The Prague Post - Bumrah's treble strike rocks England before Smith hits back

England resumed on 251-4 on the second morning but were reduced to 271-7 as fast bowler Bumrah dismissed captain Ben Stokes, century-maker Joe Root and all-rounder Chris Woakes. At lunch Bumrah had figures of 4-63.

England had recovered to 353-7 by the break. Smith, dropped in the slips on five, was 51 not out after sharing an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 82 with Brydon Carse (33 not out).

Wicketkeeper Smith's fifty followed his impressive scores of 184 not out and 88 during India's crushing 336-run win in the second Test at Edgbaston last week that levelled this five-match series at 1-1.

Initial interest Friday focused on whether star batsman Root would go on to make a hundred.

In all 17 previous instances in Test cricket, batsmen who were 99 not out overnight completed their centuries the following morning. Root maintained the sequence off Friday's first ball, pushing at a wide delivery from Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, that flew past gully for four.

That fortunate boundary completed Root's 37th Test century, fifth on an all-time list headed by India's Sachin Tendulkar with 51 hundreds.

Stokes, fit following a groin injury that hampered him on Thursday, had added just five runs to his overnight 39 when he was bowled playing down the wrong line to a Bumrah delivery that jagged back and smashed into off stump.

Next ball, Woakes fell for a golden duck as he chased a wide delivery from Bumrah outside off stump and got a thin edge to reserve wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, still deputising after Rishabh Pant suffered a finger injury on Thursday.

It needed an India review to confirm the dismissal.

Carse survived the hat-trick delivery but England were still struggling at 271-7.

Their position would have been even worse had KL Rahul not dropped a relatively straightforward slip chance when Smith had made just five, with Mohammed Siraj the unlucky bowler.

Smith went onto complete a 52-ball fifty including a whipped four through midwicket off Bumrah, with Carse flaying the India spearhead through the covers for a well-struck boundary.

X.Kadlec--TPP