Duckett hundred puts India under pressure

If it was India who bossed the opening day, England made a strong comeback on the second day of the ongoing third Test of the five-match series.

The visitors batted and bowled superbly well at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Friday. Ben Stokes & Co ended the third day at 207 for two and are trailing India by 238 runs.

Resuming at their overnight score of 326 for five, India didn’t have a great start. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja (112:225b, 9x4,2x6) went back to the hut early. But after that debutant Dhruv Jurel (46:104b, 2x4, 3x6) and Ravichandran Ashwin (37:89b, 6x4) put pressure back on the England bowlers.

The duo added 77 runs for the eighth wicket and made sure that India went past 400. A late blitz by Jasprit Bumrah (26:38b, 3x4, 1x6) powered India to a total of 445. For England, Mark Wood was the pick of the bowlers with his figures of four for 114.

England in reply were off to a great start with the bat. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett yet again came out with an aggressive mindset. The duo added 89 for the opening stand before Ravichandran Ashwin picked his 500th wicket and broke the partnership.

Ollie Pope (38:55b, 5x4, 1x6) joined hands with Duckett and the duo together scored 93 runs to put India under pressure. Mohammed Siraj brought the team back into the game by removing Pope. But the hero of the day was Duckett (133 n.o.:118b, 21x4, 2x6). He slammed a magnificent ton and made sure England ended the second day on a high.

Match Summary

India vs England, 3rd Test

India 445/10 (130.5 ov)

England *207/2 (35 ov)

Stumps: Day 2 - England trail by 238 runs.

India vs England, 3rd Test

Match Stats

India 1st Innings Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Yashasvi Jaiswal - 3.5 ov), 2-24 (Shubman Gill - 5.4 ov), 3-33 (Rajat Patidar - 8.5 ov), 4-237 (Rohit Sharma - 63.3 ov), 5-314 (Sarfaraz Khan - 81.5 ov), 6-331 (Kuldeep Yadav - 89.4 ov), 7-331 (Ravindra Jadeja - 90.5 ov), 8-408 (Ravichandran Ashwin - 119.6 ov), 9-415 (Dhruv Jurel - 123.5 ov), 10-445 (Jasprit Bumrah - 130.5 ov)

England Fall of wickets: 1-89 (Zak Crawley - 13.1 ov), 2-182 (Ollie Pope - 29.6 ov)

Match Details

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2024 04:00

Venue: Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot

Toss: India elected to bat