India went 215-2 on the stumps on day three, trailing England by 139 runs after Joe Root’s men boasted a 354 lead in the first inning; coverage on day four begins at 10:15 am on Sky Sports Cricket
Craig Overton has picked up four wickets in his test comeback, having also hit 32 in the first innings.
Craig Overton insists that England are still in a great position to level their five-match series against India, despite energetic rear-guard action from the higher order from India on the third day of Test 3 at Emerald Headingley.
England boasted a 354 inning lead in the first inning after being eliminated by 432 on Friday morning, before India responded by going 215-2 on the stumps, losing by 139 runs.
Cheteshwar Pujara frustrated Joe Root’s men with an undefeated 91, compiling an unbroken partnership in the third field of 99 with Virat Kohli (45th), after Rohit Sharma (59) had previously recorded his 14th Test of half a century.
“We knew they would come back and fight again today. We know what they are like as a team and what their characters are like, so we knew it would be tough,” Overton said.
“We give them credit, they played very well and made it difficult for us, and we have to come back tomorrow and show what we can do again.
“We are still in a great position in this game, especially with the new ball in the morning. If we get a couple of early wickets, we can finish a little more.”
England can be considered unfortunate to have claimed just two wickets in a grueling day of action, with Overton, Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson churning out a number of high-quality spells, particularly in the first two sessions.
Sky Sports’ Michael Holding also felt that England’s bowlers performed better than the scorecard suggests, but was full of praise for the discipline and determination displayed by India’s batsmen after their abject display in the first. entry.
“I don’t blame the England bowlers. They were a bit unfortunate in the sense that quite a few balls went over the outer edge, which didn’t happen in the first few innings,” Holding said. Sky Sports.
“The pitch has leveled off; a little swing was still there today, but not a lot of lateral movement. You have to give a lot of credit to the Indian hitters.”
England will start the fourth day with the second new ball at their disposal, and Overton admits that the morning session could prove decisive in the final reckoning.
“I think all the bowlers will be hunting to try to get them out. We will probably do it in a different way than they did. [at Lord’s]So we have to make sure that we stick to how we work best as a unit, and we will reap the rewards from there, “he added.
“It will be huge. We have to be at it from the first ball, hopefully we can get that pair of early grounds. Obviously, if they start really well, then we have a very difficult game.”
Overton is in their first test match since 2019, and the Somerset closer has impressed with bat and ball on his return to action.
The 27-year-old boasted 3-14 numbers from 10.4 overs in the first innings, before producing a useful cameo with the bat, making 32 of just 42 deliveries before succumbing to Mohammed Shami.
Overton, who has taken 37 wickets in the County Championship this term, also claimed KL Rahul’s wicket at the edge of lunch on the third day, but insists there is still more to come.
“Obviously I’ve been out for a couple of years and I’ve obviously been on the teams, and I’ve been on certain test sides, so I still feel like I’ve contributed even though I haven’t played,” Overton continued.
“It’s always good to get a game and do a few runs with the bat, and then contribute the ball. Obviously I’d like to be doing more, but I think it’s just me as a character.
“I always like to contribute to the team, so I hope I can come back tomorrow and get some more terrain.
“I haven’t played much red ball cricket in a while, but that rust is wearing off now, and I feel like I’m getting back to the red ball game, which is good.”
Watch the fourth day of the third test between England and India live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am on Saturday.
