The day began with a resilient effort from Dhruv Jurel, who scored 90, leading India’s rearguard action. India managed to post 307 in reply to England’s first innings total of 353. Despite being reduced to 177-7, a lead of 46 was a bit lower than expected for England, thanks to a spirited comeback by the hosts after Ashwin’s triple strikes.
Ashwin, the off-spinner, took crucial wickets by dismissing Ben Duckett and trapping Ollie Pope LBW in consecutive deliveries. Although he missed a hat-trick, he claimed the significant wicket of Joe Root (11) later. Root, initially given not out, was dismissed after Ashwin convinced captain Rohit Sharma to challenge the decision, which was proven right through replays.
Opener Zak Crawley played an impressive innings, scoring 60 with seven fours, before falling victim to Kuldeep, who also dismissed Ben Stokes for four before the tea break in a dramatic fashion. Kuldeep’s left-arm wrist spin proved effective against the English batsmen.
Earlier, Jurel, in a partnership with Kuldeep, contributed significantly with a knock that included four sixes and six fours. However, he fell short of a century, dismissed by Tom Hartley for 90. Debutant Akash Deep became Shoaib Bashir’s fifth victim in the match.
With India leading the five-match series 2-1, the fourth test in Ranchi promises more twists and turns in the coming days.
