He IND vs ENG Visakhapatnam Test is well prepared after Day 3. India has set a target of 399 runs for England, who were bowled out for 255 in their second innings. England now need another 332 after managing 67 runs in 14 overs in the final session.
India scored 255 runs thanks to Shubman Gill’s third Test ton. He scored 104 off 147 deliveries and added crucial partnerships with Shreyas Iyer (29) and Axar Patel (45). Ravichandran Ashwin scored 29 off 61 deliveries. He was expected to take India’s lead beyond 400 with those trailing, but that did not happen as India lost wickets in bunches in the final session.
England captain Ben Stokes was proactive with his captaincy and made wickets out of nothing. The visitors suffered an early blow after Joe Root injured his right little finger in the eighth over of the day. He was taken off the field for further treatment and never returned to the field.
Stokes used young spinners for long spells and took eight wickets from them. Tom Hartley scored 4/88, Rehan Ahmed 3/88 and Shoaib Bashir 1/58. Bashir took Gill’s prized ground. James Anderson took 29/2 and dismissed both the openers.
Also Read: IND vs ENG scorecard, 2nd Test, Day 3 highlights: Shubman Gill and Ravichandran Ashwin put India in a commanding position
Indian batsmen, especially KS Bharat (6 for 28) and Jaspreit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav scored ducks when they needed to bat alongside Ravichandran Ashwin to take India beyond 400. The Men in Blue at one point looked good to register anything further of 450 as leader. but Gill and Axar Patel’s wickets at tea time came as a big blow to the Indian team. Shoaib Bahir broke the 89th stand and dismissed Gill and then Hartley returned to dismiss Axar.
From 220/6, India were bowled out for 255 as India lost their last four wickets for just 35 runs. The bottom team’s inability to score crucial runs could come back to haunt the Indian team. Shubman Gill, who scored his third Test ton, spoke about his innings and the bowling and how it developed during the day.
“I’m definitely very happy, but to be honest, I left myself out a little bit. I didn’t feel the first one (inner edge on the pad). Shreyas told me to accept it in case it was a referee’s decision. I saw the armed outfielder go there and thought it was a percentage shot. He should have played overs 5-6 till tea.” Gill said.
He also talked about the course, how it played and what to expect from the 22 yards on the fourth and fifth days.
“A pretty decent wicket to bat on. It is not an easy type of wicket to reach on the rise. You have to work hard because the stranger is turning and the stranger is staying low. I think so (being arrested by his father for that shot that took him out). I’ll know once I get back to the hotel, but I think so. He comes to most of my games, there’s not as much pressure. I think right now it’s 70-30. The morning session will be key. We have seen that there is humidity in the morning and it helps for fast bowlers and spinners.” Gill said.
IND vs ENG Day 4 Weather Report and Visakhapatnam Test Launch Report
As Gill said after the third day’s play, the pitch is good for batting once the batsmen come in and apply themselves. It is not an easy terrain for batsmen to play on the rise, as the young batsman pointed out. England’s batsmen will play with intent and execute their strokes. This is where the Indian team will have to be attentive to the opportunities that come their way. If England bats all day 4, they are expected to win the match. The only way to win the match for India is to eliminate the visitors.
Talking about the weather conditions on Monday, the temperature will be around 31 degrees throughout the day. In the afternoon there will be some cloudiness like Sunday. There is a 5 percent chance of rain.
Also Read: Joe Root ruled out for rest of 2nd Test? James Anderson provides colossal update