"Playing like they need to chase down 445 runs in 50 overs" - Twitter reacts to Duckett and Crawley's blistering partnership in 3rd Test
England opening batters, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, guided the side to a typical 'Bazball' start on Day 2 of the third Test against India in Rajkot on Friday, February 13. The pair made the most of the flattest pitch of the series so far to take on the Indian bowlers from the word go.
England had to bat six overs to close out the second session. While other sides would have negotiated the tricky period exercising caution, the free-flowing approach brought upon 31 runs for the side as play was brought to a close for the tea break.
Duckett played the role of the aggressor, reaching his half-century off just 39 deliveries, while Crawley was the perfect second fiddle. The duo have been on song over the duration of the series so far, and they piled misery on the hosts by scoring 67 runs in the first 10 overs.
The left-handed opener particularly launched an attack on Kuldeep Yadav, leaving the bowler with dismal figures of 0-42 after his first spell of six overs.
The duo threatened to convert their start into something mammoth, but the partnership was brought to an abrupt end after Ravichandran Ashwin produced the breakthrough. Zak Crawley was caught at fine-leg by Rajat Patidar to end the stand for the first wicket at 89 runs in just 13.1 overs.
Social media erupted over the brilliant show by the openers that gave England a solid platform to match India's imperious first-innings total. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
Ben Duckett converts his start into a well-deserved hundred
Although Crawley was dismissed completely against the run of play, England have recovered from the minor wobble as Duckett has not taken his foot off the pedal. The left-handed opener continued his free-flowing innings, reaching his third Test hundred off just 88 deliveries.
England are well placed at 156/1 after 27 overs at the time of writing, with Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope building a partnership for the second wicket. The visitors currently trail by 289 runs, as play heads into the final phase of the second day.
Does the opening pair of Duckett and Crawley have the potential to become the most lethal in the history of Test cricket? Let us know what you think.