on the premises, unlike at The Club, it was a place in particular for the many Arab expatriate civil servants to join. Initially the fees were very low and membership was offered free to many people, too.
Eventually there was a skating rink, bowling and many other amusements.
Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 1968.
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