Rob Smyth's Blog, page 165
November 20, 2016
India v England, second Test: day four – as it happened
Alastair Cook fell to the last ball of the day to undermine a brave England rearguard in the second Test
11.07am GMT
The dismissal means that will be the last ball of the day. Cook worked around a straight one and missed, and Kumar Dharmasena raised the finger after a long delay. I think Cook knew he was out and reviewed it in the hope he might have got outside the line. He could barely drag himself from the field. There were 531 deliveries bowled in the day, and the 531st changed the mood of that day completely.
A wicket with the last ball of the day is a psychological killer at the best of times; but when it’s Alastair Cook, the best in the world at batting time, it is doubly so. Cook played beautifully, making 54 from 188 balls. It’s not really a leap to suggest that delivery may have decided the match. England still have a chance, but surviving 90 overs without Cook will be extremely difficult. Thanks for your company; night.
Related: Alastair Cook falls in final over as England target escape against India
Related: Stuart Broad foot injury makes England bowler a doubt for third Test
Related: England’s Haseeb Hameed proves again he is a Test natural | Ali Martin
11.02am GMT
That is a huge moment in the game.
11.01am GMT
Oh my. Cook has been given out LBW. Only an inside-edge can save him.
11.00am GMT
59th over: England 87-1 (Cook 54, Root 5) Kohli goes back to Umesh Yadav, a clever change of pace so late in the day. Root is pinned back by a delivery that hits him on the pad but would have missed leg stump. One more over for England to survive.
10.55am GMT
58th over: England 86-1 (Cook 52, Root 5) A wicket now would be an almighty kick in the box for England. Jadeja has a huge appeal for LBW against Root turned down by Dharmasena. It was legsideish but I reckon that might have hit the outside of leg stump. Erm, maybe not: replays show a huge inside edge from Root. There are two overs remaining in this brilliant day’s cricket.
“Excruciatingly exquisite passage of play - would it be too cliched to pontificate (yet again) on how glorious Test cricket can be?” says Brian Whitington. “And does Cook mainline ice water in his veins during breaks in play?”
10.52am GMT
57th over: England 85-1 (Cook 52, Root 5) “Family breakfast in Uppsala, Sweden,” begins Rob Hart.
“Maria. ‘Why do you keep beetling off to the computer... is it that krick-ett again?’
10.49am GMT
56th over: England 84-1 (Cook 51, Root 5) Cook works Jadeja for a single to reach a hugely accomplished half-century from 172 balls. He is a miracle of mental strength. If England are to save this game, he might need to make this his equivalent of Mike Atherton’s legendary 185 not out at Johannesburg.
10.45am GMT
55th over: England 81-1 (Cook 49, Root 4) Cook just manages to repel a grubber from Ashwin. Every delivery is crackling with menace now. This has been a wonderful session, a subtle struggle in which both sides have played superbly.
“I’m coming out!” announces Dean Kinsella. “I love Haseem. A run out and a grubber in this Test. Hasn’t done anything wrong and loads and loads that’s right. Fantastic find.”
10.42am GMT
54th over: England 80-1 (Cook 48, Root 4) Cook drives Jadeja in the air but short of mid-off. I think that stopped in the pitch. England are hanging on for stumps, and later in the over Cook bat-pads Jadeja wide of short leg. Then Root survives a ludicrous appeal for LBW; it was going a long way down leg.
10.38am GMT
53rd over: England 77-1 (Cook 47, Root 2) I don’t know whether it’s deliberate mind games, but India are shrieking with excitement after almost every delivery from Ashwin to Joe Root. He temporarily silences them with a classy square drive for two. This is a terrific battle between the world’s best bowler and the world’s best batsman.
10.36am GMT
52nd over: England 75-1 (Cook 47, Root 0) This, as Mike Atherton says on Sky, is a big half hour in this game. England’s two best batsmen are at the crease, and if India dismiss either of them they will sleep soundly. Jadeja has gone around the wicket to Cook, who continues to fight the noble fight. He has made 47 from 164 balls.
10.33am GMT
51st over: England 75-1 (Cook 47, Root 0) The new batsman Root edges an Ashwin full toss on the bounce to slip. It’s in such trying times that, to lighten the mood, we can but reach for the video of Nasser getting a stinking grubber in the West Indies.
10.30am GMT
Hameed’s marvellous defensive innings is ended by an unplayable grubber from Ashwin. It pitched on off and middle and scuttled along the ground. Hameed could do nothing about that, but he played exceptionally: never mind the 25 runs, look at the 144 balls he used up.
10.28am GMT
50th over: England 75-0 (Cook 47, Hameed 25) India go up for LBW when Hameed pushes forward at Jadeja. Kumar Dharmasena says not out and India have no reviews left. Not that it matters, because he got a big inside-edge onto pad.
10.26am GMT
49th over: England 73-0 (Cook 46, Hameed 24) India were celebrating Cook’s dismissal when the replay showed it was pad first, and were thoroughly confused when the not-out decision came up on the scoreboard. Hameed plays out another maiden from Ashwin. He has 24 from 137 balls, in a rearguard action, in a Test match, away from home, on a tricky pitch, against the No1 team and the No1 bowler in the world. He’s 19 years old.
10.23am GMT
48th over: England 73-0 (Cook 46, Hameed 24) Another Jadeja over passes without a signal of imminent doom for England. There are 12 overs remaining, though India might get a couple more in before the close.
10.20am GMT
47th over: England 72-0 (Cook 45, Hameed 24) Things are happening, Tony. Things. Batting is more fraught than at any time in the innings, with Jadeja and Ashwin getting much more out of the pitch after switching ends. You can tell a lot about cricket by the ooh/aah ratio, and there are lots of them right now.
“Morning Rob,” says Dave Adams. “You know better than to make optimistic remarks like that (“...if England are unscathed at the close they have a chance” - over 43). Hope, optimism, and its distant cousins, confidence and certainty were officially abolished in South Australia in 2006. Anything other than a state of permanent foreboding is psychologically dangerous for fans of English cricket.”
10.20am GMT
Cook pushed forward defensively at Ashwin, with bat and pad making contact almost simultaneously. It was pad first and Cook is in trouble here. He might be saved by the point of contact with the pad ... Indeed he is – it was hitting the stumps but it was umpire’s call on where it hit him. Kohli has a thoroughly affronted coupon at that decision, and India have used up both their reviews in the space of two overs.
10.18am GMT
Another review against Cook for LBW. Ashwin implored Kohli to go upstairs, and again it looks close as it was pad first.
10.15am GMT
46th over: England 70-0 (Cook 45, Hameed 24) “Writing in from Chennai.. it feels like England have unearthed another great plodder in Hameed,” says Sathish. “He’s going to get 10,000 runs. England just need to play enough matches to make sure he plays about 100,000 deliveries to do it. On a side note, I am pretty sure I saw you while going from Heathrow on the Piccadilly Line on the tube around February this year. Can you confirm/deny that it was you?”
Let me just check my Piccadilly Line diary. (Erm, yes, possibly, I do go on that line in that area. But thousands of people have copied my fat bald four-eyed middle-aged man look, so it could have been anyone.)
10.14am GMT
Cook survives. It was umpire’s call on point of contact with the leg stump.
10.13am GMT
Jadeja turns one sharply into Cook and goes up for LBW. It’s turned down but India review and this looks close.
10.11am GMT
45th over: England 69-0 (Cook 45, Hameed 24) That’s a beautiful stroke from Cook, a perfectly timed push through extra cover for four off Ashwin. And how Hameed jumps down the track to belabour Ashwin back over his head for four more. Two boundaries in the over! Two boundaries!
10.09am GMT
44th over: England 60-0 (Cook 40, Hameed 20) Cook gets his third boundary, driving Jadeja through the covers: 44 overs down, 106 to go.
10.02am GMT
43rd over: England 55-0 (Cook 35, Hameed 20) Ashwin comes on for Shami. His third delivery, to Hameed, turns and bounces obscenely from well outside off stump and is taken down the leg side by Saha. Time for drinks. The pressure is building on England. This last hour of the day is so important; if India get one they might get three or four, and then the game will be done. But if England are unscathed at the close they have a chance.
9.59am GMT
42nd over: England 53-0 (Cook 35, Hameed 18) Jadeja looks a big threat at the moment, and there is a lot happening out of the rough. It’s hard to overstate how well Cook and Hameed have played.
9.57am GMT
41st over: England 53-0 (Cook 35, Hameed 18)
9.52am GMT
40th over: England 52-0 (Cook 34, Hameed 18) Cook jabs his bat down on a Jadeja grubber that would otherwise have trapped him LBW. A wicket is coming, Frank said. When the strike is rotated, Jadeja continues into the rough outside Hameed’s leg stump. Hameed defends with bat rather than pad, and does it immaculately. He has 18 from 122 balls and has batted with a certainty that no English teenager has produced before, certainly not in my lifetime.
“I think I’ve already rationalised the agonising defeat in the last hour tomorrow as England are bowled out for 380,” says Simon McMahon. “42 Shami and Yadav put on for that last India wicket. That’s what did for England.”
9.47am GMT
39th over: England 51-0 (Cook 33, Hameed 18) England have seen the slow run-rate before tea and lowered it: in this session they have scored 11 from 11 overs. They certainly shouldn’t be criticised for that; this has been a brilliant defensive performance that has given them tentative hope of a victorious draw.
“Absolutely,” says Bill Hargreaves of my comment in the 32nd over. “Broad’s spine; Hameed’s maturity and deftness; Stokes’s moments of brilliance, and Cook’s improving captaincy, to mention just a few.”
9.44am GMT
38th over: England 51-0 (Cook 33, Hameed 18) Jadeja is going to work the rough outside Cook’s off stump, with a silly point, slip, leg slip and short leg. Cook pushes a couple to bring up a cool-headed fifty partnership. Then he misses a sweep, bringing a silly LBW appeal (it was well outside the line), and is beaten by a nasty delivery that bounces and turns away from the bat. Batting suddenly looks a lot trickier for Cook now that Jadeja has rediscovered the joys of a bit of rough.
9.40am GMT
37th over: England 49-0 (Cook 31, Hameed 18) Shami replaces Umesh and continues to get some reverse swing back into Hameed, who is hit painfully on the upper thigh by a good delivery that pops from the surface. He continues to defend admirably, and has made 18 from 112 balls. In his short Test career he has already faced over 400 deliveries.
9.37am GMT
36th over: England 49-0 (Cook 31, Hameed 18) Jadeja tosses one into the rough that kicks viciously at Cook, who does well to plop it down at his feet. He could easily have gloved that to one of the army of close fielders. Another maiden, so Jadeja has figures of 11-4-8-0, which is coincidentally the formation my team used to play during lunchtime football at school.
“Attrition is so central to the nature of cricket,” writes our man Copestake. “The word it seems derives from the verb “to rub” or “wear” and so much in cricket goes through that process, from the ball, to the pitch, to the patience of a batsman or OBO follower.”
9.35am GMT
35th over: England 49-0 (Cook 31, Hameed 18) Umesh has a strangled shout for LBW when Cook gets a vital inside edge on a straight delivery. India look a little frustrated but they know this is the kind of pitch on which wickets will fall in clusters.
“When the first wicket falls, I’d be sending Duckett in,” says Phil Harrison. “Give it a bit of Sehwag, Mumbai, 2008. Worth a go, right?!”
9.28am GMT
34th over: England 48-0 (Cook 30, Hameed 18) Jadeja has changed ends and will replace Shami. Hameed brings up his hundred – balls faced, that is – with yet another textbook forward defensive. He edges the last ball short of slip, softening his hands just enough while feeling for a good delivery.
9.25am GMT
33rd over: England 48-0 (Cook 30, Hameed 18) Two from Yadav’s over. I would describe each shot in detail but, really, you’re not missing much.
9.20am GMT
32nd over: England 46-0 (Cook 29, Hameed 17) Hameed is constructing his innings on a need-to-play basis. If Shami flings it full and wide, Hameed will just ignore it. Later in the over he curves one into Hameed, who flicks it fine for four. That full inswinger is a dangerous delivery for Hameed. This is such an interesting struggle. Whatever happens in this game, England have done so well in the last two days. They have shown a level of skill and defiance that has been beyond the other visiting teams to India in recent years.
9.16am GMT
31st over: England 42-0 (Cook 29, Hameed 13) “Morning Rob,” says Phil Withall. “It is these ridiculous circumstances that reveal the real heart of a cricket supporter. The fact that anyone could think it remotely plausible that England could save this match, let alone win it, is completely farcical. Yet every Englishman following will secretly believe it is not just possible but actually a fairly reasonable outcome. Or is that just me?”
Just you. Just you and hundreds of others who have a hope addiction.
9.13am GMT
30th over: England 42-0 (Cook 29, Hameed 13) It’s pace from both ends, with Shami replacing Jayant Yadav. His first ball reverses into Hameed, a slightly worrying sign for England. Two runs from the over. England are a fifth of the way to survival: 30 overs down, a minimum of 120 to go. This has all the earmarks of a heartbreaking defeat with 3.2 overs remaining.
9.06am GMT
29th over: England 40-0 (Cook 28, Hameed 12) Umesh Yadav continues after tea with a maiden to Cook. Although most of the work will be done by the spinners, the pace bowlers could be really important in this innings, especially when it comes to breaking big partnerships. This qualifies as one, because of the 29 overs rather than the 40 runs.
“So, Lord Beefington is envisaging an England win?” says Steve Hudson. “Just looking at England’s scoring rate, if this was a timeless Test, we’d chase down the 400 some time on Thursday.”
8.43am GMT
“Jeez,” says Ian Copestake. “Botham has already started the ‘If England win this’ narrative.”
You’re always with the narratives.
8.42am GMT
28th over: England 40-0 (Cook 28, Hameed 12) Jayant tries from around the wicket to Hameed, with four men around the bat. Hameed continues to defend with calm authority; he is incredibly impressive, and has taken England through to tea. He has 12 from 84 balls; Cook has 28 from 84. There’s a long way to go – at least 120 overs – but England have given themselves a chance.
“Morning Rob,” says Guy Hornsby. “This is such a glorious game. I’m not saying that Englans have a good shout of a draw, only a ludicrous optimist with a few pints of liver preserver down the hatch at this hour would postulate such madness. But there’s something wonderful about this fightback, and this obdurate pair. Anyone that can’t see the genius in this is dead on the inside.”
8.39am GMT
27th over: England 40-0 (Cook 28, Hameed 12) Kohli goes back to pace, with Umesh Yadav replacing Jadeja. Cook plays out another maiden to take England within one over of meeting Mrs Doyle.
8.32am GMT
26th over: England 40-0 (Cook 28, Hameed 12) After a cautious start, Kohli has started to get funky with his fields. There are three men close on the offside for Cook when Yadav is bowling: silly point, slip and gully. When Yadav drops short, Cook scatters those fielders by rocking back to cut for four.
8.28am GMT
25th over: England 35-0 (Cook 23, Hameed 12) The pitch isn’t turning nearly as much as we expected, and at the moment the low bounce is the biggest threat to England. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Hope has breached the terms of the restraining order and could be in your living room in an hour’s time.
8.25am GMT
24th over: England 34-0 (Cook 22, Hameed 12) On the subject of rearguards, look at this from John Snow in the fourth innings.
8.21am GMT
23rd over: England 33-0 (Cook 21, Hameed 12) Jadeja has a fascinating field for Cook, with three men close in on the leg side: silly point, short square leg and leg gully. The scoreboard says 33 for nought but in a sense it should read 23 for nought. That’s how many overs England have survived, and overs survived are far more important than runs.
8.19am GMT
22nd over: England 31-0 (Cook 19, Hameed 12) Ashwin is replaced by the debutant offspinner Jayant Yadav, who is worked around the corner for a single by Cook. This is delightfully oldfangled cricket: two boundaries in 22 overs, a run-rate of 1.45 per over. Hameed has scored four from his last 47 deliveries.
8.14am GMT
21st over: England 31-0 (Cook 19, Hameed 12) Hameed shoulders arms to a delivery from Jadeja that passes the off stump. It looked a good leave but there were plenty of ooohs and aaahs from the Indian team. It might have been the old Shane Warne trick of making the batsmen worry about demons that don’t exist.
8.12am GMT
20th over: England 29-0 (Cook 18, Hameed 11) Ashwin has three men round the bat for Cook: slip, silly point and short leg. England are almost strokeless – ‘shutters up’ for those who grew up with Lambourne Games – but Cook is sufficiently alert to muscle a rare bad delivery from Ashwin through midwicket for four. That’s Cook’s first boundary from his 55th delivery.
8.09am GMT
19th over: England 25-0 (Cook 14, Hameed 11)
8.06am GMT
18th over: England 24-0 (Cook 13, Hameed 11) Ashwin finally goes around the wicket to Hameed, the angle that has troubled him in this series. Nothing doing in that over. Cook and Hameed are playing with admirable assurance in the circumstances.
8.02am GMT
17th over: England 23-0 (Cook 12, Hameed 11) Cook, trying to cut, is beaten by a zipper from Jadeja. “Careful,” says Mike Atherton, pointing out that cross-bat shots are dangerous on such a low pitch. Cook has 12 from 48 balls; Hameed 11 from 54.
8.00am GMT
16th over: England 22-0 (Cook 11, Hameed 11) Ashwin and Jadeja are racing through the overs. It’s intriguing stuff and so far England have batted well. Hameed looks the part. That’s not news any more, is it.
“Buoyed by recent events in a way I didn’t necessarily think possible, I am going to dismiss your 13th over assertion of doom as nowt but the view of the ill-informed pollster, to be rightly dismissed,” says Michael Hunt. “This email feels dirty.”
7.58am GMT
15th over: England 21-0 (Cook 10, Hameed 11) It’s compulsory to refer to Mike Atherton’s Jo’burg epic in situations like this. The best match-saving knock by an England batsman in Asia is probably Michael Vaughan’s masterpiece of restraint at Kandy in 2003. If England are to save this game, they probably need one of these openers to bat for 300 balls or so.
“Regarding innate futility, you’ve hit the hail on the ned regarding the profound appeal of cricket above many other sports,” says Ian Copestake. “So much to enjoy, admire and focus on before the inevitable result. Does that sound metaphoric enough?”
7.51am GMT
14th over: England 20-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 11) Hameed is beaten by a good one from Ashwin that skids straight on. Ashwin is varying his pace - between 90 and 74 kph in that over - in an attempt to make something happen.
7.48am GMT
13th over: England 18-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 9) It’s probably not news that England aren’t going to win this game. They have a small chance of a draw; to achieve that they can probably afford to lose no more than two wickets today. Back at the ranch, Hameed drives Jadeja for a single, the first run in six overs.
7.45am GMT
12th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) Ashwin bowls a maiden to Cook. This could get repetitive. England have started well, defending solidly. It’s admirable stuff given the innate futility of their task.
7.43am GMT
11th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) Hello. In the time it took me to assume the OBO position, Jadeja had bowled another maiden to Hameed. That’s four in a row. You’d worry about the impact a stuck scoreboard might have on the noggins of some batsmen, but not these two.
7.42am GMT
10th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) Ashwin continues but Cook handles him well, deefending positively. That’s a third consecutive maiden, but given the pre-existing pressure England won’t feel it any more keenly.
“I’ve little doubt that it’d be Jadeja, not Ashwin, who’ll be the one,” emails Ramanpriya. “England really needs to watch. His isn’t a high-arm action like the tall Ashwin and his bowling is utterly tailor-made for such surfaces. He also rifles through his overs at an astonishing pace. Beware Jadeja!”
7.39am GMT
9th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) Jadeja replaces Shami, and bustles through another maiden.
“I for one am loving this peace before the storms,” emails Ian Copestake.
7.36am GMT
8th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) More Ashwin, and Cook defends well - apart from the one he missed, which missed his outside edge and the edge of off stump by the width of a back hair. Maiden.
7.33am GMT
7th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) Short one from Shami, and Hameed wears it at tit-armpit junction; short-leg doth duly come in. But Shami can’t maintain the pressure, a leg-side ball allowing Hameed off strike, before Cook rotates again with a pull to square-leg.
7.29am GMT
6th over: England 15-0 (Cook 8, Hameed 7) Ashwin into the attack and on a hat-trick after binning Broad and Anderson at the end of England’s first innings. But Cook blocks his first ball, then nips his second around the corner for one. He stays over the wicket to Hameed, who drives one to mid-off - he is amazingly calm and organised, like every 19-year-old. Another single each, and England look alright, which I appreciate is an hilarious statement to make.
7.25am GMT
5th over: England 11-0 (Cook 5, Hameed 6) Virat is still rabble-rousing, waving his hand and cupping his ear. But England continue to defend the shine off the ball, Cook tickling another single into the leg side. Then Hameed, whose stance reminds me of Graham Gooch in a way - upright, bat up, not much trigger, though perhaps more closed - plays a deft leg-glance for four.
Bit of pace...
Average speeds so far (4th innings)
Umesh Yadav 87.9mph
Mohammed Shami 86.9mph#INDvENG
7.21am GMT
4th over: England 5-0 (Cook 4, Hameed 1) Cook twists a single to square-leg which gives Umesh five balls at Hameed, who has yet to score. He looks solid, though, as one ball flies off the pitch and another keeps low - I wonder if being relatively scrawny helps him play late and with soft hands. Anyway, he toes a single, then Cook feathers one of his own. Solid start from England, but what’s this? Hameed has the physio on to address a finger, after that one from Shami that he took on the glove.
7.16am GMT
3rd over: England 3-0 (Cook 3, Hameed 0) Virat is winding the crowd up and they respond, a high-pitched shriek swirling round a ground that looks about a third full, the best attendance so far. Kohli is in Shami’s ear and he comes around the wicket, which might further discomfit Cook, who struggles to pick him up out of the hand. But he nurdles a single into the leg side, and then Hameed gets everything behind a straight one.
“I am in Vizag,” emails John Whalley. “Lunch is a choice of instant noodles, crisps, pre-packed slices of cake or mini Swiss rolls. Pop or bottled water. Yesterday, there was a lady selling home-made samosas but she has not appeared yet today.”
7.10am GMT
2nd over: England 1-0 (Cook 1, Hameed 0) Umesh muscles in and Cook nudges to cover for one - there’s only a mid-off in front of square on that side, which gives him plenty of options. And Umesh finds his length to Hameed, banging one into the pitch and beating the bat - it raps yerman on the thigh, which tells the bowler that the ball was bouncing over the stumps. This is going to be intense.
7.06am GMT
1st over: England 1-0 (Cook 1, Hameed 0) Shami absolutely burns in, and Cook pokes at it unconvincingly - the ball scoots by the edge. Only one slip, which is an odd one - though there isa short-leg - and Cook gets off the mark playing down to the point fence. Rahane suggests to Kohli that deep point come up - he does - and Kohli goes to slip himself. Shami tries a bouncer at Hameed, who barely faced any in Rajkot - and he takes his eyes off it, wearing a knuck on the glove. I don’t think that’s the end of the short gear. And there’s another one right away, Hameed doing a much better job of weaving inside the line.
