The England batters have shown a great mindset to tackle the Indian bowlers and neutralize threats.
The India batters put up a strong show to put the hosts in a comfortable position after posting a first innings score of 445 in the ongoing IND vs ENG 3rd Test at Rajkot. However, the Indian bowlers could not deliver the goods as the England batters stood robust for the most part.
Opener Ben Duckett led from the front for the visitors with a stellar century to propel the Three Lions to 207 for 2 at Stumps on Day 2.
While the Indian pace duo of Siraj and Bumrah looked for a breakthrough, they couldn’t make much difference on the flat deck. Siraj, however, got the wicket of Ollie Pope.
As England cruised through their innings, a former England international severely criticised India skipper Rohit Sharma’s tactics to halt the run-flow.
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In wasn’t until 12th over that Duckett, who was batting on 55 off 42 balls, faced Ashwin for the first time. Duckett appeared uncomfortable from the start, having to defend before hitting a couple of shots through cover. In Ashwin’s next over, he dismissed Zak Crawley, marking his 500th Test wicket.
Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan criticized Rohit for holding back Ashwin, labelling it “bonkers.”
“This is brilliant from Duckett,” Vaughan wrote on X. “Love watching him bat. But how he has been allowed to get to over 50 without facing Ashwin is bonkers.”
This is brilliant from Duckett .. love watching him Bat .. But how he has been allowed to get to over 50 without facing Ashwin is bonkers .. #INDvENG
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 16, 2024
Ben Duckett had performed well in the series so far, scoring at least 20 runs in each innings. Notably, he has been dismissed by Ashwin twice in this series, accounting for five of Duckett’s seven dismissals in India against the renowned off-spinner.
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