2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 3rd Test vs England
Team India registered their biggest-ever Test win in terms of runs as they thrashed England by 434 runs in the third Test at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Sunday, February 18.
With the comprehensive victory, the hosts took the lead for the first time in the five-match series. They have now notched up two wins on the trot after their defeat in Hyderabad and are only one triumph away from sealing another home Test series.
While it was an excellent performance overall from Rohit Sharma and company, with most players contributing, there were a few things that they could've done better in the encounter.
Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by Team India in the third Test against England.
#3 Mistake - India's running between the wickets was sketchy throughout the Test
In a rather disappointing pattern, India's running between the wickets was shaky throughout the Rajkot Test. It was an issue even ahead of the match, with a couple of high-profile run-outs in the first two matches, but it reached an all-time low in the third Test.
Ravindra Jadeja ran Sarfaraz Khan out in the first innings in a quest to reach the three-figure mark, cutting short an excellent maiden knock from the young middle-order batter. Even before the run-out, India's running had been anything but convincing.
Then, in the second essay, Kuldeep Yadav sold Shubman Gill down the river in a needless run-out that prevented the latter from reaching the three-figure mark for the second Test running.
India can't afford to lose wickets in careless ways as the series reaches its business end, and this is something the team management will want to work on with intent.
#2 Masterstroke - India promoted Ravindra Jadeja to No. 5 in the first innings and weren't hesitant to use a nightwatchman
After electing to bat first, India got off to a terrible start in the first session of Day 1. Mark Wood and Tom Hartley reduced the hosts to 33/3, leaving Rohit Sharma stranded at one end.
The home side proactively moved Ravindra Jadeja to No. 5 ahead of debutant Sarfaraz Khan, who was initially slated to bat at the position. The southpaw, who has been one of India's best Test batters over the last few years, duly delivered by hitting a superb century and stringing together an excellent partnership with his skipper.
Moreover, in both innings, Kuldeep Yadav was used as a nightwatchman to great effect. The southpaw hung around to be present at the close of play on both occasions and even made a decent batting contribution on Day 4.
India's batting-order decisions were quite smart in Rajkot.
#1 Mistake - India's new-ball plans for Ben Duckett were way off the mark
At Stumps on Day 2, it seemed like England were in control of the Test. They were placed at 207/2 after just 35 overs in their first innings, with Ben Duckett batting on an unbeaten 133.
Much of that was because of India's poor new-ball plans against Duckett, who had crossed the 50-run mark by the time R Ashwin was introduced into the attack. The English opener found it all too easy to access square boundaries on both sides of the wicket and was severe on both pace and spin.
India had already experienced the perils of not getting Ashwin on early enough in the first two Tests, but they refused to learn from their mistakes. If not for a concerted bowling effort on Day 3, Rohit and company could've seen the Test unfold in an entirely different manner.