7.01am GMT
Right then, here we go. Five sessions of batting and England are one-up.
6.59am GMT
Those who enjoy joy will enjoy this from Ramapriya: “I just noticed that Kohli has scored as many as the England team did in its first dig – which implies that England would now have to score in one innings, which happens to be the treacherous fourth, what the rest of the Indian team did over two innings… quite an ask!”
Hasseb has got this.
6.55am GMT
Virat Kohli in 2016:
Tests: 897 runs (Avg 69.00)
ODIs: 739 runs (92.37)
T20Is: 641 runs (106.83)
All int'l: 2277 runs (84.33)#IndvEng
6.55am GMT
England have gone for the light roller, presumably to keep the pitch lively enough for them to score.
6.47am GMT
Nas spellbound by Broad#INDvENG Live now on Sky Sports 2. pic.twitter.com/4HnildkQkQ
Oh man, if only it was the other Nas.
6.26am GMT
Stuart Broad finishes the innings with 4-33 off 14, a spectacular performance. He got far more from the surface than any other bowler, and made it count with the hard currency of top-order wickets. Oh, and he’s injured.
6.24am GMT
That was a lovely morning’s cricket. England, Stuart Broad in particular, but Anderson and Rashid too, bowled superbly. But they just had too much to do, and have helluva long time to bat to save this game. If only they’d batted properly in their first innings, my grandma would be my grandpa.
6.22am GMT
England need 405 to win; alright then. Oh, and it’s lunchtime.
6.21am GMT
64th over: India 205-9 (Jayant 27, Shami 19) Moeen into the attack and Shami misses his first ball - Bairstow has the bails away, and they go upstairs...
6.20am GMT
63rd over: India 205-9 (Jayant 27, Shami 19) This extra half-hour isn’t going well for England, and Jayant plays a lovely glance to add four more, taking the lead to 396. And then, as the field comes up, Stokes bangs one in, it keeps low, misses off stump by not very much at all, and whizzes by for four byes. And the effort to save the single doesn’t pay off, Yadav waving the bat outside off and netting four between cover and cover point.
6.15am GMT
62nd over: India 192-9 (Jayant 19, Shami 19) Jayant gets a big foot down the pitch, defends, and there’s a shout. Rashid wants a review, but is overruled, and rightly so - that was never hitting the stumps. Then, after a single, Shami shimmies down the track and wallops a six over long-on - again, he doesn’t middle it.
6.12am GMT
61st over: India 185-9 (Jayant 18, Shami 13) Benjamin Stokes is into the attack - England must really want this knocked on the head now. I don’t get why India are still out there, I must say, though they’re going to win anyway so I don’t suppose it matters. Jayant takes a single to mid-on, the only run off the over, and after a glorious first 90 minutes, this session is phutting to a close.
@billbarmytrump serenading us with a tribute to the late #LeonardCohen #RIP #Hallelujah pic.twitter.com/X8SEat9u9m
6.07am GMT
60th over: India 184-9 (Jayant 17, Shami 13) Rashid has a short-leg for Shami, who plays out a maiden.
6.04am GMT
59th over: India 184-9 (Jayant 17, Shami 13) Shami hauls Jayant through for a quick single, and he makes the most of it, glancing Anderson past mid-on when he overpitches and strays onto the pads. Nicely done. Lead is 384.
6.00am GMT
58th over: India 179-9 (Jayant 13, Shami 12) Lunch at 11.30, I wish I was in Vizag; I wonder what they’re having. Lord’s is the best spread in England, I’m told - table service, with outstanding prawns. You want your team batting, and to be out. Two off the over, and we’re getting an extra half-hour by the look of things.
5.57am GMT
57th over: India 177-9 (Jayant 12, Shami 11) Anderson bustles through another over, four dots before Jayant half-bats a seam-upper for two through cover. A single follows, and a rapid morning has just slowed at its end; one over to go, I’d say.
5.54am GMT
56th over: India 174-9 (Jayant 9, Shami 11) Jayant gets treatment on his knee, and England won’t mind that at all. Then, a single to each batter, and Shami takes an enormostride down the pitch, flinging his whole body into a straight whack that flies away for six. I’m surprised his insides are still in place. And I guess Kohli is concerned that England have the batsmen able to do something special, because 374 is more than enough on any track, with any attack, let alone this one and this one.
5.48am GMT
55th over: India 166-9 (Jayant 8, Shami 4) So, India lead by Harvey, 366, and it stays that way as Anderson sends down a maiden.
Many changes to Australia's Test squad for the final Testhttps://t.co/2TUzE1X8pG #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/gBwHhg5bL6
5.43am GMT
54th over: India 166-9 (Jayant 8, Shami 4) Shami gets off the mark with a thrash to square-leg; Rashid has 4-64 off 20.
5.42am GMT
Rashid sends down a googly that’s far too good for Umesh, hits him on the pad but is going down. So next ball he tries a fuller one, Umesh allows it to pitch and turn, and can’t help but edge behind - though it needs a really good catch from Bairstow, somewhere about his right nipple.
WICKET! Bairstow takes a smart grab as Rashid finds Yadav's edge. India 162-9 lead by 362 on SS2. https://t.co/eYmwf24xGB #IndvEng pic.twitter.com/BnPyYIxRwW
5.38am GMT
53rd over: India 162-8 (Jayant 8, Umesh 0) Anderson must fancy himself for a wicket or two in what’s left of this session - I wonder if Kohli might declare before its end, given how well England are bowling. Maiden.
5.35am GMT
52nd over: India 162-8 (Jayant 8, Umesh 0) Is Rashid now a Test bowler? He now has 3-61 off 19, and and India are 65-5 this morning.
5.33am GMT
Jadeja can’t help himself, seeing some air and swinging hard. But the low bounce isn’t in his favour, he doesn’t get enough of it this time, and picks out Moeen on the midwicket fence.
5.30am GMT
51st over: India 162-7 (Jadeja 14, Jayant 8) Anderson on for the heroic Broad, and he bothers Yadav with some reverse, taking one in the midriff. One off the over, India lead by 362.
“Greetings from the USA,” emails Matt McGillen. “Fantastic session thus far; hoping England will wrap it up quickly. In the meantime I wanted to ask: if Anderson comes on and bowls a beautiful outswinger to get his man, should we label the moment “James and the Jayant Peach?”
5.27am GMT
50th over: India 161-7 (Jadeja 13, Jayant 8) Yadav drives to to cover and they run two, then Rashid pins him back. An edge into the pad does the trick first, and then a leap onto the back foot keeps out another. India will have their 400 by about lunch, though wouldn’t mind a go at them either side, I shouldn’t wonder. That looks unlikely now.
Here's how Virat Kohli made his 81 in the second innings - a fine knock https://t.co/xzwlzkIXTo #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/bzk7PSr05A
5.22am GMT
49th over: India 159-7 (Jadeja 13, Yadav 6) Broad is not playing in Mohali. He goes again - this is his eighth over of the morning, and at the start of it he has 4-28. He has astonishing mental strength, enough to play for Arsenal, even. Jadav edges a four, and for the first time, Broad looks tired - I think he might take a rest now. You can tell him.
5.16am GMT
48th over: India 153-7 (Jadeja 13, Yadav 1) Kohli was not happy with the shot he played, beating his bat as he departs, but he should just be happy to be part of it. You can tell him.
WICKET! Stokes pulls off a one-handed blinder at slip to deny Kohli (81) a second ton. Ind 151-7 on SS2 https://t.co/TR0vdFf4fU #IndvEng pic.twitter.com/1EK50sHLvr
5.14am GMT
I am standing on my feet shouting in a house with a sleeping child! I am in love with that catch! I want to be that catch! Rashid tosses up another and Kohli tries to flat-bat it through cover, but edges, and Stokes dives behind himself like a goalie, pouching a stunner one-handed before standing there like yeah, this is what I do. You know it, everyone knows it, morning all.
5.11am GMT
47th over: India 151-6 (Kohli 81, Jadeja 12) Broad, who’s bowled all morning, still has the ball. He is a bloody-minded so-and-so, that bloody-minded so-and-so, the personification of wonderful. He’s still absolutely bousting in, but it’s the release that’s so skilful - and so rare in a bowler of his height and style. The batsmen take a single each, and Jadeja has now been warned for running down the track - “he just sets off so quick,” says Nasser.
5.07am GMT
46th over: India 148-6 (Kohli 79, Jadeja 11) Rashid is into this, whacking Jadeja - who’s been told to watch where he runs - on the hand with a wrongun. But then Rashid tosses one up and Jadeja’s down the track immediately, slamming it over long on’s head for six.
To ponder: I think I banged on about this during the previous Test, and I know Ansari’s been ill, but given how good Woakes is, is there any point not picking him instead?
4.59am GMT
45th over: India 140-6 (Kohli 78, Jadeja 4) Broad tries a fuller one, Jadeja can’t resist a wave, and does well to miss it. Kohli has 48.1% of India’s runs in this match, says TMS.
Incidentally:
Our data shows Rashid's delivery to remove Saha was his 14th googly of the match#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/3ReletU77v
4.56am GMT
it moves in too much, doesn’t straighten, and it’s umpire’s call on the stumps.
4.55am GMT
45th over: India 138-6 (Kohli 78, Jadeja 3) Broad is bowling so well that he persuades Kohli to edge - another leg-cutter, obviously - but there’s nee slip and it runs away for four. Next ball raps the pad, there’s an appeal, and it’s not out.
4.53am GMT
44th over: India 134-6 (Kohli 73, Jadeja 3) Kohli has more than half of India’s runs here, which tells you a lot about how bloody good he is; how bloody good England’s bowling is too. And after Jadeja runs a three, his bat catches in the turf and reverberates to his elbow - did Bairstow miss a run out chance there? India are 36-3 today.
4.48am GMT
Saha was beaten, and well beaten there - by turn and bounce, playing down the wrong line. Umpire’s call on the stumps, and he’s away. Brilliant morning from England, typically ruined ahead of time by their Friday antics.
4.47am GMT
Looked gone to me...
4.46am GMT
44th over: India 130-5 (Kohli 73, Saha 2) Rashid beats Saha with the googly, the ball hitting him on the knee-roll, and Dharmasena says gone!
4.45am GMT
43rd over: India 130-5 (Kohli 73, Saha 2) Wriddhiman Saha is the greatest Jamaican name that isn’t a Jamaican name, and he gets off the mark with a nurdle to leg. A bye gets him back on strike, and he takes a further single to backward point. But Stuart Broad, what. India’s seamers will be just as excited as their spinners.
4.42am GMT
After that first boundary, Ashwin hasn’t looked comfortable at the crease, and he fences at another leg-cutter, Bairstow doing the rest. What a spell this is turning into; Stuart Broad is a special player, and we are privileged to be living in his time. So few sportsmen, never mind cricketers, are able to take a game and make it all about them, but he is one. He’s not a genius, but it’s a kind of genius.
4.39am GMT
42nd over: India 127-4 (Kohli 73, Ashwin 7) Kohli opens the face and pushes into the off side - it’s an easy single, but Ashwin is slow to respond and does well that no one’s moving onto the ball. He then adds another single, and this has been a decent morning’s cricket from England so far.
4.35am GMT
And he’s right to - that was a big inside-edge onto the pad, and Rod Tucker looks a little silly so he does. Over bowled.
4.35am GMT
41st over: India 125-4 (Kohli 71, Ashwin 6) Broad is bowling really well here - while injured - varying his pace and really working hard on his grips. And then one keeps low, which Ashwin does very well to jab down on, especially given his height. And Broad has him, a full one hitting the pad!
4.30am GMT
40th over: India 124-4 (Kohli 71, Ashwin 6) Rashid into the attack - is he now a Test bowler? Ashwin flips him to midwicket for a single, Kohli gets one to the same area, and then Ashwin smacks one straight down the pitch - Rashid gets a hand to it, but no way he’s holding that, and he’s left wringing it as the ball hurtles on to the fence. Ashwin is not messing about, and while we’re thinking about it, what a move it was promoting him to number 6. Only Virat.
4.26am GMT
39th over: India 118-4 (Kohli 70, Ashwin 1) The lead is 318.
4.26am GMT
The injured Broad bangs in a leg-cutter back of a length, it gets big on Rahane and seems to magnetically draw his hands at it moves away; he guides it to slip. Stuart Broad is suuuuuch a man.
4.24am GMT
39th over: India 117-3 (Kohli 70, Rahane 26) At some point, Kohli is going to lose it, but I imagine he’ll wait for these two to tire themselves out before destroying the spinners. Single apiece for the batters as we watch an ad, cheers chaps.
4.19am GMT
38th over: India 115-3 (Kohli 69, Rahane 25) Anderson is covering the ball now, and Rahane glances him down to third man for one, the only run from the over.
4.16am GMT
37th over: India 114-3 (Kohli 69, Rahane 24) Kohli has the wrists of an angel! Broad sends down a decent enough delivery, and yerman eases onto the front foot, delicately opens the face, and pounds it through cover on the up like God’s dad. He is astonishingly wonderful, and nothing else in the over merits description in the context.
I’m going with Vic.
We are on the air. But what will the close of play score be? Here are the predictions of the @bbctms team #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/J6SiH3bCGp
4.11am GMT
36th over: India 108-3 (Kohli 64, Rahane 23) Kohli will, you imagine, be mindful that England batted too long in Rajkot, but that was a different track and a different attack. And a different captain, too. Anyway, Anderson has the ball, and reverse-swing beats Rahane, hitting the pad. This is proper shout, but when Dharmasena says no they don’t review. Looked like it was going down to me, and indeed it was; impact was umpire’s call in-line. Rahane then gets off strike flicking one that is seriously going down to long leg - he’ll not mind that - until Kohli has him haring back for a single, and BUZZERS! Excuse me. Stokes canes it in, hits the stumps, and the ball runs to the rope and Broad paces after it.
4.06am GMT
35th over: India 100-3 (Kohli 58, Rahane 22) they reckon Broad has a strain in his foot, so will miss Mohali and have a fortnight off before Mumbai. His first ball is decent, swinging in late, but Kohli sees his second, driving past cover for two. So Broad tries a leg-cutter, and is disturbs the surface, jumping up and away - Kohli will not mind that at all. Then, with his final delivery, a yorker - it’s a good one too - and naturally, when Kohli toes it into his boot, Broad appeals. Cook thinks it’s probably not out.
4.01am GMT
Broad has the ball...
4.00am GMT
Virat looks purposeful - hold onto your tatts!
3.59am GMT
“Coke and Kit Kats?” asks Andrew Benton. “Don’t you have health and safety rules at Guardian Towers? I’ve just brunched on warm onion bread, vintage cheddar, mayo and black pepper and half a dozen strong teas - nice and zinged up now. But for what? A miserable defeat that England’s batsmen could have avoided with a bit of common sense play? Or a stirring fightback to show India what to expect in the next three tests? England could do that - lets see if they do.”
I’m at home, and also shovelled down some cold sausages to the point of indigestion. I’ve also since taken a toddler to the toilet, the cornerstone of any nutritious cricket picnic.
3.56am GMT
Rob Key says the lack of spitting bounce might help England; Athers says it won’t. For what it’s worth, Kevin Pietersen is with Athers - he thought that the track in Mumbai that time was so nasty that it wasn’t nasty, and things were turning past the stumps.
3.53am GMT
It’s a nice day in Vizag, would you only adamandeve.
3.50am GMT
Email! “Interesting preamble,” says Peter Rowntree. “I can also only realistically see one result from here - an Indian victory, just a question as to how long we hold out, assuming India go for a 450 target and declare some time before tea. But who in your opinion are the two reliable English batsmen - Cook and Root, or are we talking these days about Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow?”
Ha, yes, I thought that when I typed. But no, especially against spin, we’re talking Cook and Root - a Bairsterr fifty is not going to help here, I’m afraid, nor even a Stokes ton - it’s going to take time at the crease. There could not be less chance of any result but an India win.
3.46am GMT
All England need is this. Not much, really.
3.43am GMT
So, how long should India bat? Realistically, their lead, 298, is probably sufficient. But they’ll want another hunnert or so, I’d say, and spend the morning getting it.
3.40am GMT
I’ve had a Diet Coke and three Kit Kats, which is basically like going for a run. I recommend the pairing as a breakfast option.
11.05pm GMT
Funny things, funny things; England are bowling to get India out, but the quicker they do it, the longer they have to bat. And they do not want to bat, not one bit. The ball is ragging, but without the bounce that can take the stumps out of play, they have only two reliable batsmen, and India have the world’s best spinner in tip-top nick.
Realistically, if England are to avoid defeat, it’s going to have to rain, and that can only happen if England are about to win, which they are not. So it’s eyes down to seize a crushing, rather than humiliating defeat, that will send both sides to Mohali in good cheer. Funny things, funny thing.
Continue reading...
India v England, second Test: day four – live!
9.28am GMT
34th over: England 48-0 (Cook 30, Hameed 18) Jadeja has changed ends and will replace Shami. Hameed brings up his hundred – balls faced, that is – with yet another textbook forward defensive. He edges the last ball short of slip, softening his hands just enough while feeling for a good delivery.
9.25am GMT
33rd over: England 48-0 (Cook 30, Hameed 18) Two from Yadav’s over. I would describe each shot in detail but, really, you’re not missing much.
9.20am GMT
32nd over: England 46-0 (Cook 29, Hameed 17) Hameed is constructing his innings on a need-to-play basis. If Shami flings it full and wide, Hameed will just ignore it. Later in the over he curves one into Hameed, who flicks it fine for four. That full inswinger is a dangerous delivery for Hameed. This is such an interesting struggle. Whatever happens in this game, England have done so well in the last two days. They have shown a level of skill and defiance that has been beyond the other visiting teams to India in recent years.
9.16am GMT
31st over: England 42-0 (Cook 29, Hameed 13) “Morning Rob,” says Phil Withall. “It is these ridiculous circumstances that reveal the real heart of a cricket supporter. The fact that anyone could think it remotely plausible that England could save this match, let alone win it, is completely farcical. Yet every Englishman following will secretly believe it is not just possible but actually a fairly reasonable outcome. Or is that just me?”
Just you. Just you and hundreds of others who have a hope addiction.
9.13am GMT
30th over: England 42-0 (Cook 29, Hameed 13) It’s pace from both ends, with Shami replacing Jayant Yadav. His first ball reverses into Hameed, a slightly worrying sign for England. Two runs from the over. England are a fifth of the way to survival: 30 overs down, a minimum of 120 to go. This has all the earmarks of a heartbreaking defeat with 3.2 overs remaining.
9.06am GMT
29th over: England 40-0 (Cook 28, Hameed 12) Umesh Yadav continues after tea with a maiden to Cook. Although most of the work will be done by the spinners, the pace bowlers could be really important in this innings, especially when it comes to breaking big partnerships. This qualifies as one, because of the 29 overs rather than the 40 runs.
“So, Lord Beefington is envisaging an England win?” says Steve Hudson. “Just looking at England’s scoring rate, if this was a timeless Test, we’d chase down the 400 some time on Thursday.”
8.43am GMT
“Jeez,” says Ian Copestake. “Botham has already started the ‘If England win this’ narrative.”
You’re always with the narratives.
8.42am GMT
28th over: England 40-0 (Cook 28, Hameed 12) Jayant tries from around the wicket to Hameed, with four men around the bat. Hameed continues to defend with calm authority; he is incredibly impressive, and has taken England through to tea. He has 12 from 84 balls; Cook has 28 from 84. There’s a long way to go – at least 120 overs – but England have given themselves a chance.
“Morning Rob,” says Guy Hornsby. “This is such a glorious game. I’m not saying that Englans have a good shout of a draw, only a ludicrous optimist with a few pints of liver preserver down the hatch at this hour would postulate such madness. But there’s something wonderful about this fightback, and this obdurate pair. Anyone that can’t see the genius in this is dead on the inside.”
8.39am GMT
27th over: England 40-0 (Cook 28, Hameed 12) Kohli goes back to pace, with Umesh Yadav replacing Jadeja. Cook plays out another maiden to take England within one over of meeting Mrs Doyle.
8.32am GMT
26th over: England 40-0 (Cook 28, Hameed 12) After a cautious start, Kohli has started to get funky with his fields. There are three men close on the offside for Cook when Yadav is bowling: silly point, slip and gully. When Yadav drops short, Cook scatters those fielders by rocking back to cut for four.
8.28am GMT
25th over: England 35-0 (Cook 23, Hameed 12) The pitch isn’t turning nearly as much as we expected, and at the moment the low bounce is the biggest threat to England. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Hope has breached the terms of the restraining order and could be in your living room in an hour’s time.
8.25am GMT
24th over: England 34-0 (Cook 22, Hameed 12) On the subject of rearguards, look at this from John Snow in the fourth innings.
8.21am GMT
23rd over: England 33-0 (Cook 21, Hameed 12) Jadeja has a fascinating field for Cook, with three men close in on the leg side: silly point, short square leg and leg gully. The scoreboard says 33 for nought but in a sense it should read 23 for nought. That’s how many overs England have survived, and overs survived are far more important than runs.
8.19am GMT
22nd over: England 31-0 (Cook 19, Hameed 12) Ashwin is replaced by the debutant offspinner Jayant Yadav, who is worked around the corner for a single by Cook. This is delightfully oldfangled cricket: two boundaries in 22 overs, a run-rate of 1.45 per over. Hameed has scored four from his last 47 deliveries.
8.14am GMT
21st over: England 31-0 (Cook 19, Hameed 12) Hameed shoulders arms to a delivery from Jadeja that passes the off stump. It looked a good leave but there were plenty of ooohs and aaahs from the Indian team. It might have been the old Shane Warne trick of making the batsmen worry about demons that don’t exist.
8.12am GMT
20th over: England 29-0 (Cook 18, Hameed 11) Ashwin has three men round the bat for Cook: slip, silly point and short leg. England are almost strokeless – ‘shutters up’ for those who grew up with Lambourne Games – but Cook is sufficiently alert to muscle a rare bad delivery from Ashwin through midwicket for four. That’s Cook’s first boundary from his 55th delivery.
8.09am GMT
19th over: England 25-0 (Cook 14, Hameed 11)
8.06am GMT
18th over: England 24-0 (Cook 13, Hameed 11) Ashwin finally goes around the wicket to Hameed, the angle that has troubled him in this series. Nothing doing in that over. Cook and Hameed are playing with admirable assurance in the circumstances.
8.02am GMT
17th over: England 23-0 (Cook 12, Hameed 11) Cook, trying to cut, is beaten by a zipper from Jadeja. “Careful,” says Mike Atherton, pointing out that cross-bat shots are dangerous on such a low pitch. Cook has 12 from 48 balls; Hameed 11 from 54.
8.00am GMT
16th over: England 22-0 (Cook 11, Hameed 11) Ashwin and Jadeja are racing through the overs. It’s intriguing stuff and so far England have batted well. Hameed looks the part. That’s not news any more, is it.
“Buoyed by recent events in a way I didn’t necessarily think possible, I am going to dismiss your 13th over assertion of doom as nowt but the view of the ill-informed pollster, to be rightly dismissed,” says Michael Hunt. “This email feels dirty.”
