Boria Majumdar in London
On a manic Sunday, the match moved at blistering pace and now stands on a knife’s edge. While India will feel they would have been far happier with the captain still there, they know that they have KL Rahul and the rest to get the remaining runs against a ball that is now losing shine. England, on the other hand, will believe that one more burst tomorrow morning and they can open the doors.
It was a day when nothing went to plan for either team. England would have wanted at least 225 but got 30 less while India would have wanted no more than two down at stumps. Instead, they returned to the pavilion at 58/4, needing 135 more to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
The truth is this is a new-ball pitch. The moment the ball is 20-plus overs old things change. Yes, there are cracks and there are patches which have started to offer uneven bounce, but it is also true that against the older ball you can survive. With time no longer a factor, either side can win. For India, it is Rahul who is yet again the key. He has been stellar against the new ball and all the other batters can revolve round him. And needless to say among them is Rishabh Pant, who could have a massive say in the game on the last day.
If the last few minutes are an index, it is complete theatre out there. Both teams desperate to win and both teams giving their heart out. If one has Jasprit Bumrah the other has Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse. If it was Mohammed Siraj in the morning, it was Carse in the evening.
But all said and done, one has to say the day belonged to Washington Sundar. He is the unlikely hero with his brilliant four-wicket haul. Then, it is not enough and he might well have to do a job with the bat in this amazing Test match.
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