Ind vs Eng 2nd test: 180* not out innings for England skipper Joe Root puts England in command of the match. Day 3 completely belonged to England as they take 27 runs first-innings lead. Mohammed Siraj and Ishant Sharma fought hard to restrict England under 400. Day 2 saw a recovering from England.
Ind vs Eng 2nd test day 3, 1st Session: Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow a headache for team India.
Day 3 started where it was left. Both batsmen were well set and no way through them as it seems. Root was consistent in getting runs while Bairstow was aggressive right from the start. Root did not waste time reaching his 50 in 82 deliveries with a lovely square drive. Indian Openers shines bright on day 1.
The pitch changed with nothing much for the bowlers. With the sun out it looked like a day for batting. England proved it by neutralizing the Indian pace attack quite comfortably.
The main problem for India was the singles which were proving difficult to stop.
Meanwhile, Bairstow also brought up his 50 in 90 balls. The ball was 70 overs old and India was trying to quickly complete the 80 overs mark for a new ball. England finished the session with no additional lose wicket.
Session 1 stat: [ 28 overs ] [ 97 runs ] [ 0 wicket ] [ 3.46 run rate ].
Post Lunch Session: Congradulation to Joe Root for reaching 9000 runs.
A change in strategy proved handy for India. As Bairstow ( 57 runs from 107 balls, 7(4) ) could not handle a bouncer from Mohammed Siraj hitting the gloves and an easy catch for Virat Kohli at slip. England 229-4.
Root completes his 22nd century on facing his 200th delivery with a quick single.
Jos Buttler ( 23 runs from 42 deliveries, 4(4) ) came to join Root and he did so for some time. However, an inswinger delivery from Ishant Sharma found a gap between bat and pad to rattle his off stump. On the other end, Joe Root continued to impress everyone. England 283-5.
Moeen Ali batting calmly with leaving a majority of the deliveries faced. He put up a handy partnership with Root to shrink India’s advantage. Ali smashed 4 boundaries after finding his touch.
Session 2 stats: [ 25 overs ] [ 98 runs ] [ 2 wickets ] [ 3.92 run rate ].
Ind vs Eng 2nd test: Finally a session which belonged to India.
India failed to stop the singles which proved to be the game-changer. With England having the upper hand, Root was given a life in the gully by Rohit Sharma who failed to react to a cut shot. Which eventually marked Root’s 150 runs. Well played.
Moeen Ali’s ( 27 runs from 72 balls, 4(4) ) patience broke trying to go after a little bit wider delivery. A nice catch from Virat in the slip. Ishant Sharma was on a hat-trick when Sam Curran ( 0 of 1 ball) was also caught in the 2nd slip on the first ball. England 341-7.
Ollie Robinson ( 6 runs from 22 balls. 1(4) ) did not last long enough to support Root. He was LBWed by Mohammed Siraj. Mark Wood ( 5 runs from 23 balls ) was a victim of a run-out from a miscommunication. England 371-9.
Joe Root ( 180* runs from 321 balls, 18(4) ) improvised for gathering as much run as possible before getting all out. Before, Anderson ( 0 of 16 balls ) was bowled by Mohammed Shami missing the line of the ball.
Session 3 stats: [ 30 overs ] [ 77 runs ] [ 5 wickets ] [ 2.57 run rate ].
Bowling Figures: Jasprit Bumrah: [ 26-6-79-0 ], Ishant Sharma: [ 24-4-69-3 ], Mohammed Shami: [ 26-3-95-2 ], Mohammed Siraj: [ 30-7-94-4 ], Ravindra Jadeja: [ 22-1-43-0 ].
