3rd Test: England reach 207/2 after India post 445 in first innings

 Left-handed opener Ben Duckett smashed the fastest Test century by an England batter in India to take the visitors to 207/2 in 35 overs at stumps on Day Two of the third Test at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Friday.

England trail India by 238 runs after bowling out the hosts for 445 on an engrossing day of Test cricket, thanks to Duckett’s attacking display with the bat, which left the hosts with no answers to counter his whirlwind knock.

Duckett got his century in 88 balls and ended the day at 133 not out off 118 balls, laced with 21 fours and two sixes to leave India on the back-foot. Duckett was severe on anything short and dealt it with disdain. If it was a full-length ball, it was driven easily through cover or down the ground. If balls were needed to sweep or reverse-sweep, it was greeted with utmost precision from Duckett’s willow.

England were 6/0 even before a legal ball was sent down: five runs came from the penalty which came after Indian batters ran in the danger area of the pitch while batting, with the one run coming from Jasprit Bumrah bowling a no-ball.

Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who was fine to bowl after suffering from a blow on the right knee during India’s batting innings, found a bit of movement with the new ball to beat Duckett and Crawley. Duckett showed his intentions quickly -- severe with his cut, drives and punches to be unbeaten on 19 off 22 balls at tea.

Post tea, Duckett continued his onslaught on the Indian bowlers, sweeping firmly against Kuldeep Yadav twice, followed by driving and slamming Mohammed Siraj for two fours. Duckett reverse-swept against Kuldeep and steered Siraj twice through the gap on the off-side to get his fifty in just 39 balls.

Duckett and Crawley took two boundaries each off Kuldeep before the latter top-edged a sweep to short fine-leg as Ravichandran Ashwin ended the 89-run opening partnership to get his 500th Test wicket, becoming the second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble to get the momentous achievement.

Duckett survived a yorker from Bumrah and continued to sweep, slog-sweep, punch, pull and on-drive with ease to get his hundred in 88 balls, also the third-fastest century by a visiting Test batter in India.

Ollie Pope hit five fours and a six in his 55-ball 39, before being trapped LBW by Siraj. Duckett and Joe Root (nine not out) hit some boundaries before stumps arrived, including the former surviving an LBW call in the final over of the day.

Earlier, Ashwin (37) and debutant wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (46) added 77 runs for the eighth-wicket stand, followed by Bumrah making 26 at the end to take India to a strong total of 445 in 130.5 overs.

Resuming on 331/7, India added only 62 runs to their total in the morning session. James Anderson struck in the fourth over of the session after getting a faint edge of nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav's bat to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes. In the next over, Jadeja chipped a tame drive straight back to part-time off-spinner Joe Root, falling for 112.

With two new fresh batters, England went to Mark Wood’s thunderbolts, and Ashwin got off the mark with a beautiful punch through cover for four. He tried to bounce out Jurel, who arched back and ramped over slips for six.

Ashwin continued to hit lovely drives and cuts for boundaries, while Jurel looked solid and cleverly glanced and drove in the gap to get his runs, as making 400+ now looks like a realistic target for India.

The only blip for India though was Ashwin running into the danger area while facing Rehan Ahmed in the 102nd over, which led to on-field umpire Joel Wilson fining India with a five-run penalty.

Post lunch, Ashwin continued to get boundaries via on-drive and glance, even as Jurel was dropped twice on 32 by Ollie Pope at mid-wicket and by Ben Stokes at leg-slip. England finally held on to a chance when Ashwin miscued a loft off Rehan Ahmed and was caught by a forward-diving mid-on.

Jurel delighted with his sixes over mid-wicket and mid-off, but his attempt to go for a late cut against a flatter and wide delivery from Ahmed resulted in Foakes taking a brilliant low catch. Bumrah sparkled with his slogs over mid-on yielding a four and six, followed by a beautiful lofted drive over cover for a boundary.

Siraj was hit on the top of his knee while going for a reverse sweep off Tom Hartley and changed the out decision to not out via DRS. In the next over, he again got treatment from the physio due to the pain from the blow on the knee. Wood then trapped Bumrah lbw with a slower delivery to end India’s innings.

Brief scores:

India 445 all out in 130.5 overs (Rohit Sharma 131, Ravindra Jadeja 112, Sarfaraz Khan 62; Mark Wood 4-114, Rehan Ahmed 2-85) lead England 207/2 in 35 overs (Ben Duckett 133 not out, Ollie Pope 39; Ravichandran Ashwin 1-37, Mohammed Siraj 1-54) by 238 runs

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