7.58am GMT
15th over: England 21-0 (Cook 10, Hameed 11) It’s compulsory to refer to Mike Atherton’s Jo’burg epic in situations like this. The best match-saving knock by an England batsman in Asia is probably Michael Vaughan’s masterpiece of restraint at Kandy in 2003. If England are to save this game, they probably need one of these openers to bat for 300 balls or so.
“Regarding innate futility, you’ve hit the hail on the ned regarding the profound appeal of cricket above many other sports,” says Ian Copestake. “So much to enjoy, admire and focus on before the inevitable result. Does that sound metaphoric enough?”
7.51am GMT
14th over: England 20-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 11) Hameed is beaten by a good one from Ashwin that skids straight on. Ashwin is varying his pace - between 90 and 74 kph in that over - in an attempt to make something happen.
7.48am GMT
13th over: England 18-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 9) It’s probably not news that England aren’t going to win this game. They have a small chance of a draw; to achieve that they can probably afford to lose no more than two wickets today. Back at the ranch, Hameed drives Jadeja for a single, the first run in six overs.
7.45am GMT
12th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) Ashwin bowls a maiden to Cook. This could get repetitive. England have started well, defending solidly. It’s admirable stuff given the innate futility of their task.
7.43am GMT
11th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) Hello. In the time it took me to assume the OBO position, Jadeja had bowled another maiden to Hameed. That’s four in a row. You’d worry about the impact a stuck scoreboard might have on the noggins of some batsmen, but not these two.
7.42am GMT
10th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) Ashwin continues but Cook handles him well, deefending positively. That’s a third consecutive maiden, but given the pre-existing pressure England won’t feel it any more keenly.
“I’ve little doubt that it’d be Jadeja, not Ashwin, who’ll be the one,” emails Ramanpriya. “England really needs to watch. His isn’t a high-arm action like the tall Ashwin and his bowling is utterly tailor-made for such surfaces. He also rifles through his overs at an astonishing pace. Beware Jadeja!”
7.39am GMT
9th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) Jadeja replaces Shami, and bustles through another maiden.
“I for one am loving this peace before the storms,” emails Ian Copestake.
7.36am GMT
8th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) More Ashwin, and Cook defends well - apart from the one he missed, which missed his outside edge and the edge of off stump by the width of a back hair. Maiden.
7.33am GMT
7th over: England 17-0 (Cook 9, Hameed 8) Short one from Shami, and Hameed wears it at tit-armpit junction; short-leg doth duly come in. But Shami can’t maintain the pressure, a leg-side ball allowing Hameed off strike, before Cook rotates again with a pull to square-leg.
7.29am GMT
6th over: England 15-0 (Cook 8, Hameed 7) Ashwin into the attack and on a hat-trick after binning Broad and Anderson at the end of England’s first innings. But Cook blocks his first ball, then nips his second around the corner for one. He stays over the wicket to Hameed, who drives one to mid-off - he is amazingly calm and organised, like every 19-year-old. Another single each, and England look alright, which I appreciate is an hilarious statement to make.
7.25am GMT
5th over: England 11-0 (Cook 5, Hameed 6) Virat is still rabble-rousing, waving his hand and cupping his ear. But England continue to defend the shine off the ball, Cook tickling another single into the leg side. Then Hameed, whose stance reminds me of Graham Gooch in a way - upright, bat up, not much trigger, though perhaps more closed - plays a deft leg-glance for four.
Bit of pace...
Average speeds so far (4th innings)
Umesh Yadav 87.9mph
Mohammed Shami 86.9mph#INDvENG
7.21am GMT
4th over: England 5-0 (Cook 4, Hameed 1) Cook twists a single to square-leg which gives Umesh five balls at Hameed, who has yet to score. He looks solid, though, as one ball flies off the pitch and another keeps low - I wonder if being relatively scrawny helps him play late and with soft hands. Anyway, he toes a single, then Cook feathers one of his own. Solid start from England, but what’s this? Hameed has the physio on to address a finger, after that one from Shami that he took on the glove.
7.16am GMT
3rd over: England 3-0 (Cook 3, Hameed 0) Virat is winding the crowd up and they respond, a high-pitched shriek swirling round a ground that looks about a third full, the best attendance so far. Kohli is in Shami’s ear and he comes around the wicket, which might further discomfit Cook, who struggles to pick him up out of the hand. But he nurdles a single into the leg side, and then Hameed gets everything behind a straight one.
“I am in Vizag,” emails John Whalley. “Lunch is a choice of instant noodles, crisps, pre-packed slices of cake or mini Swiss rolls. Pop or bottled water. Yesterday, there was a lady selling home-made samosas but she has not appeared yet today.”
7.10am GMT
2nd over: England 1-0 (Cook 1, Hameed 0) Umesh muscles in and Cook nudges to cover for one - there’s only a mid-off in front of square on that side, which gives him plenty of options. And Umesh finds his length to Hameed, banging one into the pitch and beating the bat - it raps yerman on the thigh, which tells the bowler that the ball was bouncing over the stumps. This is going to be intense.
7.06am GMT
1st over: England 1-0 (Cook 1, Hameed 0) Shami absolutely burns in, and Cook pokes at it unconvincingly - the ball scoots by the edge. Only one slip, which is an odd one - though there isa short-leg - and Cook gets off the mark playing down to the point fence. Rahane suggests to Kohli that deep point come up - he does - and Kohli goes to slip himself. Shami tries a bouncer at Hameed, who barely faced any in Rajkot - and he takes his eyes off it, wearing a knuck on the glove. I don’t think that’s the end of the short gear. And there’s another one right away, Hameed doing a much better job of weaving inside the line.
7.01am GMT
Right then, here we go. Five sessions of batting and England are one-up.
6.59am GMT
Those who enjoy joy will enjoy this from Ramapriya: “I just noticed that Kohli has scored as many as the England team did in its first dig – which implies that England would now have to score in one innings, which happens to be the treacherous fourth, what the rest of the Indian team did over two innings… quite an ask!”
Hasseb has got this.
6.55am GMT
Virat Kohli in 2016:
Tests: 897 runs (Avg 69.00)
ODIs: 739 runs (92.37)
T20Is: 641 runs (106.83)
All int'l: 2277 runs (84.33)#IndvEng
6.55am GMT
England have gone for the light roller, presumably to keep the pitch lively enough for them to score.
6.47am GMT
Nas spellbound by Broad#INDvENG Live now on Sky Sports 2. pic.twitter.com/4HnildkQkQ
Oh man, if only it was the other Nas.
6.26am GMT
Stuart Broad finishes the innings with 4-33 off 14, a spectacular performance. He got far more from the surface than any other bowler, and made it count with the hard currency of top-order wickets. Oh, and he’s injured.
6.24am GMT
That was a lovely morning’s cricket. England, Stuart Broad in particular, but Anderson and Rashid too, bowled superbly. But they just had too much to do, and have helluva long time to bat to save this game. If only they’d batted properly in their first innings, my grandma would be my grandpa.
6.22am GMT
England need 405 to win; alright then. Oh, and it’s lunchtime.
6.21am GMT
64th over: India 205-9 (Jayant 27, Shami 19) Moeen into the attack and Shami misses his first ball - Bairstow has the bails away, and they go upstairs...
6.20am GMT
63rd over: India 205-9 (Jayant 27, Shami 19) This extra half-hour isn’t going well for England, and Jayant plays a lovely glance to add four more, taking the lead to 396. And then, as the field comes up, Stokes bangs one in, it keeps low, misses off stump by not very much at all, and whizzes by for four byes. And the effort to save the single doesn’t pay off, Yadav waving the bat outside off and netting four between cover and cover point.
6.15am GMT
62nd over: India 192-9 (Jayant 19, Shami 19) Jayant gets a big foot down the pitch, defends, and there’s a shout. Rashid wants a review, but is overruled, and rightly so - that was never hitting the stumps. Then, after a single, Shami shimmies down the track and wallops a six over long-on - again, he doesn’t middle it.
6.12am GMT
61st over: India 185-9 (Jayant 18, Shami 13) Benjamin Stokes is into the attack - England must really want this knocked on the head now. I don’t get why India are still out there, I must say, though they’re going to win anyway so I don’t suppose it matters. Jayant takes a single to mid-on, the only run off the over, and after a glorious first 90 minutes, this session is phutting to a close.
@billbarmytrump serenading us with a tribute to the late #LeonardCohen #RIP #Hallelujah pic.twitter.com/X8SEat9u9m
6.07am GMT
60th over: India 184-9 (Jayant 17, Shami 13) Rashid has a short-leg for Shami, who plays out a maiden.
6.04am GMT
59th over: India 184-9 (Jayant 17, Shami 13) Shami hauls Jayant through for a quick single, and he makes the most of it, glancing Anderson past mid-on when he overpitches and strays onto the pads. Nicely done. Lead is 384.
6.00am GMT
58th over: India 179-9 (Jayant 13, Shami 12) Lunch at 11.30, I wish I was in Vizag; I wonder what they’re having. Lord’s is the best spread in England, I’m told - table service, with outstanding prawns. You want your team batting, and to be out. Two off the over, and we’re getting an extra half-hour by the look of things.
5.57am GMT
57th over: India 177-9 (Jayant 12, Shami 11) Anderson bustles through another over, four dots before Jayant half-bats a seam-upper for two through cover. A single follows, and a rapid morning has just slowed at its end; one over to go, I’d say.
5.54am GMT
56th over: India 174-9 (Jayant 9, Shami 11) Jayant gets treatment on his knee, and England won’t mind that at all. Then, a single to each batter, and Shami takes an enormostride down the pitch, flinging his whole body into a straight whack that flies away for six. I’m surprised his insides are still in place. And I guess Kohli is concerned that England have the batsmen able to do something special, because 374 is more than enough on any track, with any attack, let alone this one and this one.
5.48am GMT
55th over: India 166-9 (Jayant 8, Shami 4) So, India lead by Harvey, 366, and it stays that way as Anderson sends down a maiden.
Many changes to Australia's Test squad for the final Testhttps://t.co/2TUzE1X8pG #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/gBwHhg5bL6
5.43am GMT
54th over: India 166-9 (Jayant 8, Shami 4) Shami gets off the mark with a thrash to square-leg; Rashid has 4-64 off 20.
5.42am GMT
Rashid sends down a googly that’s far too good for Umesh, hits him on the pad but is going down. So next ball he tries a fuller one, Umesh allows it to pitch and turn, and can’t help but edge behind - though it needs a really good catch from Bairstow, somewhere about his right nipple.
WICKET! Bairstow takes a smart grab as Rashid finds Yadav's edge. India 162-9 lead by 362 on SS2. https://t.co/eYmwf24xGB #IndvEng pic.twitter.com/BnPyYIxRwW
5.38am GMT
53rd over: India 162-8 (Jayant 8, Umesh 0) Anderson must fancy himself for a wicket or two in what’s left of this session - I wonder if Kohli might declare before its end, given how well England are bowling. Maiden.
5.35am GMT
52nd over: India 162-8 (Jayant 8, Umesh 0) Is Rashid now a Test bowler? He now has 3-61 off 19, and and India are 65-5 this morning.
5.33am GMT
Jadeja can’t help himself, seeing some air and swinging hard. But the low bounce isn’t in his favour, he doesn’t get enough of it this time, and picks out Moeen on the midwicket fence.
5.30am GMT
51st over: India 162-7 (Jadeja 14, Jayant 8) Anderson on for the heroic Broad, and he bothers Yadav with some reverse, taking one in the midriff. One off the over, India lead by 362.
“Greetings from the USA,” emails Matt McGillen. “Fantastic session thus far; hoping England will wrap it up quickly. In the meantime I wanted to ask: if Anderson comes on and bowls a beautiful outswinger to get his man, should we label the moment “James and the Jayant Peach?”
5.27am GMT
50th over: India 161-7 (Jadeja 13, Jayant 8) Yadav drives to to cover and they run two, then Rashid pins him back. An edge into the pad does the trick first, and then a leap onto the back foot keeps out another. India will have their 400 by about lunch, though wouldn’t mind a go at them either side, I shouldn’t wonder. That looks unlikely now.
Here's how Virat Kohli made his 81 in the second innings - a fine knock https://t.co/xzwlzkIXTo #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/bzk7PSr05A
5.22am GMT
49th over: India 159-7 (Jadeja 13, Yadav 6) Broad is not playing in Mohali. He goes again - this is his eighth over of the morning, and at the start of it he has 4-28. He has astonishing mental strength, enough to play for Arsenal, even. Jadav edges a four, and for the first time, Broad looks tired - I think he might take a rest now. You can tell him.
5.16am GMT
48th over: India 153-7 (Jadeja 13, Yadav 1) Kohli was not happy with the shot he played, beating his bat as he departs, but he should just be happy to be part of it. You can tell him.
WICKET! Stokes pulls off a one-handed blinder at slip to deny Kohli (81) a second ton. Ind 151-7 on SS2 https://t.co/TR0vdFf4fU #IndvEng pic.twitter.com/1EK50sHLvr
5.14am GMT
I am standing on my feet shouting in a house with a sleeping child! I am in love with that catch! I want to be that catch! Rashid tosses up another and Kohli tries to flat-bat it through cover, but edges, and Stokes dives behind himself like a goalie, pouching a stunner one-handed before standing there like yeah, this is what I do. You know it, everyone knows it, morning all.
5.11am GMT
47th over: India 151-6 (Kohli 81, Jadeja 12) Broad, who’s bowled all morning, still has the ball. He is a bloody-minded so-and-so, that bloody-minded so-and-so, the personification of wonderful. He’s still absolutely bousting in, but it’s the release that’s so skilful - and so rare in a bowler of his height and style. The batsmen take a single each, and Jadeja has now been warned for running down the track - “he just sets off so quick,” says Nasser.
5.07am GMT
46th over: India 148-6 (Kohli 79, Jadeja 11) Rashid is into this, whacking Jadeja - who’s been told to watch where he runs - on the hand with a wrongun. But then Rashid tosses one up and Jadeja’s down the track immediately, slamming it over long on’s head for six.
To ponder: I think I banged on about this during the previous Test, and I know Ansari’s been ill, but given how good Woakes is, is there any point not picking him instead?
4.59am GMT
45th over: India 140-6 (Kohli 78, Jadeja 4) Broad tries a fuller one, Jadeja can’t resist a wave, and does well to miss it. Kohli has 48.1% of India’s runs in this match, says TMS.
Incidentally:
Our data shows Rashid's delivery to remove Saha was his 14th googly of the match#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/3ReletU77v
4.56am GMT
it moves in too much, doesn’t straighten, and it’s umpire’s call on the stumps.
4.55am GMT
45th over: India 138-6 (Kohli 78, Jadeja 3) Broad is bowling so well that he persuades Kohli to edge - another leg-cutter, obviously - but there’s nee slip and it runs away for four. Next ball raps the pad, there’s an appeal, and it’s not out.
4.53am GMT
44th over: India 134-6 (Kohli 73, Jadeja 3) Kohli has more than half of India’s runs here, which tells you a lot about how bloody good he is; how bloody good England’s bowling is too. And after Jadeja runs a three, his bat catches in the turf and reverberates to his elbow - did Bairstow miss a run out chance there? India are 36-3 today.
4.48am GMT
Saha was beaten, and well beaten there - by turn and bounce, playing down the wrong line. Umpire’s call on the stumps, and he’s away. Brilliant morning from England, typically ruined ahead of time by their Friday antics.
4.47am GMT
Looked gone to me...
4.46am GMT
44th over: India 130-5 (Kohli 73, Saha 2) Rashid beats Saha with the googly, the ball hitting him on the knee-roll, and Dharmasena says gone!
4.45am GMT
43rd over: India 130-5 (Kohli 73, Saha 2) Wriddhiman Saha is the greatest Jamaican name that isn’t a Jamaican name, and he gets off the mark with a nurdle to leg. A bye gets him back on strike, and he takes a further single to backward point. But Stuart Broad, what. India’s seamers will be just as excited as their spinners.
4.42am GMT
After that first boundary, Ashwin hasn’t looked comfortable at the crease, and he fences at another leg-cutter, Bairstow doing the rest. What a spell this is turning into; Stuart Broad is a special player, and we are privileged to be living in his time. So few sportsmen, never mind cricketers, are able to take a game and make it all about them, but he is one. He’s not a genius, but it’s a kind of genius.
4.39am GMT
42nd over: India 127-4 (Kohli 73, Ashwin 7) Kohli opens the face and pushes into the off side - it’s an easy single, but Ashwin is slow to respond and does well that no one’s moving onto the ball. He then adds another single, and this has been a decent morning’s cricket from England so far.
4.35am GMT
And he’s right to - that was a big inside-edge onto the pad, and Rod Tucker looks a little silly so he does. Over bowled.
4.35am GMT
41st over: India 125-4 (Kohli 71, Ashwin 6) Broad is bowling really well here - while injured - varying his pace and really working hard on his grips. And then one keeps low, which Ashwin does very well to jab down on, especially given his height. And Broad has him, a full one hitting the pad!
4.30am GMT
40th over: India 124-4 (Kohli 71, Ashwin 6) Rashid into the attack - is he now a Test bowler? Ashwin flips him to midwicket for a single, Kohli gets one to the same area, and then Ashwin smacks one straight down the pitch - Rashid gets a hand to it, but no way he’s holding that, and he’s left wringing it as the ball hurtles on to the fence. Ashwin is not messing about, and while we’re thinking about it, what a move it was promoting him to number 6. Only Virat.
4.26am GMT
39th over: India 118-4 (Kohli 70, Ashwin 1) The lead is 318.
4.26am GMT
The injured Broad bangs in a leg-cutter back of a length, it gets big on Rahane and seems to magnetically draw his hands at it moves away; he guides it to slip. Stuart Broad is suuuuuch a man.
4.24am GMT
39th over: India 117-3 (Kohli 70, Rahane 26) At some point, Kohli is going to lose it, but I imagine he’ll wait for these two to tire themselves out before destroying the spinners. Single apiece for the batters as we watch an ad, cheers chaps.
4.19am GMT
38th over: India 115-3 (Kohli 69, Rahane 25) Anderson is covering the ball now, and Rahane glances him down to third man for one, the only run from the over.
4.16am GMT
37th over: India 114-3 (Kohli 69, Rahane 24) Kohli has the wrists of an angel! Broad sends down a decent enough delivery, and yerman eases onto the front foot, delicately opens the face, and pounds it through cover on the up like God’s dad. He is astonishingly wonderful, and nothing else in the over merits description in the context.
I’m going with Vic.
We are on the air. But what will the close of play score be? Here are the predictions of the @bbctms team #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/J6SiH3bCGp
4.11am GMT
36th over: India 108-3 (Kohli 64, Rahane 23) Kohli will, you imagine, be mindful that England batted too long in Rajkot, but that was a different track and a different attack. And a different captain, too. Anyway, Anderson has the ball, and reverse-swing beats Rahane, hitting the pad. This is proper shout, but when Dharmasena says no they don’t review. Looked like it was going down to me, and indeed it was; impact was umpire’s call in-line. Rahane then gets off strike flicking one that is seriously going down to long leg - he’ll not mind that - until Kohli has him haring back for a single, and BUZZERS! Excuse me. Stokes canes it in, hits the stumps, and the ball runs to the rope and Broad paces after it.
4.06am GMT
35th over: India 100-3 (Kohli 58, Rahane 22) they reckon Broad has a strain in his foot, so will miss Mohali and have a fortnight off before Mumbai. His first ball is decent, swinging in late, but Kohli sees his second, driving past cover for two. So Broad tries a leg-cutter, and is disturbs the surface, jumping up and away - Kohli will not mind that at all. Then, with his final delivery, a yorker - it’s a good one too - and naturally, when Kohli toes it into his boot, Broad appeals. Cook thinks it’s probably not out.
4.01am GMT
Broad has the ball...
4.00am GMT
Virat looks purposeful - hold onto your tatts!
3.59am GMT
“Coke and Kit Kats?” asks Andrew Benton. “Don’t you have health and safety rules at Guardian Towers? I’ve just brunched on warm onion bread, vintage cheddar, mayo and black pepper and half a dozen strong teas - nice and zinged up now. But for what? A miserable defeat that England’s batsmen could have avoided with a bit of common sense play? Or a stirring fightback to show India what to expect in the next three tests? England could do that - lets see if they do.”
I’m at home, and also shovelled down some cold sausages to the point of indigestion. I’ve also since taken a toddler to the toilet, the cornerstone of any nutritious cricket picnic.
3.56am GMT
Rob Key says the lack of spitting bounce might help England; Athers says it won’t. For what it’s worth, Kevin Pietersen is with Athers - he thought that the track in Mumbai that time was so nasty that it wasn’t nasty, and things were turning past the stumps.
3.53am GMT
It’s a nice day in Vizag, would you only adamandeve.
3.50am GMT
Email! “Interesting preamble,” says Peter Rowntree. “I can also only realistically see one result from here - an Indian victory, just a question as to how long we hold out, assuming India go for a 450 target and declare some time before tea. But who in your opinion are the two reliable English batsmen - Cook and Root, or are we talking these days about Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow?”
Ha, yes, I thought that when I typed. But no, especially against spin, we’re talking Cook and Root - a Bairsterr fifty is not going to help here, I’m afraid, nor even a Stokes ton - it’s going to take time at the crease. There could not be less chance of any result but an India win.
3.46am GMT
All England need is this. Not much, really.
3.43am GMT
So, how long should India bat? Realistically, their lead, 298, is probably sufficient. But they’ll want another hunnert or so, I’d say, and spend the morning getting it.
3.40am GMT
I’ve had a Diet Coke and three Kit Kats, which is basically like going for a run. I recommend the pairing as a breakfast option.
11.05pm GMT
Funny things, funny things; England are bowling to get India out, but the quicker they do it, the longer they have to bat. And they do not want to bat, not one bit. The ball is ragging, but without the bounce that can take the stumps out of play, they have only two reliable batsmen, and India have the world’s best spinner in tip-top nick.
Realistically, if England are to avoid defeat, it’s going to have to rain, and that can only happen if England are about to win, which they are not. So it’s eyes down to seize a crushing, rather than humiliating defeat, that will send both sides to Mohali in good cheer. Funny things, funny thing.
Continue reading...November 18, 2016
India v England, second Test: day two – live!
9.23am GMT
23rd over: England 60-2 (Root 40, Duckett 2) For the second time in 15 minutes, Root edges Jadeja straight through the vacant gully area for four. Given the match situation, the lack of a gully verges on the bizarre.
9.22am GMT
22nd over: England 54-2 (Root 36, Duckett 2) The new batsman Duckett is almost dismissed by a beauty from Ashwin that loops over the keeper for a couple. It hit something, and replays show it was an inside-edge onto the pad.
9.20am GMT
21st over: England 51-2 (Root 36, Duckett 0) There was a nice touch from Hameed as he walked off. He smashed his bat into the ground, just another little reminder that, in the parlance of our time, he has got it. Replays show that Root did originally call for the second, and then sent Hameed back. It was incredibly good work from both Yadav, who threw from the boundary while falling backwards, and Saha, who took the ball in front of the stumps and whipped the bails off blind.
