Stretford 26 : India will be looking to recover on Day 4 of the ongoing fourth Test match vs England in Manchester, and will be banking on their bowlers to bounce back to form. Day 3 saw England totally outplay India, as they reached 544/7 at Stumps, in response to India’s first innings total of 358. The hosts lead by 186 runs now, and the last time India conceded a 500-plus total was in 2021. The Indian bowlers’ poor performance with the old ball on Day 2 had set the stage for England on Day 3. The Indian bowlers did try to stage a comeback in the first session, as they kept their line well and didn’t leak much runs. But the ball was old and the pitch also didn’t offer any help to India. Soon, things went out of control and England began to totally dominate. Fans were also fuming with India’s decision to not use Washington Sundar until the 69th over. He was India’s best bowler and took some wickets after Lunch.
But Joe Root ended any hope for India, becoming the second-highest run-scorer in Tests as he registered 150 off 248 balls. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes (77*) and Liam Dawson (21*) remained unbeaten, and will resume batting on Day 4. On Day 2, England got off to a stunning start as their openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett took on the opposition bowlers. The pair missed out on tons, but built a 160-run opening stand. Crawley smacked 84 off 113 balls, including 13 fours and a six. Meanwhile, Duckett slammed 94 off 100 deliveries, and hammered 13 fours in the process.
There were also reports on Day 3 of Jasprit Bumrah tripping on the stairs, and it saw him sit out for sometime in the second session. He began on a strong note on Day 3, but then saw his influence fade away, except for a sensational delivery to dismiss Jamie Smith. Meanwhile, debutant Anshul Kamboj failed to make an impact and Shardul Thakur was utterly miserable. On the other hand, Mohammed Siraj kept on trying every over, but failed to find anything.
On Day 4, the pressure will be on the Indian bowlers and Bumrah will look for a better display. Meanwhile, fans will also hope that skipper Shubman Gill uses Sundar more, who got two wickets on Day 3, but only bowled 19 overs. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja has also taken two dismissals in this Test, and has bowled 33 overs.
Source : Hindustan times