India’s persistence with their short-ball strategy bore fruit in dramatic fashion at Headingley as Jamie Smith fell for 40 just two balls after launching a towering six. The breakthrough, engineered by Prasidh Krishna and completed through a fine relay catch between Ravindra Jadeja and Sai Sudharsan, was the result of a carefully crafted plan that India refused to abandon even after being hit into the stands.
With the second new ball just around the corner, it was a critical blow that broke England’s growing momentum.
Earlier in the over, Smith had taken on the bouncer with absolute authority, rocking back to pull Prasidh into the crowd at deep square leg. But despite the blow, Shubman Gill, involved in setting the field, showed no inclination to flinch.
The leg-side trap remained untouched, with Jadeja stationed at deep mid-wicket and Sai Sudharsan patrolling deep backward square. The message was clear: India were backing their plan, and their bowlers to execute it.
Two deliveries later, the trap snapped shut. Prasidh once again banged it in short, tempting Smith into another pull. This time, the connection wasn’t clean. The ball climbed high off the bat but didn’t travel far enough to clear the fence. Jadeja took the catch right on the edge of the boundary rope, but as his momentum carried him over, he alertly lobbed it to Sai, who had already moved in as backup.
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The youngster completed the catch calmly, drawing roars from the Indian crowd and murmurs of admiration from the commentary box.
“The plan has worked for India,” said Michael Atherton on-air. Nasser Hussain, sitting alongside him, added, “Don’t you love it when a plan comes together.”
This was Prasidh’s second wicket of the innings, as he enjoyed a better outing on Sunday rather than Day 2 of the game, where he went wicketless. Earlier on the day, Prasidh dismissed Ollie Pope for 106, while Mohammed Siraj also picked his first wicket of the innings when he sent captain Ben Stokes packing for 20. India had scored 471 in the first innings, riding on centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant.