India vs England 2024 5th Test Day 3 Preview: Hosts aim to maintain dominance over visitors in Dharamsala

Devdutt Padikkal impressed in his debut Test innings on Friday.

India endured a dominant, near perfect in the fifth Test against England at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Friday, finishing the day on 473 for 8 and taking a lead of 255 runs to put themselves in the driver's seat in the match.

Hundreds from captain Rohit Sharma (103 runs from 162 balls) and Shubman Gill (110 runs from 150 balls) and half-centuries from debutant Devdutt Padikkal (65 runs off 103 balls) and Sarfaraz Khan ( 56 runs from 60 balls) helped the hosts pile the pressure on the visitors, who would now need a dominant second innings batting performance to try and save this Test match.

"I just wanted to be ready (talking about the debut blues), I got the message the previous day that there is a possibility that I could play. These opportunities are rare to come and I was ready and prepared for this challenge. I was a bit nervous going in, but I wanted to make sure that I wanted to use that energy in a positive way.

"It was a bit challenging at the beginning (when I walked out to bat), but I wanted to put my head down and build a partnership with Sarfaraz. It's a special feeling (getting his debut Test cap) no matter what the circumstances, to live in that dream is something special," Padikkal said at the end of the day's play on Friday.

For England, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir produced yet another fine spell of bowling, claiming 4 for 170 in 44 overs, but it was a leather chasing day for England, who will need a well above-par batting performance to get something from the match.

Day 3, as a result, could prove to be the moving day in the Test match as India look to get close to winning the match and gaining valuable points in the World Test Championships (WTC) cycle.