NEWS
Follow UsBen Duckett, whose blistering hundred put England in command at the end of Day 2, credited India for turning the tables on them on Day 3. The left-hander defended England’s aggressive approach as they collapsed from 224/2 to be bundled out for 319. England conceded a lead of 126 runs in the first innings, opening the door for the opposition. The India batters took the opportunity, finishing a day of total domination and leading by 322 runs with eight wickets in hand.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (104) and Shubman Gill (65 not out) influenced the highlight package for India adding 155 runs before the former had to retire hurt due to pain in lower back.
"It was one of those days when I feel we have to give credit to India.” Duckett said in the press conference after Day 3. “This morning they were very good and they didn't make it easy to score. It felt like their plans were a lot better than maybe last night and unfortunately, we just kept on losing wickets at the wrong times.
“Then with the ball, I didn't think we bowled badly at all and Jaiswal has played another incredible innings there. He looks like an amazing player. And it's just one of those days. We'll come back tomorrow and give it our best,” assessed Duckett.
Joe Root’s wicket was the talking point throughout the day. Within the first five overs on Day 3, Root threw his wicket, trying to scoop Jasprit Bumrah over the slip cordon. However, he only managed to hand catching practice to Jaiswal who took a tricky catch in the cordon. England went on to lose their remaining seven wickets for only 95 runs.
The ramp strokes have come off well for Root in the past, mostly back home in England, but on this occasion, it allowed India a way back in the game.
"I'd be interested to know if those people were against it when he was doing it to Pat Cummins and hitting him for six in the summer. I've no words really for it. It's the same as me playing a reverse sweep and getting caught at point. Options are practiced and that shot has been very successful for him over the past year so next time it may go over slip," Duckett answered on Root’s shot selection.
“We played well yesterday but we had so much work to do today. But we're always positive. It (the collapse) did happen quite fast, there wasn't much time to have much emotion. Stokesy spoke to us before we went out to the field and said he actually wanted us to get out today and have a bowl at them and get cracking with it. It was slightly earlier than planned, we didn't plan to have the collapse we did but they are options this team takes,” Duckett reflected on the day’s play.
"I feel like if we're going to go like that, we'd be like that every other day because when you're playing this exciting brand of cricket and always taking the positive option, you have to stay level. These things are going to happen and this was one of them. On the flip side, I do think they had a very good day which they didn't yesterday and they bounced back today and were superb,” he added further.
Duckett reckoned the 22-year old adopted England’s attacking brand of cricket. "When you see players from the opposition playing like that, it almost feels like we should take some credit that they're playing differently than how other people play Test cricket. We saw it a bit in the summer and it's quite exciting to see other players and other teams playing that aggressive style of cricket.”
“He looks like a superstar in the making, unfortunately, he's in some very good form at the moment. He's due a couple of low ones,” Duckett said in praise of Jaiswal, also hoping that life will be easy for England tackling him in the upcoming games.
