Landmark Brook-Smith stand cuts India gains

England fought back with the willow on Day 3, but India’s seamers ensured that the side took a substantial first innings lead in Birmingham. The final hour of play saw India batters enhance their advantage to 244 runs with nine wickets in hand.

The highlight of the day was sensational batting performance from Jamie Smith (184*) and Harry Brook (158). Their 303-run stand ensured that England went past the follow-on total on a good batting surface.

Without the partnership, India's lead would've been significantly more.

Having plucked three key wickets last evening, India began the day sitting 510 runs ahead.

And Mohammed Siraj ensured that the tourists had the first laugh, getting Joe Root and Ben Stokes off back-to-back delivery. With England tottering at 84/5 against India’s 587 in the first innings, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith came together with a stellar batting stand.

The duo added 165 runs till Lunch, with Jamie Smith taking the lead in run-scoring. The wicketkeeper-batter, who aced the England chase in the first Test, slammed his ton off just 80 balls, becoming the third-fastest England Men’s Test centurion in the process, sitting behind Gilbert Jessop (76) and Jonny Bairstow (77) and equal with Brook (80).

The cracking first session was followed by a lively start from the England batters who made the most of the good batting conditions. Harry Brook also completed his ton in the 51st over delivered by Prasidh Krishna, even as the duo carried their stand beyond 189, making it the most successful England batting partnership for the sixth wicket against India.

As the Brook and Smith stand went past 200, history was created as it became just the third Test to feature two double hundred stands for sixth wicket or below.

As England hit the 300-run mark, the stand became the most prolific sixth-wicket partnership for England in their home country.

England were unbothered through the second session into the third, till the new ball was taken, when Akash Deep finally got one past Harry Brook. As Brook fell for 158, the 303-run stand, which was the second-best for England for the sixth wicket, and the third-best partnership for the sixth wicket against India.

Smith continued his fight from the other end and in the 88th over got to the personal landmark of 174. This was the highest-ever score by an England wicketkeeper in Tests.

As he achieved this feat, he also went past New Zealand’s Ian Smith, who had the highest score for a batter positioned at seven or lower against India prior to this game. Ian had achieved the feat in 1990.

However, England’s tail couldn’t hold up against sustained pressure from India seamers, and the side was bowled out for 407, with Smith unbeaten on 184. Mohammed Siraj finished with 6/70, while Akash Deep had 4/88 to his name.

The India batters started positively and despite losing Yashasvi Jaiswal, were at 64/1 at the end of day's play.

Akash Deep, who snared four wickets including the key scalp of Harry Brook that sparked a collapse of five wickets for just 20 runs, shared his simple mantra for bowling on unresponsive surfaces.

"The type of wicket that's on offer and the sort of batting lineup England have, it's a little challenging but as a bowler, it is in your hands to bowl in a disciplined areas, to bowl on your plan," he said in the post-day press conference.

"I feel that if we keep things simple, we go to the match with our plan and try to do it on our own, then it is not that tough for us, irrespective of the condition, wicket, or batsman. It is easy for us."

Harry Brook, who scored a sensational 158, struck a confident tone about England’s intent, insisting they would back themselves to chase down any target.

"I think everybody in the world knows that we’re going to try and chase whatever they set us," he said. “We’ve obviously got a big task at hand tomorrow morning and we’ll try and get a couple of wickets early on and try and put them under pressure."