Sports Friday, August 27, 2021 11 Another Root century puts England in the box seat AGENCIES World No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia. HEADINGLEY ENGLAND captain Joe Root completed his 23rd Test ton Djokovic, Medvedev as the hosts gained full com- mand against India on Day 2 of the ongoing third Test lead 2021 US Open here at Headingley, Leeds on Thursday. At stumps, England’s score men’s singles draw read 423/8 – a lead of 345 runs with two wickets in hand. AGENCIES Denis Shapovalov, 22, could For the Three Lions, Craig NEW YORK face Karen Khachanov, whose Overton (24*) and Ollie Rob- No. 25 seed matches his age, inson (0*) are at the crease. THE 2021 US Open men’s in Round 3. Jannik Sinner (20 Resuming the final ses- singles draw was unveiled on years old), Opelka (23), and sion at 298/3, Jonny Bairstow Thursday, officially setting the Alexander Bublik (24) com- started scoring runs at a brisk stage for the New York show- plete the seeds. pace and Root carried on with piece set to begin on Monday. his momentum. Each of the world’s top Tsitsipas-Murray In the 104th over of the four players leads a quar- highlights Rd 1 matches innings, the England captain ter, with world No. 1 Novak The pick of the opening-round brought up his 23rd century Djokovic sharing the top half matches sees No. 3 seed and in the longest format and the with 2020 finalist Alexander 2021 Roland-Garros finalist hosts were looking in absolute Zverev, and No. 2 Daniil Med- Tsitsipas take on three-time control. Bairstow’s (29) cameo vedev in the bottom half with major winner and former came to an end in the 108th Stefanos Tsitsipas. world No. 1 Andy Murray, al- over as Mohammed Shami most certain to be staged in sent him back to the pavilion, Loaded Djokovic quarter Arthur Ashe Stadium. While reducing England to 350/4. features four 2021 Slam Murray’s injury struggles have Wicketkeeper-batsman semi-finalists (or better) limited him in 2021, he has Jos Buttler (7) failed to leave England’s captain Joe Root celebrates making a century on the second day of the third cricket Test against India at Headingley cricket ground Djokovic will begin his quest not suffered a first-round loss a mark with the bat as he was in Leeds, northern England, on Thursday. (AFP) for the Grand Slam against since February, a run of five dismissed by Shami and this a qualifier, but his section of events that include a third- brought Moeen Ali to the Root and Malan carried on boundaries, Hameed found it the draw might qualify as the round run at Wimbledon. middle. Jasprit Bumrah final- from where they left off and Scoreboard tough in the middle and the tournament’s toughest. If the After a dominant clay- ly got the better of Root in the both batsmen scored runs at a INDIA (1ST INNINGS): 78 Ollie Robinson Not Out 0 Indians were able to dry the seeds hold, the world No. 1 court season, Tsitsipas was 118th over but it was not be- brisk pace. ENGLAND (1ST INNINGS; OVERNIGHT 120/0) Extras: (8b, 4lb, 7nb, 1w) 20 runs up considerably. Both will face a Wimbledon final bounced in Round 1 in London fore the English captain had Root made the most of his Rory Burns b Shami 61 Total: (For 8 wkts, 129 overs) 423 batsmen put together 24 runs rematch against sixth seed by Frances Tiafoe (who is also scored 121 runs. form and he brought up his Haseeb Hameed b Jadeja 68 Fall of Wickets 1-135 Burns, 2-159 Hameed, for the second wicket, but the Matteo Berrettini in the quar- in this quarter). But the Greek Moeen Ali (8) did not last half-century off just 57 balls in Dawid Malan c Rishabh Pant b Siraj 70 3-298 Malan, 4-350 Bairstow, 5-360 Buttler, stand came to an end on the Joe Root b Bumrah 121 6-383 Root, 7-383 Ali, 8-418 Curran terfinals. Also lurking are 2021 rebounded on the US Open for long as he handed a simple the 82nd over of the innings. Jonny Bairstow c Kohli b Shami 29 To Bat : Anderson final ball of the 63rd over as Australian Open semi-finalist Series, reaching consecutive catch to substitute fielder Axar Malan followed his skip- Jos Buttler c Sharma b Shami 7 Bowling: Ishant Sharma 22-0-92-0 (1w, 4nb), Ravindra Jadeja bowled Ha- Aslan Karatsev, whose break- semifinals in Canada and Cin- Patel at mid-on off the bowling per as he also brought up his Moeen Ali c (Sub) b Jadeja 8 Jasprit Bumrah 27-10-58-1 (2nb), Mohammed meed (68), reducing England out Melbourne run was ended cinnati. of Ravindra Jadeja and Eng- half-century in the 86th over Sam Curran c (Sub) b Siraj 15 Shami 26-7-87-3, Mohammed