Ravichandran Ashwin stole the limelight on an eventful Day 3 of the ongoing second Test between India and England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai as the hosts ended the day on the verge of winning the Test match andequalisingthe series 1-1.
India, riding on a sensational century by Ashwin and a sublime half-century by Virat Kohli, posted a total of 482 runs. However, England ended up losingthree wickets in the final hour of Day 3 with spinnersAshwin andAxarPatel dominating the proceedings with the ball. India could have got the wicket of Dan Lawrence as well but a shoddy 'umpire's call' helped the Englishman survive the final over of the day.
India, in the second innings, lost openers Rohit Sharma (26) and Shubman Gill (14) early with Cheteshwar Pujara (7) departing after a freak run-out.
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Rishabh Pant (8), Ajinkya Rahane (10) andAxarPatel (7) were also sent back to the hut quickly. However, it was Virat Kohli and Ashwin's resilience and sound technique that helped the duo post some crucial runs on board as they stitched a vital partnership to help India take the game away from England.
While England are still in the game with Joe Root and Dan Lawrence unbeaten at the end of Day 3, one can expect the match to wrap up quickly on Day 4 given the kind of form Ashwin andAxarare in.
England, chasing 482, lost Dom Sibley (3) early. Thevisitors' decision to sendnightwatchmanJack Leach backfired as he was sent packing byAxarfor a duck.
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Rory Burns once again was dismissed by Ashwin as the southpaw continued his struggle with the willow.
India would be hoping to wrap the proceedings soon on Day 4 and level the series 1-1 after losing the first Test by a mammoth 227-run margin.