Rohit Sharma does not take the field on 3rd day of Dharamsala Test due to stiff back

DHARAMSHALA (Himachal Pradesh): Indian skipper Rohit Sharma did not take to the field on day three of the fifth and final Test against England due to a stiff back, with pacer Jasprit Bumrah taking charge as skipper of the team.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the news on X (formerly Twitter). The extent of Rohit’s issue with his back is currently unknown.

UPDATE: Captain Rohit Sharma has not taken the field on Day 3 due to a stiff back.#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 9, 2024

After disappointing in the first two Tests, the Indian captain has been fantastic with the bat during the second half of the series. In five matches and nine innings, Rohit has scored 400 runs at an average of 44.44, with two centuries and a fifty. His best score is 131. He is the fourth-highest run-getter in the series.

Coming to the match, England’s second inning is in progress and they have to breach India’s 259-run lead. At the end of the first session, they ended at 103/5, with Joe Root (34*) unbeaten. They trail by 156 runs.

England won the toss and opted to bat first. They were bundled out for 218 in their first inning. Zak Crawley (79 in 108 balls, with 11 fours and a six) top-scored for England, while Jonny Bairstow (29), and Joe Root (26) also chipped in crucial runs. Kuldeep Yadav (5/72) and Ravichandran Ashwin (4/51) were the top bowlers for India.

In their first innings, India once again dominated with the bat. The top order, consisting of Yashasvi Jaiswal (57 in 58 balls, with five fours and three sixes), skipper Rohit Sharma (103 in 162 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes) and Shubman Gill (110 in 150 balls, with 12 fours and five sixes) dominated the English bowling.

Debutant Devdutt Padikkal (65 in 103 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Sarfaraz Khan (56 in 60 balls, with eight fours and a six) also played crucial knocks. After some quick wickets, the pair of Kuldeep Yadav (30 in 69 balls, with two fours) and Jasprit Bumrah (20 in 64 balls, with two fours) put up a 49-run stand to take India to 477, giving them a lead of 259 runs.

Shoaib Bashir (5/173) was the pick of the bowlers for England. Tom Hartley and James Anderson took two wickets while Ben Stokes got one scalp. (ANI)