England takes a massive lead of 186 runs over India and is the clear favourite to win this match after a fantastic 150 by Joe Root, who is now the second-highest run scorer in Test cricket.
It was Day three of the fourth England vs India Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The match is being played at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, and the home team won the toss, deciding to bat first. India, while batting first, got off to a decent start, as the opening partnership made 94 runs. KL Rahul nearly missed out on a 50, and Yashasvi Jaiswal made one.
Captain Shubman Gill, for a second match in a row, failed to perform, while young batter Sai Sudharsan, coming in place of Karun Nair in this match, was the team’s highest run scorer at 61.
The big story for the Indian Cricket Team was Rishabh Pant. On Day One, the wicketkeeper-batter saw a ball strike him on his right foot. The impact resulted in a compound fracture for Pant. But despite the doctor suggesting to him a six-week break, he came back out to bat on Day Two and even scored a half-century. Shardul Thakur batted well too, but India was all out for 358.
In response, the Three Lions got off to an excellent start. The opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett scored 166 runs together. Crawley made 84, while Duckett made 95 runs at a fairly quick pace. Day Two ended with England on 225/2, trailing India by 133 runs.
After dominating the second day, Day Three was going to belong to England as well. The day’s play started with Joe Root and Ollie Pope on strike. In a few overs after the start, Root surpassed Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis’ Test run mark, becoming the second-highest run-scorer in the format. England went into lunch with him still being 80-or-so runs behind Ricky Ponting’s all-time Test run tally.
Check Out: Joe Root Breaks Record As England Dominates Day 3
At this point, two wickets fell quickly. First, Pope got out for 71, and then Harry Brook was dismissed for just three.
But then, Root built a mammoth 142-run partnership with captain Ben Stokes. The two men first brought the English into the lead in this game and then all but took the match away from India. By the time Root got out for 150, the score was 499/5, with England in a lead of 141.
And with that score, Root now has 13409 runs in Test cricket, the second most in history. Only the great Sachin Tendulkar stands ahead of him, with a difference of 2512 runs between the two.
Some time before Root’s dismissal, Stokes started facing some fitness issues. So much so that he had to leave the field, retiring hurt. This could have come as a big blow for the team, seeing that Joe Root got out immediately after.
Towards the end of the day’s play, Jamie Smith scored just nine runs before he got out, and Chris Woakes scored just four before he was dismissed. So, on the day, rather than sending out tailenders like Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, Stokes took to the field once again and played out some dangerous overs by the Indian spinners.
At the end of Day Three, Liam Dawson was at the strike at 21, and Ben Stokes was at the other end at 77. England’s score was 544/7, with them being in a 186-run lead. 93 overs were bowled on the day, and 319 runs were scored at an economy of 3.4.
As for the Indian Cricket Team, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar have been the standout performers with the ball, having taken two wickets each. This is a crucial game for India. Already 2-1 down after three matches, a loss here would mean a series loss for them, so they need a win or a draw here to keep the series alive.
Check Out: Joe Root Breaks Record As England Dominates Day 3
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