Even though Ravichandran Ashwin positioned himself in the pantheon of greats, England still managed to enjoy Ben Duckett’s masterclass on Day 2 as Ben Stokes and Co. reached 207-2 in 35 overs. Centuries from skipper Rohit Sharma (131) and local hero Ravindra Jadeja (112) powered Virat Kohli-less Team India to 445 in their 1st innings of the 3rd Test at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
Leading the reply of England’s Bazballers on the second day of the 3rd Test, opener Duckett smashed a scintillating century to put the visitors on top. Drawing first blood for Team India, Ashwin got the better of Duckett’s partner Zak Crawley in the 13th over. Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj then chipped in with the scalp of Ollie Pope (39) in the 29th over. On a day when Ashwin scripted history, Duckett fired England to a comfortable position with his unbeaten knock.
ALSO READ: Ravichandran Ashwin’s road to 500 Test wickets: How spin wizard became India’s weapon of mass destruction
1) England celebrate Duckett day after Ashwin scripts history
Ashwin claimed his 500th Test to join legendary spinner Anil Kumble in an exclusive club. Ashwin became the second Indian to reach the milestone. The spin-bowling icon is the second-quickest in Test history to enter the 500 club after Sri Lankan legend – Muttiah Muralitharan. Soon after Ashwin reached new heights, England celebrated ‘Duckett day’ as the Englishman took Indian bowlers to the cleaners.
2) Fastest England batter to score 100 in India
From hitting switch-hit to surpassing Graham Gooch’s feat, opener Duckett tormented the Indian bowling unit with his counterattacking knock. Shubman Gill was all praise for Duckett when the England opener smashed a four off Mohammed Siraj to register a brilliant century. Going past Gooch’s 95-ball ton, Duckett smashed the fastest Test century for England in India.
3) Most runs between Tea and Stumps
Duckett reached his century in 88 balls which is also the fourth-fastest ton for England away from home. Duckett also grabbed the third spot on the list of England batters with the most runs between Tea and Stumps. Duckett scored 114 to achieve the feat against India at Rajkot. Matt Prior holds the top spot with 121 against the West Indies at Lord’s in 2007.
4) MS Dhoni feat up in smokes
Did you know? Duckett is the first away batter to score 100-plus runs during a single session in India. The England batter toppled MS Dhoni’s 109-run knock against Australia at Chennai with his Rajkot heroics. Duckett smashed 114 runs in a single session against India. His batting exploits are only behind Virender Sehwag, who smashed 133 against Sri Lanka at Mumbai in 2009.
5) Joins Adam Gilchrist and Clive Lloyd in special club
Duckett holds the record for smashing the third-fastest Test century by a visiting batter in India. The Englishman has joined Australia’s Adam Gilchrist and West Indies great Clive Lloyd in the special club. Australia’s Gilchrist notched up his century off 84 balls against India at Mumbai in 2001. West Indies icon Lloyd smoked an 85-ball ton against India in 1974.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
