The first test between India and England is turning towards a brilliant finish. Though with a massive lead of 190 runs in the first inning, India are in the driving seat, but the English team have shown a great fightback and taken the attack to the opposition.
The visitors have continued their aggressive approach and attacked the Indian bowlers, regardless of the pitch conditions. Trailing by 190 runs, England added 45 runs for the first wicket in 9.1 overs. Zak Crawley was the first man to go after scoring 31 off 33 balls, with four boundaries and one six.
Then, they had a brilliant second-wicket stand by Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope. Both batters added 68 runs off just 57 balls. Duckett was looking pretty good, playing reverse-sweep for boundaries. England went into lunch with just one wicket lost.
They started the second session with a similar mindset. Even they targeted Jasprit Bumrah. But in the end, the ace pacer had a last laugh. He took two wickets in two overs to bring India back on track. Firstly, he dismissed the dangerous Duckett for 47 off 52 and bowled him.
It happened on the fifth ball of the 19th over; the batter smashed two boundaries earlier in that over. He tried to hit another four and missed the line completely. The ball hit the stumps, and Bumrah was pumped and was animated in his celebration. Later, in his next over, he dismissed Joe Root for just two runs. England lost its fourth wicket at 140 when Ravindra Jadeja bowled Jonny Bairstow for 10 runs at a score of 140/4.
The visitors are looking to build partnerships and first overcome the trail. They still have enough batting, but it is an uphill task. It will only be a miracle if somehow they can do something special and give their bowlers something to bowl at. A target around 150 can be tricky on Day 4 at this pitch.
