3rd Test: Stokes runs out Pant for 74, Rahul unbeaten on 98 as India trail England by 139 runs

London, July 12 (IANS) Struggling with a left index finger injury, Rishabh Pant battled his way to making 74 before Ben Stokes ran him out with a direct hit at the stroke of lunch on Day Three of the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Lord’s on Saturday. At lunch, India are at 248/4 in 65.3 overs and trail England by 139 runs.

Though KL Rahul remains unbeaten on 98, the session could have been better if the 141-run stand between him and Pant wasn’t brought to an end in a moment of hesitation for India, which in turn gave Stokes and England something to cheer after being made to toil hard on a slow pitch.

Resuming from 145/3, Pant began Day Three by flicking Jofra Archer's first delivery for a boundary, before dancing down the pitch to slash the pacer over off-side for four more. With the finger still giving him immense pain, Pant kept taking his left hand off the bat at every opportunity he could do so.

Rahul, meanwhile, was happy in respecting good balls, before guiding Chris Woakes through gully for four, before driving Brydon Carse for another boundary. While Pant thumped Woakes for another boundary and then cut him for a four yet again, Rahul at his pristine best in terms of timing to pick a hat-trick of fours off Carse, two of which came off flicks.

Pant, after getting his finger looked at again by physio Kamlesh Jain, got his 17th Test fifty by hooking Ben Stokes over long-leg for six. England had a change of ball immediately after the drinks break, but the replacement ball didn’t come of much help in stemming the run-flow. Rahul played a classical backfoot punch off Carse for four, while Pant greeted Shoaib Bashir by lofting him straight down the ground for six.

Stokes brought himself on to try and change things up by going around the wicket to both Pant and Rahul with the short ball barrage. But the duo took a boundary each off him, even as Pant was hit on the glove and needed medical help for the second time in the session. Ahead of the lunch break, India were pushing hard to get Rahul back on strike so that he could get his hundred.

On the third ball of the 66th over, Pant defended to the off-side and Stokes at cover-point picked the ball and threw it towards the non-striker's end – all in one motion.

With some hesitation from Pant to go for a run, the direct hit did catch him short of his crease, leaving him devastated while Stokes and Co. went into the lunch break pumped up and with the hope that they could make further inroads in the second session.

Brief scores:

England 387 lead India 248/4 in 65.3 overs (KL Rahul 98 not out, Rishabh Pant 74; Jofra Archer 1-35, Ben Stokes 1-44) by 139 runs

--IANS

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