England have dominated the Manchester Test from start to finish and Day 3 was no different. They did that more so because of their talismanic player Joe Root who scored a majestic ton once again against India his 12th against them and 38th overall. India had little to cheer about through the day till Ravindra Jadeja stepped up and got rid of Joe Root at the fag end of the day.
Joe Root built solid stands with Ollie Pope and then with captain Ben Stokes to take the game away from India totally. It was after Ben retired hurt due to cramps did Joe Root lose a bit of concentration and tempo and ultimately fell for 150 to Ravindra Jadeja. It was a tired shot but credit to Jadeja for being patient and being there grinding it out on a tough day for the Indians.
Joe Root leads England’s dominance on Day 3
Joe Root and Ollie Pope resumed for England on Day 3 at 225/2 and after weathering the Indian burst for around 40 minutes, they started to score freely without breaking a sweat. Indian bowlers looked flat and the team looked bereft of ideas as Washington Sundar was not given the ball till the end of the session while the others looked ineffective. The duo went into Lunch unscathed adding 107 runs in the morning session for 0 wickets.
It was only after the introduction of Washington Sundar did India get quick wickets after Lunch with Pope going for 71 and Brook for 3 as Sundar had 2 wickets. Joe Root and Ollie Pope added 144 off 231 balls for the third wicket. Root was then joined by Stokes as the duo added another 142 off 219 balls for the 5th wicket with Root completing all sorts of records while Stokes retired hurt while batting on 66* due to cramps. It was Stokes going off which might have caused a lapse in concentration for Root.
Joe Root soon completed 150 and added a mere 8 runs with Jamie Smith. Root looked hungry for more but Ravindra Jadeja had other ideas.
Ravindra Jadeja outfoxes Root with a ripper after a brilliant tonÂ
The final Drinks Break was taken after 119 overs after which Jadeja came onto bowl after the interval. Joe Root was on 150 and was on strike and defended the first ball safely. But the second ball was a ripper and it needed that delivery to get the better of Root. Jadeja bowled the delivery from around the wicket. It was a flighted delivery around off that gripped and turned away sharply at 91 km/hr. Jadeja drew Root forward who looked to drive it straight. Root got beaten on the outside edge and dragged his front foot out of his crease. Jurel does the rest by collecting the ball and whipped off the bails in a flash.
India were celebrating although the TV umpire was called in to check. Root was walking and the replays clearly showed that the back leg was clearly out of his crease. OUT was the verdict on the big screen. Jadeja and India had something to cheer about but the score was already 499 at this point for the loss of 5 wickets and the lead already at 141 at this point.
What Lies Ahead
Despite the Root dismissal, England are in command of the game at the end of Day 3. After Root’s wicket. India managed to get rid of Jamie Smith for 9 to Jasprit Bumrah and Chris Woakes fell for 4 to Mohammed Siraj. That made sure that Ben Stokes came back out there to bat to join Liam Dawson. Dawson is batting on 21* off 52 balls while Stokes is now on 77* off 134 balls. Stokes and Dawson have added 16* off 35 balls so far. England are 544/7 with a lead of 186 runs and India staring down the barrel.
England will hope to add as much runs as possible with Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer still to come and will aim to take the lead way beyond 200. India will hope to get the remaining 3 wickets quickly and the have the arduous task of batting with a deficit ahead of them. Things looking bleak for India as even saving a game from here will be an achievement for India. England win looks like the only outcome barring massive weather interruptions. Let’s see what’s instore for us on Day 4 in Manchester.
Also Read:Â ENG vs IND: Records Broken After Ben Stokes & Ben Duckett Dazzle On Day 2