Starting their partnership at 53 runs overnight, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel appeared set to prolong England’s misery in the first session by cautiously adding just 15 runs in the initial hour. Recognizing the lack of intent, England seized the opportunity as Joe Root trapped Jadeja LBW, falling 13 runs short of a fourth Test century, and dismissed Jasprit Bumrah for a golden duck.
Rehan Ahmed further dismantled India’s tail with a leg-spinner that kept remarkably low, disturbing Axar Patel’s stumps and limiting the hosts’ lead to 190.
The momentum carried into England’s batting, with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett making a strong start against the formidable spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar, scoring at a rate better than a run per ball. Crawley, however, edged one to slip after a brisk 33-ball 31.
Ollie Pope then ensured there was no collapse, guiding the team past 100 shortly after Lunch. As the ball wore down, captain Rohit Sharma turned to Jasprit Bumrah, who delivered a lethal five-over spell, dismissing both Duckett and Root with ferocious reverse swing.
Jonny Bairstow’s stumps were shattered by a Jadeja arm ball, and an unplayable Ashwin delivery sent Stokes packing, leaving England reeling at 163/5. A potential collapse loomed, but with a resilience unseen in the game so far, Ben Foakes partnered with Pope to form an unyielding 112-run stand.
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Pope achieved a career-defining century, marked by reverse sweeps and dilscoops, receiving support from Rehan Ahmed, who remained unbeaten on 16 even after Foakes fell to an unplayably low ball for 34. The 26-year-old concluded the day unbeaten on 148, guiding England to a commanding lead of 126 on an increasingly treacherous pitch.