England’s refreshing and fearless approach to Test cricket was on display once again, this time on Day 3 of the 2nd Test against India in Visakhapatnam. After learning they need to chase a record-breaking target of 399, England told the world and opposition captain, Rohit Sharma, that they would go for it as they attached the Indian new-ball bowlers in the last hour of the day’s play.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett laid down an early marker with a 50-run opening partnership before R Ashwin hit back with the crucial wicket of the latter toward the end of the day’s play. England went to Stumps at 67 for 1, still trailing by 331 runs as the 2nd Test heads toward an exciting finish on Monday. Shubman Gill’s gritty hundred made sure India bowlers had enough in the bag in the final innings.
Over the years, batters have tried to preserve their wicket and head to the end of a session, especially to Stumps, but Crawley and Duckett were in no mood to block as they tore into rookie pacer Mukesh Kumar and frustrated Jasprit Bumrah, the hero of India’s first innings with the ball in Vizag. | IND vs ENG, 2nd Test Day 3 Highlights | Scorecard |
No team has successfully chased more than 387 in India in a Test match and England face an uphill battle. However, no pundit would count England out despite the improbable task at hand for Ben Stokes and his men, thanks to ‘Bazball’, the envious approach with which the visitors have played Test cricket under coach Brendon McCullum’s watch. England have been able to play the longest format of the game freely by eliminating the fear of failure and it is certain that no member of the visiting dressing room is going to think about the negative result, considering two more days of play are left in what has already been an enthralling Test.
Nonetheless, uneven bounce and sharp turn marked their attendance on the Day 3 pitch in Vizag and it’s not going to get any easier for batters on Monday morning in the coastal city.
CRUCIAL ASHWIN STRIKE
R Ashwin’s dismissal of Ben Duckett would have planted a seed of doubt in the England camp as there was sharp bounce for the off-spinner. Duckett, who was proactive in employing sweeps in the second innings, was caught by wicketkeeper KS Bharat when he trying to defend one.
England need their incredible ability of not carrying the scars of the first innings into their last, which has helped them script remarkable victories in the past.
Notably, India will be reminded of the Birmingham Test in July 2022 as they secured a 132-run lead in the first innings. However, England showed India first glimpses of Bazball at home, successfully gunning down 378 for the loss of only three wickets. More recently, England overturned a 190-run lead in the first innings of the series opener in Hyderabad to pull off a heist and stun the home team.
Earlier in the day, Shubman Gill rescued India and probably his Test career, hitting a gritty hundred as the hosts posted 255 in the second innings. Like double-centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first innings, it was a one-man show from Shubman Gill in the second as other established Indian batters failed to convert their starts into big knocks.
