England vs India: Ben Stokes strikes late on day three after Harry Brook earlier falls one short of a ninth Test ton | Cricket News

India are two down, leading England by 96, going into the fourth morning of the first Test at Headingley after another hugely-absorbing day’s play on Sunday.

England were bowled out for 465 in their first innings, just six behind India’s total – Harry Brook (99) falling one agonising run short of a ninth Test century, and a first on his Headingley home ground – before India finished up 90-2 when rain ended play half an hour early in the final session.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) fell in the fourth over to Brydon Carse (1-27), nicking off, before KL Rahul (47no) and Sai Sudharsan (30) – the debutant starting on a pair – appeared to be cruising through to stumps when adding 66 for the second wicket, only for England’s golden-armed captain Ben Stokes (1-18) to claim the latter late in the day.

Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah (5-83) finished with a richly-deserved five-for as he polished off the England innings after having run through their top order on the second evening.

Starting the day 209-3, with Ollie Pope 100 not out, England’s No 3 would add just six to his overnight score before he perished chasing a short, wide delivery from Prasidh Krishna (3-128) that he edged behind.

Brook, having taken 16 deliveries to get off the mark, was positive from the off, his first two scoring shots of the morning being a boundary and a six off consecutive balls in Krishna’s opening over. He signalled his intent against Bumrah too, charging the fast bowler and smashing him for four off the first ball of his second over.

Brook’s boundary blitz saw him surge to a 65-ball half century, dominating a 51-run stand with Ben Stokes (20) that was ended when the skipper nicked an attempted drive off Mohammed Siraj (2-122), Stokes flinging his bat up in the air in frustration following his dismissal.

Both Brook and Jamie Smith (40) rode their luck at times in another fruitful 73-run partnership for the sixth wicket, Smith overturning an lbw decision against Shardul Thakur when on nine, and Brook – dismissed for a duck off a no-ball on day two – being dropped on 46 by Rishabh Pant off Ravi Jadeja, and again on 82, Jaiswal the guilty party this time at fourth slip off Bumrah.

The pair continued to press on the accelerator after lunch, Brook with a Pant-style ‘falling sweep’ off Jadeja for four and Smith nailing Krishna for a huge pulled six over deep backward square.

Even with two fielders stationed on the boundary, and with the second new ball due next over, Smith couldn’t resist the temptation of taking the shot on again two balls later, only this time Jadeja and Sudharsan would combine expertly for a relay catch to claim his wicket.

Brook continued to take the attack to the Indian bowlers, and one in particular, as he firmly got under Siraj’s skin when plundering consecutive overs of his for 29, taking the first-innings deficit under 100 in the process.

When nudging nearer to his own century, however, Brook couldn’t quite believe it when, one short, he holed out to deep backward square, top-edging a Krishna bouncer.

Chris Woakes (38) and Carse (22) enjoyed a couple of big-hitting cameos to push England closer to India’s total, the former smashing consecutive sixes off Krishna over to reach 2,000 Test runs in some style.

But back came Bumrah and, after Siraj first cleaned up Carse, he would bowl Woakes and Josh Tongue (11) in consecutive overs to end the England innings and secure India a slender lead to take into their second.

Jaiswal fell cheaply, while England could and should have picked up Sudharsan for 24 when dropped by Ben Duckett at gully off Tongue.

Stokes would snap him up soon after, but Rahul remains a thorn in the home side, perched three short of his half century heading into a fascinating fourth morning in Leeds.

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Monday 23rd June 10:15am

Short-ball issues for Brook?

Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain on Harry Brook’s dismissal:

“Brook only has one Test hundred at home and he would have been desperate for one on his home ground.

“He could not be more Yorkshire. He doesn’t celebrate half-centuries, he doesn’t over-celebrate centuries.

“But he has a slight issues with the short ball and Australia will be watching on ahead of The Ashes.

“If you get out like that – caught at deep fine leg – in the first innings of a series, you know you will get more.

“He gets a lot of runs with that shot but it also gets him out, so it is risk-reward. That is something he has to look at.”

Shastri: Brook is a destructive player

Former India cricketer and coach Ravi Shastri on Brook:

“I think Brook has a touch of class, there is no question about that. I had his figures ready: he would have had nine hundreds in 25 Test matches.

“For someone 25 years of age, that is no joke. That is less than every three Test matches that he is getting centuries. It is incredible.

“And the way he is going about his job, some of the shots he played today, he can be destructive.

“There will be a few technical issues but the more exposure you get, the more challenged you are, the better you get.

“He is the kind of player who will get better because he has the wherewithal and the all-round game to do so.”

Watch day four of the first Test between England and India, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.15am on Monday (11am, first ball) or stream with no contract.

England vs India Test series ☀️

All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports

First Test: Friday June 20-Tuesday June 24 – HeadingleySecond Test: Wednesday July 2-Sunday July 6 – EdgbastonThird Test: Thursday July 10-Monday July 14 – Lord’sFourth Test: Wednesday July 23-Sunday July 27 – Emirates Old TraffordFifth Test: Thursday July 31-Monday August 4 – The Kia Oval