India's fightback, reviews and a battle of attrition... ENGLAND V INDIA TALKING POINTS

NICK FRIEND looks back on some of the main moments from the third day at Headingley

Split seconds and fine margins

For the first time this year, Joe Root wasn’t quite quick enough. The clock ticked down and England dithered. By the time he signalled his wish for a review, Richard Kettleborough had beaten him to it, crossing his arms to confirm they were out of time. It was tight, but Root walked back into his position, presumably hoping that his judgement was wrong. Rohit Sharma was unbeaten on 39 and had been struck on the back leg; there was a spike on Ultra Edge with the ball close to both bat and front pad, but it had appeared to miss his inside edge. England – as confirmed afterwards by Craig Overton – were understandably unsure of that detail.

A few overs previously, England had reviewed an almost identical shout, only it hit Sharma higher and was comfortably missing the stumps.

That was a regular theme; there had been plenty of discussion in the build-up to this third Test about a damp, underprepared pitch that would be slow as a result. Instead, it has flown through for much of the match, offering assistance to the spinners and consistent movement for the seamers, while remaining a fine surface to bat on. As well as the possible inside edge, England’s reluctance to review immediately was almost certainly a response to a scepticism caused by that bounce.

In that instance, it was misplaced. Ball-tracking showed the delivery to be cannoning into middle stump, with England denied by their own guesswork.

At the end of the over, Ollie Robinson trotted down to fine leg and Jon Lewis, the bowling coach, wandered out onto the balcony to play the role of Roman emperor, offering the frustrated verdict. Robinson threw his head back and the cameras panned to Chris Silverwood, who wore a wry smile and shook his head. It was that kind of day for England, who plugged away and bowled to a similar standard as two days ago, albeit without the rewards of the first morning.

^{England toiled away for little reward...}

England's turn to toil...

When India were 79 for 1 – having passed their first innings total for the loss of just KL Rahul – CricViz had the Expected Score at 80 for 3, a nod to quite how well England have plugged away on a pitch currently at its best for batting, but also for India, who blunted the opening spells of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Craig Overton before cashing in against Sam Curran.

Overton especially beat the outside edge at will, while Robinson repeatedly seemed to hit Sharma and Pujara on the pads. But the pair survived the middle session – the tourists’ first dominant spell of the match – with a mixture of dogged defence and high-class batsmanship, before Pujara, with Virat Kohli alongside him, continued through the evening.

Curran struggled for rhythm and Sharma particularly tucked in, punching impeccably through mid-off and extra cover in his first over of the afternoon.

Not many have the patience of Cheteshwar Pujara

It came as a complete surprise, therefore, when he missed a straight delivery from Robinson and was given out by Kettleborough. Sharma reviewed the decision, seemingly more in hope than expectation. Rahul had done the same earlier against Robinson and earned himself a reprieve, with the ball shown to be missing leg-stump by an agonising fraction.

It is one of the quirky dramas of the review system that such tiny margins have such varied consequences: Rahul looked plumb for all the world but survived, while Sharma – whose wicket England desperately needed – was a coat of paint away from a life of his own. As it happened, though, Kettleborough’s decision was upheld by the thinnest of shavings.

That was as good as it got for the hosts, though, who took two wickets in 80 overs: Pujara and Kohli battled to the close, with Root coming closest to a breakthrough with a perfect off-break that spun over the stumps of his opposite number.

^{England were unamused by the return of the pitch invader}

The return of Jarvo 69

If there is anything more boring than a pitch invader, it is the same pitch invader pulling the same schtick two Tests in a row, before attempting to wrestle himself clear of the stewards tasked with getting him off the field.

Jarvo 69, as is his stage name, was amusing enough at Lord’s that Sky Sports broadcasted his fleeting appearance as a member of India’s fielding unit. Mohammed Siraj, who stepped into the frame at that precise moment, was shown to be laughing. The skit peaked when he pointed to the India badge on his shirt as ‘proof’ of his identity. He walked off the ground, taking in the acclaim of his audience and went viral.

Quite why – or how – he was back on England-supporting duty a week later is surely a major security blot. Like so many sequels, this one was undoubtedly less funny than the original.

JONNY BAIRSTOW YOU BEAUTIFUL MAN#ENGvINDpic.twitter.com/81DAE5gLk8

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) August 27, 2021

Following the dismissal of Sharma, he strolled onto the field fully padded up from the Football Stand End, on the opposite side of the ground to where India’s team is based.

England’s players gave him the appropriate length of shrift, even more so when he came closer to the pitch itself. As he was forcibly escorted away, Jonny Bairstow walked behind him, booting the batting glove he had dropped towards the boundary.

It feels as though there has been a noticeable increase in incidents like this since fans returned to sporting events, which seems doubly maddening, given quite how strictly guarded players have been through the last 18 months. In an era of bubbles, quarantine periods and regular testing, they could be forgiven for losing their rag entirely at the ease with which fans have entered the field of play – Jarvo wasn’t even the only incident at Lord’s.

All this after a plane had flown over Headingley with the message: “Sack the ECB and save Test cricket.” It circled the perimeter of the stadium five or six times before moving on. Someone, somewhere will feel as though that represents money well spent. It made little impact on a Test that might just be set for an intriguing weekend.