An exciting day of Test cricket took place in Hyderabad on Saturday, January 27, with India and England trading blows throughout the three periods.
England were the first to strike, taking the three remaining Indian wickets for 15 runs and bowling the hosts out for 436. At one time, it appeared that India’s first-innings lead might extend far over 200 runs, but the visitors performed well to claw back.
After some quick scoring by the top players, it looked like Ben Stokes and his team were making a comeback. Yet, Jasprit Bumrah couldn’t be ignored for long. His two-wicket catch gave his team the upper hand in the Test.
Ollie Pope had the best day. He scored an amazing hundred runs without getting out. This put England ahead by 126 runs at Day 3’s end. Stokes’ team still has four players left, and thanks to Pope’s incredible play, they’re still in this match.
After three days, which team has the upper hand to open the series with a victory?
IND vs ENG 2024, 1st Test: India still ahead after Day 3, but not by much
As previously said, England leads by 126 runs, and while they have given themselves the opportunity to pull off a miracle victory, they still have a lot of work to do.
Only Mark Wood, Tom Hartley, and Jack Leach will follow Pope and Rehan Ahmed, who are now at the crease. The previous two have demonstrated their ability to wield the willow, while Leach has earned a Player of the Match award for his Test batting performance.
However, on a surface like the one in Hyderabad, England’s tail is unlikely to wag much against India’s world-class spinners. Rohit Sharma and his teammates will know that if they can eliminate Pope early on Day 4, they would be in a strong position to maintain their fourth-innings goal around 150.
The hosts could also have greater breathing room. They bat deep, with Axar Patel slotting at No. 9, and the majority of their batsmen are in top form right now. Even if they have to chase more than 200 runs, they will most likely open the fourth innings as favorites.
The pitch will likely play an important role on Day 4. On Day 3, it provided gradual turn throughout the three sessions, and while the odd ball remained low, England’s batsmen countered it effectively with a variety of sweeps and reverse sweeps.
The surface is likely to deteriorate, and India’s batsmen are significantly more traditional than their English opponents. That might imply that if a few cracks begin to open up and the rough becomes more obvious, run-scoring will become extremely tough over the latter two days of the Test.
Despite this, England’s spinners haven’t been reliable enough to suggest that they’ll be able to pick up all ten Indian wickets without a large target to support them. Boundary balls were thrown in virtually every over in the first innings, which the visitors cannot afford with a 250-odd run chase.
England is a courageous team with lots of fight, and on paper, they have the resources to challenge the two-time World Test Championship winners. However, as things stand, India is in a stronger position after Day 3, albeit by a deceptively narrow margin.