Crawley’s Consistency and Duckett’s Grit Power England’s Fightback at Old Trafford

The third day of the ongoing England–India Test at Old Trafford ended with the match poised for a thrilling climax. In reply to India’s first-innings total of 358, England finished the day at 225 for 2, trailing by 133 runs. The hosts’ strong position owes much to the commanding performances of openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett.

Duckett remained unbeaten on 94, just 6 runs shy of a well-deserved century. Crawley supported him ably with 84 not out, as the pair combined for a dominant and fluent stand that blunted the Indian bowling attack.

India’s First Innings: Solid Start and Pant’s Heroics

Earlier, India had laid a strong foundation on Day 1 with young opener Sudharsan scoring 61, while Yashasvi Jaiswal (58) and KL Rahul (46) added valuable runs. However, the highlight of the innings was Rishabh Pant, who despite injury, returned to bat with a fractured foot and struck a brave 54 off 75 balls, including 3 fours and 2 sixes.

India’s innings concluded at 358, thanks to some quality English bowling. Ben Stokes led the attack with 5 wickets for 72 runs, while Jofra Archer chipped in with 3 for 73.

England’s Confident Reply

England’s reply began cautiously but confidently. By the end of Day 2, the openers had already added 62 runs without loss. On Day 3, they continued their fine form, countering the Indian bowlers with maturity and stroke play that gradually tilted the momentum in England’s favor.

So far, India has managed only two wickets — one each for Ravindra Jadeja (1/37) and left-arm spinner Kamboj (1/48). With the pitch flattening out and both Crawley and Duckett settled, England will look to build a sizeable first-innings lead on Day 4.