After outperforming India in the first two days of the third Test at Headingley, hosts England were made to slog on day three as Virat Kohli and co. staged a strong comeback. England could add only nine runs to their first innings score on day three, following which the visiting batters got to a second innings total of 215-2 at stumps.
Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara shared an 82-run partnership, after which Virat Kohli contributed with 45* runs. Day four will offer the Indian captain a great chance to get a Test fifty after a long time and find much-needed momentum.
Let’s take a look at a few talking points from day three’s play.
The return of the pitch invader
Pitch invader Daniel Jarvis, also known by the name of ‘Jarvo 69’, returned to the pitch on Friday, but this time to bat for India. The Englishman, who had earlier invaded the pitch during the Lord’s Test, was padded up as India’s No 4 in Headingley – he wore the Team India jersey which had his name written on the back, a helmet and leg pads. Soon after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal, Jarvo walked in to bat, and was escorted out of the field after being spotted. Amused by the invader, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin tweeted, “Today’s play was as good as it can get with Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Jarvo showing great intent and grit! Keep going fellas and stop doing this Jarvo.”
Rohit Sharma sails the ship for India
The India opener has been one of the better performers in the on-going Test series. Sharma scored 83 in the first innings at Lord’s and proved his mettle once again, this time at Headingley. After being dismissed cheaply in the first innings of the third Test, the 34-year-old scored a knock of 59 runs in the second innings, during which he shared an 82-run partnership with Pujara. This was the 14th Test 50 for Sharma, who now averages 46.40 in the format. However, it can be noted that Sharma was lucky to survive an LBW call which England failed to review on time.
Cheteshwar Pujara finds his form
Just when pressure began to mount on an underperforming Cheteshwar Pujara, he proved that form is temporary and class is permanent. On Friday, Pujara scored an unbeaten 91 runs from 180 balls, hitting 15 boundaries. In the Lord’s Test, Pujara had missed out on a half-century by five runs.
Lauding Pujara’s efforts and silencing his critics, Rohit Sharma said after the game, “To be honest there hasn’t been any talk about Pujara’s batting. I think the talks are only happening outside. Not a single conversation has happened with Pujara regarding his form inside the team dressing room. We know the quality he brings, we know the experience he brings. When you have a guy like that, I don’t think there needs to be much discussion.”
Captain Kohli leads from the front
Kohli joined Pujara at the crease after the former’s 82-run partnership with Sharma came to an end. He shared an unbeaten 99 with Pujara for the third wicket, contributing 45 runs before the day’s play came to an end. The Indian captain last scored a Test fifty in February against England, and this could be the best chance for him to score his first Test fifty in more than 10 innings.
