Day 3 at Edgbaston witnessed an action-packed day where the pendulum swung from one side to another. In the end, Mohammed Siraj’s six-wicket haul assisted by Akash Deep’s four wickets restricted England to 407 despite heroics from Jamie Smith and Harry Brook. India have taken their second innings score to 64/1 in 13 overs with an overall lead of 244 runs with 9 wickets in hand and 2 days of play left weather permitting in Birmingham.
India got off to a great start getting rid of Joe Root and Ben Stokes in consecutive balls to leave England reeling at 84/5. From thereon, we saw a counter-attacking innings from Jamie Smith and Harry Brook as well as both scored over 150 in a 303-run stand for the sixth wicket. The second new ball worked wonders for India as they got the last 5 wickets for 20 runs to take a 180-run lead in the first innings. Mohammed Siraj picked up 6/70 in 19.1 overs while Akash Deep picked up 4/88 in 20 overs.
India came out to bat in the second innings in a tricky last hour and played positively against bad England bowling. Joshua Tongue got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 28 off 22 balls against the run of play. KL Rahul is still there on 28* and Karun Nair is with him on 7* with a lead of 244 runs and 2 days of play left.
Jamie Smith and Harry Brook pulverise India after Joe Root and Ben Stokes falls early in the morning session
India got off to a perfect start on Day 3 as Mohammed Siraj in the second over of the day got Joe Root strangled down the leg side for 22 while captain Ben Stokes fell to a brute of a delivery first ball as Siraj was on a hat-trick. England were reduced to 84/5 in 21.4 overs. Jamie Smith faced the hat-trick ball and negotiated it well by hitting a boundary. But what followed was absolute carnage from the English duo.
Suddenly, India decided to try the short-pitched bowling to Jamie Smith and he obliged by taking Prasidh Krishna to the cleaners. He was hit for 23 in an over and to everyone’s surprise India kept bowling short and got clobbered. Indians lost control of the proceedings as Smith was the aggressor of the two.
Harry Brook played a mature hand but was not slow either but Smith was out of the world. No bowler was spared as even the spinners went for runs. Smith completed a whirlwind hundred before Lunch and he did it in 80 balls which is the joint third fastest by an English batter. He remained unbeaten on 102 off 82 balls while Harry Brook was calm in his 91* off 127 balls.
England reached Lunch with the score reading 249/5 in 47 overs. The hosts scored 172 runs for the loss of two wickets in 27 overs in the afternoon session and won a session for the first time in the Test match. India were clueless and did not know what hit them and had a lot of rethinking to do in the Lunch Break. Giving away over 6 runs an over in a session was indeed a sorry state of affairs from the Indian bowlers.
Harry Brook completes his 9th Test hundred as the duo continue to pile on misery for India in wicketless afternoon session
After Lunch, the duo continued their merry ways and piled on the runs. Harry Brook completed his 9th Test hundred with ease while Smith was looking dangerous. India changed their tactics in the afternoon session by bowling one side of the wicket and went to contain runs rather than take wickets. It may have been the best possible option at that stage looking at the pitch and bowling line up that India has.
There was a half chance when Nitish Kumar Reddy induced an edge from Jamie Smith and Rishabh Pant dived but couldn’t latch on as the ball hit the fingertips and went away for a boundary. But the duo were not giving any chances to the Indian attack who were running out of ideas with this old ball which was not doing anything. The run flow was under control but England looked hardly in trouble if we are honest about the proceedings. Jamie Smith soon got to 150 and looked good for more as he got it in less than run a ball.
The duo racked up milestones after milestones and got past the 250-run mark partnership as well. The odd ball turned and bounced but nothing alarming for the two batters. Soon, Tea Time came and both were unseparated. England went into Tea at 355/5 in 75 overs scoring 106 runs in 28 overs but losing 0 wickets.
Jamie Smith was batting on 157* and Harry Brook with him batting on 140*. It was a better session for India with regards to run flow but it was England’s and India were hoping that Tea Break and second new ball turns things around for them. England’s aim was to continue in the same vein post Tea.
Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep skittle England for 407; India off to a solid start at the close of playÂ
The duo of Harry Brook and Jamie Smith continued their merry ways in the initial part of the session as 5 overs were left before second new ball was due. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar bowled those overs and were easy to negotiate as the spinners were ineffective to say the least. Harry Brook soon completed his 150 and this was his 5th score of 150 or more in Test cricket. It was easy for the duo and India’s hopes lay on the second new ball.
The second new ball did wonders for India and Akash Deep broke the 303-run stand for the sixth wicket which was a record as well. Akash bowled a nip backer which Brook tried to play from the crease with an angled bat. The ball came back in and hit the top of off-stump as Brook went for a magnificent 158 off 234 balls with 17 fours and a six to his name. England lost their sixth wicket at 387 and the floodgates opened from hereon.
Soon Akash Deep got rid of Chris Woakes for 5. He bowled a fuller length delivery which Woakes drove away from the body and got the outside edge through to Karun Nair at first slip who made no mistake. Akash had 4 and India were getting their mojo back.
Mohammed Siraj soon joined the party getting rid of Brydon Carse through an excellent usage of DRS. It was given NOT OUT and was challenged in the nick of time and the replays showed pad first to the ball coming back in. Carse tried to defend but got hit on the pads. Three Reds on Ball Tracking as Carse fell for a duck. Jamie Smith played his shots as he hit Akash for a six and a four in the following over.
But Mohammed Siraj was a man possessed. He was not to be denied as he got rid of Joshua Tongue first ball of the next over. Full delivery that shaped back in, Tongue tried to defend with angled bat and was caught in front. Umpire raised the finger and the batter reviewed in hope and saw three reds on ball tracking.
Shoaib Bashir was hit on the grill by Siraj which required a mandatory concussion test and thereafter next ball, he left a ball that came back and rattled the off-stump. Siraj completed his fourth five-wicket haul and ended with 6/70 in 19.3 overs and was ably supported by Akash Deep who finished with 4/88 in 20 overs. England had six scores of ducks as well apart from the two daddy hundreds.
England finished with 407 in 89.3 overs with 19 extras given by the fielding side. Jamie Smith remained unbeaten on 184 off 207 balls with 21 fours and 4 sixes to his name. India got a lead of 180 runs in the first innings.
India had to come out to bat for an hour under overcast conditions with lights on. But the Indians got off to a positive start against English bowling which was not great as loose balls were served up. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul did not hesitate to put the bad balls away. English bowlers looked a little tired and jaded with the ball.
The openers added 51 for the first wicket before Joshua Tongue against the run of play got rid of Jaiswal for 28 off 22 balls. Jaiswal opted for DRS and wasted it in the process. KL Rahul is still there on 28* off 38 balls while Karun Nair is with him on 7* off 18 balls as India went to close at 64/1 in 13 overs with the lead at 244 runs with 9 wickets in hand. India have their noses in front at this stage.
What Lies Ahead
After 3 days of the engrossing Test match, India have their noses in front in Birmingham. Having said that, they must not let their guard down one bit. They lead by 244 runs with 9 wickets in hand and must aim to bat England out of the game. They cannot give the hosts a sniff.
England will want to roar back with wickets on Day 4 and go for the chase. They never play for a draw. If the target is below 400, Indian fans will be in for another heartbreak courtesy a loss.
Can India drive home the advantage from this position? Or will England come roaring back and surprise the Indians yet again? A fascinating Day 4 awaits us all with more twists and turns one feels.
Also Read: ENG vs IND: Ravichandran Ashwin’s Unique Take On Kuldeep Yadav’s Absence In 2nd Test Match