ENG vs IND | Day 3 | India gain upper hand with clinical all-round performance

The Indian team finished Day 3 of the rescheduled fixture with a lead of 257 runs and bolstered their chances of securing a victory. 

England began the day's proceedings on 84/5. The duo of Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow hinted at a positive mindset with boundaries at regular intervals.

Stokes kept releasing the pressure well by piercing the gaps with confident shots. However, he tried too hard to break free and gave catching opportunities to the opposition. Unfortunately, the English skipper didn't learn from his mistakes after two dropped catches.

Thakur turned out to be a key wicket-taker; as Stokes (25) charged to his ball and hit a lofted shot towards the mid-off area, Jasprit Bumrah plucked it terrifically.

However, Bairstow kept attacking the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and Thakur and enhanced his strike rate. The in-form batter was relentless with his hitting to complete his fifth red-ball century.

Shami stopped the rampage by making Bairstow (106) holed out to Virat Kohli in the slips. Then Sam Billings (36) and Matty Potts (19) provided a hefty contribution, as the hosts were bundled out for a total of 284. Siraj was the pick of the bowlers with four scalps. The Indian team secured a lead of 132 runs.

India's second innings witnessed James Anderson inducing an edge of Shubman Gill (4). Hanuma Vihari displayed firm resolve but contributed only 11 before getting dismissed by Stuart Broad.

The wall of the current Indian batting unit, Cheteshwar Pujara, stood strong to leave out the good balls and finely steer the team. His stand with Virat Kohli gradually turned out to be positive.

However, Stokes got an unexpected bounce from a good length to get an edge by brushing Kohli's gloves, which was almost dropped by the keeper Billings before Root managed to get hold of it. The former Indian skipper perished after scoring 20 off 40 with four boundaries.

In the latter half of the day, Pujara completed his half-century, and Rishabh Pant continued his fine form to support the team.

India are at 125/3 and lead by 257 runs. The first two sessions of Day 4 will be crucial for both the teams, as they may decide the match's fate.

If the Indian team manages to go past 350, it certainly will be a challenging score to chase down for the home team.

Brief Scores: 

India (1st innings) - 416/10 (84.5)

Rishabh Pant 146 (111), Ravindra Jadeja 104 (194);

James Anderson 5/60, Matty Potts 2/105

England (1st innings) - 284/10 (61.3)

Jonny Bairstow 106 (140), Sam Billings 36 (57); 

Mohammed Siraj 4/66

India (2nd innings) - 125/3 (45)

Cheteshwar Pujara 50* (139), Rishabh Pant 30* (46)

James Anderson 1/26, Ben Stokes 1/22

Day 3: Stumps - India lead by 257 runs