Joe Root’s England might be on top in the third Test, but with two matches still to play, India pace bowler Mohammed Siraj still hopes his side can claim the series.
“Sometimes we have a bad day, when we get out early in a Test match and have to field longer, but that shouldn’t lower your morale, as we are still left with two matches and leading the series 1-0,” Siraj said on Thursday after the hosts cruised to a commanding first-innings lead of 345 on day 2 of the Headingley Test.
“We don’t need to worry too much, we just need to believe in our skills and back ourselves,” he said.
Photo: AFP
Riding high after winning the second Test at Lord’s, India were skittled on Wednesday for just 78 on day 1 of the latest in the five-match series.
England ended day two on 423-8 thanks to captain Root’s 121 and half-centuries by Rory Burns (61), Haseeb Hameed (68) and Dawid Malan (70).
Siraj, who took 2-86, including the wicket of Malan, said that the pitch was “very slow” and offered little for the bowlers.
However, he said that India were not concerned about Root’s form.
“When a batsman [Root] is in good touch and flow, they score runs. We shouldn’t be bothered by someone scoring runs. Even if you score 100 or 200, we are still one-up in the series,” he said.
India “shouldn’t worry much and focus on batting longer in the second innings,” he said.
At lunch on day 3 yesterday, India had reached 34-1 after England were bowled out for 432, still needing 320 runs to make the hosts bat again.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS