India has tightened its control over the Rajkot Body against England. They finished day 3 at 196/2, leading by 322 runs. Shubman Gill is unbeaten on 68 along with night watchman Kuldeep Yadav, who was unbeaten on three.
Yashasvi Jaiswal scored an unbeaten ton and regained the initiative in India’s favour. However, he was taken off injured and had to leave the field due to back spasms, as the images suggest. The hosts will look to have another dominant day on Sunday, looking to set up a tough build-up for the visitors on the final day.
Day 3 began with England losing Joe Root’s first wicket to Jasprit Bumrah, who dismissed him for the ninth time in Test matches. However, it was Mohammed Siraj who stood out with the ball for India. Upon returning, he took four wickets for 84 runs. Consecutive wickets of Ben Stokes (41) and Ben Foakes (13) brought India back into the game. He also dismissed Rehan Ahmed and James Anderson to bowl out England for 319.
India then started on a positive note and Jaiswal’s unbeaten ton and his unbeaten 155-run stand with Gill before the left-hander had to leave the field, really helped India fight for the lead. Gill and Jaiswal’s unbeaten knocks ensured that it would be India who would dictate the game in the remaining two days.
Everything fell into place for India in the way they played on Day 3. The bowlers did not let the captain feel the absence of veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who opted out of the remaining Rajkot Test due to personal reasons. Kuldeep, who was taken by Ben Duckett on Day 2, finally dismissed the southpaw. Siraj did the mop-up job at the end of England’s innings and helped India take a substantial lead.
Also Read: England not used to playing dot balls: Mohammed Siraj after his four-wicket spell on Day 3 in Rajkot
England’s batting left a lot to be desired. However, the dismissals were more due to the good bowling of the Indian players who outplayed the England batsmen to get them out. Jaiswal’s counter-attack took them by surprise and forced them to divert their plans.
Ben Duckett praised the Indian team for their proactive display on the field on Day 2, which went a long way to affirming that they were looking to give a positive response on Day 3 after England took the game on Day 2.
“I have to give credit to the way they played tonight, they didn’t give us anything this morning, we tried to attack but it wasn’t worth it. Much more theory behind it. [my approach]. People might think [my range of sweeps] “They are reckless, but if they want to have people around the bat, I will try to get rid of them.” Duckett said after the third day’s game.
IND vs ENG Day 4 Weather Report & Rajkot Test Launch Report, 2024
Talking about what to expect from the Rajkot track on day four, the pitch looked better for batting on day two and day three. The pitches wear out and help turn from the third day onwards in Indian conditions. However, the Rajkot pitch has been the best for batting so far and should hold up very well at least for the first two sessions of the fourth day. If India manages to play the first hour when the pitch will be cooler, the Indian batsmen can take advantage of the pitch being flattened during the remaining day.
Talking about the weather conditions for the IND vs ENG Rajkot Test, Day 4, the temperature will be around 35 degrees during the day on Sunday with good sunshine and suitable conditions for cricket. There is also no threat of rain for the remaining two days of the Test match.
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