England vs India 2018, 4th Test, Day 3: 5 Talking Points

This absorbing Test match between England and India saw yet another intriguing day as England marginally moved forward in the contest, ending the third day on 260 for 8, thereby gaining a lead of 233 runs with two full days left.

India's fast bowlers toiled hard right through the day with the combination of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah picking up seven wickets between them and how they return on the fourth day and how quickly they dismiss the English tail will be absolutely crucial from the visitors perspective.

Jos Buttler played the defining innings once again, making a patient 69 which helped steady England's innings and right now if you would ask someone which dressing room he would like to be in, he would much rather be in the home dressing room than the away one.

Here are the talking points from play on Day 3:

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#1 Ashwin disappoints with the ball

For someone with so much skill, Ashwin was off the mark on Saturday

India needed their best spinner to turn up on the third day and instead what they got from him was a below-par performance. 35-7-78-1 may seem an economical display of spin bowling, but whoever saw the performance would tell you a different story.

At Edgbaston, when he had England in a tangle, it was because of his pace, the speed at which the ball came out of his hand on a pitch assisting him was baffling, to say the least. as was the way he experimented so much when it wasn't required at all.

There was talk of how Ashwin had to take a leaf out of the book of Moeen Ali, who claimed a five-wicket haul on Friday but it did not turn out to be the case and that meant, the pressure of the quicks to deliver was only further enhanced.

#2 Jos Buttler comes to England's rescue again

Buttler was excellent for England once again

There were some doubts over whether Jos Buttler was cut out for Test cricket when he was picked for the series against Pakistan, but he has ensured those thoughts have been thrown into the dustbin thanks to his performances.

His 69 on Saturday proved to be an absolutely vital for England as it ensured they took a lead which has now put them marginally ahead in the game.

#3 India's fast bowlers toil all day

Shami proved to be a handful on the third day

If there is an aspect of India's play which has equally pleasing as compared to the manner in which Virat Kohli and a few others have batted, it has been the manner in which India's quicker bowlers have toiled away all day.

Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were terrific on the third day, bowling long spells on a pitch with not much help for them. Such a performance augurs well for India for the last Test match as well as the future.

#4 Alastair Cook: Where from here?

Is the end nigh for the great man?

Unless something dramatic happens at The Oval, one of the major talking point, when this series ends, will be the struggles of Alastair Cook at the top of the order.

One of the modern greats of contemporary batting, Cook's woeful run of scores found yet another addition on Saturday, when he fell for 17 and thereby, raised further doubts about his future.

#5 Joe Root endures another frustrating outing

Root was run-out for 48 on Saturday

There is the talk of being a batting foursome in international cricket in today's times with Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Joe Root forming that list.

The fourth name on that list, however, needs to work a bit to stay at par as with mere 13 hundreds to his credit, he is lagging a bit behind and his run-out for 48 on Saturday did not help the cause further.