How England dominated day 2 courtesy: Ben Duckett

England fought back on Day 2 courtesy: Ben Duckett. Let’s take a look at how the day played out.

Day 2: First Session:

England strike early: Just like Day 1, England struck early on Day 2 as well courtesy- James Anderson and Joe Root as they removed Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja (112 runs) in quick succession. But why did they lose their wickets? As mentioned previously, Anderson took advantage of the early morning moisture to remove Kuldeep while Jadeja was caught and bowled off Joe Root. With these quick wickets, 326/5 swiftly became 331/7.

James Anderson struck early for England as he dismissed Kuldeep Yadav
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-in-india-2023-24-1389386/india-vs-england-3rd-test-1389401/match-photo

India was dented when Joe Root picked up the big wicket of Ravindra Jadeja
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-in-india-2023-24-1389386/india-vs-england-3rd-test-1389401/match-photo

But, now the question is:

Question:

Could Jadeja have done anything better?

Answer:

To be fair, Jadeja went into his shell and didn’t play freely which ultimately cost him his wicket. He should’ve played more freely and attacked a bit more since the pitch was good to bat on.

Dhruv Jurel and Ravichandran Ashwin take India to Lunch: An unbeaten 57 run stand between Ashwin and Dhruv Jurel saw India make a comeback and the teams went into Lunch with the score reading 388/7 with both batters unbeaten on 25 and 31 respectively.

But, now the question is:

Question:

Why did England let the advantage slip?

Answer:

The pitch was good to bat on and the bowlers also bowled inconsistently which pushed England on the back foot. Too many boundary deliveries released all the pressure that had been created after the 2 quick wickets.

Day 2: Second Session:

England strike early: Just like the first session, England struck early in the second session as well courtesy- Rehan Ahmed as he dismissed Ashwin (37 runs) and Dhruv Jurel (46 runs) in quick succession. With these quick wickets, 388/7 swiftly became 408/9.

Rehan Ahmed took two early wickets in the second session as he dismissed Ashwin and Dhruv Jurel
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-in-india-2023-24-1389386/india-vs-england-3rd-test-1389401/match-photo

But, the question now is:

Question:

Why did Ashwin and Jurel get out?

Answer:

In a bid to attack Rehan Ahmed, who has been England’s weak link in this test series so far, Ashwin gave a simple catch to James Anderson at mid on. On the other hand, Jurel was outfoxed by an away turner from Rehan Ahmed and he edged it to the keeper.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj take India to 445: A 37 run stand between Bumrah and Siraj took India to 445 runs.

But, the question now is:

Question:

Why couldn’t England dislodge them?

Answer:

On a pitch aiding turn and bounce, England’s spin duo of Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed couldn’t take advantage of the bowling conditions as they bowled too many overpitched deliveries and picked just 3 wickets for 194 runs. Mark Wood was the pick of the bowlers as he finished with a 4 fer while Anderson and Root picked one each.

England First Innings:

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett take England to tea: An error in running from Ashwin saw England begin their innings on 5/0. Then, an unbeaten 26 run stand between Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley took England to tea with both batters unbeaten on 19 and 6 respectively and England still trailing by 414 runs.

But, the question now is:

Question:

Why couldn’t India take a wicket?

Answer:

While there was movement with the new ball, overall, the pitch was good for batting and the Indian bowlers also offered too much width instead of bowling in good areas.

Day 2: Third Session:

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett hurt India: Both Crawley and Duckett continued their 26 run stand and added another 63 runs to the score. With this stand, the score moved to 89/0.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett shared an 89 run stand for the first wicket
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-in-india-2023-24-1389386/india-vs-england-3rd-test-1389401/match-photo

But, the question is:

Question:

Why did India have no answers to the Ben Duckett onslaught?

Answer:

The pitch was flat and there wasn’t any help for the bowlers. Plus, the bowlers also bowled too many lose deliveries on which the batters cashed in.

Ashwin strikes for India: Ravichandran Ashwin struck for India as he removed Zak Crawley for 15 runs and took his 500th Test wicket. With this wicket, the score moved to 89/1.

Ashwin picked up his 500th Test wicket as he dismissed Zak Crawley for 15 runs
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-in-india-2023-24-1389386/india-vs-england-3rd-test-1389401/match-photo

But, the question is:

Question:

Why did Crawley lose his wicket?

Answer:

He got a top edge on the sweep shot and gave a simple catch to Rajat Patidar at fine leg. The shot was on but Crawley didn’t get the timing or placement right. India got a wicket against the run of play there.

Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope counterattack: After losing Zak Crawley for 15 runs, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope counterattacked with a 93 run stand for the second wicket. With this stand, the score moved to 182/1. During this stand, Ben Duckett also brought up his third test hundred to put England in a commanding position.

Ben Duckett's third test hundred put England in a commanding position
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-in-india-2023-24-1389386/india-vs-england-3rd-test-1389401/match-photo

Question:

But, why couldn’t India take more wickets?

Answer:

Well, India was ‘Bazballed’ by both Duckett and Pope as they swept and reverse swept at will and with the pitch not offering any help, India had no answers to the onslaught.

Mohammed Siraj strikes for India: Mohammed Siraj struck late in the day as he dismissed Ollie Pope for 39 runs. With this wicket, the score moved to 182/2. But, why did Pope lose his wicket? The old ball was offering reverse swing and that led to Pope’s downfall as he played down the wrong line to be LBW.

Mohammed Siraj struck late in the day as he dismissed Ollie Pope for 39 runs
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-in-india-2023-24-1389386/india-vs-england-3rd-test-1389401/match-photo

Question:

But, what is the difference between reverse swing and conventional swing?

Answer:

In conventional swing, the ball moves away from the batter when the seam is pointed towards slips and comes back in when the seam is pointed towards fine leg. But, reverse swing happens when the old ball has a shiny side and the ball moves towards the shiny side.

Ben Duckett and Joe Root take England to Stumps: After losing Pope for 39 runs, Joe Root (9*) and Ben Duckett (133*) ensured that there weren’t any more hiccups for England as they took their team to Stumps with an unbeaten 25 run stand with the score reading 203/2 and England still trailing by 238 runs.

The analysis above shows England’s resurgence on Day 2, led by Ben Duckett’s century. Critique targets India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, suggesting he could have deployed spinners earlier and been more proactive. India faces a challenge, needing to dismiss Duckett, still undefeated, to regain footing on Day 3.

Brief Scores:

India First Innings: 445/10 (Rohit Sharma- 131, Ravindra Jadeja- 112, Sarfaraz Khan- 62, Dhruv Jurel- 46, Ashwin- 37, Mark Wood- 4/114, Rehan Ahmed- 2/85, James Anderson- 1/61, Tom Hartley- 1/109, Joe Root- 1/70)

England First Innings: 207/2 (Ben Duckett- 133*, Ollie Pope- 39, Ashwin- 1/37, Mohammed Siraj- 1/54)

Note: I do not own any of these images. The credit for these images goes to espncricinfo.com. These images have been used to show what happened during the game.