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India continue to dominate the five-match India vs England Test series, and this time they have done it in style as they take a 2-0 lead in the series. Mohali remains to be India’s happy hunting ground as India beat England by 8 wickets in the India vs England 3rd test. Ravindra Jadeja has been named the man-of-the-match for some excellent batting down the order and also for picking up some crucial wickets at important times.
India vs England 3rd Test Match: Review
The match started on a positive note for England as they won the toss and decided to bat first on a pitch which looked pretty dry and batting friendly, at least for the first few days. However, they gave away all the advantage they gained by winning the toss as they lost as many as four wickets in the first session, and that too after India had dropped 2 catches. Alistair Cook was the man who had the lady luck on his side until he played a poor shot to Ravichandran Ashwin’s first ball in this test match. Joe Root also misjudged the length of the ball and got out lbw to Jayant Yadav. England did make a good revival in the second session, thanks to Jonny Bairstow who built up a couple of partnerships first with Ben Stokes and then with Jos Buttler. Once Buttler got out in the third session, India did not take much time to come back into the game. And Bairstow’s wicket towards the end of the day put India on the top.
The second day’s play saw India taking total control of the game first by getting the tail-enders out very early, and then by some excellent batting from Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. Both got past their half centuries, but England made a strong comeback with quick wickets in the third session of the day. However, a rear guard action from the Indian tail-ender saw the game getting into balance yet again.
On third day’s morning overnight not out batsmen Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja capitalised on some indecent bowling from England to build up a huge lead. Also, Jayant Yadav playing in his second Test match showed great maturity to score his first half-century in test match cricket. India got a lead of 134 in the first innings as India’s innings folded out for 417 in reply to England’s 283 in the first innings. However, the game completely came under India’s control as some excellent bowling from Indian spinners saw the English batsmen getting under pressure. And they succumbed to that pressure badly as they lost 4 wickets before the end of the day’s play.
The fourth day also did not start in a grand fashion for England as they lost nightwatchman Gareth Batty very early. Jos Buttler and Joe Root looked good before Buttler threw it away by playing a poor shot. In came Haseeb Hameed. And what a find this has been for England. He showed the perfect technique to play in these conditions and along with a solid looking Joe Root took the game forward as they made up the 134-run deficit and England the lead. It needed something special from India to get the wicket of Root and Rahane produced one standing in the slips. India’s catching has been poor till now in this series, but it was one hell of a catch from Ajinkya Rahane. He stuck out his left hand to grab the ball which Root had nicked. Jadeja was the bowler, and yet again, Jadeja provided a significant breakthrough. However, that was not the end of the English batting as young Haseeb Hameed kept on piling on some quick runs. Hameed got to his fifty, his second one in the series. It should be borne in mind that the young fellow has been brought down the order due to a serious injury on his finger but the gritty innings from the youngster saw England’s lead getting past 100. But it did not last long as India wrapped up things very quickly leaving Hameed stranded at 59.
Coming on to chase down the paltry target of 103 set by England, India’s reply received an early jolt thanks to some excellent fast bowling from Chris Woakes. Murali Vijay was the man who got out for a duck. However, since that wicket India did not have to think much as Parthiv Patel who has been brought in place of Wriddhiman Saha, played a nice innings to put the result beyond any doubt. Cheteshwar Pujara also played a good hand at the other end to ensure India’s victory by 8 wickets.
India vs England 3rd Test: Result
India have won the third test match by 8 wickets, which is one of the biggest margins as far as winning by wickets is concerned. India have displayed some excellent performances to register an unassailable 2-0 lead. Parthiv Patel played a dominating innings scoring a half century while chasing down 103. he remained not out on 67. Ravindra Jadeja has been named the man-of-the-match for his all-round show in the match. with the ball he picked up important wickets and with the bat he contributed 90 crucial runs which turned out to be one of the deciding factors of the match.
India vs England Third Test: Brief Scores
England won the toss and decided to bat first.
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India won the match by 8 wickets.
India vs England 4th Test: Preview
The fourth and the penultimate test match of the five-match India vs England test match series is scheduled to be held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. There will be a long gap before the start of the fourth test match as it will begin on December 8. Before that, both teams have got some important things to sort out. India’s bowling has been really well, and batting too, has done quite well. But one thing that must be worrying is the openers’ slot. And it remains to be seen what Indian team brings up in the next test match.
From England’s perspective, this is going to be a do-or-die game. And they really need to pull up their socks to get a foothold in the five-match India vs England test series. Their batting performance needs to be addressed a bit. It remains to be seen whether Stuart Broad gets fit in time before the Mumbai Test match or not. If he manages to get fit, it will be really great news for England.
Wrap up
As it stands now, all eyes are set on the fourth test in Mumbai. And after all, that has happened in the second India vs England Test match, things don’t look good for England. As far as the Indians are concerned, they will be looking forward to carrying on their winning habit and make amends for the loss they had against England when they came here last time round.
