It was India’s game to lose. England were not supposed to win the third Test, considering the position they were in. After both teams were tied at a first innings total of 387, England managed to scamper through with 192 in their second. But this time, the pitch had something in it. There was uneven bounce, and the odd ball was sticking on the surface. Yashasvi Jaiswal lost his wicket in the first over of Jofra Archer. The spinners were onto something, except England didn’t have one. Their only spinner, Shoaib Bashir, was sidelined due to a finger injury. He came on to bowl in the latter stages of the last day, and made an impact when it mattered the most. India came in to bat on the evening of the penultimate day, with a target that was within reach.
But India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal in Jofra Archer’s first over. The left-handed batter was not in his element and seemed jittery. Jaiswal could not maintain the fine line between flamboyant and irresponsible shot-making. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener drove towards the latter and as a result, England got their breakthrough. This was just what they needed with the target under 200. Former England pacer Stuart Broad put forth his opinion on the matter. He said that it was quite surprising to see the left-hander go for the pull, rather than the cut. He also stressed on the fact that it did England a world of good to get the early inroad. India were eventually reduced to 58/4 on stumps on the second-last day of the match.
The opener got a century in his very first Test on English soil, just like in Australia. The innings at Headingley was full of class. It seemed as if he knew perfectly what he was doing and where his off-stump was. However, the youngster from Mumbai has managed just a solitary fifty-plus score in the next five innings. And that will make him worry. His shot selection has become the talk of the town after his dismissal in the second innings of the third Test.
Broad also touched on how the opener’s wicket was massive in terms of the outcome of the game. He said that once Karun Nair came in, England could be much more aggressive with their fields to put pressure on the visitors. Ravindra Jadeja’s efforts went in vain, as he tried to recover the sinking ship after India were reduced to 82/7 on the fifth Day. In the context of the series, it gave England a lead. The hosts will walk into Manchester with confidence, and the Indians will be itching to get revenge.
