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Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin helped India strengthen their hold on Day 3 of the Ranchi Test by reducing England to 133/8. Ashwin did early damage, returning Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Joe Root, after which Kuldeep broke through with his first innings. Zak Crawley, established after scoring a half-century, was left in ruins when the ball turned in and castled outside the stump.
And come to think of it, it almost wouldn’t have happened had it not been for Kuldeep believing in his ploy, even if it meant defying his captain Rohit Sharma’s advice. When Crawley struck, Rohit told Kuldeep that it would be better if he brought the fielder inside, but the player felt that having him on the fence would be a better idea. Rohit agreed and resumed his position at the first slip.
Also read: India vs England 4th Test Day 3 Live
And on the next ball, the decision turned out to be golden as Crawley, trying to hit a boundary through that same region, fell on turn and got his stumps touched. Dinesh Karthik confirmed on air the conversation that took place between the two and was recorded on the microphone.
“Rohit asked if Kuldeep wanted the gap there. Kuldeep said no, let there be a gap, let there be cover, but just push the middle back. And the next ball, Crawley looking to play towards cover, was bowled with the neck. and crop,” DK said while making comments.
While Ashwin is the one with three wickets, Kuldeep has bowled like a million bucks and has clearly been the best Indian bowler on display today. After spending almost an hour providing great company to Dhruv Jurel during India’s first innings, Kuldeep made the ball talk, leaving Crawley baffled. And that was not all. A few overs later, Kuldeep added the wicket of England captain Ben Stokes in his kitty as England took tea at 120/5, leading India by 166 runs.
Kuldeep added two more after lunch when he sent back Tom Hartley and Ollie Robinson. As England looked for quick runs, Kuldeep was always one step ahead of them while inflicting more damage. Kuldeep had Sarfaraz Khan trap Hartley at mid-wicket and then trapped Ollie Robinson outside LBW.
Kuldeep and Rohit’s Tom and Jerry Equation
Whenever Kuldeep and Rohit take part in something, be it a DRS or just discussing tactics, fun is guaranteed. Rohit, on most occasions, does not miss the opportunity to tease his partner. They were playing cat and mouse during the 2023 World Cup and, more recently, during the second Test in Visakhapatnam, where India’s captain sarcastically applauded Kuldeep after the leg-spinner almost cost India a review.