As it happened – England vs India, 3rd Test, 2nd day

India chase the game as England end second day of Headingley Test 345 runs in front

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Aug-2021

Five wickets in the final session. But it’s hard to see England messing this up

Most Test centuries in a year as captain•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England just made too much ground in that middle session. Joe Root hit his third hundred of the series and sixth of the year. Dawid Malan struck a fifty. England went to tea 220 runs ahead with seven wickets in hand, and though they ended the day eight down, scored briskly through session three as well, finishing 345 runs in front. India needed a dramatic collapse to force themselves back into the match on day two, and did their best to set one in motion during an attritional first session. But they were eventually foiled by Root in the form of his already exceptional cricketing life.Once Root got going after lunch, India’s strategy of bowling tightly and keeping the runs down – which had been somewhat successful in a morning session in which they removed the overnight batters – was essentially torn apart. It’s not that Root’s innings was necessarily a counterattack – he just went into ODI mode and found ways to score off even good balls, frequently deflecting balls in the arc between point and third man in particular. He was on 27 off his first 25 balls, 41 off 50, and reached triple figures off the 123rd ball he faced.Growing in confidence as he batted in Root’s slipstream, Malan grew in confidence as he hit 70 off 128 balls in his comeback Test innings. The pair’s 139-run partnership was the best of the innings, just pipping Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns’ opening stand, which was worth 135. Root also shared a 52-run association with Jonny Bairstow, and it is between these three stands that much of England’s batting progress has been made. At stumps, they still had Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson at the crease. Both have been known to contribute handy runs at the county level.

Do India have a shot here?

England are now seven down after Moeen Ali holed out to mid on, off the bowling of Jadeja. They are a little over 300 in front, with seven wickets down. If India can restrict the lead to 350, then get themselves out to about 500, and then during the break between the third and fourth innings the pitch caves in like one of those swamp-adjacent sinkholes and the match referee makes England bat on it anyway, India could just about go 2-0 up.

Root runs out of steam

Such was the tempo he maintained for much of this innings, Root began to look a little laboured in the last half hour. It’s now ended with a slightly tired shot. Jasprit Bumrah angled a fullish ball in, pitched it outside off and perhaps moved it a touch off the seam. Root, going for a drive past wide mid off, only gets in inside edge to the ball, and it cannons back into middle stump. The Headingley faithful dust off one final rendition of the ROOOOOOOOT chant, and applaud him off the field.This was an innings in which he matched Kevin Pietersen’s century tally. Although Cook is way out in front, it does seem likely Root will hunt that down too.Getty Images

Buttler doesn’t hang around

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With a high-score of 25 so far in the tournament, Jos Buttler could have done with a long innings here. And with India’s bowlers tiring, little pressure from the match situation, and a seemingly flat surface, he could not have asked for better circumstances. But he gives it away. Mohammed Shami bowls a full delivery on leg stump, and Buttler turns it aerially to Ishant at catching midwicket. The fielder was there for just such a shot. Buttler’s gone for seven.

Root’s year of years (it’s only August)

If you’ve not had enough and to dive into a pool of pure Joe Root love, the wonderful Geoff Lemon has put together a thread detailing all the great batting years Root has eclipsed just through the course of this innings. Jump down this rabbit hole.