Brook’s 99, England’s Lower-Order Fightback Nullify Bumrah’s Fifer as Leeds Test Hangs in Balance

Despite Jasprit Bumrah’s fiery five-wicket haul, India found themselves unable to seize the upper hand on Day 3 of the first Test at Headingley, as England’s lower-order resilience—led by a valiant 99 from Harry Brook—ensured the contest remained finely poised.

Resuming the day with a slender advantage, India would have hoped to wrap up the English innings swiftly. Instead, they were met with dogged resistance. England’s last six wickets added a crucial 240 runs, dwarfing the 41 India had managed earlier, pushing the hosts to an imposing total of 465. This left India with a meagre lead of six runs at the start of their second innings.

India’s reply began under grey skies and a light drizzle, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul walking out in challenging conditions. Jaiswal struck an early boundary but soon departed, edging a Brydon Carse delivery that moved away just enough. Debutant Sai Sudharsan, having bagged a pair in the first innings, got off the mark with a confident boundary to third man.

What followed was a composed 66-run partnership between Rahul and Sudharsan that steadied India’s innings. Rahul, showing both elegance and grit, played a series of attractive drives and smart rotations of strike. His cover drives off Woakes and Tongue were particularly eye-catching, while Sudharsan grew in confidence, clipping and cutting his way to a promising start.

A half-century stand was raised with Sudharsan earning a life—dropped at backward point by Ben Duckett. However, just as he looked set, Stokes trapped him with an inswinger, flicked straight to short midwicket. Shubman Gill joined Rahul and made his intentions clear early, cutting Stokes over third man for four before rain brought an early close to play with India at 90/2, holding a slender 96-run lead.

Earlier, England’s morning session was defined by Harry Brook’s measured aggression and India’s missed opportunities in the field. While Prasidh Krishna removed Ollie Pope early, Brook built crucial stands—first with Ben Stokes and then with debutant Jamie Smith. The duo of Brook and Smith added 50 brisk runs, exposing India’s catching woes yet again. Rishabh Pant dropped Brook, while Sudharsan shelled a tough one at short leg to give Smith a life.

Brook brought up his half-century and continued to attack even after the dismissal of Smith, eventually reaching 99 with a six and a four in the same Siraj over. But heartbreak followed as he fell one short of a century, top-edging a pull to deep square leg off Prasidh.

Even after Brook’s dismissal, England’s tail wagged defiantly. Woakes (36) and Carse (30) added a frustrating 55-run partnership before Bumrah returned to clean up the tail, dismissing Woakes and Josh Tongue to finish with figures of 5/83—his 14th five-wicket haul in Tests.

But the damage was done. England had erased the deficit and turned what looked like a slim Indian advantage into a near-even contest.

Score Summary:

• 
  India 471 & 90/2 (KL Rahul 47*, Sai Sudharsan 32; Ben Stokes 1/18)

• 
  England 465 (Ollie Pope 106, Harry Brook 99, Ben Duckett 62; Jasprit Bumrah 5/83, Prasidh Krishna 3/128)

• 
  India lead by 96 runs