England reached 290/5 after 61 overs and trail India by 155 runs at lunch on day three of the third Test of the five-match series against England at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, now known as Niranjan Shah Stadium, in Rajkot on Saturday.
India fought back three wickets as Kuldeep Yadav turned things in favour of the hosts with his willy wrist spin.
IND vs ENG, 3rd Test Day 3 – LIVE
Opener Ben Duckett, who resumed his innings at 133, was dismissed for 153 off 151 deliveries.
Duckett got a reprieve when Rohit Sharma floored a tough catch in the slips but the batsman, who brought up his 150 in 139 balls, could not make the most of it.
India’s early strikes put England under pressure as Stokes and Duckett took a less aggressive approach following the twin dismissals.
Just when it appeared England were looking to break free again, with Stokes smashing a few boundaries, Duckett played a rank bad shot.
In the end, he had struck 23 fours and two sixes, with an astounding average of 101.32, before being sent back to the dressing room off a nothing ball from Kuldeep Yadav as Shubman Gill completed a relatively simple catch.
He had also traped Jonny Bairstow with a beautifully bowled delivery, with the English batter having to walk back for a four-ball duck.
Kuldeep otherwise bowled a terrific spell with not only the English batsmen but even India’s wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel struggling to read him.
The other wicket-taker in the first session was Jasprit Bumrah, who foxed Joe Root playing a rash shot for 31-ball 18 as Yashasvi Jaiswal completed the catch.
At the break, skipper Ben Stokes (39 not out) and Ben Foakes (6 not out) were at the crease. Stokes, a left-handed batsman, has kept up the charge with six boundaries in his 100th Test since his debut in 2013.
Indian players wore black armbands in memory of former captain Dattajirao Gaekwad.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who took his 500th Test wicket when he dismissed Zak Crawley on day two, pulled out of the remainder of the match overnight due to a family medical emergency.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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