England check India’s progress despite Rahul century in third Test

AFP | London

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KL Rahul made exactly 100 but England still slowed India’s charge on the third day of the third Test at Lord’s with two key wickets either side of lunch.

India were poised to bat through yesterday’s morning session without losing a wicket.

But in the last over before lunch, Rishabh Pant was run out for a typically dynamic 74 by England captain Ben Stokes’s direct hit as he tried to get Rahul, 98 not out at the interval, back on strike to complete his century before the break.

Rahul did get to a hundred, his second century in a Test at Lord’s, but was out edging off-spinner Shoaib Bashir to slip off the next ball he faced.

India still reached tea on 316- 5, just 71 runs behind England’s first-innings 387 featuring a century from star batsman Joe Root.

Ravindra Jadeja was 40 not out and Nitish Kumar Reddy unbeaten on 25.

Jadeja, however, was reprieved on 23 when Bashir was unable to hold a difficult, low return catch off a fierce drive.

There was a worrying moment for India when Reddy, on 24, was floored by an 88 mph bouncer from Stokes that reared off the pitch and seamed back into the grille of his helmet, defeating the batsman’s attempted to sway out of the way.

But, following a concussion check, Reddy was passed fit to bat on. India scored 103-1 off 22.3 overs in the morning session, but only managed 91-1 in 25.3 overs between lunch and tea as the match head towards a second-innings shoot-out.

On another hot and energy-sapping day at Lord’s, India resumed on 145-3.