3rd cricket test: R Ashwin's 500th wicket and an English fightback
Before the series began experts mocked England’s Bazball methods, saying that it would not work over a sustained period of time and that it could not work in subcontinental conditions. Less than halfway through the third Test, almost at the midway point in the series, Rohit Sharma packed the leg side field and asked Mohammad Siraj to bowl bouncer after bouncer to two set batsmen. Here was an Indian captain taking a leaf out of the Ben Stokes playbook.
At the end of the second day of the Rajkot Test — where the highlight for India was R Ashwin picking up his 500th Test wicket — England controlled the game. India, from 33 for 3, recovered to 237 for 4 and just as they were on the ascendency again, lost quick wickets. This inconsistent, stopstart batting meant the home team ended with 445, having batted out 130.5 overs in very good batting conditions.
Now, as a standalone, this may not sound that bad, but England’s response of 207 for 2 in only 37 overs, with Ben Duckett leading the way with an unbeaten 133, left India with plenty of work to do.
Duckett managed 18 runs from three tries when he last came to India in 2016. But the 2024 Duckett is a different beast altogether.
Standing still at the crease while he waits for the ball, with a clear mind and a simple style, his approach is not unlike the one Virender Sehwag deployed with such success. Watch the ball, choose the gap where you want to hit it and then let your hands do the rest. Duckett plays a lot square of the wicket, whether cutting or driving against
