India had reduced England to 25/3 after posting a mammoth 587 on the board, thanks to captain Shubman Gill’s majestic 269. Harry Brook and Joe Root, however, came to the hosts’ rescue with an unbroken 52-run stand that helped them reach 77/3 at stumps.

Although the deficit for England currently looks enormous, they have won all three matches that they have conceded 500 or more runs in an innings during the Stokes/McCullum regime. Speaking after the second day’s play, England’s spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel has said the group are not fussed about any external noise.

In a devastating second over of the morning, Siraj removed two of England’s biggest pillars — Joe Root and Ben Stokes — in successive deliveries, pushing the hosts deeper into trouble. Root, looking solid on 22,