Day three at Edgbaston was as stirring, emotional and mesmerising as this format gets

Vithushan Ehantharajah04-Jul-2025

Mohammed Siraj started and ended the day with a flurry of wickets•Getty Images

Day three’s claim on the “moving day” moniker in a Test match was given extra credence at Edgbaston. While the situation in this second Test at stumps was not all that different to how it began – India ahead by plenty, England ruing various mistakes with ball and then bat – this was as stirring, emotional and mesmerising as this format gets.It began with Mohammed Siraj prising out Joe Root and Ben Stokes with successive deliveries in the second over of the day, and he would close England’s innings with the final three to finish with 6 for 70. This was Siraj’s fourth five-wicket haul, and first on these shores, confirming a first-innings lead of 180 that would eventually swell to 244 by the close, for the loss of just Yashasvi Jaiswal, trapped lbw by Josh Tongue.Related

Stats – Two 150s, a 303-run stand, and six ducks on a topsy-turvy day at Edgbaston

No Bumrah, no problem for India as Siraj steps up

The session when the cult of Bazball came alive

Smith hails belief to 'do what you feel is right in the moment'

In between, however, Jamie Smith’s unbeaten 184, of which the first century clocked in at a joint-third-fastest 80 deliveries, alongside Harry Brook’s 158 dared England to believe they might wipe out India’s opening effort of 587 despite having to rise from the canvas. From 84 for 5, Smith struck Siraj’s hat-trick delivery back past him for four and did not look back, while Brook occupied his slipstream for an initial retaliation that turned into a calculated occupation of the crease and time.They were eventually parted for 303 in the evening session, England’s second-highest stand for the sixth wicket. On a new-ball pitch, the second one had done the trick, as Akash Deep seamed one through Brook’s bat and pad off a length, disturbing the timber. That would be the first of the final five wickets to fall for just 20 runs in 7.2 overs. As KL Rahul’s 28 not out led a quick dart to 64 for 1 with dark clouds looming, England had snapped out of their Smith-inspired fever dream and were back in cold, dank reality.And it was Smith inspired. Siraj set the scene with the jeopardy Smith used to fuel a second Test century and new top score for an England wicketkeeper, beating his Surrey mentor Alec Stewart’s 173 against New Zealand back in 1997.Jamie Smith completed his century in a single session•ECB via Getty ImagesRoot’s demise was a boost for its earliness – nine balls into Friday – and ease; over-balancing to tickle an edge down the leg side through to Rishabh Pant. If that was a little bit of good fortune for Siraj, it was all him for the next delivery, as a snorter – leaping off a short length, scorching the gloves as Stokes attempted to protect his neck – gave England’s Test captain his first golden duck in the format. It was only the second time England’s top six had provided three noughts.It was from that point of disarray, with England trailing by 503 in the 22nd over, that Smith unleashed his astonishing counterattack. Smith was more or less a-run-a-ball up until he locked horns with Prasidh Krishna in the over before the drinks break. With Shubman Gill chasing the match earlier than he needed to, Prasidh was ordered to bounce Smith, who cashed in handsomely with four fours and a six smashed high over fine leg, taking the over for 23.Remarkably, Gill persisted with Prasidh and the short-ball tactic and, as expected, Smith tonked the first ball of this new over for another six over backward square-leg. The previous over had seen Smith move to his sixth fifty-plus score from 43 deliveries.Harry Brook celebrates after getting to 150•Getty ImagesFurther shifts came with consecutive boundaries off spinners Washington Sundar (two fours through cover) and Ravindra Jadeja (a cut through point, then a launch back over the left-arm bowler’s head), bringing Smith in with a shout of taking the record for England’s fastest Test century.He was 84 from 62 deliveries, needing 16 from nine deliveries to take the record outright with the uncertainty of whether Gilbert Jessop achieved the feat from 72 or 76 deliveries. Alas, a slowdown as lunch approached, while sensible, meant that opportunity passed him by.Nevertheless, the century within the session came with three deliveries to go, as Smith lifted Jadeja down the ground and then smeared a 17th boundary through midwicket to take him to three figures. Edgbaston roared and then roared again as he walked off with Brook unbeaten on 91, the pair of them smashing 165 of the 172 scored in the first 27 overs between them – the third-most India have conceded in a session.Harry Brook played some eye-catching shots•AFP/Getty ImagesBrook’s ninth Test century came up four overs into the afternoon, with a controlled guide through the cordon – his 13th boundary, off his 137th ball – between gully and second slip off Prasidh. It was Brook’s first century against India, and only his second at home, having fallen for 99 in his first innings of the series at Headingley.By tea, Smith and Brook had eaten further into India’s lead – 232 by this point – but they had started to slow down, taking 101 deliveries to move their partnership to 250 from 200, which had only taken 192. A combination of Siraj, Jadeja and Washington could claim responsibility for prompting that deceleration with wider, more consistent lines. Nitish Kumar Reddy did find Smith’s edge on 121, but Pant could only get fingertips to the chance, allowing the 24-year-old to pass 150 – off 144 balls – for the third time in his first-class career.The 12 runs off the penultimate over of the second session, bowled by Washington, who was reverse swept with ease by Brook, spoke of the ability of both batters to shift back up the gears. However, India pinned their hopes on the second new ball, which arrived five overs and one warm-up delivery from Akash Deep into the evening and proved their saviour.1:39

Akash Deep: Morne Morkel has given me a lot of confidence

Brook was cramping up, needing the physio – and a banana – eight deliveries before he was dismissed. He could score no runs during this period considering he only faced one of these deliveries, the one that dismissed him, prompting Smith to switch gears again. The wicket-taker Akash Deep was lifted gorgeously over long-on and then clouted through long-off for four. But with that second boundary coming at the end of the over, Smith watched on as Siraj trapped Josh Tongue lbw, and put a sickening bouncer on Shoaib Bashir’s temple before castling the No. 11, who had opted to leave a delivery that moved in off the deck.Smith rushed off, cursory waves of his bat for a quite incredible innings that ran India ragged and thrilled a large home support. At various points, you needed the scoreboard to show you who was actually in charge. By the end, it was clear as day, as Rahul drove pristinely and Jaiswal, while he was there for 22 deliveries, smoked 28, punishing both Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse when they dropped short.There was almost a moment of controversy when, having been pinned by Tongue, Jaiswal seemed to run out of time before calling for the review, which was given to him by standing umpire Sharfuddoula, who had given the decision on the field. Stokes immediately stormed over to remonstrate after watching intently as the big screen ticked from 15 to zero before Jaiswal’s signal.In the end, it did not matter, and resulted in India losing a review as three reds were confirmed on the big screen. A small victory for England in a mini session that, not unlike this Test match so far, belongs to India.