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

LEEDS, England — Harry Brook tipped his head back. He couldn't believe it.

On 99 he'd hooked Prasidh Krishna and thought it was a six for his hundred. He was out, instead. The ball was pouched on the fine leg boundary by Shardul Thakur.

England fans anticipating Brook's first Headingley test hundred were stunned, too, but stayed on their feet to applaud him off his home county ground.

Brook's innings of remarkable shots was the main thrust on Sunday in England reaching 465, only six runs short of matching India's first innings total, in an enthralling test series opener in Leeds.

Star bowler Jasprit Bumrah took 5-83, his 14th test five-for, and by stumps his India was 90-2 in the second innings and leading by 96 runs after three riveting days.

''The game is in the balance,'' Bumrah told the BBC. ''We have to bat well. The wicket is a little bit (two-)paced so it will be an interesting game to come.''

Brook takes charge

Ben Stokes came in and Brook allowed the captain to settle by taking on India. 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.

Jamie Smith kicked on to 40 off 52 balls. Smith lasted until 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 Sai Sudharsan.

Bumrah took up his station on the boundary each time with a smile. ''I like to enjoy my time on the field so I always smile,'' he said. ''Nobody is dropping catches purposely and sometimes the cold makes it difficult to catch. I try not to let if affect me and move forwards quickly."

As unlucky as Brook was on 99 — after 11 boundaries and two sixes — he was lucky to have scored one run. Before he scored, he was caught in Saturday's last over but Bumrah overstepped. Then he was dropped on 46 and 82.

''He was pretty gutted to get out,'' Pope said. "It was an unbelievable knock. Even the pull shot he hit in the first over of the day, I was like, ‘Where did that come from?' To be able to put a guy like Jasprit Bumrah off his pace a little bit with a shot like that early on shows the confidence he has.''

Brook was in control of partnerships of 51 with Stokes, 73 with Smith and 49 with Chris Woakes. When he was out at 398-7 England trailed by 73 runs and India would have expected to wrap up the tail with the new ball only five overs old.

But allrounder Woakes and No. 9 batter Brydon Carse smashed 55 runs off 44 balls. Woakes smoked consecutive sixes to pass 2,000 test runs and achieve his best test score in a year, 38.

Bumrah milestones

Bumrah's 14th 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, and his 12th five-for away from home tied Kapil Dev's India record.

Siraj and Krishna took the other five wickets but they and Thakur were expensive. England on Sunday scored at 4.9 an over.

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

After Jaiswal, the first-innings century-maker, was nipped out by Carse for 4, Lokesh Rahul and Sudharsan impressively handled the tricky conditions for more than 17 overs.

Rahul was a chanceless 47 not out with captain Shubman Gill beside him on 6.

''The way Rahul played tonight, getting him out tomorrow is going to be crucial,'' Pope said. ''We back ourselves to chase a steady score."

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