The Air India flight en route to London, carrying 242 passengers and crew, went down in Meghaninagar shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI171) was seen quickly descending before crashing in a fireball, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
Meanwhile, the defending champions have established a 218-run lead with two wickets remaining in their second innings, looking to extend that advantage on Friday to complicate matters for South Africa.
“This is an incredible opportunity, and we’re all really excited about the chance to win,” Bedingham remarked following the second day of play.
“As I said, it could go either way, but our team is filled with excitement and belief,” he added.
With 28 wickets having fallen over the first two days, the bowlers have had the upper hand, making South Africa’s chances of pulling off an upset appear slim.
“Having six quality seamers on a challenging pitch makes batting difficult. However, I feel that the wicket has slowed down a bit; the nicks aren’t carrying,” Bedingham observed.
“In the fourth innings, they might come a bit straighter, and hopefully, we can accumulate those runs.”
He acknowledged that Australia’s bowling attack, spearheaded by Pat Cummins who took six wickets, had been formidable on Thursday.
“Honestly, I don’t think the Australians bowled us any bad balls. That’s why they are the best in the world.
“Moving forward, we hope to counteract that and clinch the World Test Championship. The key is to fully commit, whether defending or attacking. As soon as you hesitate against this attack, you get exposed,” he stated.
Three years ago, England successfully chased down 277 against New Zealand, marking the third-highest successful chase by a test team at Lord’s. The West Indies achieved a chase of 342 against England in 1984, while England also successfully chased 282 against New Zealand in 2004.
The fourth highest remains 218 for England against New Zealand in 1965.
(With Reuters inputs)
