India's Kuldeep Yadav celebrates after the dismissal of England's Ben Duckett during the third day of the third Test cricket match between India and England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on February 17, 2024. (Photo by Punit Paranjpe / AFP)
Rajkot, India: Kuldeep Yadav took two key wickets for India including Ben Duckett for 153 to dent England's reply Saturday in the absence of fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on day three of the third Test.
The tourists reached 290-5 at lunch in Rajkot and still trailed India by 155. Skipper Ben Stokes, on 39, and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, on six, were batting.
Stokes, a left-handed batsman, has kept up the charge with six boundaries in his 100th Test since his debut in 2013.
England resumed on 207-2 in reply to India's 445 but lost two wickets in the space of six deliveries inside the first 30 minutes.
Jasprit Bumrah struck in the fifth over of the day when Joe Root attempted a reverse scoop and Yashasvi Jaiswal caught it at second slip.
Kuldeep got Jonny Bairstow trapped lbw for a duck with his left-arm wrist spin and the batsman burned a review for England as replays suggested the ball would have hit middle.
The left-handed Duckett got to 150 but his tame end came when he chased a wide delivery from Kuldeep to give away a catch to the cover fielder.
Duckett smashed 23 fours and two sixes in his 151-ball knock, which punished the Indian bowlers on day two after Ashwin got the other opener Zak Crawley for his 500th wicket.
Ashwin left the Test midway due to a family emergency hours later, and Devdutt Padikkal came in as substitute fielder.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced Ashwin's withdrawal late Friday with vice-president Rajeev Shukla saying he had rushed to Chennai "to be with his mother".
The five-match series is level at 1-1 after England won the opener and India bounced back in the second match.
