Day 3 is always considered the moving day in any Test match and the Indians have pushed the England team right on the backfoot. The visitors were already shaken late on Day 2, but there was a semblance of a fight from Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow who dug in and kept the Indians at bay for almost the entire the first session on day 3. On a pitch which was offering not much assistance to the spinners or seamers, the duo looked in comfort right through. They also kept the scoreboard ticking all the while and notched up a century partnership.
However, Umesh Yadav dismissed Bairstow just on the brink of lunch with a pacy yorker. Stokes continued to grind and found good support from Adil Rashid. Ravichandran Ashwin then stepped in and got the wicket of Ben Stokes. This was a huge moment in the match and the rest of the batting fell away. R Ashwin ended with a 5-wicket haul, which was his 22nd in his career so far.
Also read: Cricket: India vs England 2nd Test Day 3: Twitter reactions
England folded for 255, and thus India went into their second innings with an imposing lead of 200. However, the start was a jittery on and Stuart Broad accounted for the openers. James Anderson then came back to dislodge Cheteshwar Pujara. Virat Kohli, was solid at the other end and got his 13th half century. He was given good support from Ajinkya Rahane who ended the day on an unbeaten 22. The hosts now lead by 298 runs and are firmly in the driver’s seat. They would now look to press home the advantage and bat England out of the contest.
The pitch too is doing tricks and there are enough evidence of invariable bounce. All in all, the Test promises to an intriguing on.
Here are the best reactions from in and around the cricketing world.
Ravichandran Ashwin on his performance
Hadn't had a five-wicket haul against England, but it was not at the top of my mind. I knew I would get it if I stuck to what I do right. The challenges are actually a hassle for the batsmen. Not every ball spins. I was in the middle of very good rhythm. I told Virat I will get Root out caught out at short midwicket. Virat said let's get mid-on up and make him go for a slog sweep. I thought the moment he steps out I was going to go wider. That worked. The last wicket was slow so I changed my action to create more air space. It is not about trials, it is about having the heart to try it in the middle of the game. I am sure I have it. Both Virat and Rahane batted solidly and we are in a commanding position right now."
Here are the reactions from cricketing fraternity:
Harsha Bhogle
Michael Vaughan
Ayaz Memon
Vikram Sathaye
Lawrence Booth
Jason Gillespie
Subramanium Badrinath
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