ENG vs IND | India hit back after Brook and Root tons to leave England six down with 35 to get

Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett took to the field on Sunday with England 324 runs away from victory and just one wicket lost, the former fresh to the crease while the opener stood unbeaten on 34. Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep were tasked with setting the tone for the hosts and the duo found significant movement off the deck as well as some in the air to trouble the hosts, the former particularly making Duckett look clueless. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old resolutely brought up a 16th Test half-century but failed to survive the first bowling change as he nicked to the slip cordon off Prasidh Krishna, ending a 32-run stand. Pope followed suit soon after, succumbing LBW to a Siraj inducker for the second time in the match, as the encounter fell wide open at 106/3. The momentum was with India and the pacers had their tails up, their dominance forcing Harry Brook to abandon convention. The Yorkshireman threw caution to the wind as he danced down against Akash Deep to belt a six and a four before setting his sights on Krishna. However, the right-arm quick threw in a surprise bumper and earned a top-edge that flew down Siraj's throat at fine-leg, only for the veteran to step onto the ropes with the ball in hand in a seminal moment. Brook ended up taking 16 off the over, as the hosts headed into Lunch at 164/3.

Brook then picked up exactly where he had left before the break, smashing Krishna for two fours in the first over after resumption enroute to a 39-ball half-century. With the Dukes now softer, batters settled, and bowlers tired, the complexion of the game changed rapidly as the partnership bludgeoned beyond control. Gill's resistance to use Washington Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja did not help, nor did the punishment meted out to them when their opportunity did arrive. Root soon brought up his 13th fifty against India, a sedate but controlled 71-ball knock, as halfway through the second session England were left needing 135 more runs. Brook rushed to his century thereafter, off 92 balls, and celebrated the milestone by walloping Deep for a couple of consecutive boundaries. Even though a third attempt ended up with a flying bat and a simple catch at cover, England by now had already pushed past 300. The result became more ominous when Deep got his studs stuck in the pitch to let go what would have been a simple return catch of Jacob Bethell's bat, as the hosts went into Tea at 317/4 -- less than 60 away from a win.

Rain delayed the start of the third session by 20 minutes but the Men in Blue weren't complaining as the old Dukes began to swing after the break, bringing about a break in momentum and a lull in scoring rates. Root brought up his 39th Test ton all the same and celebrated with a tribute to the late Graham Thorpe but Bethell did not possess the same temparement, a rash shot under pressure out of Bethell and Krishna pounced to send the middle-stump cartwheeling, before the quick had Root prod at an innocous ball outside off in his very next over to suddenly turn the game on its head. Jamie Overton walked in with England requiring 36 but the focus was on Jamie Smith, their last remaining specialist batter. However, with the match dangling by a thread, bad light stopped play before the heavens opened to force early Stumps.

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