India vs England, live cricket score, third test, live updates: Rohit hits all fours in a row with the first two balls, before crashing the ball into the stands beyond the middle fence to finish the job emphatically as India chases 49-run goal without losing a wicket. The match doesn’t even last six full sessions!
Only the defeat of captain Virat Kohli in the final ruined India’s opening day, which moved to 99-for-three at the world’s largest cricket stadium with Rohit Sharma at 57 and Ajinkya Rahane at one.
Bowlers re-dominated with Patel taking the lead role, while England’s Jack Leach claimed two wickets, including Kohli for 27.
The Indian captain saw a tough opportunity fall for Ollie Pope on 24, but shortly after he swung Leach around with his left arm on his stumps and stalked away visibly furious with himself.
Patel said the pink ball “skates” more off the court, giving him more opportunities to make more lbw decisions. Three victims from England fought before.
After taking five wickets on his debut in India’s landslide victory in the second of four Tests, Patel said he had brought his “confidence” to the pink ball game.
With the series drawn 1-1, England won the toss and chose to hit, but survived only 48.4 overs.
Patel was joined by Ravichandran Ashwin, who took three wickets, while fast pitcher Ishant Sharma, playing his 100th test, claimed one.
In the midst of an overall collapse, Zak Crawley, who returned after missing two rounds through injury, scored the highest score at 53.
Captain Joe Root (17) Ben Foakes (12) and Jofra Archer (11) were the only others to enter double figures.
Crawley put up some resistance with his fourth Test Fifty and a third 47-run wicket with Root.
Sharma fifty and pitch invader
Ashwin claimed the England captain with another lbw.
Root reviewed the call, but replays showed the ball would have hit the top of his leg stump and left the field to loud cheers from the home crowd.
Crawley said England’s hitting specialists had let their bowlers down.
“I don’t think a miracle is actually required,” he added, however, of the prospects for a rematch from England.
“Things will have to go the way we want, we will have to play very well, but we are very capable.”
Crawley predicted that the field will continue to break down, which could help England’s bowlers.
“If we hit well in the third inning and put a little pressure on them, we can defend anything if the pitch keeps getting worse.”
England responded with two wickets after Jofra Archer returned Shubman Gill for 11 and Cheteshwar Pujara fell in love with Leach.
But Sharma stood his ground in his twelfth test fiftieth and ran 64 races with Kohli, delighting the crowd at the renovated 110,000-capacity India venue.
Only half of the tickets have gone on sale due to the coronavirus pandemic and a turnout of more than 30,000 was reported on opening day.
The India entrances witnessed the drama after the new LED lights went off for two minutes on the second and then for 30 seconds on the twelfth.
A young invader from the field also made his way into the field in the last session and attempted to approach Kohli before being escorted by security guards.
England were frustrated by two calls from television referees, including a jaw-dropping shot from Sharma, at 53, and a catch from Ben Stokes that was rejected early in innings.
Root had a long conversation with the outfield referee both times. He was heard asking for “consistency.”
With contributions from AFP
