Siraj rattles Crawley’s stumps to leave India nine wickets away from levelling series against England

LONDON: Mohammed Siraj drew the first blood by sending Zak Crawley’s bails flying in the air, leaving England 324 runs away from victory against India with still two days left to play at Kennington Oval in London.

At the end of Day 3, England managed to put 50/1 on the board, with Ben Duckett unbeaten on 34(48). In pursuit of a 374-run target, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett adopted a swift approach but eventually slowed down to ensure England remained unscathed at the end of the day. The duo raised a 50-run partnership, but Mohammed Siraj came to spoil the party.

Crawley anticipated a bouncer but was met by a searing yorker that rattled the timber, ending his stay on the crease on 14(36). The sound of stumps rattling marked the end of the day’s play.

Before England began its hunt to gun down their second-highest target, Dhruv Jurel was the first to perish after being pinned in front of the stumps by Jamie Overton on 34(46). Ravindra Jadeja continued to fight and brought up his fifty in style by punching the ball through the point for a four. He brought out his sword to celebrate his valiant half-century.

Jadeja’s jubilation was short-lived after he gave away a thick outside edge while slashing the ball off Josh Tongue to Harry Brook, stationed at the second slip. After Jadjea’s composed 53(77) met its end, Mohammed Siraj soon joined him in the dressing room after being deemed lbw by the umpire in the same over.

Siraj stood in disbelief as the review showed he had got an inside edge, but he had no option but to return, considering India had burned all its reviews. Realising the gravity of the situation, Washington Sundar upped the ante and produced fireworks with his bat in London.

He dispatched the ball for a towering maximum off Gus Atkinson and then smoked the ball into the stands twice off Tongue in the next over. Sundar continued to torment Atkinson by edging the ball for a four and then topping it up by effortlessly hammering the ball for back-to-back boundaries. He brought up his fifty by smacking the ball over deep mid-wicket and making it disappear in the crowd.

Tongue pulled the curtains down on Sundar’s run-fest and completed his five-wicket haul. Sundar tried to clip it, but ballooned the ball in the air. Zak Crawley and Jamie Smith went for it and barely managed to avoid a collision with the former, ensuring the ball remained in his hand. As Sundar walked back with his sizzling 53(46), India packed their bags on 396.

During the second session, the visitors started the second session from 189/4 with Jaiswal (85*) and Gill (11*) unbeaten on the crease.

India didn’t have a good start to the session as they lost the wicket of Gill (11 runs off nine balls) on the first delivery after the resumption of play by Gus Atkinson. Team India touched the 200-run mark in their 48th over. In the 51st over, Yashasvi Jaiswal completed his ton in 127 balls.

In the 55th over at the score of 229, Karun Nair (17 runs from 32 balls) was sent back to the pavilion as Atkinson dismissed him. On the fourth ball of the 58th over, Jaiswal slammed a boundary, which brought his team’s 250 in the innings.

In the 65th over at the score of 273, Jaiswal (118 runs in 164 balls) was dismissed on the bowling of Josh Tongue. Following Jaiswal’s dismissal, the team’s wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel came out to bat. He joined left-hand batter Ravindra Jadeja on the crease.

The Indian cricket team touched the 300-run mark just before Tea as Jurel smashed 13 runs in an over, which was bowled by Tongue. Both batters, Jurel and Jadeja, built an unbeaten 31(40) partnership before going back after the end of the second session.

For the Three Lions so far, Atkinson has snapped three wickets (3/99 in 23 overs), Tounge has grabbed two wickets (2/100 in 26 overs), and Jamie Overton has bagged one wicket (1/74 in 18 overs) in their respective spells.

Earlier, India started Day 3 on 75/2, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (51*) and night-watchman Akash Deep (4*) unbeaten on the crease, leading by 52 runs.
Jaiswal carried on his good form from overnight; meanwhile, England have endured an innings to forget in the field, dropping as many as four catches.

India crossed the 100-run mark in the 23rd over. Jaiswal pushed the ball for a couple of runs off Gus Atkinson. In the 30th over, the duo of Jaiswal and Deep completed a 50-run stand for the third wicket.

Deep slammed a four off Atkinson to bring up his maiden fifty in Test cricket.

This was the 18th hundred partnership in this series, the most in a Test series in this century (since 2000), surpassing 17 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2003-04. Indian skipper Shubman Gill joined Jaiswal after the departure of Deep.

Brief Scores: India: 224 and 396 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 118, Akash Deep 66; Josh Tongue 5-125) vs England: 247 and 50/1 (Ben Duckett 38*, Mohammed Siraj 1-11). (ANI)