9.17am GMT
Oh, no. Hameed has been run out after a mix-up with Root. It started when Root worked the ball towards the square-leg boundary and set off for a single. Hameed wanted a second, Root didn’t, and a combination of a superb throw by the debutant Yadav and some nifty work by Saha meant Hameed was run out with recourse to the third umpire.
9.13am GMT
20th over: England 48-1 (Hameed 12, Root 34) Spin at both ends = OBOer hell.
9.12am GMT
19th over: England 47-1 (Hameed 12, Root 33) Root is beaten all ends up by a grubber that goes under the bat and just misses the off stump. By the time he finished his desperate defensive stroke, Root was doubled up like an octogenarian with a surfeit of wind. That leads to a slightly panicky stroke next ball: Root comes down the track and edges through the vacant gully area for four.
“This innings is all about Root in my humble one,” says Ian Copestake. “A perfect moment for him to remind everyone that he is still the new kid on the block and not to be outdone by all these wannabe 19-year-olds.”
9.07am GMT
18th over: England 40-1 (Hameed 11, Root 27) Ashwin continues around the wicket to Hameed, who calmly flamingos a single to long on. Even in an innings of 11 from 47 balls, Hameed has reinforced the perception that he is going to make a million Test runs. There’s something about this wispy 19-year-old that is thrilling.
9.04am GMT
17th over: England 36-1 (Hameed 10, Root 24) Jadeja has a huge LBW shout against Root turned down from the first ball of the session. Root worked around a straight one that hit him in front of leg stump. Replays show it was ‘umpire’s call’, so Kumar Dharmasena’s decision would have stood even if they had reviewed. As Nasser says on Sky, the appeal is so important because so many decisions are umpire’s call. England have scored 11 from the last seven overs. The net is closing around them.
“I can’t tell if Felix Wood (15th over) is extracting the urine or is mainlining triple espresso,” says Lee Smith, erroneously assuming the two to be mutually exclusive. “Plus, surely it is a bit early in the morning to be employing capitals?”
8.47am GMT
“Possibly Colin Cowdrey?” says John Starbuck of the Hameed sway (see over 14). “He used to sway out of the way quite imperturbably, especially against the West Indian quicks - though they did get him in the end, if a broken arm counts as being got.”
I was definitely thinking of a modern batsman. Might be Hashim Amla actually. That’s not racist.
8.44am GMT
That was a high-class mini-session, with both sides playing superbly. Mohammed Shami’s delivery to dismiss Alastair Cook, and snap his off stump, was a monstrous jaffa; after that, Hameed and Root played beautifully on a pitch that is already offering some dangerous low bounce. See you in 15 minutes for the evening session with Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley.
8.42am GMT
16th over: England 34-1 (Hameed 9, Root 23) Ashwin comes on for the last over before tea. He currently averages over 50 against England with the ball. That statistic might get a nice massage in the next three days. Root squirts him for a single, and Ashwin goes straight around the wicket to Hameed. That’s the angle from which he dismissed him in Rajkot, and sometimes Hameed seems to almost lose the line of the ball. The last ball of the over - and the session - pops a little from the pitch and Hameed pulls his glove away to ensure it does not travel to short leg.
8.40am GMT
15th over: England 33-1 (Hameed 9, Root 22) Hameed is defending diligently against Jadeja. He doesn’t have many scoring options at the moment, but that’s okay in the circumstances. One of the most exciting things about Hameed is that he seems able to adjust his approach pretty easily. That’s a rare skill to have. That said, I doubt he’ll ever top the magnificent AB de Villiers, who made 33 from 220 balls (with no boundaries) to save the Adelaide Test of 2012, and then panelled 169 from 184 to win the Perth Test and the series a few days later.
“Good morning Rob,” says Felix Wood. “What do you think is the minimum score for England to make a game of this? Given the way the pitch is going, I’m thinking anything less that 550 is going to be tough. Which leads me to this second question: Who is to blame for England’s DISGRACEFUL performance and should be SACKED immediately?”
8.35am GMT
14th over: England 32-1 (Hameed 9, Root 21) Shami has switched ends to replace Yadav. He has started to test Hameed against the short ball; so far, so good for this adorable cross between Max Fischer, Geoff Boycott and Gary Neville. He ducks well, swaying decisively outside the line in a manner that reminds me of someboDY AND I CAN’T BLOODY REMEMBER WHO IT IS, though he hasn’t taken on the hook or pull yet.
“The only way to follow England is to be uncomfortable - they’ll make you feel that way anyway,” says Andrew Benton. “Currently, I’ve a bit of a sniffle, a headache, a bad knee and I keep popping to the loo, so if we lose I’ll still be miserable, and if we win, it’ll all be worth the suffering.”
8.31am GMT
13th over: England 30-1 (Hameed 7, Root 21) Breaking news: Ray Winstone gambles responsibly. Meanwhile, Jadeja gets one to spit past Hameed’s outside edge. Those balls are so important because they make his killer straight delivery even deadlier. This is fascinating cricket; Hameed and Root have done extremely well in trying circumstances, and they are 10 minutes away from a nice cup of tea.
“While we are waiting for the inevitable England collapse,” says Sara Torvalds, “you could do worse than read fellow OBOer Sam Tarr’s excellent report on the OBOccasionals 2016 tour to Vis in Croatia.”
8.28am GMT
12th over: England 28-1 (Hameed 6, Root 19) For was it not Chris Martin who said: Nobody said it was easy. This sure ain’t easy for England. India are attacking the pads and the stumps relentlessly, which means England have to play almost every delivery. Root has already jabbed down on low-bouncing deliveries four or five times.
8.26am GMT
11th over: England 26-1 (Hameed 6, Root 18) Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack. His DRS-friendly approach should make him an enormous threat on this pitch. If part of the scorecard does not read ‘LBW b Jadeja’ by the end of this match, my backside’s a fire engine. The first delivery skids onto Hameed, who gets an inside-edge onto the pad that plops safely on the pitch.
“G’morning, Rob,” says Richard Smyth. “I wondered if the erudite souls who people the OBO might be interested in a cricketing short story I wrote, featured lately in The Nightwatchman. I think it was the second-best piece in that issue written by a man named R Smyth.”
8.21am GMT
10th over: England 25-1 (Hameed 5, Root 18) More low bounce from Umesh to Root. I knew England should have picked James Kirtley. When Umesh slips one a bit wide, Root pings a classy square drive for four more. He is batting beautifully, but you do fear there’s a low-bouncing delivery with his name on it.
“Apology accepted,” says Ben Withington. “Please comport yourself in a vigilant state of existential dread for rest of our innings ...”
8.16am GMT
9th over: England 21-1 (Hameed 5, Root 14) Root is beaten outside off stump by Shami. That’s an occupational hazard on this pitch. It’s not a minefield but it’s really tricky for a second-day pitch, especially if you aren’t familiar with low pitches. Shami and Umesh have also bowled superbly. At the other end, Haseeb is leaving at every opportunity, but only on line. You can’t leave on length here. Hameed has five from 29 balls; Root from 14 from 14 balls. Different approaches for different needs.
“One thing you can rely on in life,” says Kevin Wilson. “Joe Root always looks like he’s batting on a different wicket to his teammates.”
8.11am GMT
8th over: England 20-1 (Hameed 5, Root 13)
8.06am GMT
7th over: England 20-1 (Hameed 5, Root 13) Root just manages to get his bat down on a nasty grubber from Shami that would otherwise have bowled him. Root has decided to get his runs before the pitch gets him, and he walks down the track to play a magnificent flick that beats the man at deep square-leg and goes for four. When Shami strays onto the pads later in the over, Root puts him away through midwicket with a flourish.
8.00am GMT
6th over: England 12-1 (Hameed 5, Root 5) Hameed is beaten, feeling for an excellent delivery from Umesh Yadav that moved away off the seam. Umesh is bowling rapidly, over 90mph, and Hameed just manages to work one off middle stump for a single. There would have been a huge LBW appeal had he missed that. This has been a masterful spell of new-ball bowling from India.
7.59am GMT
5th over: England 9-1 (Hameed 4, Root 3) Shami pings a bouncer past Hameed’s noggin and follows up with a fuller delivery outside off stump that keeps pretty low. Kohli spends the over conducting the crowd; he is a magnificent man.
7.55am GMT
4th over: England 8-1 (Hameed 4, Root 2) Hameed has started serenely - is that news any more - and flicks two through midwicket. But then he is almost undone by a good delivery that skids on. As Nasser says on Sky, Jadeja is going to be a huge threat on this pitch. India have bowled splendidly thus far.
“Morning Rob,” says David Horn. “So, the second you make yourself comfortable, we dramatically lose a wicket? Hardly an auspicious start to the day.” I can only blame myself. I’ve let the readers down. I’ve let the country down. But what really hurts is that I’ve let myself down.
7.49am GMT
3rd over: England 6-1 (Hameed 2, Root 2) This already looks very tough for England - there is swing, a bit of seam movement, and tricky low bounce. The ball to dismiss Cook was magnificent: it came back sharply off the seam, went through a biggish gate and then destroyed the off stump.
7.47am GMT
Morning all. It’s lovely to be in your company once again: talking cricket, chewing fat, partaking in banter. Oh and by the way, Cook has just had his off stump detonated by Shami! It was a brilliant delivery that snapped back off the seam, went through the gate and then snapped the off stump in half!
7.45am GMT
2nd over: England 4-0 (Cook 2, Hameed 2) Umesh Yadav into Haseeb Hameed, who gets off the mark with one into midwicket off his second ball. Bit of shape into Alastair Cook, as Yadav sticks to over the wicket and that’s Cook off the mark, too. Another for Hameed, into the on side. It’s only three runs so far, but Yadav’s struggle to persist on an off stump like does highlight the value in a decent left-right combo at the top of the order. A similarly placed delivery, just outside off for Cook, is pushed into cover for a fourth single off the over. And with that, I’ll hand over to Rob Smyth to take you through the rest of the day. Thanks for your time.
7.39am GMT
1st over: England 0-0 (Cook 0, Hameed 0) Mohammad Shami steams in to Alastiar Cook, with two slips (first and third) and a gully for company. Odd really: surely if you’re happy to have a third slip, you should also have a second. Kohli’s basically trying to plug five gaps with three players. Ooooooo and a leading edge, as the ball stops in the pitch, goes beyond Shami but bounces well short of mid off. Maiden.
7.24am GMT
130th over: India 455-10 (Shami 7) Oh my... the 450 comes up as Shami larrups Rashid over mid off for a huge six. A single and then Umesh Yadav tries to put one into the stands at midwicket but is caught in the fence. A second wicket for Rashid and that’s that for the Indian first innings. Your move, England...
7.20am GMT
129th over: India 448-9 (Umesh 13, Shami 0) Where Jayant Yadav failed, Umesh makes hay. With the ball turning into him, the strapping quick swipes to midwicket for four, beating the two fielders out in the deep. He goes again, skewing this one squarer but for the same result.
7.18am GMT
128th over: India 440-9 (Umesh 5) Adil Rashid, tailender slayer, comes into the attack. And he’s in business with the last ball of the over as Jayant falls, slogging.
7.17am GMT
A bit of air, a swipe across the line and Rashid has his first wicket of the innings. Jayant Yadav’s debut Test knock brings valuable runs and ends with a fairly comical attempted hoik to leg which ends up in Anderson’s hands at point.
7.13am GMT
127th over: India 438-8 (Jayant 33, Umesh 5) After beating the outside edge of Umesh’s bat, Moeen tosses one up that is muscled down the ground, inside mid on, for four. It’s a cruel game.
7.10am GMT
126th over: India 433-8 (Jayant 32, Umesh 1) Nice on drive from Jayant gets him three runs, allowing Umesh to take the strike and get off the mark with a tap around the corner.
Most catches by WK in a year:
65 M Boucher (1998)
59 J BAIRSTOW *
58 I Healy (1993)
58 A Gilchrist (2004)
56 M Boucher (2008)#INDvENG
7.05am GMT
125th over: India 428-8 (Jayant 28, Umesh 0) Jayant happy to give Umesh Yadav a few deliveries against Moeen Ali. Umesh, blank-batted, s
hows the maker’s name
defends.
Helluva Cricketer - @benstokes38
7.02am GMT
124th over: India 427-8 (Jayant 27, Umesh 0) A slower ball – actually, just a god awful bit of slurge down the leg side – is helped on its way for four. Ashwin has passed 500 runs against England, as it happens, from eight matches, and is currently averaging over fifty (56.56 briefly, with 58* to his name). Make that 50.90 now that he’s nicked off.
7.00am GMT
A deserved wicket for Stokes, who pushes Ashwin back and then gets him playing outside off stump and nicking through to the keeper. A fine innings comes to an end.
It's bloody cold in London @Vitu_E. What I'd give for another 2 hours in bed, day off, three quick wickets & a 150 opening stand. Dreaming.
6.56am GMT
123rd over: India 423-7 (Ashwin 54, Jayant 27) Just one from the over and a relatively sedate start to this second session. Time is all these two need.
6.53am GMT
122nd over: India 422-7 (Ashwin 53, Jayant 27) Good pace from Stokes and he has an appeal to keep him going, albeit one that ends prematurely once he and those behind the stumps realise the ball was edged onto the pad. And again with the penultimate ball of the over. Jayant Yadav not able to press forward as much as he would like. Maiden.
@vitu_e As is well known the town of Nelson was named after Nelson Bloemfontein, a philanthropist, but they couldn't have 2 Bloemfonteins...
6.50am GMT
121st over: India 422-7 (Ashwin, Jayant 27) Moeen Ali takes the ball at the other end and bowls in Ashwin’s slot – short, wide of off stump. A cut through backward point for a fifth four takes Ashwin to his eighth Test fifty, from 86 deliveries. What a year he’s having: two hundreds and two fifties so far, not to mention a job lot of wickets.
6.47am GMT
120th over: India 416-7 (Ashwin 48, Jayant 26) Ben Stokes to kick England off after lunch, bowling to Ashwin, who punches to the off-side sweeper to move to 48. Just one from the over. Philip Gooda is back with us: “Now it has tipped over past seven in the morning (I am one hour ahead of those lazy layabeds of London), my ‘Significant Other’ has awoken and I can make all sorts of noise now. Which includes pounding on my keyboard a lot, and swearing at my brother’s reply to an email and things like that. And I found this. I do so hope it helps.” *This* is a Wikipedia page containing all the possible reasons for the 111-Nelson connection. Speaking of which, India are approaching quadruple Nelson.
6.08am GMT
News just in: South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has been charged for breaching Level 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct. It relates to a clip that emerged a couple of days ago of Faf shining the ball while sucking on a mint.
Du Plessis charged for breaching ICC CoC after TV footage appeared to show him applying an artificial substance to the ball
South Africans standing shoulder to shoulder in defense of Faf du Plessis. Clearly upset by allegations. #ausvsa pic.twitter.com/J4TBdTKsiQ
6.02am GMT
119th over: India 415-7 (Ashwin 47, Jayant 26) Joe Root is now around the wicket to Ashwin, who takes the single on offer at midwicket. Presumably Root is bowling because Zafar Ansari’s nausea, which had him off the field an hour ago, has not passed. That single, by the way, brings up the 50 partnership off 81 balls. A single from Jayant to square leg followed by similar from Ashwin and that’s all for the over and the session. England took three wickets, India scored 98 runs and, given the context of those runs, you’d give that session to the hosts. I’ll be back soon for the second session, with Rob Smyth taking over at drinks.
5.59am GMT
118th over: India 412-7 (Ashwin 45, Jayant 25) Stokes has both Ashwin and Jayant hopping about but, with fielders out, the short stuff is largely redundant because neither are keen to hook and there’s no short leg. Stokes follows up with the full delivery that does tail into Jayant, albeit on the full. A good over ends with a boundary as Jayant skews an edge beyond the one slip in place. Not really what Stokes deserved but more runs for India.
5.55am GMT
117th over: India 407-7 (Ashwin 44, Jayant 21) Ashwin moves into the forties with a nicely timed drive through the covers off the bowling of Joe Root. Yes, Root’s bowling. “Golden arm” Root, with 13 wickets from 49 matches and a strike rate just over 103. Golden Arm. Peter Leybourne weights into the Nelson debate: “I had this exact discussion as a boy in the 1970s. My grandfather explained the Nelson thing to me as one arm, one eye, one ambition.”
5.52am GMT
116th over: India 401-7 (Ashwin 39, Jayant 20) That’s the 400 up for India. At the start of the day, that was a minimum, then they lost three for 12 and it seemed a long way off Ashwin and Jayant have brought it up easily with their partnership of 38.
5.47am GMT
115th over: India 398-7 (Ashwin 38, Jayant 18) Ashwin telegraphs a paddle sweep, which has Ben Stokes setting off early from first slip. It’s wide enough for two, though, as fine leg mops up. A couple of deliveries have stopped on the batsmen but, luckily for them, have fallen just short of fielders. You can see how the pitch has changed already in this session. Driving has suddenly become a bit more difficult. Never mind – Ashwin skips forward and across to work Moeen through midwicket for four.
5.44am GMT
114th over: India 392-7 (Ashwin 32, Jayant 18) Time for some pace, as Rashid makes way after bringing up three figures for nowt. Ben Stokes will get his first bowl of the day. Thankfully, Cook starts him off with two slips. The ball is doing nothing off the straight – no sign of conventional or reverse swing, either. Three singles from the over.
5.39am GMT
113th over: India 389-7 (Ashwin 30, Jayant 17) Jayant doing well to bat time while also picking off runs when they’re offered up. Again, he’s playing Moeen off the pitch and works him around the corner for a couple. Perhaps an OBO first, certainly on my watch – a pre-formatted email: “I’ve been looking at my atlas. Can anyone tell me why the England squad were asked to fly west from nearby Bangladesh to the far side of India for the Rajkot Test, and then all the way back east for the second here in west coast Vizzy? The other way round would have saved a lot of time in the air. I know, I know, I have too much time on my hands”, admits Wayne Trotman, emailing in from the west coast of Turkey (Wayne’s own work, that).
5.36am GMT
112th over: India 387-7 (Ashwin 30, Jayant 15) Another short ball, another late cut. This time it’s Rashid the bowler and Jayant the batsman. And it goes for four. Finishes the over with a single and looking comfortable. That’s Rashid’s hundred up, too.
5.32am GMT
111st over: India 381-7 (Ashwin 29, Jayant 10) Moeen seems to have lost his length here, as Ashwin guides another short ball behind point, this time for a couple. He runs as many in the same direction but Ashwin is hiding his bat behind his pad and that really should have been a dead ball. Cook brings in a fielder under his nose
5.29am GMT
110th over: India 376-7 (Ashwin 26, Jayant 10) Here’s Philip Gooda with a hot take on Nelson that I’m buying into: “I am given to understand – checking this is beyond me at this time of day, even if I am in Switzerland – that there is a suburb of Sydney called ‘Nelson’. And that furthermore, in the days of local telephone exchanges, telephone numbers in this suburb had the ‘exchange code’ of 111. Rumour? Hearsay? Very Australian anyway so should probably be taken with a pinch of possum poo.”
5.28am GMT
Impact outside the line, as it happens, even it was pad first. The ball was also turning past off stump.
5.27am GMT
England ask for a review as Jayant presses forward to Rashid, defends, but looks to have used his pad first...
5.24am GMT
109th over: India 374-7 (Ashwin 25, Jayant 9) Looks like England are happy to give Ashwin the single, as he plays through their with ease. Jayant now gets in on the act, as Ali drops short and he whips the ball off leg stump, having read the turn off the pitch, for four just in front of square leg. Lovel shot.
Ashwin is India's fourth highest run-getter in Tests this year. #INDvENG
5.20am GMT
108th over: India 368-7 (Ashwin 24, Jayant 4) Three come through point – two of them to Yadav, who waits for the turn of the pitch to punch nicely. Adil Rashid just needs to zip a couple through to the new batsman.
5.17am GMT
107th over: India 365-7 (Ashwin 23, Jayant 2) A maiden for Moeen. Ian Forth emails in from Melbourne: “Just backtracking to the Nelson score, some queries. Why is Nelson called Nelson, when he always had two legs? Isn’t ‘double Nelson’ a normal person (two arms, two legs, two eyes)? Why was it ever a thing? I mean, I can see how 87 is unlucky because it’s 13 short of a hundred (a notoriously unlucky number). But why does a national hero with one eye and one arm become an unlucky symbol? He won Trafalgar, didn’t he?” I’m grossly unqualified to answer some if not all of these questions. I’m taking to Google but, to the rest of you, do email in if you know. I’m just as curious.
5.15am GMT
106th over: India 365-7 (Ashwin 23, Jayant 1) Test newbie Jayant Yadav is in that “no mug with the bat” camp, with two first class centuries to his name, so still some batting out there for India. “An early start. How do you do it?” asks Jeremy Bunting. With great difficulty and a job lot of coffee. “Rob Smyth (Hi Rob!) used to get his Monster Drink over the road at the gas station. Can you give me a couple of reasons why I should stay up for next few days for the inevitable draw?” Because it’ll either be another glorious set of innings from Hameed-Root-Ali-Anderson or some high-class spin bowling from Ashwin. Or there might be another dog on the field.
5.12am GMT
105th over: India 365-7 (Ashwin 23, Jayant 1) Two wickets in the over, the last of which – Jadeja’s LBW from Moeen Ali bowling around the wicket – was shown to be missing leg stump as it was not straightening enough. Despite having a review remaining, Jadeja opted not to use it.
5.10am GMT
Ali, around the wicket to the left-hander, gets one to drift on with the arm nd into Ravi Jadeja’s front pad. That’s two in three balls and Jadeja goes for a duck.
5.06am GMT
Yep, very out. Saha didn’t get forward at all and the ball didn’t have far to travel. The batsmen nearly completed a single by the time umpire Dharamasena made his mind up. Importantly, he got it right.
5.04am GMT
My word, take your time, Kumar! A big turner from Moeen hits the pads of Saha. After an age, Dharmasena gives it out. Saha, perhaps because of the delay, chooses to review...
5.00am GMT
104th over: India 363-5 (Ashwin 25, Saha 3) Saha gets off the mark as he works Rashid around the corner for two. Zafar Ansari manages to head the ball off before it reaches the cement-sponsored sponge, passing it off to Stokes who throws in and nearly yorks the keeper’s end’s stumps. Rashid then serves up quite a rank long hop which Saha snatches at hastily to only reap a single.
4.56am GMT
103rd over: India 360-5 (Ashwin 23, Saha 0) Ashwin gives a bit back with a cracking late cut for four, as Moeen drops too short.
4.54am GMT
102nd over: India 356-5 (Ashwin 19, Saha 0) Saha plants on the front foot to defend out the over against Rashid. He’s definitely there for the taking, is Saha...
