Brook's 99 runs and Bumrah's five wickets led to a big victory in just one innings
Brook's 99 runs and Bumrah's five wickets led to a big victory in just one innings
In the afternoon session, Harry Brook was out on 99 before Jasprit Bumrah completed a well-deserved five-wicket haul. India gained a 6-run lead after restricting England to 465.
Day three of the match at Headingley was filled with excitement and an enthusiastic crowd as England fought their way back into a game that seemed to be slipping away. Leading their comeback was Harry Brook, who almost reached a century on his home ground, getting out for 99 after playing an aggressive and confident innings.
Harry Brook had some luck early he was saved by a Jasprit Bumrah no-ball before scoring his first run and was dropped twice on his way to 99. But he made India pay for those mistakes. From the start of the day, he batted confidently, playing cuts, pulls, and drives with perfect timing. The Headingley crowd cheered every shot.
Ollie Pope added only six runs to his overnight hundred before getting out, but Brook got solid support from Jamie Smith. They batted freely and pushed India’s bowlers under pressure. Smith was also dropped and survived an LBW thanks to a successful review.
Ravindra Jadeja bowled tightly, but India’s fast bowlers struggled. Shardul Thakur gave away runs quickly, and Prasidh Krishna was inconsistent. Leaving out Kuldeep Yadav started to seem like a poor choice. India used more short balls, but they weren’t sharp enough to trouble Brook. He finally got out, trying to pull one too long a leg just one run short of a century. Brook looked frustrated, knowing he missed a special moment. But his innings gave England fresh energy.
The lower order carried that momentum. Chris Woakes smashed two sixes and reached a rare milestone 2000 Test runs and 150 wickets. Brydon Carse joined in the fun, and they added 50 quick runs together. England’s last five wickets added 189 runs a huge contrast to India’s collapse for just 24. Bumrah bowled brilliantly and picked up five wickets, but he couldn’t do it all alone.
The gap between the two teams was cut to just six runs, making it a one-innings match from here for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy opener.
India’s second innings began with fire. Carse bowled a sharp ball to get Yashasvi Jaiswal early. But KL Rahul played calmly and confidently, hitting lovely boundaries and soaking up the pressure. Sai Sudharsan, who scored a duck in the first innings, looked much better this time. He started with a boundary and built a strong stand with Rahul.
Just before rain stopped play, Ben Stokes struck again, setting a smart trap to dismiss Sudharsan, who chipped one to short midwicket.
With two days left and both teams fighting hard, Headingley looks set for a thrilling finish.