🏏England tour of India 2024: 5th Test: 07 - 11 March 2024 - Day 3🏏 - Page 38

Originally posted by: SoniRita

KJ, you must be happy, RS hit a century

I m happy for Gill, he hit a century too

Yes. Awesome performance by team as a whole. Bowlers. Batsmen all have done an awesome job so far. Let’s see how Wngland team responds with their second innings :).

Speaking on TNT Sports, former England pacer, Steven Finn was impressed by Bashir's improved consistency on day 2. "Bashir adapted as the day went on and when you look at young players you look out for how well they can do that. Throughout this series, Bashir seems as though he's adapted as he's gone on. Before lunch he was bowling at 56mph, which is quick and flat for a spinner, and after lunch he bowled at 53mph. He got more variability off the surface, the odd one turned, and you had more play and misses. Clearly at lunch something was discussed and he got his rewards later in the day"

"Ben Stokes provided an Ian Botham moment of scene-stealing drama to announce his return as an all-rounder but even that could not disguise a day of methodical screw-turning by India," says The Telegraph's Nick Hoult. There were a string of fielding lapses, and two missed catches, which showed how tired minds are after seven weeks on the road. Tom Hartley was guilty of letting a couple through his legs in the deep, but stuck to his task admirably with the ball for two for 126 and so did Shoaib Bashir, who has a big heart and shrugged off being hit for eight sixes, equalling the most in an innings by an England bowler, with four for 170 from 44 overs. Between them they bowled 60 overs. It could take weeks for them to go through that many in the County Championship," he added.

"Some 251 days after he last bowled in a match, following 28 consecutive wickets falling to spin in the series, in which time 248.2 overs had been delivered, Stokes needed just one ball to show England what they had been missing. With his opposite number Rohit Sharma on 103, Stokes grabbed the ball for the second over after lunch. The inwardly arcing run-up was just the same, and after eight months between spells Stokes did not need a loosener. A perfect delivery angled in, nipped past Rohit's outside edge and kissed the off stump," he added.

"Stokes offers faint silver lining to England's day in the dirt," says Stephan Shemilt. In his column for the BBC, Stephan noted that "Bowling makes Stokes whole as a cricketer once more. Perhaps it will rejuvenate the batting of a man who has made only one half-century in his past 11 innings. Like giving Superman his cape back."

Welcome to Day 3 of the 5th test match between India and England.

Stokes gives England a glimpse of what might have been. Captain is a delegator by profession but a warrior at heart

By the time his team-mates arrived to congratulate him, Ben Stokes was already stomping back to his mark to bowl his second delivery in 251 days.

Some were laughing. Even James Anderson, who had toiled in a wicketless morning session. Mark Wood was one of many in disbelief, hands on his head, having been rinsed for 39 from his first six overs of day two by Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.

Stokes had just begun his first competitive over since July at Lord's against Australia, ending a streak of 15 innings without turning his arm over. Following knee surgery at the end of November after the 50-over World Cup, he has slowly built himself back up in India, teasing a trundle from the second Test onwards, before finally pulling the chord here in the fifth and last match of the series. He marked the occasion by taking out the India captain with his first ball.

It was, well, vintage Stokes. Full force into the crease, seam angled towards gully as soon as it left his right hand, hitting the pitch, leaving Rohit - 103 to his name - playing down the wrong line and taking out off stump to end a stand of 171, 110 of which had come in the morning session. The cameras picked up Brendon McCullum on the sidelines covering his eyes and shaking his head. Even a man who made a career out of inspiring through remarkable feats was stunned by what his skipper had just pulled out of the bag.

"He's a freak, isn't he?" beamed assistant coach Jeetan Patel. "It was almost written in the stars that he was going to bowl a jaffa first up and get Rohit Sharma out who was on 100.

"It's quite funny because he came on to bowl when the English crowds are waking up - they're flicking on the TV and the first thing they see is Ben Stokes bowling a really good delivery to Rohit Sharma."

For those tuning in, Stokes' lack of celebration would have alerted them to the match situation. India were 275 for 2, ahead by 57, having started the day 76 behind. He had broken the pinky promise made to England physio Ben Davies that he wouldn't even consider bowling in a match on this tour, but India were breaking all English spirits. Their first-innings lead is now 255 and counting.

That sums up Day 2.

What to expect today? India get the 500 mark or another England quick cleanup? One of Crawley/Duckett kick on like they have mostly done all series or India make quick inroads to bowl England out cheaply in the second innings again like Rajkot and Ranchi. Should the latter happen this game isn't lasting till stumps today. Stokes the batter has been a big let down this series. He led his side's comeback with ball yesterday. He has done it many times with the bat before. Can he do it one more time to salvage some pride here? Afterall, his idea for his team is to make Test cricket entertaining and fighting. England staged a mega comeback at the start of the series. Can they sign off on a similar note in even better batting conditions?

Pitch report: Nothing has changed as far as the pitch is concerned. Don't see any demons, it is a flat surface. Coming forward as much as possible is the key, because at times it might stay a little low," reckon Sanjay Manjrekar and Nick Knight.

Vishal: "A fitting end to this enthralling series would be if Eng fight back and put up a big score leaving Ind with a tricky 4th innings chase. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Live pictures show India's number 11 Siraj going through a batting drill while the overnight batters Kuldeep and Bumrah were seen busy with their bowling warm-ups.

Ananth: "Not with Vishal at all on a tricky 4th innings chase being fun. What would be fun is the Indian bowlers running through the English batting once again to set up a dominant innings victory for India."

Mustafa Moudi : "With every passing run I am feeling sad for Jaiswal, who just needed 21 Runs to Surpass Gavaskar's Record of Scoring Highest Runs in a Bilateral Test Series by an Indian - 732 Runs. Dont think India will get to bat again as they have taken a huge lead thats enough to defeat England !!"

Manas: "@Moudi - 732 by an Indian *in India*? 774 is the highest, by SMG again. Along the way, I suppose Gooch's 752 is the highest in Ind-Eng series."