England performed brilliantly on the third day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford. By lunch, the hosts have scored 332/2 and were just 26 runs behind India in the first innings. Joe Root and Ollie Pope are playing unbeaten and batting very well
Joe Root at the all-time top
Joe Root has achieved another milestone in his excellent Test career. With his brilliant innings today, he has surpassed Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis to move to third place in the list of highest run-scorers in Test cricket. Root is now behind only Sachin Tendulkar (15,921) and Ricky Ponting (13,378) in this list.
Not only this, Root has also scored his 104th 50+ score in Test cricket and surpassed Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis, both of whom had scored 103-103 runs. Only Tendulkar is ahead in this part as well, with 119 half-centuries to his name.
Session Summary- India vs England
The Indian bowlers could not show any special performance in the morning session. England added 107 runs without losing any wicket, putting India under a lot of pressure as the hosts are giving a very good reply to India’s first innings score.
Root, who is batting with a restrained half-century off 99 balls, is batting well as always and looked full of confidence, while Ollie Pope is also giving him good support with his tremendous innings. The pitch has now become flat, and with both the batsmen settled, England will be looking to gain a big lead in the second session.
At Lunch – Day 3
England: 332/2
Joe Root: 54*
Ollie Pope: 61*
26 runs behind India
Runs this session: 107 runs for no loss
India will need to take wickets quickly after the break, or else this match could slip out of hand quickly. England, on the other hand, has put itself in a great position to take the lead in this Test.
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