From Ben Duckett’s unbeaten innings of 133, R. Ashwin’s 500th wicket to Sarfaraz’s comeback, the 3rd test saw it all. At the end of the day, England will be the happier team even if India scored 445 in the first innings.
A much waited century and wickets:
The match has gained the attention of many as Day 2 of the Third Test starts with England’s leading batsman Ben Duckett’s fearless quick-fire century, helping Ben Stokes’ team reach 207-2 in only 35 overs. After the tea break, came spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who grabbed his 500th Test wicket. Before the end of the third session, Siraj claimed the much-needed wicket of Ollie Pope (39). It is the Duckett who achieved the quickest century by an England batsman in a Test match.
India reached a milestone of 445:
With the start of day 2, England falls behind India by 238 runs. The day saw contributions from Dhruv Jurel (46), Ravichandran Ashwin (37), and Jasprit Bumrah (26), as India scored a huge 445 in their innings. With the quick dismissals of Kuldeep Yadav (4) and Ravindra Jadeja (112) England saw some hope.
To help India, Ashwin and Jurel formed an eighth-wicket partnership of 77 runs. It was Jurel who displayed remarkable poise as well as admirable perseverance and fortitude. As Jurel adjusted to the situation, Ashwin, on the other hand, grabbed control of the scoring, and the two finally put up a fifty-plus run partnership for the eighth wicket.
On the same day, James Anderson claimed his first wicket- Kuldeep with an outside edge. While Jadeja was looking for a flick shot, Joe Root outwitted him with a ball that spun quickly; instead, the ball found a thick edge and returned straight to Root, who completed a perfect catch. It was Rehan Ahmed who took two wickets ( Ashwin and Jurel). Although Mark Wood finished with the highest innings total, with numbers of 4/114.
In the beginning, India saw a 204-run partnership between Rohit and Jadeja, followed by a couple of celebrations in honor of their fourth and eleventh Test centuries respectively. Then, as he misplayed a pull shot, Rohit’s strength unexpectedly turned into a weakness.
Magic of Sarfaraz:
In his first-ever Test match, Sarfaraz Khan gave England a taste of his own medicine by scoring a fifty. India finished the day with a 326/5 total, with the latter remaining unbroken on 110. But Sarfaraz stole the stage, even with his centuries ahead of Rohit and Jadeja’s. He outperformed Jadeja. After starting Test cricket with a single, Sarfaraz did not glance back, even with his father and wife watching from the stands.
Day 2 looks even better for batting. Having said that, there were a few deliveries from the England bowlers that their bowlers and their batsmen will be thinking about. As early as the twelfth over, Tom Hartley was able to produce grip and turn, and by the conclusion of the day, a few even managed to stay low. Alternatively, there is the historic event of Stokes’ 100th Test.
