The England skipper was the star of the day as he scored his third century in as many Test matches with a fantastic 121.
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Day 2 of the third of the five-match Test series played between India and England ended with the hosts firmly in the driver’s seat. A cold day at Leeds saw the English batters produce a masterclass as the Indians struggled to trouble them for the most part. The majority of the damage was done by the English top order that included the likes of Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, and Joe Root. The skipper, Root, was the star of the day as he scored his third century in as many Test matches. He made 121 runs and helped his team end the day on a massive total of 423-8, thereby taking a commanding 345-run lead. England still have not declared and will continue batting on Day 3.
The day began with England in a comfortable position. India were bowled out for just 78 runs on the first day and England had already made 120 runs without losing a single wicket. Burns made a total of 61 runs and Hameed made 68 runs before getting dismissed. The opening duo gave the team a very good start. It took a lot of the pressure off the batters who would follow. Burns and Hameed were dismissed by Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja respectively.
New addition Dawid Malan and skipper Root were the ones who replaced the opening duo for the Three Lions. Malan made an incredibly strong comeback to the longest format of the game. He scored a well-made 70 runs. He might have taken his time to get to the score, but it was a very composed innings.
On the other hand, Joe Root was at his lethal best. The England skipper made a whopping 121 runs, recording his third century in the Test series in as many matches. He was the one who helped the side reach the massive score and he will be hoping that, unlike the last two matches, his contribution will not be for naught this time. He has eventually dismissed thanks to a ripper by Jasprit Bumrah.
Jonny Bairstow and Sam Curran also made useful contributions to the team. Bairstow made 29 runs while Curran scored 15. Currently, Craig Overton is batting for England at 24 along with Ollie Robinson who is yet to open his account.
For the Indian bowlers, it was definitely a day they would like to forget. They might have picked eight wickets on the day but it was not an easy task by any stretch. Mohammad Shami was the pick of the bowlers as he bagged three wickets on the day while Mohammad Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja bagged a couple of wickets each. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah took the all-important wicket of Root with a brilliant delivery that bowled the England captain.
Virat Kohli will have a lot to think about ahead of the third day of the Test match on Friday. India will have to find a way to score some humongous runs if they even want the Test match to end in a draw. Right now, it is England that look primed to take the victory and level the series 1-1.
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