INDIA TOUR OF ENGLAND 2025
Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar stitched an unbeaten century stand © Getty
The Indian pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar shrugged off the morning session’s late jolts and maintained a defiant approach – one that paralleled the earlier efforts of KL Rahul and Shubman Gill – post lunch while steadily chipping away at England’s lead. The duo saw out a wicketless session while taking India into the lead with their unbeaten 100-run stand. Having started the day as favourites, England find themselves stuck as the game threatens to peter out to a draw.
England began with Jofra Archer’s pace at one end and Liam Dawson’s spin at the other. While the pacer continued to extract uneven bounce and the spinner some grip and turn out of the footmarks, the merit-based approach of India’s left-handed pair stood out. Despite the ball beating the bat regularly, the duo remained unfazed, taking opportunities to score when they were presented.
The trend continued even when England switched ends for pace and spin with Brydon Carse and Joe Root took over from Archer and Dawson. England were kept interested with the batters being beaten on either edge, with them being struck on the pads and with them getting caught off guard by the erratic bounce. None of those half-chances, however, translated into a wicket for an England side that grew increasingly frustrated.
In a bid to change their fortunes, Ben Stokes, who bowled an eight-over spell in the first session despite occasionally feeling his right shoulder and hamstring, brought himself into the attack for a burst of short bowling. Stokes waded through obvious discomfort – not just physical following another gritty Indian partnership – during a counter-productive spell with the Indian batters mounting an attack.
Sundar struck a six and a four to bring up his fifty in style while Jadeja celebrated his own fifty with a boundary three balls later. That boundary also marked India’s ascendance into the lead to exasperate England further. The hosts then opted for spin at both ends before the Sundar-Jadeja stand hit the three-figure mark to close out the session.
Brief Scores:India 358 & 322/4 (Washington Sundar 58*, Ravindra Jadeja 53*; Chris Woakes 2-57) trail England 669 (Joe Root 150, Ben Stokes 141; Ravindra Jadeja 4-143) by 88 runs.
© Cricbuzz
