2Nd Test: Jaiswal, Rahul Take India's Lead Past 200 After Siraj's 6-70 Keeps England To 407

(MENAFN- IANS) Birmingham, July 4 (IANS) KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave India a good start in their second innings and took the lead past 200 after Mohammed Siraj's 6-70 kept England to 407 on Day Three of the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Edgbaston here on Friday.

At stumps, India reached 64/1 in 13 overs of their second innings and led England by 244 runs. Though Jaiswal fell for 28, Rahul has managed to be unbeaten on the same score, with Karun Nair giving him company on seven not out, as India managed to make themselves the stronger team in this match.

India's second innings began with Rahul driving nicely off Brydon Carse for four, before Jaiswal punished his and Chris Woakes' short balls to collect boundaries. After Rahul punched Woakes for four, Jaiswal took three more boundaries off Carse.

Rahul continued to be sublime in punching, driving, and cutting Woakes for three boundaries, Jaiswal flicked Josh Tongue for four, before the pacer had the last laugh by trapping the young opener with a nip-backer for 28. Rahul and Karun Nair then took a boundary each to end a strong day of Test cricket for India.

Previously, on a flat pitch, Siraj and Akash Deep, who took 4-88, took all ten wickets to ensure India grabbed a significant 180-run lead. England, after being reduced to 84/5 in the second over of the morning session, were rescued by a huge counter-attacking 303-run stand between Harry Brook and Jamie Smith.

With a dazzling Brook hit 158 off 234 balls, laced with 17 fours and a six, Smith was at his magnificent best but ran out of partners to be stranded at 184 not out - the highest Test score by any England wicketkeeper in Tests – laced with 21 fours and a six.

But after Brook fell, England slumped from 387/5 to 407 all out, as the second new ball did the trick for India to pick the remaining five wickets in 7.2 overs. Interestingly, England had six ducks in their first innings - the first time any team had that many noughts in a 400-plus score in Tests.

The final session began with Brook getting three boundaries off Ravindra Jadeja, the second of which got him his fifth 150-plus score. But after the second new ball was taken, Akash broke the 393-run stand by getting a length ball to seam back in and go past Brook's defence to hit his top of off-stump, as the batter's brilliant knock came to an end on 158 off 234 balls.

More wickets came for India when Chris Woakes was tempted into the drive by Akash and edged to first slip, while Siraj got a length ball to come in and trap Brydon Carse lbw. Siraj completed his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests, also his maiden fifer in Tests in England, by trapping Josh Tongue lbw for a duck with a full and straight delivery.

After welcoming Shoaib Bashir with a brutal bouncer which hit him on the helmet, Siraj had him shoulder arms to a nip-backer, and it crashed into the stumps, giving the workhorse India pacer an incredible six-wicket haul, and a hug from Jasprit Bumrah after walking off the field.

Brief scores:

India 587 and 64/1 in 13 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 28, KL Rahul 28 not out; Josh Tongue 1-12) lead England 407 all out in 89.3 overs (Jamie Smith 184 not out, Harry Brook 158; Mohammed Siraj 6-70, Akash Deep 4-88) by 244 runs

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