The opening hour on Day 3 of the Vizag Test belonged to England with Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow countering the Indian bowling with not much trouble and registering their respective half-centuries to bring their side back into the contest.
Virat Kohli and co. were in a desperate search for a wicket and citing that need, the Indian skipper decided to bring in Umesh Yadav, hoping for him to strike with the old ball before the new cherry is taken at the conclusion of the 80th over.
Running in to bowl the 3rd ball of the 79th over of the innings, Yadav tailed one into Bairstow, that went through his defence and knocked the leg stump of the ground. It was a terrific delivery from Yadav, who combined his pace with some excellent reverse swing skills to get India the much-needed breakthrough.
The duo had put on 110 runs for the sixth wicket and was looking good to take them to safety, but Yadav ensured that he and his team didn’t return to the hut at lunch without any success with his fine delivery.
This is the second instance when an Indian bowler has knocked the stumps in this game. Last afternoon, Mohammad Shami not just bowled Alastair Cook, but also broke the stumps in the process to send he England captain back cheaply and give his side the early wicket, after they had been bowled out for 455.
While much attention has been put on the Indian spinners, considering the nature of the pitches, the speedsters have also at times shown that they had in them to succeed in these tracks.
Shami was excellent during the series against New Zealand and Yadav has also bursted through at crucial junctures for India, when his captain has needed the most.
At Lunch, England found themselves at 191 for 6 with Stokes and Adil Rashid in the middle.
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India v England Test Series 2016: Follow live
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