Rohan Chowdhury, Manchester
England continued their commanding performance on the third morning of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford, with Joe Root and Ollie Pope consolidating their team’s position. In stark contrast to the overcast conditions of the first two days, Manchester woke up to bright sunshine, conditions that heavily favoured the batters, and England made full use of it.
In the process, Root went past Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis to become the third-highest Test run-getter in the all-time list. Only Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar are now ahead of him.
India’s bowling attack, which looked uninspiring yesterday, continued to falter. There was little to no discipline or penetration, and none of the bowlers managed to assert any control over proceedings.
Shardul Thakur opened the attack from the Brian Statham End, a tactical switch aimed at allowing Jasprit Bumrah to operate from his preferred end. However, the change had little effect.
Debutant Anshul Kamboj had a forgettable morning, barely clocking 130 kmph and struggling to make an impact. Fielding lapses added to India’s woes, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel guilty of errors at crucial moments. The team looked flat and out of ideas as England’s batters took charge.
The aggressive Bazball approach was once again evident, with England scoring at a brisk rate of 4.5 runs per over. Root and Pope batted with flair and authority, frustrating the Indian bowlers throughout the session.
England added 107 runs without losing a wicket in 28 overs during the morning session — a session thoroughly dominated by the hosts.
Brief Scores: England 332/2 (Trail by 36, Joe Root 63*, Ollie Pope 70*)
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz