IND vs ENG Live Updates: Prasidh Krishna dismisses centurion Ollie Pope early on day 3

IND vs ENG Live Updates, India vs England Test Series Day 3: If day one was completely dominated by India at Headingley, all the chips fell England's way on day two to ensure that this Test match is perfectly in the balance heading into day three. For India, day two was about looking back and being disappointed by missed chances. Being 430-3 with two centurions batting in full flow at the crease, only to collapse and lose 7 wickets for just 41 more runs. Getting England against the ropes with a wicket in the very first over, only to drop chances and not keep the pressure up, allowing the runs to flow. The world's best bowler taking a match-changing wicket in the last over before stumps, only to get it taken back for a no-ball. Small, key moments, that means England are only 262 runs behind India now, a centurion of their own at the crease, and plenty of batting to come....Read More

What it all means is that England are in a position to make a very solid match of this contest despite facing three centurions in the first innings — in fact, India's 471 is the lowest score by any team in the history of Test cricket when three different players have registered tonnes. It has been the story for India: their ceiling of talent has been such that Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah with his three wickets have ensured they are competitive. But a string of subpar performances, particularly for the bowlers around Bumrah, has meant they will be disappointed that England are still in the game.

Ollie Pope reached a century before stumps on day two, and Bumrah’s wicket of Joe Root means what could have been an extraordinarily bad day for India was still rescued somewhat. But with slightly overcast conditions expected for the rest of this Test, India will be desperate for wickets to make their first innings batting performance count. They will want a result in Leeds, and the only way to do that will be to take 17 more English wickets. Beyond Bumrah, what is India's resource to find those? Prasidh Krishna has disappointed as the third seamer, being loose and expensive, while Mohammed Siraj has gone between being similarly loose to only vaguely threatening. With Ravindra Jadeja’s spin not finding much purpose, a big test lies ahead for debutant captain Shubman Gill, who really needs to rally his resources and find a way to brute-force some success against Pope and Brook for starters, and then Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith to come.

There's no clear favourite at this point in the match, and it might well just come down to which batting unit can have the most joy against two bowling attacks which have this far flattered to deceive. Bumrah was unsurprisingly exceptional: how much of a difference can he make after an evening’s rest, against Pope and particularly against Brook and Stokes? These are the questions both teams will be well aware of, and it's the battle that could decide the fate of this Test match as we head into moving day.

Click here to read article