India still in control, but costly errors raise questions as England stay alive at Headingley

Another day in the books at Headingley, another that ends with this Test fascinatingly poised – a back-and-forth contest with all results still very much possible.

India may very well win this game, in fact statisticians CricViz have them as 48% favourites to do so (England 37%, the draw 15%) – but as those numbers indicate they could also quite easily lose too and if they do they may well look back and rue the small but crucial moments that could cost them dearly.

Thakur’s selection backfires?

Perhaps the first of these came before the toss, India opting for the selection of Shardul Thakur, picked as a bowling all-rounder who would bat at number eight.

Except Thakur only bowled six overs in England’s innings, which, considering it lasted more than 100 overs, is little more than a part-timer might expect to get. Not only that but they went for 38 wicketless runs – 6.33 per over – and to add insult to injury, he also managed to bowl nearly 30% of India’s no-balls too. To cap off the all-around performance, he also made just 1 with the bat.

If India had wanted Thakur in the side for his bowling then why did he bowl so little? It is difficult to argue that any of Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh or Kuldeep Yadav wouldn’t have added far more to the visitor’s cause on that front. And if they wanted someone to bolster the lower-order batting while chipping in with the occasional over, then surely Nitish Reddy would have made more sense.

India’s collapse proves costly

However, it would be churlish to lay all of the blame on the selection of Thakur. Arguably, when the dust settles from this match, the moment India will regret the most is the hour either side of the lunch break on Day Two. To collapse from 430/3 to 471 all out is unfortunate, but to do so on a pitch where three of your top five have already made hundreds smacks of carelessness.

Fielding errors may haunt India

Perhaps where India were the sloppiest though was in the field. When Jasprit Bumrah had England under the cosh early on it was Indian mistakes that allowed the hosts to just about cling on . Zak Crawley was already back in the shed and both Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope looked far from secure at the crease – it seemed more like a case of when rather than if the next Bumrah breakthrough would come.

Indeed, it should have been the last ball of the seventh over, Duckett carved Bumrah straight to backward point, except the normally outstanding Ravindra Jadeja spilled the catch; England’s opener reprieved on just 15, the hosts given an enormous let off.

It marked the start of a loose period in the field for India, several fumbles allowing England to pick off extra runs here and there – a gradual easing of the pressure at the very moment that they should have been trying their hardest to really turn the screw.

Pope would also be reprieved on 60, dropped by Yashasvi Jaiswal again off the bowling of Bumrah – he would have a century before the close.

Even India’s premier fast bowler wasn’t immune from the disease, Bumrah overstepping for a potentially match-turning no ball when he’d had Harry Brook caught at midwicket for 0 – he would ultimately make 99 priceless runs to drag England almost to parity.

Unfortunately for India, their sloppiness in the field was something that carried over into Day Three. Brook given a lifeline with lunch looming, put down by Rishabh Pant on 46 off the bowling of Jadeja.

India still hold the edge

In fact, there was no greater beneficiary of Indian profligacy than Brook, bailed out again by a dropped catch on 82 – Jaiswal off the bowling of Bumrah for the second time in the match. Given he dropped both of England’s top scorers, it is fortunate the opener had plenty of credit in the bank following his sparkling first innings ton.

Ultimately, India should probably not be too concerned. Should they win, then all these moments will be forgotten; should they lose they can at least take solace in the fact that they have displayed enormous firepower with both bat and ball, with only a few minor adjustments needed to iron out the kinks. Whatever the result, on the evidence of three days in Leeds, we should be in for a cracking series.