Team India extended their dominance over England on the Day 3 of the second Test and are on the cusp of an emphatic victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.  The day belonged to local boy Ravichandran Ashwin who entertained the home crowd with a scintillating ton. Thanks to his efforts, India posted 286 runs in the third innings, setting a daunting target of 482 runs for the visitors. The visiting team again got off to a terrible start with the bat and lost three wickets on the final session. At stumps, England were 53/3 with Daniel Lawrence (19) and skipper Joe Root (1) being the two batsmen at the crease. India vs England Highlights 2nd Test 2021, Day 3.

Earlier in the day, India resumed their third innings at 54/1. The morning session belonged to England with spin twins Jack Leach and Moeen Ali rattling the home team’s batting order. Reeling at 106/6, India’s innings was expected to wrap by lunch. However, skipper Virat Kohli and R Ashwin had other ideas. The duo batted with precision and added 96 runs for the seventh wicket. Although the Indian skipper fell prey to Moeen Ali for 62, Ashwin continued his onslaught and reached the three-figure mark. Thanks to his efforts, India posted 286 runs before taking three crucial wickets in the final session. Meanwhile, let’s look at the stat highlights of the game. Ravichandran Ashwin Scores Fifth Test Hundred: Chennai Super Kings Lead Twitterati in Congratulating All-Rounder.

# Virat Kohli scored his 25th half-century in Test matches.

# Moeen Ali dismissed Kohli for the fifth time in Test matches.

# Ali accounted for Ajinkya Rahane’s wicket for the seventh time in Tests, only Australia’s Nathan Lyon has dismissed the Indian vice-captain on more occasions (8).

# Ravi Ashwin scored his fifth hundred in Test matches.

# Ashwin scored a test ton after more than four years.

# Ashwin Becomes Second Tamil Nadu Player After Kris Srikkanth to Score a Century at Chepauk.

# This was the third instance of Ashwin getting a double of five-wicket haul and hundred in Tests, second-most for any player after England’s Ian Botham.

# Cheteshwar Pujara got run-out for the ninth time in Tests, most for any player since his debut in 2010

India have two days to take the remaining seven wickets while England need 429 more runs on a deteriorating Chennai track. The home team is firmly on command, and only a miracle can bring the visitors back in the hunt. The onus will be on skipper Joe Root who scored a double ton at this venue in the first Test. However, the challenge is much more daunting this time.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 15, 2021 05:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).