England batsman Dawid Malan on Thursday (August 26) admitted that the Headingley pitch changed drastically since the opening day of the third Test, saying the Indian bowlers asked a lot of questions but didn't get much help from the track.
Playing his first Test in three years, Malan played a brilliant knock of 70 and added 139 runs for the third wicket with skipper Joe Root (121) as England ended the second day on 423/8, stretching their lead to a massive 345 runs.
Earlier, the visitors got bowled out for a paltry 78 after opting to bat first. While quite a few Indian batters played loose shots, the pitch also assisted the English pacers on Day 1.
"The wicket changed massively from the first day the first hour when they were batting," Malan said in a virtual press conference after the end of second day's play.
"I would not say they were flat with their bowling. They absolutely ran in and tried their socks off. They asked a lot of questions, probably didn't get that much help from the wicket," the southpaw added.
Root once again led the charge with the bat, scoring a scintillating 121 – his third century in the ongoing series and sixth hundred of the calendar year.
Showering praise on his captain, Malan said: "He scores runs all the time, and with the ease and the speed with which he does it is quite fantastic. He has led from the front again as he has done in the Test series so far, all credit goes to him."
"He moves his feet so well, the ball position where he hits the ball is so good. He hits the ball so much late than most people, he always looks to score.
Hailing Joe Root as one of the greats of the game, Malan said: "If you bowl a bad ball, he just puts you away. If you look at all the greats who played, if you miss your length they hurt you and Joe is one of those. It's great to watch from the other end."
(With PTI inputs)
