Team India bowlers seemed to have lost their way on Day 3 of the second Test in the five-match series against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Friday, July 4.
After being bundled out for 587 in 151 overs on Day 2, thanks to a double century by Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fifties, and Washington Sundar’s vital contribution in the lower order, Team India gained the upper hand with early breakthroughs in England’s first innings, reducing them to 25/3 in 7.1 overs.
However, England steadied themselves and finished the day at 77/3 in 20 overs, with Joe Root and Harry Brook unbeaten on 18 and 30, respectively. The hosts still trail by 510 runs. On Day 3, the hosts were left reeling again, thanks to a double strike by Mohammed Siraj, who dismissed Joe Root (22) and Ben Stokes (0) on consecutive deliveries, further reducing England to 84/5 in 21.4 overs.
India let it slip away from a strong positionAfter Mohammed Siraj's double strike in the morning session of Day 3 of the Edgbaston Test, the momentum was very much on India’s side as they put England under pressure early in their first innings batting, and were expected to tighten the noose further and bowl out the hosts cheaply.
But things have gone downhill since then, with India beginning to lose control of the innings. After Ben Stokes’ dismissal at 84/5, Harry Brook was joined by Jamie Smith to carry on England’s innings. Both are dangerous batters and products of the ‘Bazball’ approach, adopted by the captain-coach duo of Stokes and Brendon McCullum. As soon as Brook and Smith began to revive England’s batting from a shambolic situation, the Indian bowling attack looked increasingly toothless, unable to sustain pressure or consistent lines.
Jamie Smith was the batter who took away India’s momentum with his ultra-aggressive batting approach and completed his century in just 80 balls, making him the fastest England wicketkeeper to reach the three-figure mark in Test cricket. Then, the century by Harry Brook further added to India’s woes, as the pair has not only pulled the team out of a shambolic but also swung the momentum in England’s favour.
From 84/5, Jamie Smith and Harry Brook took England 300-run mark before the Tea mark, stitching together a game-changing partnership, leaving Indian bowlers frustrated with their mix of counter-attacking and smart shot selection.
Indian bowlers struggled to regain their momentum as Smith’s ultra-aggressive batting and Brook’s assertive approach blunted the attack, neutralised the early breakthroughs, and turned the tide completely in England’s favour by the end of the second session.
India’s bowling slide reflects familiar flaws from the Headingley batting collapsesIndia is losing momentum after being in a strong bowling position was eerily reminiscent of their twin batting collapses at Headingley, where the visitors let their dominant position slip away.
In the first innings of the Edgbaston, Shubman Gill (147) and Rishabh Pant (134) stitched a crucial 219-run partnership for the fourth wicket until the Indian skipper’s dismissal at 430/4. Thereafter, India were triggered by a batting collapse as they were eventually bundled out for 471, losing the remaining six wickets for 41 runs. The lower order failed to carry on the momentum built by Gill and Pant.
A similar pattern was followed in the second innings, where India were at 333/5 and once again the lower order collapsed as they bundled out for 364, losing the remaining five wickets in just 31 runs.
The two batting collapses at Headingley somewhat reflected a slide in India’s bowling after being dominant position, highlighting the team’s recurring inability to sustain pressure and close out sessions—whether with bat or ball—despite gaining early control.
Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj regain India’s momentumAfter losing momentum to Jamie Smith and Harry Brook’s batting dominance across two sessions on Day 3, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj have finally managed to break through in the final session. Akash dismissed Harry Brook for 158, breaking his 303-run stand for the sixth wicket with Jamie Smith at 387/6
Then, Akash Deep removed Chris Woakes for 5 at 395/7. Thereafter, Mohammed Siraj wrapped up England’s innings by taking the remaining three wickets of Brydon Carse (0), Josh Tongue (0), and Shoaib Bashir (0) to eventually bundle out the hosts for 407. This was much-needed relief for India, who looked completely deflated during the Brook-Smith onslaught but managed to claw back in time to retain a significant 182-run first innings lead.
Jamie Smith remained unbeaten on 184 off 207 balls. With three remaining wickets, Mohammed Siraj has completed a six-wicket haul while conceding 70 runs in 19.1 overs. Siraj received solid support from Akash Deep, who registered figures of 4/88 in 20 overs.