4.51am GMT
101st over: India 355-5 (Ashwin 18, Saha 0) It’s an over of Moeen Ali making a mockery of the right-hander’s outside edge. Both Ashwin, Kohli and Wriddihman Saha are beaten but only Kohli pays the price. Brilliant bowling from Moeen.
Great tactics from Stokes to drop Ashwin and allow a single so he could catch Kohli the next ball.
4.49am GMT
Ridiculous stuff from Stokes! The ball before, he drops which, for him, was a regulation catch at slip. The next delivery, with a single taken, Kohli whips at one and it flies low, to Stokes’ right. And he takes it with ease. Important breakthrough. Under 400 on the cards here...
4.45am GMT
100th over: India 350-4 (Kohli 167, Ashwin 17) Adil Rashid into the attack now, too, as Anderson and Broad are rested. It’s a fine start from the leggie, which includes a googly that Kohli inside edges onto his pad as he lunges forward to defend. Just one from the over.
4.42am GMT
99th over: India 349-4 (Kohli 167, Ashwin 16) Cook turns to spin, specifically Moeen Ali, who has gone at 4.55 so far this innings (from 11 overs). His first ball today drifts past Ashwin’s outside edge. Good start. A second drifter is defended well before Ashwin bunts a full toss through extra cover – stopped well by sub-fielder Jake Ball – for a couple. A single to midwicket finishes the scoring.
4.38am GMT
98th over: India 346-4 (Kohli 167, Ashwin 13) That’s the first half-an-hour negotiated well enough by India – 28 runs, no wickets, a lot of class from Kohli. Not quite as much from Ashwin, who wafts at a good length ball from Broad. He’s only got one slip for company, though, and a three-quarters deep backward point. Ridiculous position occupied by Ben Stokes, England’s best fielder, especially with third man on the boundary and Ashwin bringing second slip into play.
Ansari off the field for England, feeling nauseous.
4.33am GMT
97th over: India 345-4 (Kohli 167, Ashwin 12) Kohli takes a ball from middle and off and times it through square leg for four. Obscene, really. All along the floor, out if he missed but he was never going to.
4.30am GMT
96th over: India 340-4 (Kohli 163, Ashwin 11) Kohli opens the face into a drive and times in front of point for four like a boss. The result is a man at third man and point dropping deep. Naturally, Kohli blocks into the newly vacated patch of grass for one. The punishment seems too much for the ball, which has been hit out of shape.
“India didn’t believe in sending night watchman last night,” says Mahendra Killedar on email. “But given that Ashwin batting at six, whom would they have protected by sending a one?” Fair point. Though, is it too cheeky to suggest Ajinkya Rahane, in the form he’s in, did that job? [winky face]
"England have gone so defensive, Ashwin must be thinking they fear him. He hasn't suddenly turned into Tendulkar, has he? @MichaelVaughan pic.twitter.com/EwdI9T6bUW
4.22am GMT
95th over: India 334-4 (Kohli 158, Ashwin 10) A couple of uppish drives sees Alastair Cook bring in a short cover. There’s been a lot of that, this Test: stable door, horse, bolted, following the ball (whatever you want to call it). Ashwin, despite that early strike through extra cover, isn’t looking that comfortable and is playing away from his body a lot.
4.19am GMT
94th over: India 333-4 (Kohli 157, Ashwin 10) Two singles from the over take us to triple Nelson. As someone who isn’t very suspicious, this means nothing to me.
4.14am GMT
93rd over: India 331-4 (Kohli 156, Ashwin 9) Single off the first five balls – Ashwin wristing one through square leg – allows Kohli to finish the over driving through Ben Stokes at cover (kicked off the turf and scooted past Ar Stokes) for his first boundary of the morning.
4.10am GMT
92nd over: India 324-4 (Kohli 151, Ashwin 7) Stuart Broad, who is battling with a foot complaint that, in my limited and very amateur experience, sounds like it could be in stress fracture territory, opens at the other end. Michael Atherton mentioned at the start that Broad is hobbling about but loses the hobble when he moves at full pace. He gets a full set of six against Ashwin and surprises him with the last delivery – short, cramping him for room – and the newly-crowned number six top edges over the slips and just short of third man for a single.
4.06am GMT
A reminder that you can get involved by emailing me at vithushan.ehantharajah.casual@guardian.co.uk or sending your pithier takes to @Vitu_E.
4.04am GMT
91st over: India 323-4 (Kohli 151, Ashwin 6) Anderson cranks the joints and hits Kohli on the pad, as the right-hander moves across his stumps. The throat gets a workout, too, with an appeal but it’s just a bye. For all the encouragement from that first delivery, Ravi Ashwin reasserts India’s and the pitch’s dominance with a drive on the up through extra cover, because he really is VVS Laxman in disguise.
3.55am GMT
Not sure if you’ve been following matters down under, but Australia are effectively hosting a Battle Royale face-off in this round of the Sheffield Shield to select their XI for the third Test against South Africa, in a series already beyond them. Gloucestershire’s Peter Handscomb has scored a double hundred, while runs for Middlesborough’s Matthew Renshaw (Queensland) and Doncaster’s Sam Whiteman (Western Australia) could add a very Engish element to the Day-Night Test at Adelaide. They love us really, you know.
3.31am GMT
Ah well, this all seems very familiar, doesn’t it? The sleep covered eyes rubbed at the sight of a bloated Indian batting card, the questions over Cook’s captaincy, the thoughts of sacrificing Shaun Udal to the spin gods to bless us with more twirlers and all with Kohli’s Cheshire cat smile burning a hole through your soul. Actually – and without wishing to add to the premature Yulejaculation – Kohli’s more Grinch than Cheshire cat, isn’t he? After Joe Root landed the first punch with a hundred on the first day of the first Test, the India captain is in the process of landing quite a sizeable counter-blow. He seems to have flicked a switch in Test cricket. After a “ton and done” approach to his first seven centuries – 116, 103, 103, 107, 119, 105*, 115 – the next seven have been 141, 169, 147, 103, 200, 211 and this ongoing innings of 151. Cook will be looking to make sure it’s not three double hundreds “in a row”. He has a new ball at his disposal, as well as a fit and firing James Anderson and a rested Stuart Broad. Righto – go get some coffee and toast and meet me back here in 10.
9.16am GMT
Vish will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Vic Marks’ report of a difficult first day for England.
Related: India’s Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara punish England in second Test
Continue reading...November 12, 2016
India v England, first Test: day four – as it happened!
Haseeb Hameed’s masterful 62 not out and some fine bowling from Adil Rashid gave England an outside chance of a famous victory in Rajkot
11.24am GMT
37th over: England 114-0 (lead by 163; Cook 45, Hameed 62) Mishra beats Hameed with the final ball of the day, a legbreak from around the wicket that roars out of the rough. It’s been another very good day for England, who are surely now the only team who can win this Test. Haseeb Hameed batted with incredible authority, particularly at the start of the innings when India were on top, and is 13 away from the highest Test score by an England teenager. England have found a sure thing. Thanks for your company, bye!
11.19am GMT
36th over: England 110-0 (Cook 45, Hameed 59) Jadeja returns to bowl the penultimate over of the day. He has been the biggest threat in this innings, particularly to Cook, and there is some dangerous turn and bounce in that over. Cook wears a couple of deliveries on the thigh and it’s a maiden.
11.15am GMT
35th over: England 110-0 (Cook 44, Hameed 59) “It looks as if Mac Millings thinks he is living in his own saga (over 30),” says John Starbuck. Or does he? “It’s a literary convention in that format that the hero makes himself known to the world by manly feats at an almost impossibly young age - usually 10-14. It would explain a lot.”
11.12am GMT
34th over: England 107-0 (Cook 43, Hameed 57) Cook and Hameed are dealing almost exclusively in singles, with the close only a few overs away. They had a torrid start – well, Cook did – but since then they have played superbly. England lead by 156.
11.09am GMT
33rd over: England 101-0 (Cook 39, Hameed 56) A single from Cook brings up an extremely impressive century partnership with Hameed. Meanwhile, this is a terrific piece from Dileep Premachandran discussing Nasser Hussain’s impact on this England team.
11.06am GMT
32nd over: England 99-0 (Cook 38, Hameed 55) All of a sudden, thoughts turn to when England might declare. If all goes well – if, if, if, if, if – they might be able to set something like 280 in 50 overs and hope India collapse. It’s quite hard to judge a declaration on this pitch, and England will rightly err on the side of caution.
11.03am GMT
31st over: England 97-0 (Cook 37, Hameed 54) An errant delivery from Mishra beats Saha and goes away for four byes. Since you asked, the highest score by an English teenager is Jack Crawford’s 74. This has been a staggering innings really. Mishra is producing some good deliveries here, bowling a bit faster than in the first innings, and Cook survives an LBW appeal when he misses a sweep. He was outside the line of off stump.
10.59am GMT
30th over: England 92-0 (Cook 37, Hameed 53) A maiden from Ashwin to Cook.
“‘Youth’s natural sense of invulnerability’, Dean Kinsella?” sniffs Mac Millings. “I lost that at 7. By 13, I was wearing leather pants and driving a red convertible, and now all I talk about is the weather and how it affects my arthritis. I once dated a young lady with the surname Kinsella, by the way, that ended (you will be surprised to hear) in my utter humiliation.”
Looks like @ECB_cricket have found an absolute beauty in @HaseebHameed97 #IndvsEng
10.52am GMT
29th over: England 92-0 (Cook 37, Hameed 53) Hameed steers Mishra to third man for four to reach a startlingly accomplished fifty, the first by an English teenager in a Test since Denis Compton in 1937. His father Ismail, who was born here, is shedding a few tears in the crowd. Trust cricket to make us feel good in such a miserable week. Hameed’s anti-Afzaal celebration, a gentle wave of the bat and a handshake with Cook, is another indication of his wonderful temperament. Mishra beats him later in the other with a big leg-break.
10.52am GMT
Hameed offers no stroke to a huge offbreak from Ashwin, prompting a big LBW appeal that is turned down. India have gone for the review. I suspect height will save him. In fact line saved him – it was missing off stump.
10.47am GMT
27th over: England 83-0 (Cook 34, Hameed 48) Mishra comes on in place of Yadav. His fellow leggie Rashid got plenty from this wearing pitch and you’d expect Mishra to do the same. Hameed watches one big leg-break go past and then finds the fielder with a couple of drives.
“Am I stupid or does it look like quite the green top out there (the answer may be both)?” says Niall Mullen. “Any chance for Broad & co to bring the pain to India? He’s done it before.” Yeah, it looks like one but it’s not behaving like one. At the risk of being a joykilling old fart, I don’t think there’s a way England can win this game.
10.44am GMT
26th over: England 82-0 (Cook 33, Hameed 48) A change of ends for Ashwin, who returns to the attack in place of Shami. He goes back over the wicket to Hameed, who skips back in his crease to punch a high-class cover drive for four. He is two away from an exceptional maiden Test fifty.
10.41am GMT
25th over: England 77-0 (Cook 32, Hameed 44) A loose stroke from Hameed, who is beaten as he tries to drive a tempter from Yadav. Only two teenagers have made Test half-centuries for England: from memory I think it was Jack Crawford at Cape Town in 1905-06 and Denis Compton at the Oval in 1937. Hameed is six away from joining their club.
“If you didn’t see the football last night, it was OK, for England fans,” says John Starbuck. “For Scots, not only were they outclassed, they had to put up with one of the worst kits ever, including Man U’s famous invisibly-grey outfit. I did wonder if it was an attempt to stupify their opponents into shocked disbelief, but doubt if they could really be that subtle.”
10.35am GMT
24th over: England 75-0 (Cook 31, Hameed 43) Shami and Yadav have bowled well but there’s still nothing in the pitch for them, and only the occasional hint of reverse. There are 11 overs remaining.
“This young Habeeb chap has the most potential I’ve seen in an English batsman since Root came on the scene,” says Dean Kinsella. “It’s not so much the technical ability as the attitude and confidence on display. I think it’s great to get players in young before the cares of the world have had a chance to eradicate youth’s natural sense of invulnerability.”
10.30am GMT
23rd over: England 73-0 (Cook 30, Hameed 42) Cook flicks Yadav for a single, the first run in 18 deliveries. The game is going nowhere, with both teams playing defensively. You can understand that, especially in the context of such a long series. India will aim to stick in the game, pilfer a wicket and then go back to the spinners. England lead by 122.
“Greetings, Rob, from Trumpsylvania, where rumours of the rise of the Thought Police are unfounded, because so are the rumours that we Think,” says Mac Millings. Or does he?
10.25am GMT
22nd over: England 70-0 (Cook 29, Hameed 40) “Dear Rob (or, as per TMS commentator norm, Robbers?),” says Andrew Benton. “If England win the series will they overtake India at the top of the rankings? Wouldn’t seem right if so - they’re not that good, especially given their Bangladesh second Test shenanigans.”
I don’t know. There are no outstanding teams, and a win away to India – who have slaughtered everyone at home – would be a huge achievement to go with the win in South Africa and beating Australia. That said, I’ve just checked the rankings predictor and they would need to win the series by two Tests to go top. I suppose there’s a difference between a No1 team and a great/very very good team. England 2011 were both; England 2016 aren’t quite there yet.
10.18am GMT
21st over: England 70-0 (Cook 29, Hameed 40) England have quietened the crowd, and at the moment both sides are just sticking in the game. Umesh plugs away outside off stump; Cook ignores him.
10.12am GMT
20th over: England 70-0 (Cook 29, Hameed 40) Mohammed Shami replaces Jadeja, which means the unlikely sight of pace from both ends. Hameed flicks a couple more to move into the fearless forties.
“MORNING RoB,” says Simon McMahon. “It’s SatURday. CooK’s batting. EVErything’s going to be FiNe.” Oh goodness, I forgot about the football last night.
10.06am GMT
19th over: England 67-0 (Cook 28, Hameed 38) Crikey, Alviro Petersen has been charged with match-fixing.
“So assuming that at stumps today it’s clear no-one will win, what do you do if you’re Cook?” says Tom Adam. “I think I’d favour doing what England did at the Gabba in 2010, just bat on and on - resting your bowlers, wearing theirs out, showing them that you can handle their attack. Psy-ops, man.” I’m not sure it’ll play out like that, but if the game is dead at tea tomorrow, it might be worth declaring and giving the spinners a few overs on a 15th-session pitch.
10.02am GMT
18th over: England 65-0 (Cook 28, Hameed 36) Jadeja continues, so it wasn’t a change of ends, at least not yet. England look more comfortable than at any time in the innings, though it’s unwise to feel too secure when you recently lost all 10 wickets in a session.
9.58am GMT
17th over: England 62-0 (Cook 27, Hameed 34) Yadav comes into the attack. This might just be a single over so that Ashwin and Jadeja can change ends. Cook pulls him witheringly for four to continue England’s fine start; they lead by 111.
9.55am GMT
16th over: England 56-0 (Cook 22, Hameed 33) What were you doing at 19? I was cleaning at an old people’s home and spending my weekends in JJs nightclub. Haseeb Hameed is batting like a veteran on a difficult pitch against the No1 team in the world. It’s laughable that he can be so good at that age.
“What sort of a lead do you think is needed, Rob?” says William Hargreaves. It depends on the time/runs equation, but if they bat at least 45 overs tomorrow they should be safe.
9.52am GMT
15th over: England 52-0 (Cook 20, Hameed 31) Hameed and Cook almost collide while going for a quick single. “If there’s a collision,” says Mike Atherton, “I know who’s winning. You could blow Hameed over.” Cook, feeling tentatively, edges Ashwin just short of slip, and pulls the next ball impatiently for four to bring up an admirable fifty partnership, the first of many between Cook and Hameed. Whatever else happens, England have got that opening-batsman problem handled.
9.48am GMT
14th over: England 47-0 (Cook 16, Hameed 30) Cook fends another nasty Jadeja delivery just short of Vijay at short leg, although actually it may only have come off the pad. Hameed then takes a single off the last ball of the over, which means he’ll face Ashwin again. Imaginary Opta data shows that 99.94 per cent of teenage batsman would have avoided a single in such circumstances.
“Yeah, yeah Quasimodo, I know him,” says Niall Mullen. “He was an interior decorator.”
9.45am GMT
13th over: England 45-0 (Cook 15, Hameed 29) Beautiful bowling from Ashwin, who deceives Hameed with a similar delivery to the one that dismissed him in the first innings. This also hit Hameed on the pad but was a bit too high. Ashwin beats him again later in the over with a delivery on a similar line from around the wicket, and this is developing into an excellent contest. Hameed looks uncertain for the first time.
9.43am GMT
12th over: England 42-0 (Cook 13, Hameed 28) Hameed thick-edges Jadeja wide of slip for two and survives a hopeful LBW appeal. He was outside the line and got an inside-edge. That aside, he was plumb.
9.39am GMT
11th over: England 40-0 (Cook 13, Hameed 26) Ashwin beats Cook with some more extravagant turn and bounce. This is terrific cricket now, and England have done extremely well to reach 40 without loss. They lead by 89.
9.37am GMT
10th over: England 40-0 (Cook 13, Hameed 26) Hameed recoils from a nasty Jadeja delivery that turns and bounces past his nose. That sort of delivery, as Sanjay Manjrekar says on Sky, makes his straight one even more dangerous. But Hameed defends calmly for the remainder of the over.
“Ah, I didn’t see that particular Sopranos episode,” says John Starbuck. “Would you credit it, I bought the lot on disc as a Christmas prezzie for my brother, but never watched it all myself beforehand. That’s where books score over DVDs, as you can skim-read the books without having to break the seals.” I have great envy and even greater pity for those who haven’t watched it.
9.35am GMT
9th over: England 39-0 (Cook 12, Hameed 26) Ashwin goes up for LBW when Hameed is hit outside the line. He offered no shot but it bounced considerably and was not out. Hameed then slices a boundary wide of slip, a mostly deliberate stroke. Ashwin goes around the wicket, the angle from which he got Hameed in the first innings – and Hameed drives his first ball majestically through the covers for four. He has 26 from 29 balls. If you’re not excited by this kid, you should seek urgent medical attention.
9.31am GMT
8th over: England 31-0 (Cook 12, Hameed 18) Hameed takes a sharp single to point - and is rewarded for his enterprise with four bonus runs when Yardy’s throw ricochets to the boundary. This Hameed is the most comically precocious character to hit our screens since Rushmore. He’s magnificent!
9.28am GMT
7th over: England 25-0 (Cook 12, Hameed 13) Ashwin is on for Shami, with a slip, short leg and silly point for Cook, who works a single behind square on the leg side. He looks a bit more comfortable after that torrid start. But we all know that, on spinning pitches, the box seat is also an ejector seat.
9.26am GMT
6th over: England 24-0 (Cook 11, Hameed 12) Hameed leans into a full delivery from Jadeja and belts him down the ground for a flat six! That’s an outrageous shot in the circumstances, the first six of his Test career. Since you asked, Geoffrey Boycott hit eight in his Test career.
9.22am GMT
5th over: England 15-0 (Cook 8, Hameed 6) Cook’s jittery innings continues with a loose pull shot off Shami that falls just short of Pujara, running in from deep square leg. He was slightly slow to react and it came to him on the bounce. Hameed has looked really good so far. It’s only 16 deliveries but his serenity, and the straightness of his bat, have been admirable in such fraught circumstances.
“What’s all the Quasimodo stuff?” asks John Starbuck. “Did you mean Nostradamus, who did actually exist, even if he was not noted for his cricket forecasting? Quasimodo was noted for bell-ringing, so he could have started the day’s play at Lord’s, but not much else. If he was a real person. Though if he had been, he’d be dead by now.”
9.17am GMT
4th over: England 14-0 (Cook 7, Hameed 6) At the moment, every Jadeja delivery is an event. There’s a Warneish theatre, with oohs and aahs even when Cook works one off the pads to fine leg for four. Those oohs are rather more legitimate when Cook gloves a vicious delivery just wide of the leaping, yelping Vijay at short leg. Thus far Hameed looks like the man with 135 Tests and Cook the boy on his debut. Hameed is going to be an alternative superstar.
9.14am GMT
3rd over: England 8-0 (Cook 2, Hameed 5) After that menacing start from Jadeja, Shami’s over already feels like filler until Ashwin comes on. And so it is, with a couple of runs from it.
“Morning everybody,” says Richard Williams. “Englishman in Berlin here. If there’s anything better than getting in after a night out and watching a Test match I’ve yet to find it. A dunce asks, can we expect all the pitches to be like this for the series or is there some danger of an actual result in a match?”
9.08am GMT
2nd over: England 6-0 (Cook 1, Hameed 4) No surprise that India open with spin, though it’s Jadeja rather than Ashwin. This is such a dangerous session for England. It’s easy to say ‘be positive’ when you’re in your underpants thousands of miles away, but for the man in the arena, or the boy in Hameed’s case, it’s a little tougher. Cook survives a huge shout for LBW from Jadeja’s third ball - Hawkeye shows it was umpire’s call - and drags the next ball into the ground and just over the stumps. To quote the great Scott Murray: it’s on!
9.04am GMT
1st over: England 5-0 (Cook 0, Hameed 4) Mohammed Shami opens the bowling and has a strangled shout for LBW first ball when Alastair Cook walks across his stumps. It was too high. Then Haseeb Hameed, this adorable cross between Geoff Boycott, Gary Neville and Max Fischer, gets going by flicking a leg-stump full toss to the fine-leg boundary.
8.43am GMT
See you in 15 minutes for the evening session, when England will tackle that difficult third innings.
8.42am GMT
Rashid was starting to suffer a bit of abuse, so Cook has turned to Moeen Ali. The move works straight away, with Ashwin chipping him straight to Ansari on the fence at deep midwicket. That ends a lovely innings of 70, and means that England have a lead of 49.
8.38am GMT
161st over: India 488-9 (Ashwin 70, Shami 8) Alastair Cook asks Ben Stokes to end the nonsense. He doesn’t.
8.33am GMT
160th over: India 487-9 (Ashwin 69, Shami 8) Ashwin rocks back to batter Rashid through the covers for four more. England, whose body language has been so admirable, are just starting to let the mask slip. Rashid responds with an excellent flipper that Ashwin almost drags onto the stumps. Ashwin is farming the strike superbly, generally giving Shami just one delivery per over to survive. In this case, Shami uses that one delivery to smash Rashid’s googly to cow corner for six! England’s lead is down to 50; it was 77 when Cook dropped Shami.
8.28am GMT
159th over: India 476-9 (Ashwin 64, Shami 2) Stuart CJ Broad cramps Ashwin with an excellent delivery, but Ashwin improvises to glove it over the leaping Bairstow for four more. I don’t like this. Quasimodo was right. He predicted all this.
8.23am GMT
158th over: India 471-9 (Ashwin 59, Shami 2) A short delivery from Rashid is mauled for four by Ashwin, who then steers another boundary wide of short third man. These are dangerous runs for England to concede, especially after the Shami drop. They lead by 66 AND COULD SKY PLEASE STOP SHOWING DONALD J TRUMP ADVERTS ON THE BLOODY CRICKET I AM TRYING TO IGNORE THE FACT THE WORLD IS OVER.
