Bowlers finally took centre stage at Lord’s on a day of massive drama as a slow burning Test was finally set on fire.
Fourteen wickets fell as first England were shot out for 192 only for Indian’s top order to buckle under the pressure.
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In the early evening sun Brydon Carse steamed in to trap both India’s number two and three batters LBW before Ben Stokes castled the nightwatch Akash Deep with the final ball of the day.
All of this after England’s batters threw away a golden opportunity to bat India out of the contest on a tricky pitch as they lost their last 6 wickets for 38 runs.
The last over of day three had lit the torch paper for this series with the Indian fielders incensed by Zak Crawley’s stalling tactics and the intensity was there from the outset.
Jasprit Bumrah almost bowled too well at times with Crawley (22) unable to lay bat on ball at times. At the other end Ben Duckett (12) looked more comfortable so it was a surprise when he holed out to mid on from the bowling of Mohammed Siraj (2/31).
Crawley was hit on the gloves twice, inside edged past the stumps and played and missed on numerous occasions but it was the new batter Ollie Pope (4) who was the next to go.
After being hit on the glove himself he was trapped falling over trying to play to mid-wicket from Siraj with the bowler successfully convincing his captain to review. Three reds lit up the screen and the majority India supporting crowd at Lord’s roared in approval.
When Crawley sliced to gully soon after against the outswing of Nitish Reddy (1/20) England were 50/3 and up against it. With Bumrah and Siraj out of the attack, Brook counter attacked hitting Akash Deep for three successive boundaries.
Deep’s three overs went for 20 but Shubman Gill kept him on and it brought reward with Brook’s (23) premeditated sweep to a fuller delivery on off stump proving fatal and middle stump flattened.
Ben Stokes came to the crease with England 87/4 and little time to make an impact before lunch but looked in decent touch after the break as the ball started to soften.
Mohammed Siraj bowling from the Pavilion End caused Joe Root (40) all sorts of problems with the bowler beating the inside edge of the bat three times and then the former England captain coming out on the right side of a perilously close LBW decision that probably should have been given out on field. Â
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India’s fielders couldn’t believe how close Root had come to being dismissed and in a low scoring second innings it was felt at the time it could have been a defining moment but Root wasn’t to last that much longer
Washington Sundar (4/22) bowling from the nursery ground immediately found his range and consistency and Root became the second batter in a row to be bowled around his legs on the sweep.
Then a rare failure from Jamie Smith (8) who played down the wrong line to the same bowler meaning England went into tea in real trouble on 175/6.
All hopes of a score in excess of 240-250 rested on Stokes shoulders but he failed to hit Sundar on the sweep for successive boundaries, overstretching and being beaten by flight to go for 33.
Bumrah was then brought back and picked up two quick wickets to remove Brydon Carse (1) with a yorker and Woakes (10) chopping on.
Shoaib Bashir walked out to partner Jofra Archer but became Sundar’s fourth wicket leaving India a target of 193.
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With 90 minutes to go and on a new ball pitch the evening session was going to be crucial to England’s chances and for the second time in the match Yashasvi Jaiswal went early, this time top edging a pull for a duck.
Karun Nair (14) stuck around with KL Rahul who was dropped by Woakes in his follow through on 5. That could still prove to be decisive.
With half an hour to go India had got within touching distance of Stumps only for Carse to be brought on at the Pavilion End. First he trapped Nair LBW and then got the one England really wanted, Shubman Gill, who played like a man under huge pressure, LBW for 6.
Akash Deep was sent in as nightwatch and took deliveries and time out of the game before being involved in a verbal battle with Carse. England and Stokes were to have the last laugh though meaning India will come back tomorrow needing 135 runs to win the match and England 6 wickets. A thrilling climax awaits.
