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Michael Vaughan believes Team India still have a "sneaky sniff" of a chance to win the third Test against England. He said that although the visitors are currently miles behind the game, "special and silly things" can happen at Headingley. The former captain advised India to just play out the first session carefully and wait for the venue to show its magic.
India ended the third day 139 runs behind England's total, with eight wickets still remaining. Cheteshwar Pujara (91 off 180) and Virat Kohli (45 off 94) have batted superbly so far but will face the second new ball upfront on Saturday - something which they haven't done successfully of late.
Speaking to Crizbuzz, Michael Vaughan said:
"They are miles behind the game and it's never been done before what India have been asked to do from this position. But if they can get through that morning session and just lose one wicket, I honestly think there's something that could happen in this Test match, because of the venue."
He added:
"Things happen at this venue. I don't know what it is, Ben Stokes, Beefy (Ian Botham) in '81, special and silly things happen in the Test format here at this venue. We know India can lose 4 wickets in the morning and it's done. But if they lose just 1, they'll have the sneaky sniff of doing something special."
Ben Stokes, who pulled out of the ongoing series citing personal reasons, famously helped England win the third Ashes Test of 2019 at Headingley with an exceptional 219-ball 135 in the final innings. That knock, considered one of the greatest ever, was starkly similar to the legendary Ian Botham's almost run-a-ball 149, 38 years ago at the same venue in a similar situation.
Joe Root was quite smart to keep the new ball fresh for Indian batsmen: Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan also lauded Joe Root for his smart move of deploying spinners until the 80th over - bad light didn't allow fast-bowlers to bowl - and pulling out just when the new ball was available.
He also said the pitch is now predominantly slow and turning, and India will face just one hour of difficulty due to moisture, which will be critical for the course of the match.
Michael Vaughan explained:
"The pitch has slowed down, I don't think there's any real pace in it (just) the odd ball bounces. There's a bit of spin... The second ball is key and that's why I thought Joe Root was quite smart tonight, getting through with the spinners. As soon as he got to 80, he never really wanted to bowl tonight because he wanted that second new ball in the morning."
The former England skipper concluded:
"We know that at Headingley, the first hour of any day - there's always a little bit more moisture in the surface. The first hour tomorrow won't be easy, we generally see a lot of wickets fall. But what I will say is, if India can nullify that first session and not lose too many, in the afternoon it will be absolutely fine for batting because the sun's going to shine."
