ENG vs IND: 5 talking points from India’s campaign on Day 3 of the Edgbaston Test

Day 3 of the Edgbaston Test saw thrilling action with Harry Brook and Jamie Smith's game-changing partnership, Mohammed Siraj's six-wicket haul, and India ending the day with a 244-run lead.

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Highlights of India's outing on Day 3 of second Test

Day 3 of the Edgbaston Test between England and India was quite enthralling as the proceedings were dominated by Harry Brook and Jamie Smith’s momentum-changing partnership and Mohammed Siraj’s six-wicket haul in Birmingham on Friday, July 5.

After bundling out England for 407, Team India gained a 180-run first-innings lead, which they took into the second innings. At the end of Day 3, the visitors posted a total of 64/1 after 13 overs, with KL Rahul and Karun Nair batting on 28 and 7, respectively, and have a 244-run lead going into Day 4, putting them in a commanding position to dictate the terms for the remainder of the Test.

On that note, let’s take a look at five key takeaways from India’s outing on the third day of the Edgbaston Test:

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1. Mohammed Siraj’s six-wicket haul

Mohammed Siraj led India’s bowling attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. The 31-year-old dismantled the top and middle order before cleaning up the tailenders to register a six-wicket haul in the first innings. Siraj removed Zak Crawley (19) on Day 2 before setting India’s tone by dismissing Joe Root (22) and Ben Stokes (0) early in the morning session of Day 3.

Siraj wrapped up England’s innings by dismissing Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir, all for ducks, to register figures of 6/70 in 19.3 overs. With this, Mohammed Siraj became the first Indian bowler since Chetan Sharma in 1986 to take six wickets at Edgbaston and also the second Indian bowler after Chetan to take 10 wickets at the venue. Siraj’s six-wicket haul helped India get a significant 180-run first-innings lead.

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2. India slips away from the momentum

After Mohammed Siraj left England reeling at 83/5, things began to unravel for Team India when Jamie Smith joined Harry Brook at the crease. It was expected that the visitors would wrap up England’s innings after dismantling the top and middle-order, but Smith and Brook had other plans. Smith adopted an ultra-aggressive approach from the word, while Brook’s assertive batting blunted India’s bowling attack.

Jamie Smith (184*) and Harry Brook (158) stitched a 303-run partnership for the sixth wicket, which pulled England from a shambolic situation, where they were on the verge of early wrapping up of innings, to a position of strength and shifted the momentum in the hosts’ favour by seizing it from India.

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3. Akash Deep’s vital contribution

Akash Deep came in as a replacement for Jasprit Bumrah and made an instant impact in the first innings. Akash triggered a collapse in England’s batting line-up by removing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope off consecutive deliveries, setting the tone for India early on Day 2. Though he went wicketless for a long stretch, as Shubman Gill rotated the bowling between Prasidh Krishna, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar.

Akash Deep’s moment came when he ended the marathon 303-run partnership by dismissing Harry Brook for 158. Then he picked his fourth and final wicket by dismissing Chris Woakes to register figures of 4/88 in 20 overs.

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4. Prasidh Krishna struggles again

Prasidh Krishna retained his place in the playing XI despite his mediocre outing in the first Test at Headingley. However, the 29-year-old continued to underperform, struggling with both line and length through his spells. Krishna went wicketless while conceding 70 runs in his spell of 13 overs.

At one point, Prasidh Krishna conceded 61 runs at an economy rate of over seven without taking a single wicket. In one of his overs, Jamie Smith smashed him for 23 runs, including four boundaries and a six, allowing England to seize the momentum from India and accelerate the scoring rate during their crucial phase of the innings after losing Joe Root and Ben Stokes early.

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5. Spin twins ineffective as England counterattacked

The spin bowling duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar failed to make an impact with the ball as they failed to take a single wicket. Jadeja and Sundar made a vital contribution with the bat in India’s first innings but failed to build any pressure with the bat as England counterattacked through a 303-run stand for the sixth wicket between Jamie Smith and Harry Brook.

Team India added an extra spinner for the bowling depth to compensate for the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, but the move did not pay off. Jadeja and Sundar went wicketless while conceding 70 and 73 runs in their spells of 17 and 14 overs, respectively. Their lackluster performance with the ball further increased England’s momentum.