India leads England by 96 after Day 3 with Headingley test still finely poised

LEEDS, England (AP) — India led England by 96 runs on the second innings after three days of an enthralling test series opener at Headingley on Sunday.

India bowled out the host for 465 at tea to eke out a six-run first-innings lead, and was 90-2 in its second bat when rain stopped play a half-hour early.

Opener Lokesh Rahul was 47 not out with captain Shubman Gill beside him on 6.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was nipped out by Brydon Carse for 4, and Sai Sudharsan fell to Ben Stokes for the second time in the match, on 30.

Harry Brook led England’s batting effort on the day, riding his luck from 0 to 99 until he was out hooking straight to the fielder at deep backward square leg.

Brook was in control of partnerships of 51 with Stokes, 73 with Jamie Smith and 49 with Chris Woakes.

But when he was out at 398-7 England trailed India by 73 and India would have expected to wrap up the tail with the new ball only five overs old.

But fast bowling allrounder Woakes and No. 9 batter Carse smashed India for 55 runs off 44 balls and India needed to give star pacer Jasprit Bumrah a back-breaking fifth spell to mop up.

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Bumrah took the last two wickets to finish with 5-83, his 14th test five-for and 12th five-for away from home, tying Kapil Dev’s India record.

Ollie Pope’s unbeaten 100 underpinned England’s reply on Saturday but he added only six runs on Sunday before he tried to cut a nothing ball from Prasidh Krishna.

Stokes came in and Brook allowed the captain to settle by taking the attack to India on his county home ground.

Brook charged at Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for boundaries, drove Krishna on the up, and even pulled off a Rishabh Pant-type falling ramp shot for four that Pant smiled at.

Brook had the most trouble with Ravindra Jadeja’s spin. Jadeja was getting the ball to fizz so well that he got Brook’s outside edge on 46 but Pant dropped a tough chance at the stumps.

Brook was soon celebrating his 20th fifty-plus score in his 26th test.

Stokes was at the crease for nearly an hour for 20 when he feathered Siraj behind.

Smith lasted until just after lunch when he attempted a second six in the last over before the new ball became available. He fell into Krishna’s short ball trap, caught deep by Jadeja who, just before he stepped over the boundary, relayed the ball to Sudharsan. Smith made 40 off 52 and England, at 349-6, appeared to have wasted a wicket.

But India helped the host again when Brook was dropped on 82 by Jaiswal off Bumrah. Jaiswal’s second drop of a Bumrah delivery was India’s fourth, its most in a test in five years.

The crowd anticipated Brook’s first Headingley test century but on 99 he hooked Krishna straight to Shardul Thakur on the boundary. Brook hung his head back in disbelief.

As unlucky as Brook was on 99, he was lucky to have scored one run. Before he got off the mark, he was caught in Saturday’s last over but Bumrah overstepped. Then he was dropped on 46 and 82.

Woakes and Carse prevented India from gaining a sizeable lead by feasting on Siraj and Krishna.

Carse was finally bowled by Siraj on 22 off 23 balls in his first home test. Woakes was bowled by Bumrah on 38, his best test score in nearly a year.

Bumrah’s 14th test five-for in his 46th test put him in the company of Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Ian Botham, Dale Steyn, Dennis Lillee and Waqar Younis.

Bumrah finally had support from Siraj and Krishna, who took the other five wickets, but they and Thakur were expensive. England scored 256 runs in 51.4 overs on Sunday at nearly five an over.

When India started batting, conditions were turning. Gloom forced on the stadium lights and the wind picked up. Rain arrived as expected.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket