Rishabh Pant’s brilliance behind the stumps and Mohammed Siraj’s fiery burst with the ball turned the tide decisively in India’s favour on Day 3 of the second Test at Edgbaston. England were cautiously rebuilding their innings when Joe Root, who had looked steady on 22 off 46 balls, fell prey to a moment of brilliance from Pant.
It was the third ball of the 22nd over, and Siraj, angling one down the leg side, tempted Root into a glance. The ball brushed the bat’s edge faintly, and Pant, alert and agile, flung himself to his left to take a stunning catch. Root looked stunned, aware that he’d let a golden opportunity slip away.
And just one ball later, the Indian camp erupted again. Siraj, pumped up after Root’s wicket, steamed in and delivered a sharp short-pitched ball to England skipper Ben Stokes. The delivery climbed awkwardly from a tight line around off stump. Stokes instinctively tried to fend it off, but it kissed the edge and flew straight to Pant. With that, Stokes was gone for a golden duck—his first ever in Test cricket—and England were left reeling at 84 for 5.
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Mohammed Siraj’s rhythm was a welcome sight for India. After a quiet stretch of form, the speedster rose to the occasion with crucial wickets. He had already removed Zak Crawley on Day 2, and with the scalps of Root and Stokes, he proved why he remains a vital cog in India’s pace attack, especially with Jasprit Bumrah being rested for this Test.
WHAT A START! 😍#MohammedSiraj strikes in his very first over of the day, getting the big wicket of #JoeRoot, and needless to say, 𝐲𝐞𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐡𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐡𝐢, 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐚𝐲𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐢! 🏏🔥
How crucial could this breakthrough be in shaping the innings? 🤔#ENGvIND… pic.twitter.com/VReeydN59s
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 4, 2025
That’s two in twoooooo…. 🔥#MohammedSiraj is on fire at the moment as he dismisses the English skipper, #BenStokes for a GOLDEN DUCK! 🤩🤩
𝗬𝗲𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗵𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗵𝗶, 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗮𝘆𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗶 😎👊🏻#ENGvIND 👉 2nd TEST, Day 3 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar ➡… pic.twitter.com/lG7FoBArNx
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 4, 2025
Meanwhile, debutant Akash Deep continued to impress with the new ball. The Bengal pacer had struck early blows by dismissing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, both of whom had scored centuries in the previous Test. His ability to seam the ball away caused problems for the England top order, and he’s quickly justified his selection.
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With England’s most experienced batters back in the pavilion and the scoreboard reading 84/5 in reply to India’s mammoth 587, the visitors have taken complete control of the match. The combination of Siraj’s resurgence and Pant’s agility might just be the turning point India needed to push for a dominant victory at Edgbaston.
