Brook admits England “didn’t get it quite right” as India tighten grip

Birmingham [UK], July 5 (ANI): India tightened their hold on the ongoing Test in Birmingham with a commanding performance, ending Day 3 with a 244-run lead and nine wickets still in hand. After bowling out England for 407, largely due to Mohammed Siraj’s fiery 6/70 and Akash Deep’s impressive 4/88, the visitors responded strongly with the bat, reaching 64/1 at stumps.

Mohammed Siraj, who kept hitting the right areas, ran through England’s lower order.

Speaking after the day’s play, Harry Brook acknowledged India’s superior execution with the ball.

“Yeah, the Indians bowled really well with it," Brook said.

“They came wide on the crease, attacked the stumps, kept all three modes of dismissal in play and yeah, they made it do just enough to be able to get them wickets at the end there. We didn’t get it quite right tonight and hopefully we can do that tomorrow morning. But yeah, there’s plenty of wickets to be had out there," he added.

India’s second innings began with caution, but the opening pair gave them a steady start before losing Yashasvi Jaiswal late in the day. KL Rahul, batting on 28, and Karun Nair, on 7, will resume on Day 4, looking to stretch India’s lead to safer territory against a dangerous England batting line-up known for chasing big totals.

England had looked in control during their first innings, with Brook and Jamie Smith putting on a dominant show before India stormed back, taking five wickets for just 20 runs to restrict them to 407.

Brook and Smith’s memorable 303-run stand was the third 300-plus stand for the sixth wicket or lower for England in Tests after 399 between Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow (against South Africa, Cape Town, 2016) and 332 between Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad (against Pakistan, Lord’s, 2010).

Remarkably, it was also the third 300-plus partnership for England against India for any wicket after 350 between Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen (The Oval, 2011) and 308 between Graham Gooch and Allan Lamb (Lord’s, 1990).

Smith and Brook became the third pair to stand for a 300-plus for the sixth wicket (or lower) after the team had lost five wickets under 100 in the history of Test cricket. The previous two came in historic contests that date back to 1937 and 2014.

Despite India’s upper hand, the game remains open. England will aim to grab the remaining nine wickets early on Day 4 and restrict India to a chaseable target. (ANI)

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