Mohammed Siraj delivered a searing yorker to knock again Zak Crawley’s stumps and finish Day 3 with India firmly in management at The Oval. England, chasing 374 for victory, completed the day at 50/1, nonetheless 324 runs adrift with two full days left within the Take a look at. Whereas Ben Duckett remained unbeaten on 34, Siraj’s late strike ensured that the stress stayed squarely on the hosts.
Nevertheless, as the ultimate over of Day 3 ticked away, Zak Crawley appeared to make use of acquainted delay techniques; backing away simply as Mohammed Siraj charged in with steam. The second drew a realizing smirk from Shubman Gill at slip, who selected restraint over response this time round.
Not like the heated change at Lord’s earlier within the collection, the place Crawley’s time-wasting antics had visibly agitated Gill and riled up the Indian camp, this model resulted in silence, with Gill sporting solely a quiet grin.
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Solely three balls later, the Indian captain, with Siraj, performed a masterstroke. Setting the sphere properly for a short-pitch supply, the pacer performed a double bluff, bowling a yorker as an alternative. Crawley was clearly not prepared for the ball to pitch fuller, and could not regulate in time to convey his bat down.
Earlier, Crawley and Duckett started the innings with intent, racing to a 50-run stand. That dramatic finish to the day set the tone for what guarantees to be a tense fourth day as England chase their second-highest goal in Take a look at historical past.
Earlier within the day, India posted 396 of their second innings, thanks largely to an electrical counterattack from Washington Sundar and a composed fifty from Ravindra Jadeja after Yashasvi Jaiswal and Akash Deep produced a blistering 107-run stand for the third wicket.
After Jadeja was caught at second slip for a resolute 53, Sundar lit up The Oval with a whirlwind 53 off simply 46 balls, peppering the boundary with clear strikes and sixes, together with three maximums that had the gang roaring.
His onslaught, nonetheless, was ended by Josh Tongue, who claimed a five-wicket haul after getting Sundar to mistime a flick. Zak Crawley held on to a excessive catch amid a near-collision with Jamie Smith, bringing the curtains down on India’s innings.
India had earlier resumed on 189/4 after Lunch, with Shubman Gill falling on the very first supply to Gus Atkinson. Jaiswal held fort and introduced up his century with a well-timed shot by level. His 118 was the cornerstone of India’s innings, although his dismissal triggered a wobble. Karun Nair and Gill fell in fast succession, however a brisk stand between Jadeja and Jurel took India previous 300 earlier than Tea.
