Throughout the 3rd Test between India and England, the former had been at the receiving end of some unfortunate run-outs. In the first innings, the on-song debutant Sarfaraz Khan was caught at the wrong end after Ravindra Jadeja made the first call but then refused to take a run. On Sunday, Shubman Gill was run out in a similar fashion after Kuldeep Yadav made a similar mistake at the striker’s end.
And so, when England suffered a major setback with a mix-up in only the seventh over of the innings, the delight was evident on the Indian faces.
Ben Duckett, determined to defend the delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, found himself caught in an unfortunate mix-up with opening partner Zak Crawley. As Duckett played the ball towards mid-wicket, Crawley hesitated, leaving Duckett stranded halfway down the pitch.
Crawley urgently signalled Duckett back; Siraj, seizing the opportunity, hurled the ball with precision, sending it wide of the stumps. In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, Jurel sprinted towards the stumps with great speed, snatching the ball just in time to dislodge the bails before Duckett could reach safety.
The Indian team members acknowledged Jurel’s stupendous effort in sprinting towards the crease, collecting the ball from a difficult angle and maintaining his posture to ensure the runout. Thanks to the wicketkeeper’s swift reflexes, England lost their opening wicket, providing India with a key breakthrough; before the Tea session, India eventually picked another wicket with Bumrah dismissing Crawley.
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Earlier, India capitalised on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s explosive double century to establish a commanding position in the third Test. After retiring hurt on 104 due to back spasms the previous day, Jaiswal made a remarkable comeback to propel India to 430-4 in their second innings before the declaration.
Jaiswal’s unbeaten 214, embellished with 12 sixes and 14 fours, not only helped set a formidable target of 557 for England but also equalled Wasim Akram’s record for the most sixes in a test innings, achieved against Zimbabwe in 1996. With England struggling at 18-2 in their chase, India tightened their grip on the match, poised for victory.
