ENG vs IND | We will have to use new ball effectively for early wickets, asserts Craig Overton

England piled up a massive lead of 354 runs after ending their first innings on 432 on Day 3 of the Headingley Test on Friday. Team India, in response, rebounded after being restricted to 78 in their first innings to reach 215 for two at stumps. Rohit Sharma, showed class and resilience again and scored 59 runs while building up an 82-run stand for the second wicket along with Cheteshwar Pujara who remained unbeaten on 91 at stumps. Virat Kohli also chipped in with an unbeaten 45 to stitch a very crucial 99-run partnership with Pujara. 

England seamer, Craig Overton asserted that the bowlers will have to take advantage of the new ball on Day 4 to clinch early wickets and strengethen their hold on the game. 

“Yeah, it’ll be massive,” he said. “We have to be on it from ball one, hopefully, we get a couple early and press on. If they start really well, we’ve got a real scrap of a game on.”

On the other hand, India will first look to cancel out the 139-run deficit before setting a competitive target for the hosts. England pacers will have to consider themselves unlucky as they claimed only two wickets despite bowling good spells against the Indian batsmen. It was very unfortunate for Ollie Robinson and his team when they were late to appeal for Rohit Sharma’s wicket when the batsman was on 39.

“I wasn’t quite sure,” said Overton. “I thought he might have hit it, that’s what the umpire thought, but Jimmy at mid-on was almost certain he didn’t hit it so we weren’t really quite sure. It would have been nice if we’d have been half a second earlier and got that wicket.”

Craig Overton picked up three wickets in the first innings and later produced a good cameo with the bat as he made 32 from 42 deliveries before Mohammed Shami scalped his wicket. He also clinched the wicket of KL Rahul in the second innings to give England an early breakthrough in the match.