India's Bowling Struggles Continue in Second Test Against England
Day 3 Overview of the Second Test
On Day 3 of the second Test in the five-match series against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham, Team India's bowlers appeared to falter. After a strong performance on Day 2, where they scored 587 runs in 151 overs, highlighted by Shubman Gill's double century and contributions from Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal, India seemed to have the upper hand.
India's bowlers made early inroads into England's first innings, reducing them to 25/3 within 7.1 overs. However, England managed to stabilize their innings, ending the day at 77/3, with Joe Root and Harry Brook not out at 18 and 30, respectively, still trailing by 510 runs.
India's Missed Opportunities
The morning session of Day 3 saw Mohammed Siraj take two quick wickets, dismissing Joe Root (22) and Ben Stokes (0) in consecutive balls, leaving England at 84/5. Despite this promising start, India struggled to maintain their grip on the game.
Harry Brook and Jamie Smith, both aggressive players influenced by the 'Bazball' philosophy, began to rebuild England's innings. Their partnership shifted the momentum, with Smith scoring a century off just 80 balls, marking him as the fastest England wicketkeeper to achieve this feat in Test cricket.
Turning Point in the Match
Brook's century, along with Smith's aggressive batting, propelled England past the 300-run mark before the Tea break, frustrating the Indian bowlers who failed to sustain pressure. The duo's counter-attacking style effectively neutralized India's early breakthroughs.
This scenario echoed India's previous struggles at Headingley, where they also let a dominant position slip away. In the first innings at Edgbaston, after a strong partnership between Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, India collapsed, losing six wickets for just 41 runs.
Regaining Control
After a challenging period, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj managed to regain some momentum for India in the final session. Akash Deep dismissed Harry Brook for 158, breaking a significant 303-run partnership with Jamie Smith.
Following this, Akash Deep took Chris Woakes for 5, and Siraj wrapped up England's innings by claiming the last three wickets, ultimately bowling them out for 407. This performance provided India with a crucial 182-run lead in the first innings.
Bowling Figures
Jamie Smith finished unbeaten on 184 runs off 207 balls. Mohammed Siraj achieved a six-wicket haul, conceding 70 runs in 19.1 overs, while Akash Deep supported well with figures of 4/88 in 20 overs.