Jasprit Bumrah once again proved his mastery over former England captain Joe Root. The right-arm fast bowler sent Root back to the pavilion, marking the ninth time he has dismissed the prolific batter in Test cricket. With the ball reversing, he set up Root brilliantly on Day 3 in Rajkot. A couple of deliveries outside off lured Root into a false sense of security.
Bumrah produced a searing reverse-swinging delivery that caught Root off guard. The 33-year-old attempted a reverse scoop, but the ball took the edge and flew towards the slip cordon, where Yashasvi Jaiswal picked up a stunning catch to end Root’s stay, who walked back after scoring 18 runs.
Lightning reflexes from Jaiswal! ⚡️👏
A bright start for Bumrah & #TeamIndia 😍💪 on Day 3! 🔥#INDvENG #JioCinemaSports #BazBowled #IDFCFirstBankTestSeries pic.twitter.com/y4FwWbIX5K
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 17, 2024
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 17, 2024
Soon after Root’s dismissal, England lost their fourth wicket as Kuldeep Yadav got the better of Jonny Bairstow. The flamboyant English batter failed to open his tally as he failed to decipher the turn of Kuldeep’s spin. The ball hit his pads and the batter went for the review only to see three reds.
Ben Duckett, on the other hand, completed 150 runs in Rajkot. He played fearlessly throughout his time at the crease to give England some much-needed momentum. But, Kuldeep got the better of him in the 51st over of the innings. He bowled a short delivery and as Duckett tried launch it over mid on, he sent the ball straight to Shubman Gill to end his stay in the middle.
Despite picking up three crucial wickets in the morning, India are slightly on their back foot. The wicket of Ben Stokes holds a lot of value for the hosts and to take a lead, the bowlers will have to pick wickets consistently.