Siraj 23-3-86-2 to 159/2. By Djokovic in straights, and While he’s found success land was reduced to 383/7. of the innings and England Craig Overton Not Out 24 (1nb), Ravindra Jadeja 31-7-88-2. Skipper Root along with Wimbledon semi-finalist on the Series throughout his Sam Curran also departed maintained its firm grip in Malan ensured that England Hubert Hurkacz, another young career — including be- after playing a knock of 15, the match. did not suffer more hiccups potential quarterfinal opponent ing named the Series Breakout but, in the end, Craig Overton Malan and Root did not leg-side and he lost his wicket Anderson and boys on the and the hosts entered the in- and Ollie Robinson ensured relent and they continued to to Mohammed Siraj. first day. terval with eight wickets in that hosts do not lose any pile on the pressure, ensuring Earlier, India might have Resuming at 120/0, Burns hand. more wickets before the close England’s lead goes past 200 picked the wickets of Eng- and Hameed added 15 more On the opening day, India of play. and the hosts sit at the box land openers Rory Burns and runs to the total before Mo- was bowled out for 78 as no Earlier, Root and Dawid seat from where they are able Haseeb Hameed on the sec- hammed Shami sent Burns batsman was able to stay at Malan were in firm control as to control the game. ond morning but the hosts (61) back to the pavilion, the crease for a long haul. For England piled on further pres- However, on the final ball remained miles ahead in the bringing Dawid Malan to the England, James Anderson and sure on India in the second of the second session, Malan game thanks to a splendid crease. Craig Overton returned with session. Resuming at 182/2, (70) got strangled down the bowling effort from James While Malan did hit three wickets each. Better with age: Anderson’s for the Serb. 2014 US Open fi- Performer in 2018 — Tsitsipas nalist Kei Nishikori could face is a pedestrian 3-3 at the main continual excellence Djokovic in Round 3. event, never advancing be- Also in the top section, surg- yond Round 3. “We’ve had some great ing wild card Jenson Brooksby The Greek enters the US battles over the years,” An- makes his US Open return Open as the 2021 ATP leader derson said of his dismissal of against Sweden’s Mikael Ymer, in match wins, with 48. Right Kohli. “He’s a fantastic player after reaching Round 2 in 2019. behind him is No. 5 seed An- and someone you want to keep In another battle of young ris- drey Rublev, who is 41-14 on quiet as a team, especially in a ing stars, 22-year-old Alex de the year. Rublev will face a five-match series. Minaur — the No. 14 seed and a qualifier in Round 1, as will “We’ve just got to try to keep quarter-finalist here in 2020 — No. 12 seed Felix Auger-Alias- doing that, try and keep him takes on 23-year-old American sime. One matchup that is set quiet as often as we can because Taylor Fritz, who’ll look to get in this quarter is the popcorn- we know that if he gets going it In this file photo taken on August 10, 2018 Former England cricket beyond Round 3 at a Slam for worthy showdown between could be a long series for us.” captain Ted Dexter rings the 5-minutes to go bell before the start of the first time. Nick Kyrgios and No. 18 seed By the time Anderson first play on the second day of the second Test between England and India Roberto Bautista Agut. faced Tendulkar he was three at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. (AFP) Youth is served in Zverev’s years into his Test career. To American-heavy section Big servers power that point it had actually been Zverev will have to navigate Medvedev’s section England’s James Anderson celebrates taking the wicket of India’s KL Ra- quite a modest career, with 35 Former England captain through a section full of fresh Our 2019 finalist entered that hul on the first day of the third Test at Headingley on Wednesday. (AFP) wickets to his name at 36.40. talent in order to repeat his year’s tournament on the heels By the end of 2009 his tally 2020 final run. of a scintillating US Open Se- WO batsmen born 15 Anderson was only 23 the had climbed to 145 and his Ted Dexter passes away But first, his attention will be ries in which he reached three years apart, both era- first time he dismissed Ten- average improved to 34.89, on veteran Sam Querrey, a finals, including a title in Cin- Tdefining for their nation, dulkar, drawing an outside but few could have predicted ICC for England between 1958 and 2017 US Open quarter-final- cinnati.