The Home of Cricket witnessed a thrilling contest as England defeated India by 22 runs in the 3rd Test to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

England won the toss and elected to bat first. The top-order struggle continued for England, but Joe Root once again proved his class, bringing up his 37th Test century. Joe Root was well-supported by Ollie Pope and skipper Ben Stokes before Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul brought India back into the game. Late cameos from Brandon Carse (56 off 83) and Jamie Smith (51 off 56) helped England post a solid total of 379.

In reply, India fought back with KL Rahul scoring a magnificent 100 his 10th in Test cricket. He stitched a crucial 141-run partnership with Rishabh Pant (74), while Ravindra Jadeja (72 off 31) played a fine innings, helping India equal England’s total by the end of the second innings.

The third innings saw England’s batters struggle once again, this time against Washington Sundar (2-1, 4-28). However, Joe Root (40) and Ben Stokes (33) played handy knocks, guiding England to 192 on a tough pitch.

Chasing 193 on Day 3, India were the favourites, but Ben Stokes (3-48) and Jofra Archer (3-55) turned the game on their head. Ravindra Jadeja stood tall with a handy (61), but lacked support on the other end. India fell just 22 runs short. (MOM – Ben Stokes)

With this narrow win, England now leads the series 2-1, with two matches left in the bank.

SENT BY AKASH KUMAR, A STUDENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION AT SXCMT.PATNA