England vs India 2018, 4th Test, Day 3: 5 Talking Points
This absorbing Test match between England and India saw yet another intriguing day as England marginally moved forward in the contest, ending the third day on 260 for 8, thereby gaining a lead of 233 runs with two full days left.
India's fast bowlers toiled hard right through the day with the combination of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah picking up seven wickets between them and how they return on the fourth day and how quickly they dismiss the English tail will be absolutely crucial from the visitors perspective.
Jos Buttler played the defining innings once again, making a patient 69 which helped steady England's innings and right now if you would ask someone which dressing room he would like to be in, he would much rather be in the home dressing room than the away one.
Here are the talking points from play on Day 3:
#1 Ashwin disappoints with the ball
India needed their best spinner to turn up on the third day and instead what they got from him was a below-par performance. 35-7-78-1 may seem an economical display of spin bowling, but whoever saw the performance would tell you a different story.
At Edgbaston, when he had England in a tangle, it was because of his pace, the speed at which the ball came out of his hand on a pitch assisting him was baffling, to say the least. as was the way he experimented so much when it wasn't required at all.
There was talk of how Ashwin had to take a leaf out of the book of Moeen Ali, who claimed a five-wicket haul on Friday but it did not turn out to be the case and that meant, the pressure of the quicks to deliver was only further enhanced.