The fourth match of the five-match test series between the Indian national cricket team and the England National Cricket Team is underway at the Jharkhand Cricket Association Complex in Ranchi. The penultimate match of the five-match series between the teams began on Friday (February 23).
The two match days so far have been nothing short of exceptional. So far, England has had a superior advantage in the game. India started the game on a high and dominated two sessions on Day 1, but after that, it was all up to the visitors.
The series has thrown punches at every stage and it won’t be a surprise if there will be another one on Day 3. The third day of the game is often called moving day and the way things played out, the game promised. an exciting ending.
On Day 2 of the game, England started quite well with the bat as Ollie Robinson (58) completed his half-century and along with Joe Root (122*) completed a 100-run partnership. While things were getting frustrating for India, Ravindra Jadeja provided the breakthrough and then outplayed those behind.
England came out with 353 runs and then made a valiant start with the ball. James Anderson oozed class with the ball and removed Indian captain Rohit Sharma for just 2 runs to shake the hosts early. After youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill rejuvenated the innings.
While Jaiswal scored 73 runs, Gill finished with an innings of 38 runs and the duo added 82 runs together for the second wicket. But after the right-hander came out, things changed drastically for the hosts as they lost wickets quickly and England tilted the game in their favor with Shoaib Bashir as the star player with the ball.
Rajat Patidar (17), Ravindra Jadeja (12), Sarfaraz Khan (12) and Ravichandran Ashwin (1) lost early wickets as the hosts were reduced to 177/6. With all the pressure on India, Dhruv Jurel (30*) and Kuldeep Yadav (17*) ensured that India did not lose any more wickets on Day 2.
Dhruv and Kuldeep added an unbeaten 42 runs and ensured India crossed the 200-run mark. On Day 2, the Rohit Sharma-led team was 219/7 and was 134 runs behind England.
IND vs ENG: Launch Report and Weather Report for Day 3
Speaking after the end of Day 2 of the Ranchi Test, England batsman Joe Root, while talking about his innings, also gave insight into the pitch. He said the way the course played, it is expected to deteriorate as the day goes on. In statements to the stations, he explained:
“We had a good couple of days. That’s how I actually play every game, I play according to the situation and conditions (when I was asked if I had made a conscious effort to play attrition cricket). It looks like the field will continue to deteriorate.”
India’s batting coach Paras Mhambrey also spoke about the pitch and said that they did not expect the pitch to slow down on Day 2. Going by the words of Root and Paras, it looks like batting will become difficult on Day 3. .
Talking about the weather in Ranchi, there were some clouds around the ground on day 2. Day 3 of the game could also see clouds, but there are less chances of rain. It is expected that the temperature will be around 21° and the humidity will be around 66% during the day.