IND U19 Vs ENG U19, 2nd Youth Test Highlights: India Go Wicketless On Day 3, Trail England By 123 At Stumps

Greetings and welcome to everyone joining us this Tuesday for some red-ball cricket. Day 2 was hit by rain, and there might be more interruptions today. Stay with us for the build-up and live updates from the India Under-19 vs England Under-19, 2nd Youth Test.

England U19: BJ Dawkins, Adam Thomas, Rocky Flintoff, Ben Mayes, Thomas Rew (c/wk), Ekansh Singh, Ralphie Albert, James Minto, Alex Green, Aaryan Sawant, Alex French

India U19: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre (c), Vihaan Malhotra, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Rahul Kumar, RS Ambrish, Henil Patel, Naman Pushpak, Kanishk Chouhan, Aditya Rawat, Harvansh Pangalia

Barring rain and/or a wet outfield, Day 3 is scheduled to begin at 3:30pm IST. The India U-19 vs England U-19, 2nd Youth Test is being live streamed on the Essex Cricket YouTube channel for free in India. It is not being telecast on any TV channel in the country.

As we await the start of Day 3's play in Chelmsford, let's take a look at the build-up for the vital fourth India vs England Test in Manchester. The visitors trail 1-2 and must win to have a shot at claiming the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Check out the three key player battles that could decide the outcome, and the head-to-head record of the two teams.

The infamous English weather continues to disrupt matches of all three Indian teams (men's, women's and under-19 men's) on its shores. The start of Day 3's play in Chelmsford has been delayed due to rain. We will share an update as soon as there is one from the ground.

There is no update yet from Chelmsford as the outfield is still wet. Meanwhile, the Indian women's cricket team is taking on England in the third and final ODI, with the series level at 1-1. Catch live updates from that game in our dedicated blog.

After a considerable delay, the weather improves and the ground staff do a good job in drying up the outfield quickly in Chelmsford. Overnight batters Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra resume and see out the first six overs without much difficulty.

IND U19: 84/1 (16 overs)

Ayush Mhatre zooms to his half-century. He gets there off 57 balls and his partner Vihaan Malhotra (43) is approaching a fifty of his own. India scoring at more than six runs an over now, leaving the hosts worried.

IND U19: 134/1 (22 overs)

So the overnight batting pair of Vihaan Malhotra (57 not out) and Ayush Mhatre (79 not out) stays unseparated at the end of the rain-hit first session. India now trail by 150 runs, with nine wickets in hand and five sessions of play remaining.

IND U19: 159/1 (26 overs)

Oh, that one’s going to hurt. Ayush Mhatre, after bossing it with 80 off 90 – 14 gorgeous fours and a six in the mix, is trapped plumb in front by AM French. No hesitation from the umpire, finger goes up in a flash.

Ayush was in total control, timing everything like a dream, but French sneaks one in that skids on and catches him on the back foot. He’s gone LBW and walks off slowly, head down, the kind of knock that deserved three figures, but it ends just short.

Massive moment in the match.

Vihaan Malhotra opens the over with a cracking boundary, no half-measures there. Ralphie Albert drifts a little too full, and Vihaan leans in to drive it sweetly past extra cover. Pure timing, no need to run.

Next ball, Ralphie tightens up and Vihaan respects it, blocking it out calmly. One for the highlight reel, one for the technique book – solid balance from the set batter here.

Ben Mayes thought he had things under control, but Harvansh Pangalia had other ideas! Fifth ball of the over, short, wide, and asking for it, Harvansh pounces, slapping it past point for a sizzling four.

Mayes goes fuller on the last one, and Harvansh wisely lets it go. Smart batting, aggressive when it counts, and cool-headed right after.

Massive moment at Chelmsford as Vihaan Malhotra finally falls for a sensational 120. Ralphie Albert gets the breakthrough India didn’t want to give away, Vihaan tries to flick one across the line but ends up gifting a simple catch to Ben Mayes at midwicket.

After 123 balls, 19 crisp fours, and 3 big sixes, the anchor of India’s innings walks back. The applause rings loud, but the worry’s louder – India just can’t seem to stitch together a solid partnership, and the pressure is beginning to mount again.

