On the third day of the second Test, Mohammed Siraj got off to a bad start. His run-up was missed by him twice. The second one attracted a boo from the English fans at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The audience clapped sarcastically when Siraj eventually managed to deliver his first ball of the day. One would imagine that it would be a significant blow to a bowler's confidence at the beginning of a new day. Yes, but not for Siraj. Siraj only needed two more pitches to completely reverse the situation.

To give India a dream start, he strangled Joe Root, who is widely considered to be England's top batsman, perhaps even the best in the world, on the leg side. The ball was delivered right onto the pads and was useless. If one has to be extremely critical, then the only course of action may be to point out Root's additional movement toward the stumps. As a result, he stumbled ever so bit. He was unable to present the largest portion of his bat face. The ball hit the inside half and went within reach of India keeper Rishabh Pant, who reacted quickly by moving to his left to make the grab.

"Joe Root is heartbroken," Dinesh Karthik, a former India batter, said in commentary. He certainly was. Going back to the pavilion took the longest amount of time imaginable. When the opposition had scored a massive 587 on a calm batting surface, the most dangerous player should have been a composed Joe Root, but he was out for 22 in one of the most surprising ways.

Ben Stokes entered at position five. Despite not yet having a respectable score in this series, the captain of England was still as upbeat as ever. Siraj burst in and delivered a complete corker. The kick traveled a fair distance, leaving Stokes no opportunity to lower his arms. It fit well into Pant's gloves and made contact with the junction of his bat.

Siraj was on the move. The Indian fielders could not be stopped. With just three pitches, Siraj transformed an off-kilter, out-of-rhythm beginning into a dream by dismissing Joe Root and Ben Stokes (0) off consecutive balls. This occurred after he had already sent Zak Crawley, the opening batsman, back in the previous session of Day 1.

After resuming the day at 77 for 3, 510 runs behind India, England were bowled out for 83/5 in the second over of Day 3.

"India are heading in the correct direction on moving day," Karthik stated on commentary.

Read Also: Shubman Gill Praised for Cricketing IQ, Warned About Batting Challenges Without Rohit and Virat

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON!