LIVE Cricket Score, India vs England 2nd Test, Day 3 at Visakhapatnam: Kohli takes centre stage

Hello and Welcome to CricketCounry’s coverage of third day’s play of the second Test between India and England at Vishakapatnam. I am Kaustubh Mayekar and I will be bringing you all the updates of the day’s play. England started their innings on a rather shaky note trailing by 352 runs at the end of the second day. After bundling out India for 455, England were stuttering at 103 for 5 with Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Jayant Yadav sharing the wickets. India were already on the driver’s seat with Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara’s centuries. Ashwin tagged along and added yet another half-century to take hosts to a better position by Tea. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs England 2nd Test at Vizag

India started their attack with Shami and he was spot as he shattered England captain Alastair Cook’s stumps to halves with his sharp delivery. He cleaned up Cook for 2 in the third over of the innings. England were then 4 for 1. Haseeb Hameed who impressed many with his sensational debut, was rather found anxious against Indian bowlers and managed to put up 47 runs with England’s run-machine Joe Root. A mix-up from Root’s end lead to his early dismissal and was gone for 13. Root, however, continued his brilliance and put up fifty on his 50th Test.

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Off-spinner Ashwin soon took charge to get Ben Duckett clean bowled for five and then got the big wicket of Root, who recorded his 24th Test half-century. Root tried to counter the Indian spin attack during his 98-ball stay laced with six boundaries, but ran out of patience after giving away a catch to long-off. Debutant off-spinner Jayant  joined his senior partner from the other end to get his first Test wicket after trapping Moeen Ali lbw for one as England slipped to 80-5.Stokes and Bairstow then played cautiously to see off the rest of the day’s play with a 23-run unbeaten stand.

Earlier, Ashwin’s fighting 58 came after off-spinner Ali checked the Indian charge with three wickets in the morning session, including Kohli, who added just 16 runs to his overnight 151. Ashwin put on 64 runs for the eighth wicket with Jayant, who scored 35, guiding India to a respectable first innings score on a pitch that is expected to offer turn as the match progresses. ALSO READ: Day 3, preview: Spinners expected to rule the roast

As for the Indian innings, the major highlight was the 226-run stand for the third wicket which was first of the kind after 1996 against England. India had lost early wickets with their opening batsmen failing to go all guns blazing. KL Rahul, who was called back to side after his injury, was gone for a duck. He had scored 76 and 106 in the domestic cricket recently and was hopeful to make this opportunity count. Gautam Gambhir was benched out for this Test. Jayant made his debut and ensured his name was marked replacing Amit Mishra for the Vizag Test. Many were surprised as this was the same venue Mishra secured fifer against New Zealand in the ODI series.

England followed the rotational policy as mentioned by Cook during the toss and decided to call Anderson early to the side, benching their potential all-rounder Chris Woakes. India had won the toss and elected to bat first.