Team India’s slide continues and this time it’s Naman Pushpak who walks back with nothing to show. Ben Mayes keeps things tight, builds the pressure, and finally gets his reward. Naman, clearly feeling the squeeze after 17 dot balls, goes chasing one he shouldn’t have and skies it straight to Rocky Flintoff. Safe hands, simple catch, and yet another blow to India’s crumbling innings.

This is turning into a serious collapse, wickets tumbling, no partnerships sticking, and India looking rattled at Chelmsford.

Alex Green had things in control, until the final ball. After a dot on 56.5, Kanishk Chouhan decides enough’s enough and launches the next one high and handsome over deep midwicket for six! Clean swing, perfect connection, and the Indian dugout finds a reason to cheer.

It’s been a nervy passage, but that hit might just jolt some life back into the innings.

That’s the end of India U19’s first innings – all out for 279 in 58.1 overs. They’ve fallen short by 30 runs, and it’s been a mixed bag at Chelmsford. Vihaan Malhotra’s majestic 120 stood tall, but the rest crumbled around him. Wickets kept tumbling, partnerships never really settled, and the lower order couldn’t offer much resistance.

England U19s will head into their second innings with a slender lead and momentum on their side. India have a fight on their hands now, the bowlers need to respond strong if they want to claw back into this contest on Day 3.

We’re back underway at Chelmsford as England U19 begin their second innings with a 30-run cushion. BJ Dawkins and Adam Thomas stride out to the middle, looking to build on that slender lead and set up a strong total.

Henil Patel has the new ball in hand for India U19, and he’ll be looking to strike early. BJ Dawkins is on strike, eyes scanning the field, ready to face the heat. India need early breakthroughs to stay in the hunt, can Henil deliver right away?

RS Ambrish is into the attack and India are sniffing for a breakthrough here. Three balls in, two tight dot deliveries followed by a wide, and the pressure is quietly building on Adam Thomas.

The Indians have their tails up, fielders buzzing, and they know a wicket here could open the door. It's tense, it’s tight, and you can feel the energy shift as Ambrish keeps probing.

RS Ambrish keeps it tight first up, but BJ Dawkins breaks free with a crisp drive through covers for four. He follows it up with a single to rotate strike. India still searching for that first breakthrough.

Henil Patel keeps it disciplined, just a single to BJ Dawkins, followed by two dot balls to Adam Thomas. Tight over, but India still waiting for that breakthrough to crack this opening stand.

Naman Pushpak tossed one up to Adam Thomas, who calmly nudged it for a single. But BJ Dawkins had other plans, he stepped in and launched the final ball of the over over long-on for a towering six. Clean strike, and England’s momentum keeps building.

We’ve got a pause in play at Chelmsford, and it’s the light to blame. The shadows have grown long and the umpires have decided it's too dark to continue safely. Players head off with 22 overs still left in the day, though it's looking doubtful we’ll get them in.

BJ Dawkins and Adam Thomas remain unbeaten, having guided England U19 to 80/0 in 20 overs. Their opening stand has been rock solid, and the lead now sits at 110. India desperately need a breakthrough, but for now, the conditions have taken over.

We're back on! After a lengthy delay, the players return to the field. Ayush Mhatre was spotted deep in discussion with the umpires before signalling to his teammates that it's good to go.

The England openers, BJ Dawkins and Adam Thomas, make their way back out, ready to resume their steady partnership. Kanishk Chouhan has the ball in hand and will continue the attack as India look to finally break this stand.

It’s been a day to forget for India U19 after a promising start. They dominated the opening session, but from there, it’s been all England. Ending Day 3 at 93 for no loss in their second innings, England U19 have stretched their lead to 123 runs.

BJ Dawkins and Adam Thomas have looked solid, and with a full day ahead, India will need something special to turn this around.

That’s all from Day 3 at Chelmsford! A dominant day for England U19 after an early scare, and India have plenty to do heading into the final day. We’ll be back tomorrow with all the live action, until then, take care and goodbye.