England playing XI's report card for the 3rd Test against India
Shambolic batting displays in both innings saw Joe Root's England lose the 3rd Test against India in Ahmedabad by 10 wickets and concede a 2-1 series lead. With the defeat, they are now ruled out of contention for a spot in the final of the World Test Championship.
England went in with only one specialist spinner in Jack Leach, and they were made to pay for that decision although Root did register a 5-wicket haul in the first innings. The batsmen struggled against the guile and subtle variations of Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin, with the entire team scoring less than 200 runs over the course of the Test match.
Here are the England players' ratings from the 3rd Test against India.
IND v ENG 2021, 3rd Test: England Playing XI's Report Card
Zak Crawley: 6.5/10
Crawley was the standout batsman in the first innings as he played an array of drives and flicks to register a half-century on his comeback to the side. In the second essay, however, he played the wrong line in embarrasing fashion to be dismissed first-ball. Crawley was good in the field, and took a couple of important catches.
Dom Sibley: 2/10
Barring a fifty in the first innings of the first Test, Sibley has had a miserable tour. The opener was the only England batsman to be dismissed by pace in the Test, and somehow got out in worse fashion in the second innings after attempting an ugly hoick across the line. His place in the team and his technique are under serious question.
Jonny Bairstow: 0.5/10
Bairstow walked back into the side after his period of rest came to an end, and he could not have had a worse game. In the first innings, he was trapped in front by Axar for a 9-ball duck. And in the second, Bairstow barely survived the first ball with a review before being castled all-ends-up off the next delivery. He will want to forget this Test in a hurry.
Joe Root: 7.5/10
Captain Root contributed 36 runs with the bat in this Test, and although his approach did serve him well during his time at the crease, he wasn't able to carry on and anchor his team's innings. He picked up a superb 5-wicket haul in India's first innings to give his side a sniff, and arguably should've brought himself on sooner.
Ben Stokes: 4/10
Stokes is well and truly Ashwin's bunny, and fell to the off-spinner in the second innings after making a reasonably comfortable 25. On Day 1, however, the southpaw was caught in front by an innocuous delivery from Axar, and really should've done better. He wrongly claimed a catch and leaked 19 runs in 3 overs in what was overall a highly forgettable outing.
Ollie Pope: 2/10
Pope scored 13 runs across the two innings, and was castled both times by the wily Ashwin in humiliating fashion. The youngster is a specialist batsman at No. 6 for England, and he hasn't done anything to justify his role in the recent past. Mere balls after nearly pulling off a stunner at short-leg, he shelled a dolly at gully to hand Kohli a reprieve.
Ben Foakes: 5/10
Although he was assured with his technique against the spinners once again, Foakes managed only 20 runs over the course of the Test. His keeping was excellent as usual, but his lack of intent while batting with England's tail did have a few fans scratching their heads.
Jofra Archer: 5/10
Archer didn't bowl as quick as he has done in the past, and didn't get much lateral movement off the deck either. The quick picked up the wicket of Shubman Gill and lured Rohit Sharma into a false shot or two, but didn't contribute in any form throughout the game for England.
Jack Leach: 7.5/10
Leach was the pick of the England bowlers although his captain pipped him to a 5-wicket haul. He picked up 4 wickets in the first innings with some consistent lines and lengths, and is now comfortably the team's lead spinner.
James Anderson: 5.5/10
Anderson was accurate for most of the 13 overs he bowled, although he was a tad short at times. England's leading wicket-taker in Test cricket nearly had Indian captain Virat Kohli for the first time since 2014, but Ollie Pope shelled a sitter at gully.
Stuart Broad: 3/10
Broad made no impact whatsoever with either ball or bat in this Test. Although the conditions weren't in his favour, a bowler of his experience and skill could've done better, especially with the new ball. Both he and Anderson went wicketless in the same Test for the first time ever (121 games in total).