Zak Crawley tries his old tricks again; Shubman Gill smiles, then calls bluff to leave England opener gobsmacked

Hindustan Times

5 days ago

Mohammed Siraj delivered a searing yorker to knock back Zak Crawley's stumps and end Day 3 with India firmly in control at The Oval. England, chasing 374 for victory, finished the day at 50/1, still 324 runs adrift with two full days left in the Test. While Ben Duckett remained unbeaten on 34, Siraj's late strike ensured that the pressure stayed squarely on the hosts. Zak Crawley deployed similar tactics to the third Test, but Shubman Gill had a more composed reaction this time(X)
However, as the final over of Day 3 ticked away, Zak Crawley appeared to employ familiar delay tactics; backing away just as Mohammed Siraj charged in with steam. The moment drew a knowing smirk from Shubman Gill at slip, who chose restraint over reaction this time around.
Unlike the heated exchange at Lord's earlier in the series, where Crawley's time-wasting antics had visibly agitated Gill and riled up the Indian camp, this version ended in silence, with Gill wearing only a quiet grin.
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Only three balls later, the Indian captain, with Siraj, played a masterstroke. Setting the field nicely for a short-pitch delivery, the pacer played a double bluff, bowling a yorker instead. Crawley was clearly not ready for the ball to pitch fuller, and couldn't adjust in time to bring his bat down.
Earlier, Crawley and Duckett began the innings with intent, racing to a 50-run stand. That dramatic end to the day set the tone for what promises to be a tense fourth day as England chase their second-highest target in Test history.
Earlier in the day, India posted 396 in their second innings, thanks largely to an electric counterattack from Washington Sundar and a composed fifty from Ravindra Jadeja after Yashasvi Jaiswal and Akash Deep produced a blistering 107-run stand for the third wicket.
After Jadeja was caught at second slip for a resolute 53, Sundar lit up The Oval with a whirlwind 53 off just 46 balls, peppering the boundary with clean strikes and sixes, including three maximums that had the crowd roaring.
His onslaught, however, was ended by Josh Tongue, who claimed a five-wicket haul after getting Sundar to mistime a flick. Zak Crawley held on to a high catch amid a near-collision with Jamie Smith, bringing the curtains down on India's innings.
India had earlier resumed on 189/4 after Lunch, with Shubman Gill falling on the very first delivery to Gus Atkinson. Jaiswal held fort and brought up his century with a well-timed shot through point. His 118 was the cornerstone of India's innings, though his dismissal triggered a wobble. Karun Nair and Gill fell in quick succession, but a brisk stand between Jadeja and Jurel took India past 300 before Tea.