Image Credit- BCCI
With Ben Foakes at his side, Ollie Pope added 112 runs
for the sixth wicket and a tough fifth Test century to keep England rolling on
a captivating third day in Hyderabad. At Tea, Indian bowlers Ravichandran
Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah had the visitors on the mat at 172 for 5. But Pope
turned things around, leading England to victory at the close of the day by 126
runs.Intriguingly, Pope’s 148* is the highest score by a visiting batsman
against India in the second innings since Alastair Cook’s 176 in Ahmedabad in
2012, the first Test in India’s most recent home series loss.
Joe Root, the most effective of the three front-line
spinners in the lineup, quickly ended India’s innings with a four-wicket haul.
He started by refusing to give Ravindra Jadeja, who had become quiet quickly, a
century, and then with the next delivery he removed Jasprit Bumrah’s stumps.
With six fielders positioned near to him, he was unable to complete a hat-trick
against Mohammed Siraj; however, Rehan Ahmed dismissed Axar Patel with a ball
that spun and stayed low, limiting India’s lead to 190.
Then, in a move that only England could have made, Ben
Duckett and Zak Crawley reverse-swept Ashwin to begin their innings. Many
people ridiculed Rohit Sharma’s choice to insert Axar Patel in tandem after
Crawley handed him the ball and made fast runs. England reached the first
interval at 89/1 in just 16 overs, erasing over half the deficit, demonstrating
their unwavering commitment to batting swiftly.
In the second session, Bumrah used a stirring spell to
create a change in the tone of play, dismissing Duckett twice. LBW first, which
Rohit ought to have reviewed; he then came in with an over that had the
round-the-wicket angle that sent Duckett’s off-stump sailing. After he
momentarily trapped Joe Root’s leg earlier, England’s life became
uncomfortable. With a deft flip of the wrist, Jonny Bairstow unfurled
deliveries that were 20 kmph slower than the previous one, weathering some of
the Bumrah storm who was changing his tempo for fun. Bairstow, however, was
sucked in by a Jadeja trap as the left-arm spinner got one ball to turn away
sharply and just the next to hold its line and flummox an unsuspecting Bairstow
who offered no shot.
England’s attempt to turn the tide diplomatically
started at Tea in 172/5, when Pope found an able ally in Ben Foakes. The two
batters were able to use their feet without worrying about the turn’s
repercussions in the third session because of the extremely sluggish spin. Axar
Patel’s slider claimed Foakes after the two batted together for 30.1 overs,
giving the team a reasonable advantage. Pope continued with the courageous
Rehan Ahmed at his side, who hit 31 of the 60 balls in the partnership.
If England is to salvage anything from this match,
they will need to muster a lot more determination on Day 4—even after such a
rough batting day.