England batsman Jonny Bairstow’s poor form in the present Test series against India continued on Saturday as he was removed for a duck on Day 3 of the third Test in Rajkot.
The hosts already had their tails up, having returned Joe Root earlier in the day. Kuldeep Yadav followed up with a tight over, which resulted in another wicket as Jonny Bairstow attempted to hang back and defend without getting to the pitch of the ball.
The ball gripped the surface from a considerable distance outside the off-stump and spun quickly, trapping Jonny Bairstow right in front. The right-hander requested a review, but it was unsuccessful since the replays revealed three reds.
Check out the footage of the dismissal below:
Jonny Bairstow has scored 98 runs in five innings of the series, with a low average of 19.6. England needed him to create a partnership with Ben Duckett after losing Root early Saturday.
India strike early blows to dominate first hour on Day 3
The hosts were handed a major setback when veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin pulled out of the upcoming Test owing to a family medical issue. Already a bowler short and on the back foot, India required an amazing effort to battle back on Day 3, which they delivered in the opening hour.
Ben Duckett hit a lot of boundaries on Day 2, but skipper Rohit Sharma made sure he had deep fielders ready on the third morning to dry up the big shots. Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav applied pressure on both ends, and the hosts broke the deadlock.
Root attempted to play the reverse scoop off Bumrah, but only found Yashasvi Jaiswal in the slip cordon. Jonny Bairstow’s expulsion meant that the visitors needed to dig deep and form a strong partnership.
Just as Ben Stokes was getting underway, England lost Duckett’s wicket. India will need to keep picking up wickets at regular intervals since the pitch still looks conducive for batting.
