IND vs ENG - Drop catches haunt England as Dhruv Jurel dominates the field on Day 2

R Ashwin and Dhruv Jurel had forged a 70-run partnership on Day 2 of the 3rd Test against England at the now-renamed Niranjan Shah Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. However, their collaboration also exposed England's fielding lapses, with the youngster being dropped twice - first by Ollie Pope and then by Ben Stokes.

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In the 114.5th over, a length delivery in the middle by Tom Hartley saw Dhruv Jurel pressing back and pulling it straight to Pope at catching mid-wicket. Despite being a fairly easy catch, Pope failed to hold on, giving Jurel his first lifeline.

Soon after, in the 117.6th over, Mark Wood pitched a delivery up at leg-stump. Dhruv Jurel attempted to flick it around the corner, picking out Stokes at leg-slip. Although the ball reached Stokes quickly and should have been taken, the England skipper dropped it. His reaction afterward suggested he might not have spotted it well. Regardless, Jurel received another reprieve.

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Netizens too took to social media, particularly X (formerly known as Twitter) to speak about the catching blunders done by the English side.

However, R Ashwin wasn't as fortunate, as England grasped another opportunity. Rehan Ahmed delivered a tossed-up ball, and Ashwin, aiming to go over mid-on, failed to achieve the necessary elevation. He chipped it to James Anderson, who initially fumbled but managed to hold on at the second attempt. England finally secured the breakthrough as Ashwin departed for 37(89) [4s-6].

At the time of writing this article, 121 overs have been completed, and India has amassed 408 runs while losing 8 wickets. Jurel is now partnered by Jasprit Bumrah at the crease, and the duo will aim to build another partnership and potentially push the score to 450.

IND vs ENG teams:

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson

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