8.18am GMT
157th over: India 463-9 (Ashwin 50, Shami 3) There are still 133 overs remaining in this match. That’s a lot of china, especially on a turning pitch. This isn’t a nailed-on draw, whatever the scorecard might suggest. India’s innings should be all over but Cook has dropped Shami off Broad, a routine chance at slip. That’s very unlike Cook. It really was a sitter. Broad is too tired to moan, or get up in Cook’s grille like Noel Shempsky.
8.12am GMT
156th over: India 460-9 (Ashwin 49, Shami 1) Rashid got a five-for on his debut against Pakistan but this would be a proper five-for, hard earned across three days. This could - could - be the moment he starts to feel comfortable in Test cricket because he has bowled extremely well.
8.10am GMT
A skiddy delivery from Rashid beats Yadav and scuttles between Bairstow’s legs for four byes. “Megs!” says Mike Atherton on Sky. Rashid is bowling really nicely here, and turns another one past Yadav’s defensive lunge. Yadav decides to sod this defensive lark and has a big yahoo across the line. He slices it up on the off side, and Stokes runs in from cover to take a smart catch.
8.07am GMT
155th over: India 455-8 (Ashwin 49, Yadav 5) Broad is bowling very straight to Yadav, with a soupçon of reverse swing. Yadav defends well and then edges a single to third man. England have already taken out the slip for Yadav, a No10 batsman; that’s a reflection of what they’re working with.
“You beauty, Smyth!” says Ian Copestake. “I knew you had it in you to deliver the bacon. Stay in the zone, lad.”
8.01am GMT
154th over: India 453-8 (Ashwin 47, Yadav 4) The new batsman Yadav does have a first-class century, but he also has a Test average of 8.56. Rashid beats him second ball with a beautiful legspinner; Yadav responds by mowing a boundary over midwicket.
“Morning Rob,” says Guy Hornsby. “I know what you’re thinking, but let’s not ruin this great morning with such stomach-churning talk of A*******. We’re still in with a shout of a 50-run lead, in a Test that will likely immolate shortly, for both sides. Let’s leave the masochism for another session. Let’s talk about Hobart.” Wasn’t that a Salt n Pepa song?
7.58am GMT
That’s a beast of a delivery from Rashid. It kicked viciously at Jadeja, who could only lob it gently to Hameed at short leg. Rashid has had a terrific match and now has the chance of a five-for.
7.56am GMT
153rd over: India 447-7 (Ashwin 47, Jadeja 10) Ashwin plays the most gorgeous cover-drive for four off Broad, and then almost drags an attempted pull onto his stumps. How that bounced over the stumps, I don’t know. Broad, who has done 26 overs’ hard labour, looks wryly down the pitch, too weary to spit out a popular four-letter word.
7.50am GMT
152nd over: India 443-7 (Ashwin 43, Jadeja 10) Adil Rashid, who has had his best Test, comes into the attack. Jadeja comes into the attack as well, jumping from his bunker to drive a sweet six back over Rashid’s head.
“Do ‘you guys’ keep tabs on how many wickets you oversee in a session?” says Ian Copestake. “Hope you are a good omen, Smyth.”
7.45am GMT
Morning all. There’s an elephant in this room; goes by the name of Adelaide. With this Rajkot pitch starting to show its deviant side, England might have to work hard to avoid the kind of third-innings sting that traumatised us all ten years ago. A first-innings lead of 60 or 70 would be very handy.
7.43am GMT
151st over: India 436-7 (Ashwin 43, Jadeja 4) Broad just unnerves Jadeja a touch by landing the first of the over on a crack. It stays a touch low and angles back in further as a result, missing off-stump by a few centimetres. The next three are all tighter, and defended. The last two are left alone. That’s another maiden.
And that’s drinks. It’s Rob Smyth’s turn now, so keep him company through until the close. I will be back at stupid o’clock tomorrow morning to take you through the first half of the final day. Bye!
7.38am GMT
150th over: India 436-7 (Ashwin 43, Jadeja 4) Moeen sidles in for England’s 150th (one hundred and fiftieth) over in the dirt. They’re going to be achey. He bowls three dots to Jadeja and then gets one to rip and rag past the outside edge. Wowzer. Next is a single to long-on, then Mo goes round the wicket to Ashwin, and it’s a dot. An over until drinks I reckon, when I will hand the keys to Hotel OBO to the infinitely superior Rob Smyth.
7.35am GMT
149th over: India 435-7 (Ashwin 43, Jadeja 3) “Time for another comedy wicket, no? It’s been too long without one,” writes Ian Copestake.
Alastair Cook is obviously listening, because he’s brought back the king of comedy cricket, one SCJ Broad. Vic wanted a spinner, and so did I, but mustn’t grumble. Broad is great in every way. Including bowling maidens: he starts his new spell with six dots to Ashwin,
BOSH! @natsciver is clobbering it all over the place in Colombo for #EngWomen v Sri Lanka, 50 for her off just 24 balls. Keep going Sciv! pic.twitter.com/MrChzaqCq0
7.30am GMT
A glorious first day in Hobart has ended, by the way. Russ Jackson has wrapped it all up here. Basically, South Africa have double the runs for half the wickets and that, my friend, makes for a great day.
Related: Australia end disastrous first day 86 runs behind Proteas - as it happened
7.29am GMT
148th over: India 435-7 (Ashwin 43, Jadeja 3) England have a few men under Ashwin’s nose and I don’t reckon he likes it much. But he gets his single, sending Mo to long-on, then Jadeja defends the last of the over.
7.26am GMT
147th over: India 434-7 (Ashwin 42, Jadeja 3) Ashwin takes Woakes for two then one. He goes around the wicket to the leftie Jadeja and it works well until he is flicked through midwicket for a couple to end the over. Vic on the radio wants a second spinner on, and I agree.
Beefy gets a lot of stick for his repetitive commentary, but he’s just told a great story about scaring Sunil Gavaskar with a dog, to the extent the Little Master hid in a phone box in Taunton. That’s the gist of it, at least. What is Beefy like?
7.21am GMT
146th over: India 429-7 (Ashwin 39, Jadeja 1) Jadeja’s presence serves as a reminder of the great japes we’ll have as soon as Jimmy is fit again. He’s given the strike immediately by Ashwin, then hands it back with a scampered single to mid-on to get off the mark. After another Ashwin single, Jadeja and his stickerless bat defends Mo’s last ball staunchly.
7.18am GMT
145th over: India 426-7 (Ashwin 37, Jadeja 0) Woakes bowls five dots - 12 on the spin for him - and then squares Ashwin up a little with the last of the over. It runs off to third man for a maiden-wrecking single. Jadeja’s with him - that stand was worth 64. Important breakthrough from Mo.
Ian Copestake is in touch and he’s talking sense. “Any talk of draws,” he says, “ignores the possibility of this pitch dropping its trousers to all and sundry and crumbling to dust. It is all a case of who gets to experience the crumbling first or last.”
7.13am GMT
144th over: India 425-7 (Ashwin 36) As the Sky cameras hone in on Steven Finn playing with Jimmy Anderson’s ear on the subs’ bench, Saha plays a rather odd shot to Moeen. There’s a mid-on, and a wide long-on, but he goes downtown for one. Can’t be a high percentage on that, but it lands safe. Ashwin - silly point in now - tries to lap sweep but England are alive to it, and he misses anyway.
After a single, Saha plays that shot again, but gets to the pitch better and gets four. Far more convincing.
7.07am GMT
143rd over: India 419-6 (Ashwin 35, Saha 30) Chris Woakes continues, and this time he has a silly mid-on, because why the hell not? England are angling it in at him, it seems. All six of the deliveries are aimed at his pads, and all six are dots. That’s the second maiden of the day.
7.02am GMT
142nd over: India 419-6 (Ashwin 35, Saha 30) Ashwin camps back to Moeen’s second ball and is struck on the pad - Bairstow likes it a lot and lets out a yelp of an appeal. But he’s hit it, and Moeen knows it. Dharmasena says no. There’s a nice very late cut for one, then two dots to Louis Saha.
6.59am GMT
141st over: India 418-6 (Ashwin 34, Saha 30) Woakes’s over is a good one. There are four dots, then a nice enough slower ball which Ashwin just waits for and leans into a lovely cover drive. It’s not timed perfectly but finds the gap and they scamper three. Dot to finish. Ashwin is proper.
A tweet from Andrew Benton:
@willis_macp Willers - 90% chance of a draw now? In the next test, England will really need to find some bowling "bite", to gobble up India.
6.54am GMT
140th over: India 415-6 (Ashwin 31, Saha 30) On Mo rolls. There’s just one from this over too, a single to long-on for Mr R Ashwin. Moeen finds some significant turn, which will please that particular batsman no end.
6.52am GMT
139th over: India 414-6 (Ashwin 30, Saha 30) Woakes into the attack. He bowled three overs first thing but was a bit preoccupied with short stuff to be too dangerous. This over concedes just one run (to Ashwin), but the moment of note is when Saha is sconed on the helmet. Woakes digs it in and it doesn’t get up much - Saha’s technique is poor, turning his head and ducking into the ball. It hits him on the helmet over the ear. He carries on.
There was a bit of tension between Stokes and Ashwin before lunch, by the way. Kohli visited the match referee during the interval. More as we get it.
6.46am GMT
138th over: India 413-6 (Ashwin 29, Saha 30) Moeen to kick us off after lunch, and it’s a fine over. Saha picks a single off the first ball but then he’s on the money against Ashwin, forcing him to come forward against his will. There’s one more single.
“Afternoon from Brisbane Will,” writes Phil Withall, “(a storm seems to have driven us all to the OBO).”
6.43am GMT
As the sun begins to come up in London, the afternoon session starts in Rajkot.
Need to pass 2 minutes 15 seconds? I’ve an idea:
The best bits from the morning session are here... and there were plenty from a @OfficialCSA perspective #AUSvSA https://t.co/agmKAKqAHa
6.35am GMT
Barney Ronay’s written about Stuart Broad, and it’s as classy as you’d expect.
Related: An ode to Stuart Broad: England’s underrated, but best, big-time bowler | Barney Ronay
6.17am GMT
Rohit’s had an op.
NEWS ALERT - #TeamIndia batsman @ImRo45 undergoes successful surgery in London, to be discharged in the next 24 hours pic.twitter.com/yxXemg41gD
6.08am GMT
So that was a fine session of Test cricket. India added 92 to their total, and England picked up the key wickets of Rahane and Kohli in quick succession, both in fairly funny fashion. Kohli trod on his stumps, the amateur. England are still 126 ahead.
An email from Kimberley Thonger!
6.02am GMT
137th over: India 411-6 (Ashwin 29, Saha 29) Stokes is shaking his head as the third ball of the fifth over of his spell is edged past Joe Root, who is standing in that close slip under the lid position that England like. That single brings up the 50 partnership. It’s been a very important one, and it’s whittled the lead down to 126 at lunch on day four.
5.58am GMT
136th over: India 409-6 (Ashwin 28, Saha 28) Moeen Ali’s on for his first trundle of the day, and it’ll probably be his only over before the lunchbreak. His first two turn plenty, and Ashwin takes a single to point off the second. Saha is then beaten on the front foot, but he plays out four dots without great alarm. One more before the break I reckon.
5.54am GMT
135th over: India 408-6 (Ashwin 27, Saha 28) That’s a maiden from Stokes to Saha. By my reckoning, that’s the first of the morning.
5.50am GMT
134th over: India 408-6 (Ashwin 27, Saha 28) Rash is into the 10th over of his spell, and you’d think he’ll get a couple in before lunch, even though he is tiring. There are four singles from the over, and these two are just happily ticking along. Very important stand.
5.46am GMT
133rd over: India 404-6 (Ashwin 25, Saha 26) Just quietly, this partnership is into the 40s. It has one added to it as Ashwin turns Stokes to third man for one. Saha plays out five dots, including a ripsnorter of a yorker that could easily have crept through his defences. 14 minutes until luncheon.
Ant in Brisbane has been in touch. Like me, he’s enjoying this test and loving the other one.
5.41am GMT
132nd over: India 403-6 (Ashwin 24, Saha 26) Whack! Saha skips down - as he tried to in the last over - and sends Rashid over his head for six. That takes Saha past Ashwin and India past 400. There’s a single for each of them before the over is out.
5.38am GMT
131st over: India 395-6 (Ashwin 23, Saha 19) Stokes into his third. Ashwin, after a very fine start, has become a little bogged down, but he gets an easy single with a push to midwicket. Saha turns the last ball of the over to fine-leg and that’s another single.
5.34am GMT
130th over: India 393-6 (Ashwin 22, Saha 18) Rashid wheels away. He bowls a horrid ball that Saha hoicks through midwicket for two, with Ansari doing well to prevent four. Then he skips down, skies it over mid-on but it’s not timed at all so he doesn’t get four.
5.31am GMT
129th over: India 389-6 (Ashwin 22, Saha 14) There are two runs from Stokes’ over: a dab to third man off the first ball, then a bye from a horrible short ball off the last. Bairstow did well to keep it to one bye. The stuff in between was decent.
Correspondence from Jackson Whitton:
5.27am GMT
128th over: India 387-6 (Ashwin 21, Saha 16) Rashid is bowling nicely here. It’s turning a bit and his natural pace is working. After Ashwin takes a single, Saha is a bit lucky to get a couple of byes when he completely misses a sweep, the ball balloons up and over slip’s head. It’s doing a bit, and if I were Cook - thank the lord, for your sakes, that I’m not - I would get an extra catcher in, perhaps at legslip.
5.23am GMT
127th over: India 384-6 (Ashwin 20, Saha 14) Stokes is into the attack for the first time this morning replacing Ansari. His second ball is edged by Louis Saha and it flies fast between Bairstow and Cook at first slip and runs away for four. Did that carry? Was it a chance? It looks like it did, but was just out of YJB’s reach. Mmm. There are two more singles from the over.
5.19am GMT
126th over: India 378-6 (Ashwin 19, Saha 9) Another of these overs with just a couple from it. Four dots (well bowled Rash) then Ashwin cuts to backward point, where Broad does well to dive and save three. Somehow he’s cut himself on the outfield there - he’s going off to get a bit of claret cleaned up. The last ball is pushed by Louis to mid-off and they run a single.
5.14am GMT
125th over: India 376-6 (Ashwin 18, Saha 8) Ansari and Rashid are both bowling well but can’t quite find a maiden. Take this one from Zafar. There are five dots, but the fourth ball is just stabbed into the offside for one to turn the strike over.
5.12am GMT
124th over: India 375-6 (Ashwin 17, Saha 8) That really was a beltingly bad review. He literally middled it. Oh well. Ashwin takes a single to the offside sweeper, then Saha does his nice little cramped sweep into space and they take two. Louis leaves the last.
Another email! It’s Gormless Git Gav.
5.08am GMT
Interesting one this. Ashwin has defended forward with bat and pad together to Rashid and both bowler and keeper think it’s hit pad first. It definitely hasn’t. Cook’s optimistic review backfires.
5.06am GMT
123rd over: India 372-6 (Ashwin 16, Saha 6) More Ansari. Saha defends off the back foot, then pushes to off for one. Ashwin, who is camping back to everything, finally comes forward and takes one to leg, then Saha sweeps softly and fine for a couple. Cheeky, I like it. The last is well defended off the back foot.
Shiv’s been in touch with some deep thinking during the drinks break.
You're not the only one Andrew - the last hit wicket dismissal in Tests was two years ago when Pakistan's Shehzad got out v New Zealand https://t.co/wjFHSMKGF9
5.01am GMT
122nd over: India 368-6 (Ashwin 15, Saha 3) Louis looks very uncomfortable. After one spits, takes the shoulder of the bat and runs away past Duckett at slip for two, he has a big drive and misses. Later in the over there is a big grope forward, but Rashid drops short with the last one and is cut for one.
And that’ll be drinks.
@willis_macp you're not on your own - I'm following both matches from a steamy Manila
4.58am GMT
121st over: India 365-6 (Ashwin 15, Saha 0) Poor from Ansari, who drops very short and is cut for four by Ashwin. Four dot balls follow it.
England’s lead is 172, by the way, and we have played about an hour. Poised.
4.56am GMT
120th over: India 361-6 (Ashwin 11, Saha 0) Earlier in the over, Ashwin had turned round the corner and Hameed had beaten Bairstow in a foot race - no mean feat - but they run two. Following a single, silly Kohli goes and treads on his stumps. Saha (Louis, surely?) plays out three dots.
An email! The first of the day! It’s from “smug Dave in Perth”.
4.53am GMT
Oh wow! Kohli’s trodden on his stumps! He’s rocked back to pull Rashid and his back foot has just got the tiniest touch on the base of the stumps. Scenes! He’s gone for 40! India are 361-6...
4.49am GMT
119th over: India 358-5 (Kohli 40, Ashwin 8) Ansari drags down and Ashwin stylishly cuts him through point for four. Then there’s a single to the man posted to plug that gap. Five from the over.
4.47am GMT
118th over: India 353-5 (Kohli 40, Ashwin 3) Rash gets one to turn big at Ashwin in this over, which is encouraging for both of them, to be honest. There are two singles from the over.
Gary’s enjoying this as much as I am (although I note that Mitchell Starc is ruining the fun). The Ashes are almost exactly a year away. Should be a cracker - schedule announced on 1 December, by the way.
@willis_macp @guardian shocking news indeed, when are The Ashes again?!
4.44am GMT
117th over: India 351-5 (Kohli 39, Ashwin 2) One ball to come, and Ashwin calmly turns it to leg for two. Important wicket. “Game on,” says Ian Botham, as if you’d challenged him to a pint-off.
4.42am GMT
Double change as Ansari returns. It is just turning a little and after Kohli takes a single, Rahane is watchful before cutting for two when Zafar drops a touch short. And now he’s out! He’s gone back when he probably shouldn’t have done and he’s been bowled - played on perhaps? Off the pad, maybe. Anyway, he’s tried to play across the line and got it very wrong. It’s 349-5.
4.38am GMT
116th over: India 346-4 (Kohli 38, Rahane 11) After three overs of Broad, it’s time for some Adil Rashid! He had one of his best days in whites for England yesterday, bowling with lovely control. Think this track suits him a bit better than the wild turners of Bangladesh, and he bowled more googlies. Kohli twice milks him with singles to long-off, and Rahane cuts one to the off-side sweeper.
Then wowzer. Byes. Four of them. This kicks and bounces and goes through at shoulder height between Bairstow and Duckett and runs away for four. Not much they could have done really.
4.34am GMT
115th over: India 339-4 (Kohli 36, Rahane 10) More Woakes. England like the short ball this morning, but it costs two more singles this over. He goes around the wicket with the last ball, and this short telegraphed short ball costs four. Great shot from Rahane, just past Root as short square-leg and away to the fence.
Francis has been in touch, largely talking sense. I prefer to dwell on the bit about Australia being bad at batting, mind.
@willis_macp lol - still waiting for the @bbctms team to mention it. Looks like a great SA bowling performance above all.
4.29am GMT
114th over: India 333-4 (Kohli 35, Rahane 5) Funky field for Broad to Kohli, which is a cracking battle. There are three men - Root, Stokes and Duckett - close in on the offside to tempt the drive. After one delivery, we inspect the ball. It’s being changed.
It produces three dots, then quite a curious but very sexy drive through mid-off for four. I reckon Kohli wanted to send that closer to mid-on but under-wristed it in and it whistles past Broad’s left hand and runs away to the fence. Lovely.
4.21am GMT
113th over: India 329-4 (Kohli 31, Rahane 5) Woakes continues and Kohli isn’t taking any risks early on. Woakes pulls out another short ball with the penultimate ball of the over, and Kohli pulls rather uncomfortably, and gets one to Rashid at fine leg.
How did that go for you, Diva?
Good fun helping a few old mates in Hobart today! https://t.co/0j5JhK2heI
4.16am GMT
112th over: India 328-4 (Kohli 30, Rahane 5) There you go, Stuart Broad. He gets a leg-cutter to grip and move away from Rahane, but in truth it’s a little wide to be properly dangerous. He has a whoosh at the next but misses, then defends a couple. A short ball - the third to Rahane - follows. England have done their homework, it seems, as he struggled with the bouncer in the recent series against New Zealand. The last is also a touch short, and he pulls to Ansari at deep-square and they scamper two.
He he he
Lunch Aus 6-43
Tea RSA 0-43
Hmmm.
4.11am GMT
111th over: India 326-4 (Kohli 30, Rahane 3) Woakes is replacing Ansari. The feeling is that there’s a lot more for the seamers than the spinners first thing. It’s only 9.39am there. The Wizard bowls four uneventful dots then, like Broad, drops a bit short to Rahane, and is simply pulled to the man in the deep. Kohli leaves the last.
4.06am GMT
110th over: India 325-4 (Kohli 30, Rahane 2) Broad from the other end. Think he’s going to do that bowling-dry-bowling-cutters thing again. He starts with a couple of wide ones that Rahane happily leaves. There’s a crack there, but I’m not sure he’s aiming for it. The fourth is shorter, and pulled to the man at deep-square for one. Kohli defends the fourth then leans into a cover drive to finish the over with a lovely four... Shot sir.
4.02am GMT
109th over: India 320-4 (Kohli 26, Rahane 1) Ansari’s right on the money for his first two, and Rahane defends exquisitely into the offside. But the bowler drifts onto leg with the last ball of the over and is milked for a single. Rahane off the mark.
3.59am GMT
The umpires are on the way out in Rajkot. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are hot on their heels, and the crowd are blooming loving it. Zafar Ansari is going to have an over to complete - he dismissed the nightwatchman Amit Mishra with the third ball of his 18th last night, and stumps were promptly called. Ansari has three Test wickets, and two of them have ended a day’s play. This is his first fourth day in a Test match, mind...
3.55am GMT
Ha! I just remembered that South Africa bowled Australia out for 85 while I was asleep.
3.53am GMT
I don’t know whether you saw this yesterday, but it turns out when Che Pujara was at Yorkshire, they just called him Steve, because none of them could say Cheteshwar.
@the_topspin Is it not his name..?
Related: Cheteshwar Pujara: India’s local hero digs in for impressive century | Ali Martin
3.50am GMT
The start in Rajkot is about 10 minutes away. The lads on Sky, unsurprisingly (but utterly correctly), reckon it’s a massive first hour. After Kohli and Rahane - who will likely be racing to become the game’s sixth centurion - come Ashwin, Saha, then the bowlers. It’s concurrently both a long tail, and a very strong one too. Jadeja, after all, has three first-class triple-tons, which is a lot of runs.
3.49am GMT
I’m not the only one enjoying this.
Looks like Nathan Lyon has Sri Lanka at least one country up on Australia pic.twitter.com/5j48rAFMt1
3.48am GMT
Russell Jackson was the lucky man tasked with OBOing Australia’s collapse. Smith made a few, but only one other fella made it to 10, the debutant bowler Joe Mennie. My word, this is perfect.
Related: Australia v South Africa: second Test, first day – live!
3.46am GMT
Well good morning, folks. And what a good morning it is.
