Overview

• Karthik accused Ben Stokes of overlooking the World Test Championship in favour of the Ashes, suggesting his confusion over the points table may excuse England’s underperformance.
• Stokes has described the WTC points system as “a bit confusing” and admitted he rarely checks the standings.
• England completed the 2023–25 cycle under Stokes with a fifth-place finish, failing to reach a WTC final for the third consecutive cycle.
• On Day 3, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s century and three half-centuries lifted India to 396, putting the hosts under significant pressure.
• England ended the day at 50/1 chasing 324, and Karthik predicted the pitch will continue to offer inconsistent bounce as India bids to level the series.