3 takeaways from Day 3 of Birmingham Test between India and England
Team India continued their domination of England on Day 3 of the Birmingham Test on Sunday (July 3). The visitors went to stumps with a healthy lead of 257, with seven second-innings wickets in hand.
With two days remaining, India will look to bat England out of the Test. They will also try to ensure they get enough overs to bowl out the hosts in the second innings.
England resumed Day 3 of the Birmingham Test at 84/5. Jonny Bairstow continued his brilliant form and brought up his third hundred in as many Test matches. However, barring his 140-ball 106, there wasn’t a lot of resistance from the rest of the England batters. Mohammed Siraj claimed 4/66 to run through opposition’s lower-order and gave India a significant first-innings lead of 132.
India went to stumps on Day 3 in Birmingham at 125/3. Shubman Gill (4), Hanuma Vihari (11) and Virat Kohli (20) perished cheaply again. However, Cheteshwar Pujara (50*) and Rishabh Pant (30*) featured in an unbeaten 50-run stand to lift the visitors.
With India in firm control of the Birmingham Test against England, let’s analyze three big talking points from Day 3.
#1 Sledging or batting, nothing seems to be going right for Virat Kohli
It was another poor day on the field for Virat Kohli, and not just with the bat. In the first session, he got into an animated conversation with Bairstow. The in-form England cricketer clearly wasn’t impressed. The right-handed batter, who was content defending the Indian bowlers until then, suddenly went berserk and punished the visitors.
From a patient 16 off 64 balls, he raced to 50 off 81 balls and brought up his hundred off 119 deliveries. As Bairstow went on the rampage, Kohli was massively trolled on social media. Many pointed out that while Bairstow has scored three hundreds in three Tests, Kohli hasn’t reached three figures in nearly three years.
An absolute jaffa!! 😍
Rooty's reactions 😅
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Kohli did take the catch to dismiss Bairstow for 106, but it was nothing more than a consolation for the 33-year-old.
He did get a chance to make an impact with the bat later in the day. He looked good during his stay out in the middle, hitting four fours. However, England captain Ben Stokes got a length delivery to bounce awkwardly and Kohli (20) could only glove the ball behind the wickets.
Wicketkeeper Sam Billings couldn't hold on to the catch. On another day, Kohli would have survived but luck hasn't been his friend in this Test. So he had to take another dejected walk back to the pavilion as an alert Joe Root gleefully grabbed the rebound from Billings at first slip.
#2 Shubman Gill’s woes outside off stump
With both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul unavailable, young Shubman Gill had a good opportunity to make a mark in Birmingham. However, he disappointed in both innings.
After needlessly poking at a delivery outside off stump from James Anderson in the first innings, he was out nicking the same bowler on Sunday as well.
To be fair to Gill, he got a much tougher delivery in the second innings. Anderson got a good length delivery to bounce a little extra, closer to the off stump. Gill had to play at it, but only managed to find a thick edge that went straight to second slip.
The young opener had struck an elegant boundary to long-off just previous ball. His three-ball innings in Birmingham on Sunday pretty much summed up his short Test career so far - promising but not quite up to the mark.
He is just so, so good 🥰
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Gill definitely has a problem when it comes to dealing with deliveries outside the off stump. He is making life easier for the opposition bowlers by playing with hard hands. As a result, the edges are easily going to slip fielders.
The 22-year-old is hugely talented, and we saw a more than decent glimpse of his ability at The Gabba against Australia, when he struck that 91. However, an average of 30.47 in 11 Tests is a reflection of his inability to capitalize on opportunities so far.
#3 Could Stokes have given better support to Bairstow?
A bizarre period of play took place in the first session in Birmingham on Day 3. When England captain Stokes was on 18, Shardul Thakur dropped a skier at cover. Trying to take on Mohammed Shami, Stokes top-edged the delivery. Thakur messed up what was a straightforward opportunity by international standards.
Not long after, the England left-hander offered a low catch, this time off Thakur’s bowling, to his opposite number Jasprit Bumrah at mid-off. The Indian captain could not hold on to the chance. It seemed luck was with the England captain.
However, off the very next delivery, Stokes attempted another lofted hit through the same area. This time, Bumrah pulled off an excellent catch, diving to his left.
Stokes was back in the hut for 25 off 36. The left-hander’s attempts to go after the Indian bowlers were in tune with England’s policy of staying aggressive irrespective of the situation at hand. However, questions were raised over whether reckless cricket was played in the name of being positive.
🏽Third time's the charm for #TeamIndia 🙌🏽
Dropped twice on the field, #BenStokes finally gets caught in some much needed redemption for #Bumrah & #Shardul 😅
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Former England captain Kevin Pietersen had no doubt in his mind that Stokes had thrown his wicket away. Slamming the versatile all-rounder, he told Sky Sports:
"I was watching Stokes run down the wicket and slog the ball straight into the air. It was reckless batting; it was not defending your wicket. Test match hundreds are valuable commodities, they mean a hell of a lot because of the stress, tension, patience and discipline. He had three brain fades in 10 minutes. That devaluing of his Test wicket may not be a good thing. He is too good a player to do this.”
Pietersen had a fair point. Bairstow was batting beautifully at the other end. Had Stokes given him company for longer, who knows what England could have ended up with in their first innings. As things panned out, due to lack of support, the hosts conceded a significant 132-run first-innings lead despite Bairstow’s brilliant hundred.