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England trailed by 238 runs after their batters dominated the bowlers with their Bazball approach. Ben Duckett scored an attacking hundred, while Ollie Pope contributed 39. At stumps, Duckett was batting at 133 and Joe Root at 9, with England accumulating their runs in just 35 overs. The first session belonged to India’s Jurel and Ashwin’s partnership.
Debutant Dhruv Jurel showed remarkable control during his innings in Rajkot. He, along with Ashwin, crafted a 77-run partnership for the eighth wicket after England’s pacers started the day brightly, dismissing Kuldeep and Jadeja within two overs. Their partnership steadied the ship, building on the heroics of the previous day. Once the ball softened, batting became somewhat easier, despite occasional turning and balls beating the bat. Opting for a late cut, Jurel took calculated risks, only to be dismissed by a thick edge caught by English wicketkeeper Ben Foakes. Jasprit Bumrah’s 26 off 28 helped India post a total of 445.
The pitch retained its challenge until the ball softened, otherwise proving perfect for the batters. Among the England bowlers, Mark Wood had a great outing, picking up four wickets and exploiting the new ball’s potential under the hot conditions. England’s openers provided a solid start until Ashwin dismissed Zak Crawley, caught easily by Patidar at fine-leg.
IND vs ENG 3rd Test 2nd Highlight:
IND 445
ENG 207/2 (35), CRR: 5.91
Day 2: Stumps – England trail by 238 runs
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Duckett* | 133 | 118 | 21 | 2 | 112.71 |
| Joe Root | 9 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 69.23 |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravichandran Ashwin* | 7 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 5.29 |
| Mohammed Siraj | 10 | 1 | 54 | 1 | 5.40 |
Crawley’s wicket added another milestone to Ashwin’s decorated career, as he became the second Indian after Anil Kumble to achieve 500 Test wickets. Ashwin is the ninth bowler in Test history to reach this milestone, with only Muttiah Muralidharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, and Nathan Lyon having taken more wickets than him in Test history.
Another opener, Ben Duckett, attacked the Indian bowlers in the final session of the day, blazing his way to a century off just 88 balls. It marked the fastest-ever hundred by an England batter in India. He swept the spinner to the boundary with ease, hitting 21 fours and two sixes. Duckett had earlier made headlines for leaving just 8 deliveries out of 605 as a test opener.
Ollie Pope also looked in good form until Siraj dismissed him against the run of play. Though the umpire initially gave him not out, a persistent Siraj convinced Rohit to opt for a DRS, which forced the umpire to overturn his decision.
At the end of the first day, India was in the driving seat after centuries from Rohit, Jadeja, and handy contributions from the middle and lower order. The situation remained the same until England came to bat, putting India under pressure with their dominant batting display. Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav have yet to pose a challenge to the batters with their bowling, but they will undoubtedly aim to improve on the third day of the test match, promising an exciting day of cricket.
