England vs India: Ben Stokes strikes late on day three after Harry Brook earlier falls one short of a ninth Test ton

June 22, 2025

England were bowled out for 465 in their first innings, just six behind India’s total – Harry Brook (99) falling one agonising run short of a ninth Test century, and a first on his Headingley home ground – before India finished up 90-2 when rain ended play half an hour early in the final session.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) fell in the fourth over to Brydon Carse (1-27), nicking off, before KL Rahul (47no) and Sai Sudharsan (30) – the debutant starting on a pair – appeared to be cruising through to stumps when adding 66 for the second wicket, only for England’s golden-armed skipper Ben Stokes (1-18) to claim the latter late in the day.

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Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah (5-83) finished with a richly-deserved five-for as he polished off the England innings, India taking a six-run lead into their second.

England had started the day 209-3, with Ollie Pope 100 not out, but England’s No 3 would add just six to his overnight score before he perished chasing a short, wide delivery from Prasidh Krishna (3-128) that he edged behind.

Brook, having taken 16 deliveries to get off the mark, was positive from the off, his first two scoring shots of the morning being a boundary and a six off consecutive balls in Krishna’s opening over. He signalled his intent against Bumrah too, charging the fast bowler who had been the scourge of the England top order when taking three the previous evening.

Brook’s boundary blitz saw him surge to a 65-ball half century, dominating a 51-run stand with Ben Stokes (20) that was ended when the skipper nicked an attempted drive off Mohammed Siraj (2-122), Stokes flinging his bat up in the air in frustration following his dismissal.

Both Brook and Jamie Smith (40) rode their luck at times in another fruitful 73-run partnership for the sixth wicket, Smith overturning an lbw decision against Shardul Thakur when on nine and with Brook – dismissed for a duck off a no-ball on day two – being dropped on 46 by Rishabh Pant off Ravi Jadeja, and again on 82, Jaiswal the guilty party this time at fourth slip off Bumrah.

The pair continued to press on the accelerator after lunch, Brook with a Pant-style ‘falling sweep’ off Jadeja for four and Smith nailing Krishna for a huge pulled six over deep backward square.

Even with two men back out on the boundary, and with the second new ball due next over, Smith couldn’t resist the temptation of taking the shot on again two balls later, only this time Jadeja and Sudharsan would combine expertly for a relay catch to claim his wicket.

Brook continued to take the attack to the Indian bowlers, and one in particular, as he firmly got under Siraj’s skin when plundering consecutive overs of his for 29, taking the first-innings deficit under 100 in the process.

When nudging nearer to his own century, Brook couldn’t quite believe it when, one short, he holed out to deep backward square when taking on a Krishna bouncer.

Chris Woakes (38) and Carse (22) enjoyed a couple of big-hitting cameos to push up towards India’s total, the former smashing consecutive sixes off Krishna over to reach 2,000 Test runs in some style.

But back came Bumrah and, after Siraj first cleaned up Carse, he would bowl Woakes and Josh Tongue (11) in consecutive overs to end the England innings and secure India a slender lead to take into their second.

Jaiswal fell cheaply, while England could and should have picked up Sudharsan for 24 when dropped by Ben Duckett at gully off Tongue.

Stokes would snap him up soon after, but Rahul remains a thorn in the home side, perched three short of his half century heading into a fascinating fourth morning in Leeds.

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