Watch: Rishabh Pant takes stunner to dismiss Joe Root as Mohammed Siraj rocks England with consecutive strikes
Published - 04 Jul 2025, 04:38 PM | Updated - 04 Jul 2025, 04:55 PM
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has handed an early setback to England as he pulled off a stunning catch to end Joe Root’s stay at the crease during a tense moment on Day 3 of the ongoing second Test at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.
It happened on the third ball of the 22nd over when Mohammed Siraj bowled a tricky delivery down the leg side, tempting Joe Root to flick the ball fine towards the leg-side boundary and pick up some easy runs. But things didn’t go as planned for the former England captain.
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Watch: Rishabh Pant’s lightning gloves stun Joe Root as England crumble early at Edgbaston
There was a bit of late movement off the pitch, and Root didn’t quite time it well. The ball took a faint edge off the bat and flew just to the left of Rishabh Pant.
And Rishabh Pant made no mistake, diving swiftly and safely, grabbing the catch, and leaving Root visibly frustrated as he walked back to the pavilion for just 22 runs off 46 balls with two boundaries. On the very next ball, Mohammed Siraj dismissed Ben Stokes for a golden duck with a short ball.
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— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) July 4, 2025
Mohammed Siraj’s magic rocks England, removes Ben Stokes after Joe Root with the help of Rishabh Pant
Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj pulled off a stunning double blow on Day 3, as he first removed England’s legendary batter Joe Root, and now the captain, Ben Stokes, was sent back to the dugout. Siraj bowled a clever short-of-length ball that exploded off the pitch, leaving Stokes absolutely clueless.
Stokes, playing his first ball, tried to poke at it instinctively, but the delivery climbed nastily, hit the splice of the bat, and flew straight to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps. The Indian wicketkeeper made no mistake, taking a brilliant catch to add to England’s misery.
It was a golden duck for Stokes and pure jubilation for Siraj, who roared in celebration with his teammates. With two wickets in two balls, the pacer helped the Indian cricket team tighten their grip on the ongoing second Test in sensational style at Edgbaston.
IND vs ENG 2nd Test Day 2 Highlights
Speaking about Day 2, Shubman Gill had started the day with Ravindra Jadeja on a strong note. Gill first stitched a solid 203-run stand with Jadeja, who played a gritty knock of 89 runs. After Jadeja’s dismissal, Washington Sundar joined Gill, and the duo added another 144 runs.
Gill eventually fell for a superb 269, and Akash Deep was dismissed soon after by Shoaib Bashir. But by then, India had already posted a massive 587 on the board. England's bowlers struggled all day. Their short-ball strategy had little effect on Gill and Jadeja early, while spinners and part-timers like Shoaib Bashir, Joe Root, and Harry Brook failed to find breakthroughs until much later.
When England came out to bat, Indian pacer Akash Deep, playing his first match of the series, struck twice in one over to remove Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope. Mohammed Siraj then dismissed Zak Crawley, leaving England reeling at 25 for 3 at Edgbaston.
However, Joe Root and Harry Brook tried to steady things with a 52-run partnership, but India clearly ended the day on top. At stumps, England were 77 for 3, trailing by a massive 510 runs against India.
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Rishabh Pant Joe Root India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team India vs England IND vs ENG Mohammed SirajAbout the Author
Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ... Read more
