England vs India: Joe Root scores third hundred in Test series as England frustrate India

England skipper Joe Root is in blistering form in the current Test series against India. He scored his third century in as many matches on Thursday. The knock he played was not one that was a slow slog. It was a relatively quick innings considering the fact that it is a Test match. He reached the ton in just 124 deliveries. Root scored 109 runs in the first match and an unbeaten 180 in the second. This century will feel special as it is on his home turf of Leeds. The 30-year-old seems to have found the form of his life in the series and it does not seem like ending any time soon. Root played under less pressure this time since the other batters in the lineup gave the Three Lions a strong start. They were 120-0 at the start of the day.

At the time, the two England batters in the middle were Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed. Both batters got to their half-centuries and it was almost inevitable that the Three Lions would put up a mammoth score. However, the Indians picked up an early wicket on the day and that could have been a turning point. Burns was dismissed on 61 runs thanks to a seething Mohammad Shami delivery. The ball smashed into the stumps, spelling the end for the England opener.

Dawid Malan, the newest addition to the England Test squad came out to bat next. The Indian bowlers could have perhaps seen him as a comparatively easier wicket since he would be playing the longest format of the game after quite a while now. However, the batter seemed to be in very good touch as he masterfully played the Indian bowlers. Malan might have taken a while to score his runs but he looks very much like a confident cricketer who is happy to play defensive shots for the time being.

Ravindra Jadeja gets the second wicket

On the other side of the pitch, opener Haseeb Hameed was still in the mix. Hammed himself had a very good day with the bat as he posted 68 runs on the board. He was dismissed by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja who bowled an absolute peach of a delivery. Hameed seemed completely dumbfounded as the ball turned into him and crashed against the stumps. India got their second wicket for 159 runs.

Things were looking good at this point as the Indians had picked up two wickets. It seemed like Virat Kohli would ask his boys to attack the stumps more often with two relatively newer batters on the crease. However, Malan looked in good form and the next man out in the middle was England skipper Joe Root, who hit a majestic century at the Lords Test match.

There was definitely a lot more confidence from the bowlers in the concluding stages of the session. The batters were having a tough time reading the deliveries and getting the bat on ball. However, they have successfully managed to evade any danger so far and Root seems to be coming into the match a bit more. A partnership between him and Malan would be interesting.

From the Indian standpoint, the second wicket definitely has instilled some much needed confidence in the team. Ravindra Jadeja has, on more than one occasion, troubled Malan, so he could be the constant bowler for the next few overs while Kohli rotates among the pacers.