India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been subtly deploying his mind-game tactics throughout the three days of action in Leeds - whether with the bat or from behind the stumps.

A day after social media went abuzz exposing some of those ploys, Day 3 brought another, this time captured by the broadcasters themselves and shared on X with the caption: "Peak mind games, peak Rishabh Panti, peak Test cricket!"

On the fourth delivery of the 64th over of England's first innings at Headingley on Sunday, Ravindra Jadeja dished out a delivery that spun sharply away from the off stump. England captain Ben Stokes, who was at the crease, was not tempted by the delivery as he ignored it, leading to Pant saying, "Sensible Stokesy," which was clearly caught on stump mic.

Stokes remained unfazed by the remark, but it seemed to have played on his mind. Four deliveries later, Mohammed Siraj angled it a length ball from round the wicket that nipped away. But as Stokes looked to play it squarer, and punch it through point, he got a thick edge and Pant did the remaining behind the stumps.

England had a great partnership building between Stokes and Harry Brook after the dismissal of centurion Ollie Pope at the start of the third day, but Pant's mind game triggered the dismissal of the England all-rounder.

Leeds Test finely poised

Brook agonisingly missed out on his century by just one run after he hooked Prasidh Krishna for what he thought would be a six, but instead was pouched on the fine leg boundary by Shardul Thakur. It was a moment of stunned silence at the venue from the home crowd. But the tail-enders fought hard to almost cancel out the first innings as India managed to gain only a slender lead of six runs.

Star bowler Jasprit Bumrah took 5-83, his 14th test five-for, and by stumps his India was 90-2 in the second innings and leading by 96 runs after three riveting days.

"The game is in the balance," Bumrah told the BBC. "We have to bat well. The wicket is a little bit (two-)paced so it will be an interesting game to come."