After putting up a commanding 587 in the first innings, India struck early blows by removing Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Zak Crawley to end Day 2 on a high. Though Joe Root and Harry Brook attempted to steady the ship with a brief stand, England still faced an uphill battle. The pressure mounted on Day 3 when Mohammed Siraj delivered a double blow, dismissing Root and skipper Ben Stokes in back-to-back deliveries. His fiery spell left England reeling at 84/5.
Harry Brook and keeper-batter Jamie Smith now have the difficult job of rescuing England and avoiding a follow-on, which is looming large. Even in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian pacers have put on a great show, with Siraj picking up three and Akash Deep clinching two. As the day progresses, India captain Shubman Gill is likely to use Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.
On Day 2, in the first innings, when the ball got relatively old, England brought in spinners, which benefited them in the middle. The ball was turning well, and courtesy of that, Shoaib Bashir clinched three wickets, while Root picked up one. If the surface behaves similarly on Day 3, India will be hoping to end England’s innings early.
Brook completes half-century
Brook completed his half-century on Day 3. After losing the wickets of Root and Stokes, the England batter accelerated and completed his half-century in style. On the other side, Smith too played an attacking brand of cricket and will hope to rescue England from the spot. The home team depends heavily on their success at the moment, as the bowlers will follow next.
Meanwhile, this was only the second instance in England’s Test cricket history when three of their top 6 batters registered a duck. For India, they will have to end England’s stay soon, else the game can head towards a draw.