Why, I hear you ask, is it quite such a fine morning? I mean, it is, after all, 3.42am as I type, on a Saturday, of all days. I’m here to talk you through a mildly intriguing game, but one that is being played on a pitch that is likely to produce a draw.
5.46pm GMT
Will will be along shortly. In the meantime, here’s Ali Martin on Cheteshwar Pujara’s home-ground hundred:
Cheteshwar Pujara is the local hero here in Rajkot. On the third day of the first Test hosted by the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, and with his father-cum-coach Arvind watching on in person for the first time, it was somehow fitting that his was the first hundred scored by an Indian batsman on the ground.
If such layers of additional meaning upped the pressure on Pujara, the No3 showed little of it on 99 when calmly dropping Chris Woakes’ third delivery with the new ball after tea into the off side before haring down the wicket, lifting bat and helmet to his team-mates, his father and the 7,000 or so present for this particular slice of history.
Continue reading...India v England, first Test: day four – live!
9.22am GMT
5th over: England 15-0 (Cook 8, Hameed 6) Cook’s jittery innings continues with a loose pull shot off Shami that falls just short of Pujara, running in from deep square leg. He was slightly slow to react and it came to him on the bounce. Hameed has looked really good so far. It’s only 16 deliveries but his serenity, and the straightness of his bat, have been admirable in such fraught circumstances.
“What’s all the Quasimodo stuff?” asks John Starbuck. “Did you mean Nostradamus, who did actually exist, even if he was not noted for his cricket forecasting? Quasimodo was noted for bell-ringing, so he could have started the day’s play at Lord’s, but not much else. If he was a real person. Though if he had been, he’d be dead by now.”
9.17am GMT
4th over: England 14-0 (Cook 7, Hameed 6) At the moment, every Jadeja delivery is an event. There’s a Warneish theatre, with oohs and aahs even when Cook works one off the pads to fine leg for four. Those oohs are rather more legitimate when Cook gloves a vicious delivery just wide of the leaping, yelping Vijay at short leg. Thus far Hameed looks like the man with 135 Tests and Cook the boy on his debut. Hameed is going to be an alternative superstar.
9.14am GMT
3rd over: England 8-0 (Cook 2, Hameed 5) After that menacing start from Jadeja, Shami’s over already feels like filler until Ashwin comes on. And so it is, with a couple of runs from it.
“Morning everybody,” says Richard Williams. “Englishman in Berlin here. If there’s anything better than getting in after a night out and watching a Test match I’ve yet to find it. A dunce asks, can we expect all the pitches to be like this for the series or is there some danger of an actual result in a match?”
9.08am GMT
2nd over: England 6-0 (Cook 1, Hameed 4) No surprise that India open with spin, though it’s Jadeja rather than Ashwin. This is such a dangerous session for England. It’s easy to say ‘be positive’ when you’re in your underpants thousands of miles away, but for the man in the arena, or the boy in Hameed’s case, it’s a little tougher. Cook survives a huge shout for LBW from Jadeja’s third ball - Hawkeye shows it was umpire’s call - and drags the next ball into the ground and just over the stumps. To quote the great Scott Murray: it’s on!
9.04am GMT
1st over: England 5-0 (Cook 0, Hameed 4) Mohammed Shami opens the bowling and has a strangled shout for LBW first ball when Alastair Cook walks across his stumps. It was too high. Then Haseeb Hameed, this adorable cross between Geoff Boycott, Gary Neville and Max Fischer, gets going by flicking a leg-stump full toss to the fine-leg boundary.
8.43am GMT
See you in 15 minutes for the evening session, when England will tackle that difficult third innings.
8.42am GMT
Rashid was starting to suffer a bit of abuse, so Cook has turned to Moeen Ali. The move works straight away, with Ashwin chipping him straight to Ansari on the fence at deep midwicket. That ends a lovely innings of 70, and means that England have a lead of 49.
8.38am GMT
161st over: India 488-9 (Ashwin 70, Shami 8) Alastair Cook asks Ben Stokes to end the nonsense. He doesn’t.
8.33am GMT
160th over: India 487-9 (Ashwin 69, Shami 8) Ashwin rocks back to batter Rashid through the covers for four more. England, whose body language has been so admirable, are just starting to let the mask slip. Rashid responds with an excellent flipper that Ashwin almost drags onto the stumps. Ashwin is farming the strike superbly, generally giving Shami just one delivery per over to survive. In this case, Shami uses that one delivery to smash Rashid’s googly to cow corner for six! England’s lead is down to 50; it was 77 when Cook dropped Shami.
8.28am GMT
159th over: India 476-9 (Ashwin 64, Shami 2) Stuart CJ Broad cramps Ashwin with an excellent delivery, but Ashwin improvises to glove it over the leaping Bairstow for four more. I don’t like this. Quasimodo was right. He predicted all this.
8.23am GMT
158th over: India 471-9 (Ashwin 59, Shami 2) A short delivery from Rashid is mauled for four by Ashwin, who then steers another boundary wide of short third man. These are dangerous runs for England to concede, especially after the Shami drop. They lead by 66 AND COULD SKY PLEASE STOP SHOWING DONALD J TRUMP ADVERTS ON THE BLOODY CRICKET I AM TRYING TO IGNORE THE FACT THE WORLD IS OVER.
8.18am GMT
157th over: India 463-9 (Ashwin 50, Shami 3) There are still 133 overs remaining in this match. That’s a lot of china, especially on a turning pitch. This isn’t a nailed-on draw, whatever the scorecard might suggest. India’s innings should be all over but Cook has dropped Shami off Broad, a routine chance at slip. That’s very unlike Cook. It really was a sitter. Broad is too tired to moan, or get up in Cook’s grille like Noel Shempsky.
8.12am GMT
156th over: India 460-9 (Ashwin 49, Shami 1) Rashid got a five-for on his debut against Pakistan but this would be a proper five-for, hard earned across three days. This could - could - be the moment he starts to feel comfortable in Test cricket because he has bowled extremely well.
8.10am GMT
A skiddy delivery from Rashid beats Yadav and scuttles between Bairstow’s legs for four byes. “Megs!” says Mike Atherton on Sky. Rashid is bowling really nicely here, and turns another one past Yadav’s defensive lunge. Yadav decides to sod this defensive lark and has a big yahoo across the line. He slices it up on the off side, and Stokes runs in from cover to take a smart catch.
8.07am GMT
155th over: India 455-8 (Ashwin 49, Yadav 5) Broad is bowling very straight to Yadav, with a soupçon of reverse swing. Yadav defends well and then edges a single to third man. England have already taken out the slip for Yadav, a No10 batsman; that’s a reflection of what they’re working with.
“You beauty, Smyth!” says Ian Copestake. “I knew you had it in you to deliver the bacon. Stay in the zone, lad.”
8.01am GMT
154th over: India 453-8 (Ashwin 47, Yadav 4) The new batsman Yadav does have a first-class century, but he also has a Test average of 8.56. Rashid beats him second ball with a beautiful legspinner; Yadav responds by mowing a boundary over midwicket.
“Morning Rob,” says Guy Hornsby. “I know what you’re thinking, but let’s not ruin this great morning with such stomach-churning talk of A*******. We’re still in with a shout of a 50-run lead, in a Test that will likely immolate shortly, for both sides. Let’s leave the masochism for another session. Let’s talk about Hobart.” Wasn’t that a Salt n Pepa song?
7.58am GMT
That’s a beast of a delivery from Rashid. It kicked viciously at Jadeja, who could only lob it gently to Hameed at short leg. Rashid has had a terrific match and now has the chance of a five-for.
7.56am GMT
153rd over: India 447-7 (Ashwin 47, Jadeja 10) Ashwin plays the most gorgeous cover-drive for four off Broad, and then almost drags an attempted pull onto his stumps. How that bounced over the stumps, I don’t know. Broad, who has done 26 overs’ hard labour, looks wryly down the pitch, too weary to spit out a popular four-letter word.
7.50am GMT
152nd over: India 443-7 (Ashwin 43, Jadeja 10) Adil Rashid, who has had his best Test, comes into the attack. Jadeja comes into the attack as well, jumping from his bunker to drive a sweet six back over Rashid’s head.
“Do ‘you guys’ keep tabs on how many wickets you oversee in a session?” says Ian Copestake. “Hope you are a good omen, Smyth.”
7.45am GMT
Morning all. There’s an elephant in this room; goes by the name of Adelaide. With this Rajkot pitch starting to show its deviant side, England might have to work hard to avoid the kind of third-innings sting that traumatised us all ten years ago. A first-innings lead of 60 or 70 would be very handy.
7.43am GMT
151st over: India 436-7 (Ashwin 43, Jadeja 4) Broad just unnerves Jadeja a touch by landing the first of the over on a crack. It stays a touch low and angles back in further as a result, missing off-stump by a few centimetres. The next three are all tighter, and defended. The last two are left alone. That’s another maiden.
And that’s drinks. It’s Rob Smyth’s turn now, so keep him company through until the close. I will be back at stupid o’clock tomorrow morning to take you through the first half of the final day. Bye!
7.38am GMT
150th over: India 436-7 (Ashwin 43, Jadeja 4) Moeen sidles in for England’s 150th (one hundred and fiftieth) over in the dirt. They’re going to be achey. He bowls three dots to Jadeja and then gets one to rip and rag past the outside edge. Wowzer. Next is a single to long-on, then Mo goes round the wicket to Ashwin, and it’s a dot. An over until drinks I reckon, when I will hand the keys to Hotel OBO to the infinitely superior Rob Smyth.
7.35am GMT
149th over: India 435-7 (Ashwin 43, Jadeja 3) “Time for another comedy wicket, no? It’s been too long without one,” writes Ian Copestake.
Alastair Cook is obviously listening, because he’s brought back the king of comedy cricket, one SCJ Broad. Vic wanted a spinner, and so did I, but mustn’t grumble. Broad is great in every way. Including bowling maidens: he starts his new spell with six dots to Ashwin,
BOSH! @natsciver is clobbering it all over the place in Colombo for #EngWomen v Sri Lanka, 50 for her off just 24 balls. Keep going Sciv! pic.twitter.com/MrChzaqCq0
7.30am GMT
A glorious first day in Hobart has ended, by the way. Russ Jackson has wrapped it all up here. Basically, South Africa have double the runs for half the wickets and that, my friend, makes for a great day.
Related: Australia end disastrous first day 86 runs behind Proteas - as it happened
7.29am GMT
148th over: India 435-7 (Ashwin 43, Jadeja 3) England have a few men under Ashwin’s nose and I don’t reckon he likes it much. But he gets his single, sending Mo to long-on, then Jadeja defends the last of the over.
7.26am GMT
147th over: India 434-7 (Ashwin 42, Jadeja 3) Ashwin takes Woakes for two then one. He goes around the wicket to the leftie Jadeja and it works well until he is flicked through midwicket for a couple to end the over. Vic on the radio wants a second spinner on, and I agree.
Beefy gets a lot of stick for his repetitive commentary, but he’s just told a great story about scaring Sunil Gavaskar with a dog, to the extent the Little Master hid in a phone box in Taunton. That’s the gist of it, at least. What is Beefy like?
7.21am GMT
146th over: India 429-7 (Ashwin 39, Jadeja 1) Jadeja’s presence serves as a reminder of the great japes we’ll have as soon as Jimmy is fit again. He’s given the strike immediately by Ashwin, then hands it back with a scampered single to mid-on to get off the mark. After another Ashwin single, Jadeja and his stickerless bat defends Mo’s last ball staunchly.
7.18am GMT
145th over: India 426-7 (Ashwin 37, Jadeja 0) Woakes bowls five dots - 12 on the spin for him - and then squares Ashwin up a little with the last of the over. It runs off to third man for a maiden-wrecking single. Jadeja’s with him - that stand was worth 64. Important breakthrough from Mo.
Ian Copestake is in touch and he’s talking sense. “Any talk of draws,” he says, “ignores the possibility of this pitch dropping its trousers to all and sundry and crumbling to dust. It is all a case of who gets to experience the crumbling first or last.”
7.13am GMT
144th over: India 425-7 (Ashwin 36) As the Sky cameras hone in on Steven Finn playing with Jimmy Anderson’s ear on the subs’ bench, Saha plays a rather odd shot to Moeen. There’s a mid-on, and a wide long-on, but he goes downtown for one. Can’t be a high percentage on that, but it lands safe. Ashwin - silly point in now - tries to lap sweep but England are alive to it, and he misses anyway.
After a single, Saha plays that shot again, but gets to the pitch better and gets four. Far more convincing.
7.07am GMT
143rd over: India 419-6 (Ashwin 35, Saha 30) Chris Woakes continues, and this time he has a silly mid-on, because why the hell not? England are angling it in at him, it seems. All six of the deliveries are aimed at his pads, and all six are dots. That’s the second maiden of the day.
7.02am GMT
142nd over: India 419-6 (Ashwin 35, Saha 30) Ashwin camps back to Moeen’s second ball and is struck on the pad - Bairstow likes it a lot and lets out a yelp of an appeal. But he’s hit it, and Moeen knows it. Dharmasena says no. There’s a nice very late cut for one, then two dots to Louis Saha.
6.59am GMT
141st over: India 418-6 (Ashwin 34, Saha 30) Woakes’s over is a good one. There are four dots, then a nice enough slower ball which Ashwin just waits for and leans into a lovely cover drive. It’s not timed perfectly but finds the gap and they scamper three. Dot to finish. Ashwin is proper.
A tweet from Andrew Benton:
@willis_macp Willers - 90% chance of a draw now? In the next test, England will really need to find some bowling "bite", to gobble up India.
6.54am GMT
140th over: India 415-6 (Ashwin 31, Saha 30) On Mo rolls. There’s just one from this over too, a single to long-on for Mr R Ashwin. Moeen finds some significant turn, which will please that particular batsman no end.
6.52am GMT
139th over: India 414-6 (Ashwin 30, Saha 30) Woakes into the attack. He bowled three overs first thing but was a bit preoccupied with short stuff to be too dangerous. This over concedes just one run (to Ashwin), but the moment of note is when Saha is sconed on the helmet. Woakes digs it in and it doesn’t get up much - Saha’s technique is poor, turning his head and ducking into the ball. It hits him on the helmet over the ear. He carries on.
There was a bit of tension between Stokes and Ashwin before lunch, by the way. Kohli visited the match referee during the interval. More as we get it.
6.46am GMT
138th over: India 413-6 (Ashwin 29, Saha 30) Moeen to kick us off after lunch, and it’s a fine over. Saha picks a single off the first ball but then he’s on the money against Ashwin, forcing him to come forward against his will. There’s one more single.
“Afternoon from Brisbane Will,” writes Phil Withall, “(a storm seems to have driven us all to the OBO).”
6.43am GMT
As the sun begins to come up in London, the afternoon session starts in Rajkot.
Need to pass 2 minutes 15 seconds? I’ve an idea:
The best bits from the morning session are here... and there were plenty from a @OfficialCSA perspective #AUSvSA https://t.co/agmKAKqAHa
6.35am GMT
Barney Ronay’s written about Stuart Broad, and it’s as classy as you’d expect.
Related: An ode to Stuart Broad: England’s underrated, but best, big-time bowler | Barney Ronay
6.17am GMT
Rohit’s had an op.
NEWS ALERT - #TeamIndia batsman @ImRo45 undergoes successful surgery in London, to be discharged in the next 24 hours pic.twitter.com/yxXemg41gD
6.08am GMT
So that was a fine session of Test cricket. India added 92 to their total, and England picked up the key wickets of Rahane and Kohli in quick succession, both in fairly funny fashion. Kohli trod on his stumps, the amateur. England are still 126 ahead.
An email from Kimberley Thonger!
6.02am GMT
137th over: India 411-6 (Ashwin 29, Saha 29) Stokes is shaking his head as the third ball of the fifth over of his spell is edged past Joe Root, who is standing in that close slip under the lid position that England like. That single brings up the 50 partnership. It’s been a very important one, and it’s whittled the lead down to 126 at lunch on day four.
5.58am GMT
136th over: India 409-6 (Ashwin 28, Saha 28) Moeen Ali’s on for his first trundle of the day, and it’ll probably be his only over before the lunchbreak. His first two turn plenty, and Ashwin takes a single to point off the second. Saha is then beaten on the front foot, but he plays out four dots without great alarm. One more before the break I reckon.
5.54am GMT
135th over: India 408-6 (Ashwin 27, Saha 28) That’s a maiden from Stokes to Saha. By my reckoning, that’s the first of the morning.
5.50am GMT
134th over: India 408-6 (Ashwin 27, Saha 28) Rash is into the 10th over of his spell, and you’d think he’ll get a couple in before lunch, even though he is tiring. There are four singles from the over, and these two are just happily ticking along. Very important stand.
5.46am GMT
133rd over: India 404-6 (Ashwin 25, Saha 26) Just quietly, this partnership is into the 40s. It has one added to it as Ashwin turns Stokes to third man for one. Saha plays out five dots, including a ripsnorter of a yorker that could easily have crept through his defences. 14 minutes until luncheon.
Ant in Brisbane has been in touch. Like me, he’s enjoying this test and loving the other one.
5.41am GMT
132nd over: India 403-6 (Ashwin 24, Saha 26) Whack! Saha skips down - as he tried to in the last over - and sends Rashid over his head for six. That takes Saha past Ashwin and India past 400. There’s a single for each of them before the over is out.
5.38am GMT
131st over: India 395-6 (Ashwin 23, Saha 19) Stokes into his third. Ashwin, after a very fine start, has become a little bogged down, but he gets an easy single with a push to midwicket. Saha turns the last ball of the over to fine-leg and that’s another single.
5.34am GMT
130th over: India 393-6 (Ashwin 22, Saha 18) Rashid wheels away. He bowls a horrid ball that Saha hoicks through midwicket for two, with Ansari doing well to prevent four. Then he skips down, skies it over mid-on but it’s not timed at all so he doesn’t get four.
5.31am GMT
129th over: India 389-6 (Ashwin 22, Saha 14) There are two runs from Stokes’ over: a dab to third man off the first ball, then a bye from a horrible short ball off the last. Bairstow did well to keep it to one bye. The stuff in between was decent.
Correspondence from Jackson Whitton:
5.27am GMT
128th over: India 387-6 (Ashwin 21, Saha 16) Rashid is bowling nicely here. It’s turning a bit and his natural pace is working. After Ashwin takes a single, Saha is a bit lucky to get a couple of byes when he completely misses a sweep, the ball balloons up and over slip’s head. It’s doing a bit, and if I were Cook - thank the lord, for your sakes, that I’m not - I would get an extra catcher in, perhaps at legslip.
5.23am GMT
127th over: India 384-6 (Ashwin 20, Saha 14) Stokes is into the attack for the first time this morning replacing Ansari. His second ball is edged by Louis Saha and it flies fast between Bairstow and Cook at first slip and runs away for four. Did that carry? Was it a chance? It looks like it did, but was just out of YJB’s reach. Mmm. There are two more singles from the over.
5.19am GMT
126th over: India 378-6 (Ashwin 19, Saha 9) Another of these overs with just a couple from it. Four dots (well bowled Rash) then Ashwin cuts to backward point, where Broad does well to dive and save three. Somehow he’s cut himself on the outfield there - he’s going off to get a bit of claret cleaned up. The last ball is pushed by Louis to mid-off and they run a single.
5.14am GMT
125th over: India 376-6 (Ashwin 18, Saha 8) Ansari and Rashid are both bowling well but can’t quite find a maiden. Take this one from Zafar. There are five dots, but the fourth ball is just stabbed into the offside for one to turn the strike over.
5.12am GMT
124th over: India 375-6 (Ashwin 17, Saha 8) That really was a beltingly bad review. He literally middled it. Oh well. Ashwin takes a single to the offside sweeper, then Saha does his nice little cramped sweep into space and they take two. Louis leaves the last.
Another email! It’s Gormless Git Gav.
5.08am GMT
Interesting one this. Ashwin has defended forward with bat and pad together to Rashid and both bowler and keeper think it’s hit pad first. It definitely hasn’t. Cook’s optimistic review backfires.
5.06am GMT
123rd over: India 372-6 (Ashwin 16, Saha 6) More Ansari. Saha defends off the back foot, then pushes to off for one. Ashwin, who is camping back to everything, finally comes forward and takes one to leg, then Saha sweeps softly and fine for a couple. Cheeky, I like it. The last is well defended off the back foot.
Shiv’s been in touch with some deep thinking during the drinks break.
You're not the only one Andrew - the last hit wicket dismissal in Tests was two years ago when Pakistan's Shehzad got out v New Zealand https://t.co/wjFHSMKGF9
5.01am GMT
122nd over: India 368-6 (Ashwin 15, Saha 3) Louis looks very uncomfortable. After one spits, takes the shoulder of the bat and runs away past Duckett at slip for two, he has a big drive and misses. Later in the over there is a big grope forward, but Rashid drops short with the last one and is cut for one.
And that’ll be drinks.
@willis_macp you're not on your own - I'm following both matches from a steamy Manila
4.58am GMT
121st over: India 365-6 (Ashwin 15, Saha 0) Poor from Ansari, who drops very short and is cut for four by Ashwin. Four dot balls follow it.
England’s lead is 172, by the way, and we have played about an hour. Poised.
4.56am GMT
120th over: India 361-6 (Ashwin 11, Saha 0) Earlier in the over, Ashwin had turned round the corner and Hameed had beaten Bairstow in a foot race - no mean feat - but they run two. Following a single, silly Kohli goes and treads on his stumps. Saha (Louis, surely?) plays out three dots.
An email! The first of the day! It’s from “smug Dave in Perth”.
4.53am GMT
Oh wow! Kohli’s trodden on his stumps! He’s rocked back to pull Rashid and his back foot has just got the tiniest touch on the base of the stumps. Scenes! He’s gone for 40! India are 361-6...
4.49am GMT
119th over: India 358-5 (Kohli 40, Ashwin 8) Ansari drags down and Ashwin stylishly cuts him through point for four. Then there’s a single to the man posted to plug that gap. Five from the over.
4.47am GMT
118th over: India 353-5 (Kohli 40, Ashwin 3) Rash gets one to turn big at Ashwin in this over, which is encouraging for both of them, to be honest. There are two singles from the over.
Gary’s enjoying this as much as I am (although I note that Mitchell Starc is ruining the fun). The Ashes are almost exactly a year away. Should be a cracker - schedule announced on 1 December, by the way.
@willis_macp @guardian shocking news indeed, when are The Ashes again?!
4.44am GMT
117th over: India 351-5 (Kohli 39, Ashwin 2) One ball to come, and Ashwin calmly turns it to leg for two. Important wicket. “Game on,” says Ian Botham, as if you’d challenged him to a pint-off.
4.42am GMT
Double change as Ansari returns. It is just turning a little and after Kohli takes a single, Rahane is watchful before cutting for two when Zafar drops a touch short. And now he’s out! He’s gone back when he probably shouldn’t have done and he’s been bowled - played on perhaps? Off the pad, maybe. Anyway, he’s tried to play across the line and got it very wrong. It’s 349-5.
