Day 3 of the first Test between India and England at Headingley, Leeds, began with India aiming to capitalize on Jasprit Bumrah's impressive performance from the previous day and England looking to build on Ollie Pope's century.
At the start of the day, the players observed a moment of silence to honor former England bowler David 'Syd' Lawrence, who passed away at the age of 61. The weather in Leeds was pleasant, with bright sunshine after some initial cloud cover.
India's first innings ended on Day 2 with a total of 471, after a significant collapse where they lost 7 wickets for just 41 runs. Shubman Gill's century and Rishabh Pant's aggressive innings had put India in a strong position, but England fought back. England, in their first innings, reached 209/3 by the end of Day 2, trailing India by 262 runs. Ollie Pope remained not out on 100, and Harry Brook was on 0.
Jasprit Bumrah was the standout performer for India on Day 2, taking all three English wickets that fell. He dismissed Zak Crawley early, caught by Karun Nair at first slip, and later removed Joe Root, also caught in the slips. Bumrah almost had Harry Brook as well, but the dismissal was overturned due to a no-ball. Bumrah's figures at the end of Day 2 were an impressive 3/48 from 12 overs.
However, the other Indian bowlers struggled to support Bumrah. Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur proved expensive, and Mohammed Siraj was initially ineffective. India's over-reliance on Bumrah was evident, as the other pacers have not been as consistent in taking wickets. The decision to delay Shardul Thakur's introduction into the attack also raised questions.
England's Ollie Pope played a brilliant innings, demonstrating resilience and adaptability. He was dropped once, on 60, but made India pay by converting his chance into a century. Pope's partnership with Ben Duckett was also crucial, with the pair adding 122 runs for the second wicket.
Day 3 saw Prasidh Krishna strike early, dismissing Ollie Pope for 106. Pope added only a few runs to his overnight score before being sent back to the pavilion. Harry Brook displayed aggressive intent, hitting a four and a six off Prasidh Krishna's bowling, who continued to be expensive.
India needed to take early wickets to put pressure on England, while England aimed to reduce the deficit and potentially take a lead. Jasprit Bumrah was once again expected to lead the Indian attack, but support from the other bowlers was crucial. Mohammed Siraj, in particular, needed to step up and provide a strong performance.