On the third day of the third test in Rajkot, England was all out for 319 after India’s first innings total of 445. Ben Duckett, the England opener, scored the most with a quick 153, while captain Ben Stokes chipped in with 41.
The Indian with the highest score, Mohammed Siraj, claimed 4-84. At 1-1, the five-test series stays tied.
After being soundly battered by England’s openers yesterday evening, India was out and faced a difficult day on the field. That didn’t happen, though, as India showed up today with a brilliant bowling performance, even if Ashwin’s absence left them with fewer resources.
The bowler who took the most of the blow, Kuldeep Yadav, was a very different player today than he was the day before. Joe Root was first removed by Bumrah, which set off a very dramatic collapse. With just 319 runs scored off just 89 balls, Stokes was the only player to muster any significant resistance.
Ben Duckett’s Superb Knock
After the third Test day two ended on February 16, Michael Vaughan praised Ben Duckett’s amazing hundred in Rajkot and Ollie Pope’s outstanding 196 in Hyderabad.
After the hosts struck 445 on day two, England trailed India by just 238 runs at stumps, thanks to Duckett’s unbeaten 133 off just 118 balls.
Vaughan, in an interview with BBC Sport, described it as a fantastic day of Test cricket and likened Duckett’s hit to Pope’s genius in Hyderabad, which set up England’s victory in the opening Test.
Controlled Bowling by Indians
On Day 3 of the third Test in Rajkot, Mohammed Siraj displayed his bowling brilliance by taking four wickets, and Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja each claimed two wickets. This effort saw England dismissed for 319 in 71.1 overs.
During the morning session, England, who were 290/5 at lunch, faced a collapse as Siraj scalped the wickets of Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, and James Anderson, while Jadeja accounted for the dangerous Ben Stokes (41) and Tom Hartley.
After starting the day at 207/2, Joe Root (18) only managed to add nine runs to his overnight total before being removed by Jasprit Bumrah, causing early setbacks for England.
After Root left, Kuldeep trapped Jonny Bairstow in front of the wicket, preventing him from opening his account. Then, at 260/5, Kuldeep struck once again, dismissing Duckett to further damage England’s innings.
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