Rajkot: India lorded over England on the third day to take control of the third Test against England here on Saturday.
Having suffered at the hands of rampaging England opener Ben Duckett on the second day, the Indian bowlers rebounded strongly with a disciplined effort to bowl out England for 319, which gave the home team a significant first-innings lead of 126 runs.
Young guns Yashasvi Jaiswal (104 retired hurt) and Shubman Gill (65 batting) then combined superbly to guide India to a strong 196/2 for a formidable overall lead of 322 runs.
Left-hander Jaiswal, who had managed only 10 in the first innings, was a picture of determination and concentration in the second. Even as first-innings centurion Rohit Sharma fell leg-before wicket trying to sweep Joe Root for 19, Yashasvi batted cautiously for the first half of his innings, collecting 30 runs off 65 balls. Thereafter, in the company of an assured-looking Shubman Gill, Yashasvi turned it on with an array of dazzling strokes against spinners and pacers alike.
Yashasvi clobbered 5 sixes and 9 fours and raced to his third Test century in 122 balls, before being bothered by cramps. He retired hurt on 104 after adding 155 runs with Gill.
It was the 22-year-old Yashasvi’s third century in just his seventh Test match, coming on the back of his maiden double hundred in the second Test.
Watch Yashasvi reaching his hundred with a boundary in a video posted on X by BCCI:
A leap of joy to celebrate his second century of the series 🙌
Well played, Yashasvi Jaiswal 👏👏#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @ybj_19 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/pdlPhn5e3N
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2024
Gill wasn’t as belligerent, but batted fluently to bring up another half-century and was unbeaten on 65 (120 balls, 6×4, 2×6) at stumps.
England resumed this morning on 207/2, and it was Yashasvi who helped India get an early breakthrough with a smart catch at slip to send back Joe Root who tried an ambitious reverse scoop off Jasprit Bumrah.
Left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav then trapped Jonny Bairstow for a duck. Duckett and Ben Stokes then carried England to 260/4 before the opener’s blazing knock of 153 (off 151 balls, 23×4, 2×6) was terminated by Kuldeep.
Mohammad Siraj (4/84) then triggered a collapse as England lost their last six wickets for 59 runs, and last five for just 20.
Brief Scores
India 445 & 196/2 in 51 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 104 retired hurt, Shubman Gill 65 batting).
England 319 in 71.1 overs (Ben Stokes 41; Mohammad Siraj 4/84, Ravindra Jadeja 2/51, Kuldeep Yadav 2/77).
Match to continue on Day 4, India lead by 322 runs.
