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The third day in Chennai was a feast for the senses. India’s Rishabh Pant had demonstrated the power of nominative determinism with an impressive 91, but it was England the happiest on the stumps as Dom Bess pulled tourists out of the countryside with four key Indian windows tucked into the pockets of their dirty whites.
With Jofra Archer before they eliminated the starters, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, the hosts closed the 257 for six and, after spending two days and a bit watching Joe Root tourists racking up 578, they found themselves in uncharted territory. : 321 races behind with six sessions of this compelling first test to come.
Joe Root, architect of England’s second-highest total in India through his epic 218, will have been delighted with his team’s efforts on another exhausting hot day, no less than four by 55 from Bess that included the prized scalp. by Virat Kohli. and what the very important disappearance of the incendiary Pant proved.
The offside player, who once again appeared to have come off the playing fields at Blundell’s school in Tiverton, could have been forgiven for feeling anxious before the series opener. Root had flirted with the idea of returning Moeen Ali to the XI during preparation, or at least he was happy that India believed this.
In the latter case, it was a potentially high-risk strategy when it comes to the confidence of a young fan like Bess. However, the 23-year-old continued to ride the wave of optimism that has been a hallmark of his fledgling Test career, embracing the lines of attack that failed at times in Sri Lanka and reaping excellent rewards from his 23 overs.
It was Archer who initially set the tone though, with a burst of new balls of more than five that sent Sharma and Gill packing and underscored the obvious value of the fast pitcher in this part of the world. Root had talked about Archer’s fire on social media last week and the 25-year-old, perhaps driven by some vengeful thoughts after a golden duck on the second day, proved that this was not just an exaggeration.
Both starters had plenty of time to reflect on the challenge ahead as England advanced in the morning for an additional 23 runs. But when Sharma came forward with a back leg cutter in six, and Gill’s otherwise striking 29 ended with a good Jimmy Anderson catch in the middle, the pair found themselves back in the Chepauk Stadium locker room reflecting on. the lunch menu.
In between, Kohli was greeted by a menacing goalkeeper from Archer, while his opposite number, Root, enjoyed the freedom of attack that such a meaty total allows, borrowing a recent tactic from India’s time in Australia by attacking the ribs. Chesteshwar Pujara with one leg. slip parked in anticipation.
The pair survived until halftime to see India 59 for two, but England dried up any progress after the restart. Anderson got the SG ball to flip briefly and Bess confidently threw the ball off the stump in an attempt to get the two seasoned right-handers away from their bodies.
There was no lavish turnaround, but the tactic still paid off when Kohli’s inside lead at 11 was devoured by Ollie Pope on the short leg. Bess kept her emotions in check, despite a pre-match prediction that she would go “crazy” if she managed to eliminate the India kingpin, and was soon celebrating once again when a full pitch to Ajinya Rahane produced an acrobatic catch with a hand from Root. under cover.
Frankly, what followed was just as amazing. At 73 times four, India should have been in tatters. Yet Pujara and Pant combined for a heady mix of traditional occupation and high school disco cricket at a booth of 119 that saw Jack Leach’s bowling figures, none for 94 of 17 overs at the close, positively set on fire.
While Pujara was content to play the patient game perfected by his father’s obedient lessons as a child in Rajkot, Pant was the modern superstar of the Indian Premier League, pitching Leach four-sixes in six-ball space. His half centuries, coming from 106 and 40 balls respectively, were equally impressive.
Also, don’t be fooled into thinking this was wanton assault on Pant’s part. Like his fellow southpaw Ben Stokes on day two, he had simply rationalized that defending Leach out of the toe holes was causing problems and instead opted to support the hand-eye coordination that makes him such a talent. electric.
After India hit 154 times four at tea, Pujara also started to open up, and Bess started getting a touch. But just as Root was starting to run out of ideas, the fortune that his spinner got from a five-plot course in Galle three weeks ago returned, Pujara took a long jump on Pope’s back on the short stage at 73 and saw the deflection balloon to Rory Burns in midwicket.
Such a bizarre firing, one that wouldn’t have counted if the ball had hit Pope’s helmet, wasn’t going to deter Pant, who continued to wield his bat like a blacksmith in the forge. But with only nine less than a third century of testing, the error finally arrived, Leach safely clung to the depths to hand Bess her room.
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Thereafter England worked hard, Root got a bit on the defensive and burned two upbeat reviews as Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin added 32 for seventh before the close. But with Pant gone and Bess and Archer up and running during what is their first test outing in India, the 100th appearance of the England captain remains a golden affair.
