India find themselves in deep trouble in the Manchester Test, with England amassing a commanding 544/7 at stumps on Day 3. Led by Joe Root’s sublime 38th Test century — which also saw him overtake Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history — the hosts have surged to a near-200-run lead. Ben Stokes (77*) and Liam Dawson (21*) remained unbeaten at the close of play.

The Indian bowling unit failed to maintain any control throughout the day, with only Jasprit Bumrah managing to bowl with discipline. Speaking after the day’s play, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted that the rest of the attack failed to support the No.1-ranked Test bowler, allowing England to score freely.

“For him [Bumrah] to be successful, we need to build partnerships. The other guys need to help him out,” said Morkel. “At times, they are a little greedy — trying too hard — and that’s how we leak runs and release pressure.”

Washington Sundar picked up two wickets on Day 3, dismissing Ollie Pope and Harry Brook, but his delayed entry into the attack raised eyebrows. Meanwhile, debutant Anshul Kamboj, along with Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur, conceded runs at over four runs an over.

Bumrah, who has bowled 28 overs for 95 runs and one wicket, is on the verge of conceding 100 runs in an innings for the first time in his Test career.

Morkel didn’t mince words about the team’s performance: “Our execution let us down. It’s not about the combinations we picked — we simply didn’t stick to our plans. I haven’t seen a pitch map where we leaked runs on both sides like this. We were too greedy, and from there we were chasing the game.”

Another contentious move was giving the new ball to Kamboj instead of the more experienced Siraj. Defending the decision, Morkel explained: “If we start with Bumrah and Siraj, then we have to turn to the less experienced bowlers early. Anshul is picked for his strength — bowling with the new ball — and Siraj has done well coming in first change.”

With India staring at a massive first-innings deficit, the pressure now lies squarely on their batters to mount a fightback.