Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett struggled to find their footing against the impressive swing and seam bowling of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj during the initial hour of play in Dharamsala. Bumrah’s brilliance was particularly evident as he repeatedly troubled Crawley, questioning how he managed to stay at the crease.
However, when the spinners took over, the openers reverted to their natural game, forming a solid partnership, which marked the fifth half-century stand of the series, a joint record in India. Unfortunately, Duckett’s dismissal, followed by Ollie Pope’s stumping just before lunch, tilted the game back in India’s favor.
Despite the setbacks, Crawley continued his impressive form from the previous innings, facing a stern challenge from Kuldeep Yadav’s variations. However, a remarkable delivery from Kuldeep eventually ended Crawley’s resistance.
Jonny Bairstow briefly injected momentum into England’s innings with aggressive strokeplay, but fell victim to a Kuldeep googly, while Joe Root’s dismissal to Ravindra Jadeja triggered a collapse. Ravichandran Ashwin further dented England’s hopes with two crucial wickets before tea, as they were eventually bowled out for 218.
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India’s response began strongly, with Rohit Sharma leading the charge with a sublime batting display. Yashasvi Jaiswal provided support with some aggressive hitting before falling to Shaoib Bashir’s bowling. However, Rohit continued his fine form to reach his 18th Test half-century, while Shubman Gill contributed quick runs to ensure India ended the day with an unbeaten partnership.
