Chesteshwar Pujara has felt unappreciated of late but as he left the field at 6.14pm on the third day at Headingley, bad light forcing the early finish, Virat Kohli was just behind offering telling applause for the rearguard his No 3 had just marshalled.
A first innings blowout of 78 all out had left India, so dominant by the end of the Lord’s Test, tortured by the prospect of England levelling the series with two to play. And such thoughts only increased when Joe Root finessed his latest masterful century and the hosts amassed 432 all out in reply.
But Pujara delivered on Kohli’s orders not to take a backward step before this third Test, his unbeaten 91, allied by the captain himself moving to 45 not out and a classy 58 from Rohit Sharma, means the tourists head into the weekend on 215 for two. They are still 139 runs in arrears but England will now have to seriously graft for parity.
It was always going to be tougher for Root’s makeshift attack second time around, even if Ollie Robinson continued his promising start to Test cricket with misleading figures of one for 40. The prospect of Pujara’s return to form was also possible provided Kohli and Ravi Shastri, India’s sergeant major head coach, kept the faith.
The 33-year-old now sits nine runs away from a 19th Test century and, after 180 balls of steadfast defence pock-marked by wristy cuts and clips, a sleeping giant has awoken. Whatever the end result, India will depart Leeds buoyed by the prospect of Pujara adding further dollops of Saurashtra cement at the business end of the series.
Headingley, a ground Pujara knows well from his time at Yorkshire, seems to enjoy flipping expectations on their head too. A blanket of bruised cloud sat overhead all day, the White Rose floodlights were at full beam and with India starting out their second innings 354 runs behind, after England were finally bowled out just 15 minutes into proceedings, things seemed ripe for a cascade of wickets.
Yet despite Robinson in particular getting the new ball to zip around, and seeing an lbw decision overturned by KL Rahul on height early on, England got an early taste of the defiance to come. That was until what became the final ball before lunch when Craig Overton, fresh from swishing 32 runs with the bat, found the edge of Rahul’s bat and Jonny Bairstow plucked a stunning one-handed at second slip.
Bairstow was thrilled, so, too, the Headingley faithful and a beaming Root at first slip given he was better placed to pouch the ball safely. No bother, this intervention instead represented a second champagne moment for the two Yorkshiremen who shared such a warm embrace when Root raised his bat 24 hours earlier.
But from 34 for one Sharma and the newly-arrived Pujara then set about a wicketless afternoon session of 78 runs in which the 16,991-strong crowd upped the volume to will a breakthrough and Robinson was left wondering how he had not delivered it. The 27-year-old is learning plenty about Test cricket this summer, not least that the wickets column doesn’t always tell the full story.
Credit must go to the Indian pair here, even if Jimmy Anderson seemed bothered by a niggle all day and Sam Curran released the pressure with some floaty inswing. News that Chris Woakes may finally be fit for the fourth Test will create a debate about the No 8 position unless the left-armer’s figures of nine overs, none for 40 improve.
Sharma’s bat was thick in defence and punishing in attack – one uppercut six before lunch was the Hit Man at his most audacious – while Pujara, so out of sorts up to now despite a craggy-yet-crucial 45 at Lord’s, got the feet moving as England hunted his pads early and chased leather as a result. That said, their 82-run vigil might have ended on 57 had Root not run out of time pondering a review against Sharma.
Robinson’s angle and ability to move the ball both ways was presenting issues for the right-handers while the bounce he was generating did the same for umpire Richard Kettleborough. As it was, when he struck Sharma’s front pad, the resulting Hawkeye projection showed three reds but a murmur of either bat or pad on Snicko – more likely the latter – meant there were no cast-iron guarantees of the decision being overturned had Root’s previously fast hands beaten the clock.
There was a case to say it looked a stronger shout than the wicket that finally rewarded Robinson’s excellence after tea, with Sharma again struck in front and this time told to depart. He reviewed and Hawkeye suggested only the lightest tickle of leg stump such that Kettleborough looked mildly miffed at confirming this borderline decision.
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The arrival of Kohli would normally bring Anderson into the attack but time spent off the field for the 39-year-old meant this reunion was delayed. When it did come to pass, 30 minutes into the final session, Anderson’s two overs leaked 20 runs in the latest reminder that a. he remains human and b. the raft of injuries that have beset England this summer have placed a huge burden on his shoulders.
Kohli grew in confidence and, like his partner, pressed forward in defence purposely while being quick to the loose ball. After looking at ease during a late spell in the gloaming that forced Root to make up one half of a spin pairing with Moeen Ali, India’s captain will resume in the morning looking to make it not one but two centuries.
Do that and India will start believing a Headingley miracle of their own is possible.