4.38am GMT
116th over: India 346-4 (Kohli 38, Rahane 11) After three overs of Broad, it’s time for some Adil Rashid! He had one of his best days in whites for England yesterday, bowling with lovely control. Think this track suits him a bit better than the wild turners of Bangladesh, and he bowled more googlies. Kohli twice milks him with singles to long-off, and Rahane cuts one to the off-side sweeper.
Then wowzer. Byes. Four of them. This kicks and bounces and goes through at shoulder height between Bairstow and Duckett and runs away for four. Not much they could have done really.
4.34am GMT
115th over: India 339-4 (Kohli 36, Rahane 10) More Woakes. England like the short ball this morning, but it costs two more singles this over. He goes around the wicket with the last ball, and this short telegraphed short ball costs four. Great shot from Rahane, just past Root as short square-leg and away to the fence.
Francis has been in touch, largely talking sense. I prefer to dwell on the bit about Australia being bad at batting, mind.
@willis_macp lol - still waiting for the @bbctms team to mention it. Looks like a great SA bowling performance above all.
4.29am GMT
114th over: India 333-4 (Kohli 35, Rahane 5) Funky field for Broad to Kohli, which is a cracking battle. There are three men - Root, Stokes and Duckett - close in on the offside to tempt the drive. After one delivery, we inspect the ball. It’s being changed.
It produces three dots, then quite a curious but very sexy drive through mid-off for four. I reckon Kohli wanted to send that closer to mid-on but under-wristed it in and it whistles past Broad’s left hand and runs away to the fence. Lovely.
4.21am GMT
113th over: India 329-4 (Kohli 31, Rahane 5) Woakes continues and Kohli isn’t taking any risks early on. Woakes pulls out another short ball with the penultimate ball of the over, and Kohli pulls rather uncomfortably, and gets one to Rashid at fine leg.
How did that go for you, Diva?
Good fun helping a few old mates in Hobart today! https://t.co/0j5JhK2heI
4.16am GMT
112th over: India 328-4 (Kohli 30, Rahane 5) There you go, Stuart Broad. He gets a leg-cutter to grip and move away from Rahane, but in truth it’s a little wide to be properly dangerous. He has a whoosh at the next but misses, then defends a couple. A short ball - the third to Rahane - follows. England have done their homework, it seems, as he struggled with the bouncer in the recent series against New Zealand. The last is also a touch short, and he pulls to Ansari at deep-square and they scamper two.
He he he
Lunch Aus 6-43
Tea RSA 0-43
Hmmm.
4.11am GMT
111th over: India 326-4 (Kohli 30, Rahane 3) Woakes is replacing Ansari. The feeling is that there’s a lot more for the seamers than the spinners first thing. It’s only 9.39am there. The Wizard bowls four uneventful dots then, like Broad, drops a bit short to Rahane, and is simply pulled to the man in the deep. Kohli leaves the last.
4.06am GMT
110th over: India 325-4 (Kohli 30, Rahane 2) Broad from the other end. Think he’s going to do that bowling-dry-bowling-cutters thing again. He starts with a couple of wide ones that Rahane happily leaves. There’s a crack there, but I’m not sure he’s aiming for it. The fourth is shorter, and pulled to the man at deep-square for one. Kohli defends the fourth then leans into a cover drive to finish the over with a lovely four... Shot sir.
4.02am GMT
109th over: India 320-4 (Kohli 26, Rahane 1) Ansari’s right on the money for his first two, and Rahane defends exquisitely into the offside. But the bowler drifts onto leg with the last ball of the over and is milked for a single. Rahane off the mark.
3.59am GMT
The umpires are on the way out in Rajkot. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are hot on their heels, and the crowd are blooming loving it. Zafar Ansari is going to have an over to complete - he dismissed the nightwatchman Amit Mishra with the third ball of his 18th last night, and stumps were promptly called. Ansari has three Test wickets, and two of them have ended a day’s play. This is his first fourth day in a Test match, mind...
3.55am GMT
Ha! I just remembered that South Africa bowled Australia out for 85 while I was asleep.
3.53am GMT
I don’t know whether you saw this yesterday, but it turns out when Che Pujara was at Yorkshire, they just called him Steve, because none of them could say Cheteshwar.
@the_topspin Is it not his name..?
Related: Cheteshwar Pujara: India’s local hero digs in for impressive century | Ali Martin
3.50am GMT
The start in Rajkot is about 10 minutes away. The lads on Sky, unsurprisingly (but utterly correctly), reckon it’s a massive first hour. After Kohli and Rahane - who will likely be racing to become the game’s sixth centurion - come Ashwin, Saha, then the bowlers. It’s concurrently both a long tail, and a very strong one too. Jadeja, after all, has three first-class triple-tons, which is a lot of runs.
3.49am GMT
I’m not the only one enjoying this.
Looks like Nathan Lyon has Sri Lanka at least one country up on Australia pic.twitter.com/5j48rAFMt1
3.48am GMT
Russell Jackson was the lucky man tasked with OBOing Australia’s collapse. Smith made a few, but only one other fella made it to 10, the debutant bowler Joe Mennie. My word, this is perfect.
Related: Australia v South Africa: second Test, first day – live!
3.46am GMT
Well good morning, folks. And what a good morning it is.
Why, I hear you ask, is it quite such a fine morning? I mean, it is, after all, 3.42am as I type, on a Saturday, of all days. I’m here to talk you through a mildly intriguing game, but one that is being played on a pitch that is likely to produce a draw.
5.46pm GMT
Will will be along shortly. In the meantime, here’s Ali Martin on Cheteshwar Pujara’s home-ground hundred:
Cheteshwar Pujara is the local hero here in Rajkot. On the third day of the first Test hosted by the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, and with his father-cum-coach Arvind watching on in person for the first time, it was somehow fitting that his was the first hundred scored by an Indian batsman on the ground.
If such layers of additional meaning upped the pressure on Pujara, the No3 showed little of it on 99 when calmly dropping Chris Woakes’ third delivery with the new ball after tea into the off side before haring down the wicket, lifting bat and helmet to his team-mates, his father and the 7,000 or so present for this particular slice of history.
Continue reading...November 11, 2016
Gary Anderson: 'We're a bunch of boys who have a laugh and play some good darts'
The world champion on mental strength, his love of Japan and waking up in a cold sweat after dreaming about the arrows
Hi Gary, thanks for chatting to us. Not a problem, Small Talk, not a problem.
You’re the star of House of Flying Arrows, Universal’s new darts documentary. Tell us a bit about it. I watched it today actually. It’s good: it shows what kind of people we are. We all come from working-class families and that’s what we are, a bunch of boys who have a laugh and play some good darts at times.
Related: Treble top! The film that captures the party power of darts
Continue reading...November 10, 2016
India v England: first Test, day two – as it happened
Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes completed centuries as England racked up a first-innings total of 537, and India saw out the final session without loss
3.33pm GMT
Related: Ben Stokes shows other side to his talents with century of graft and craft | Ali Martin
12.07pm GMT
Here’s Vic Marks’ report from Rajkot.
Related: Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali score tons as England pile on the runs against India
11.19am GMT
So, the day is done, and though England would have dearly loved to make a late breakthrough they will nevertheless be extremely satisfied by their day’s work. They may not have taken any wickets, but they have been sufficiently encouraged to feel that they will soon enough. By tea tomorrow we should have a good idea of where this Test is heading. For now, though, it’s adieu. Bye!
11.12am GMT
Moeen Ali gives a quick interview on his way off the field:
It was encouraging for tomorrow. I think the slower ball spun a bit more than the rest of them. We’ve got to try to be patient as well. I slept well last night, so I wasn’t too fussed [about being on 99 overnight]. Before I went into bat I didn’t feel that good, I was a bit lethargic and I had to get myself going. I just batted to the occasion and the singles were there to take. There were times when I wanted to have a hack but you’ve got to rein it in sometimes. [On his dismissal] Maybe I got a bit defensive but I found him quite tough to face to be honest with you.
11.09am GMT
23rd over: India 63-0 (Vijay 25, Gambhir 28) Rashid bowls it, and there’s one lovely delivery in there, the googly, which Gambhir doesn’t spot and zips just past the edge of his bat. Very nice bowling. And that’s stumps.
11.04am GMT
22nd over: India 60-0 (Vijay 24, Gambhir 26) Another over, another run, and England have only six deliveries left if they’re to stop India ending what has been for them a largely disappointing day feeling really quite positive all things considered.
11.01am GMT
21st over: India 59-0 (Vijay 24, Gambhir 25) Rashid does his first bowling, and his second ball is hit by Gambhir to the long off boundary, evading not one but two diving fielders on its way for added dramatic effect.
10.58am GMT
20th over: India 54-0 (Vijay 24, Gambhir 20) Ansari continues, and Gambhir gets a single from the penultimate ball. In a pleasingly symmetrical twist, both batsmen have faced precisely 60 deliveries.
10.55am GMT
19th over: India 53-0 (Vijay 24, Gambhir 19) Four overs to go today, and how England would like something to celebrate before stumps. Meanwhile, I’ve just seen this tweet from late last night. Who calls their eatery Brilliant Restaurant? It’s good to aim high, I suppose.
Pleasure to serve you @kartikmurali thanks for visiting #brilliantrestaurant pic.twitter.com/J2gsv5GbnU
10.50am GMT
18th over: India 51-0 (Vijay 23, Gambhir 18) Ansari’s first over yields a single off the last, though Vijay was looking pretty angry with himself when he failed to punish, or indeed touch, an eminently hittable wide one that maybe stayed a bit low.
10.47am GMT
17th over: India 50-0 (Vijay 22, Gambhir 18) Decent bowling from Stokes, setting Gambhir up with a couple that carried straight on well wide of off stump, and then making the third angle in, though the wicket wasn’t seriously threatened. Still, the runs have stopped flowing: only one has been scored in the last three overs.
10.42am GMT
16th over: India 50-0 (Vijay 22, Gambhir 18) Moeen’s looking England’s most likely, though there hasn’t been much competition yet, and India reach a largely stress-free 50. Cook at silly point gets hit on the calf and decides pads might be in order, causing a short delay mid-over.
10.36am GMT
15th over: India 49-0 (Vijay 22, Gambhir 17) A bit of movement here for Woakes, with the ball biting a chunk out of the pitch on its way through. Maiden.
10.31am GMT
14th over: India 49-0 (Vijay 22, Gambhir 17) Moeen gets good spin again, and no reward for it. But my, it’s close! Vijay is totally befuddled, the ball finds a gap between bat and pad, and it passes perhaps two inches wide of off stump, and then rolls away for four byes. On Sky, Nasser Hussain says it turned “bigly”, which goes to show the effect Donald Trump is already having on our culture.
10.27am GMT
13th over: India 44-0 (Vijay 21, Gambhir 17) Woakes’ first ball is a wide full toss that Gambhir diverts to backward point for four. 64% of India’s runs so far have come from boundaries, as this wicket continues to bleed runs.
10.24am GMT
12th over: India 40-0 (Vijay 21, Gambhir 13) Hello again! So, little to encourage England so far but for one Moeen delivery that turned, climbed and went for four byes, which as encouragement goes is very much at the discouraging end of the spectrum. There’s no such drama from his fourth over of the day, featuring as it does a couple of singles and a leg bye, all pretty drama-free.
10.17am GMT
11th over: India 37-0 (Vijay 21, Gambhir 11) Broad off, Woakes on. I’d be tempted to get Rashid into the game early, especially given the time of day and consequent stick/twist dilemma. Woakes gets some discernible outswing, presumably reverse; that’s an excellent sign for England, particularly when Stokes is able to bowl. A decent over from Woakes: two from it, and that’s drinks. Simon Burnton will be with you until the close. Bye!
10.12am GMT
10th over: India 35-0 (Vijay 19, Gambhir 13) Gambhir is showing Moeen plenty of respect, apart from that one lunge in the previous over. Six defensive strokes mean six dot balls mean a maiden. Edit: it looks like Gambhir worked a couple to leg from the third ball. When did that happen?
“Save big on Matilda’s final months on Broadway!” writes BroadwayWorld Offers.
10.06am GMT
9th over: India 33-0 (Vijay 19, Gambhir 9) Stokes is limping off the field. It looks like cramp. Meanwhile, Vijay reaches outside off stump to elegantly wave a poor delivery from Broad through the covers for four. Then he times four more back past Broad, an even better shot, and edges a third boundary low to third man. Anyone out there?
10.04am GMT
8th over: India 21-0 (Vijay 7, Gambhir 9) This is good from Moeen, whose line and length to Gambhir have been excellent. After five dot balls, Gambhir throws everything at a full delivery that beats him and spits past Bairstow for four byes.
10.01am GMT
7th over: India 17-0 (Vijay 7, Gambhir 9) Broad is into his work now and produces a sharp delivery that Vijay inside-edges onto the thigh. There is also a hint of reverse swing, though it’s been a long day so my eyes may be telling lies. An excellent over from Broad, his best yet.
9.56am GMT
6th over: India 17-0 (Vijay 7, Gambhir 9) Moeen replaces Chris Woakes, who bowled a couple of innocuous overs. He had by far the best series of his Test career with the ball against India in 2014, when he took 19 wickets at 23. There’s negligible turn in his first over here, with Gambhir defending solidly. A maiden.
9.52am GMT
5th over: India 17-0 (Vijay 7, Gambhir 9) Cook has put a man on the drive for Vijay, the first twang of funk in the field. There should be plenty more as England try to prise out 20 wickets. You always ‘prise out’ wickets on the subcontinent, don’t you? Broad goes around the wicket to Gambhir, the angle from which he has so much success in the last 18 months. Gambhir works a single behind square on the leg side to get off strike.
9.47am GMT
4th over: India 15-0 (Vijay 6, Gambhir 8) Gambhir reaches to time a wide delivery from Woakes behind backward point for four. England have been unusually inaccurate so far.
“Word is that ITV wanted highlights but the BCCI set the price too high,” says Neil Harris. “So blank screens I’m afraid.” Surely they’ll be putting something on instead, even if it’s only repeat of Murder, She Wrote?
9.42am GMT
3rd over: India 10-0 (Vijay 6, Gambhir 4) Vijay drives Broad pleasantly through extra cover for a couple. There’s a bit of bounce to encourage England but no real movement. They will want to get it reversing as soon as possible.
“I assume this match is all over Sky, but do you know if any channels are giving the rest of us the chance to watch highlights at least?” says Ben Taylor. “’I can’t see anything on Channel 5 or ITV4.”
9.38am GMT
2nd over: India 8-0 (Vijay 4, Gambhir 4) Shikhar Dhawan’s injury has meant an unlikely return for Gautam Gambhir, 35. He gets off the mark by pinging a poor delivery from Woakes through square leg for four. Not a great start by England. Send them home!
“A 501 is surely a Levi hundred,” says Chris Drew. “Of course, had a previous England opener made that, it would have been a Levi Strauss hundred. Sorry for the whimsicality.”
9.34am GMT
1st over: India 4-0 (Vijay 4, Gambhir 0) If England get two wickets tonight they will sleep beautifully. Broad, in his 100th Test, opens to Murali Vijay with three slips, a gully and short leg. His line is too straight to start with, and Vijay works the second ball fine for four. He’s falling away again and it shows. He improves as the over progresses and almost sneaks a wide yorker under Vijay’s bat. The last ball ends up in the hands of Hameed at short leg; a couple of the slips appeal but Broad - and the umpire - aren’t interested.
“Rob,” says John Starbuck. “Good that we have three centurions in the innings, but this is India, where large scores are not unknown. There were no daddy hundreds - stepfather hundreds, maybe. A score of 180+ ought to be a Grandad.” What do you call a 501 then?
9.08am GMT
The end of the innings means it’s time for the tea break. England have had a good day, with Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes making hundreds and Jonny Bairstow and Zafar Ansari contributing as well. There are only 21 overs remaining in the day, so England’s seamers can really charge in after tea.
9.06am GMT
Ansari tries to sweep Mishra and misses, and Kumar Dharmasena gives him out LBW. Ansari reviewed, primarily because he was the last man, but replays showed it straightened and would have hit leg stump.
9.04am GMT
159th over: England 537-9 (Ansari 32, Broad 6) Broad turns Ashwin just short of leg slip as this session continues to potter along. Ashwin has figures of two for 167.
9.02am GMT
158th over: England 534-9 (Ansari 31, Broad 4) Broad is dropped by Rahane, a diving chance at leg slip at Mishra, and then survives a run-out referral after dropping his bat.
“Hey, bud,” says Ian Copestake, “stop reporting on the cricket and tell us whether you think Trump will inspire May like Ronnie did Maggie.”
8.56am GMT
157th over: England 529-9 (Ansari 29, Broad 1) Ashwin returns, eyeing a cheap wicket with which to massage his figures. Instead Ansari swaggers down the track and lifts a classy boundary over mid-on. This has been an excellent innings from one of the better No10s in English cricket history.
8.52am GMT
156th over: England 522-9 (Ansari 23, Broad 0) Broad had his face redefined by a Varun Aaron bouncer in 2014, so it’s not surprised Shami attacks him with a couple of bouncers. Broad ignores them, and it’s a maiden.
8.49am GMT
155th over: England 522-9 (Ansari 23, Broad 0) Ansari pulls Yadav through midwicket for four, a high-class shot that verges on disdainful. Yadav beats him for his insolence, but only outside off stump.
Oh, it should be tea but because England are nine down, the session will be extended for half an hour or until Broad misses a straight one.
8.44am GMT
154th over: England 518-9 (Ansari 19, Broad 0) Shami bowls the penultimate over of a somnolent afternoon session, with Ansari pulling a single off the last ball. La la la.
8.39am GMT
153rd over: England 517-9 (Ansari 18, Broad 0) The No11 is the centurion Stuart Broad.
8.38am GMT
Stokes’s innings ends when he is caught down the leg side. He pushed wearily at an errant delivery from Yadav and got a thin edge that was well taken by the keeper Saha.
8.33am GMT
152nd over: England 517-8 (Stokes 128, Ansari 18) Stokes defends a few deliveries from Shami and then winces a sharp single to Kohli at mid-off. He is showing almost heroic restraint, given the match situation and his own tiredness.
“Agree with the 146-over guy,” says Paul Griffin. “Can you stop publishing facetious nonsense emailed in by eejits and stick to the cricket? Publicising these emails is never, ever, ever justifiable.”
8.28am GMT
151st over: England 516-8 (Stokes 127, Ansari 18) Stokes is struggling now, presumably with cramp. If I was a world-class allrounder I’d take no risks until tea (which is 15 minutes), then mainline Evian during the interval and swing like a beauty in the evening session. I suspect he might give it away before tea though. Either way, he should be beyond criticism as he has been quite brilliant.
“Does everyone who follows cricket have a whirring set of possible amazing scenarios going in their head that are ultimately so outlandish and unlikely they can’t even air them to their nearest and dearest?” says Pete Salmon. “At the moment I’m thinking Stokes top score 258 (136 more from here), Ansari, top first class score 116 (another 100) and Broad top score 169. That’s another 405 runs, meaning the 1000 is on! Do you think this will happen?” In 2016, I’d say it’s a near certainty.
8.24am GMT
150th over: England 513-8 (Stokes 125, Ansari 17) Stokes is shattered now and has a hack at Shami, dragging it through square leg for a single. England have plodded along in this session but I think that’s okay. What they didn’t want was to be bowled out for 480 and for India to end the day on 150 for one.
“Much better,” says Zaph Mann. “You have to learn to bed-in with banal descriptions, before gradually moving into speculative ideas then, if all’s going well, pretentious insights… while distinguishing the whole with an original spin which is brief or quickly cut and pasted… Did I say pasted?” I’d like to paste something.
8.19am GMT
149th over: England 510-8 (Stokes 123, Ansari 16) Freddie Flintoff famously broke his bat during a hundred in 2003. Now Stokes has broken the ball. He cracked it so hard back to Yadav that it made a big dent, and there’s a delay while the umpires choose a replacement.
The first delivery with the new ball hits Stokes amidships and plops just in front of his stumps. Stokes staggers backwards and fresh-airs a weary attempted kick at the ball. That was funnier than I made it sound. I’m new at this so bear with me.
8.13am GMT
148th over: England 509-8 (Stokes 122, Ansari 16) Shami comes into the attack. His first ball, a reverse outswinger, is edged just short of gully by Ansari. The extent to which England make the ball reverse might decide this game. Maybe this will be Stokes’s Jubilee Test, albeit without the 3am brandy chasers.
“Sod the White House, it’s shock and awe in Rajkot as England have gone from a thrashing in Dhaka to 500 here,” says Guy Hornsby. “I feel rather foolish now, having questioned whether Stokes was a bit of a flat-track bully when he failed in India last time round, but he’s been outstanding this winter. I keep forgetting he’s only 25. There’s a real potential core of this team for the next 5 or 6 years, when England never seemed that good at succession. I may have to replace my Bell-amour with some Stokes-ardour. What a man.”
8.07am GMT
147th over: England 509-8 (Stokes 122, Ansari 16) Stokes winces a little after playing a forward defensive off Yadav. He’ll be bowling 90mph in a couple of hours. Yadav continues to bowl very wide of off stump, hoping Stokes will go fishing. He doesn’t.
8.03am GMT
146th over: England 509-8 (Stokes 122, Ansari 16) Stokes hasn’t really gone for Mishra, apart from that one six down the ground, and there are just a couple of singles from that over. England are going fairly slowly but I don’t think that’s a problem; they are using up some of the good overs before this pitch hopefully deteriorates.
“While I appreciate the anecdotes and humour,” says Zaph Mann, “the 144th over has NO information about the cricket. Simon’s preceding commentary was the flip side - good information. Shape up man.” I’ll try bud. I’m new to this so bear with me.
7.59am GMT
145th over: England 507-8 (Stokes 121, Ansari 15) Umesh Yadav, who has had four catches dropped in this innings, returns in place of the subdued Ashwin. Stokes ignores some wider reverse-swinging deliveries and Donald Trump is the American president.
“To balance out the giggling sirens at Andy Bradshaw’s front door he needs to call up his friends Perspective and England Cricketing History of the 1990s,” says Lee Smith. “That should dampen his ardour.”
7.54am GMT
144th over: England 506-8 (Stokes 121, Ansari 14) “I am not watching any live coverage of Stokes alas as I have a new computer and all my porn, I mean cricket links are lost,” says Ian Copestake. “It’s a bit like missing out on watching Joy Division on Granada Reports because you insisted that Tony Wilson was too much of a prick to be worth your time.”
7.51am GMT
143rd over: England 504-8 (Stokes 120, Ansari 13) Stokes works Ashwin for a single to bring up the 500. England have gone from 5-0 to 500 in four-and-a-bit sessions. It’s the 10th time they have reached 500 in Asia. Their highest score was the 652-7 in India in 1984-85, the match of Foxy Fowler, Foxy Foster and Foxy Gatt. Ansari then gets his first boundary with a nice flick through midwicket off Ashwin.
7.48am GMT
142nd over: England 495-8 (Stokes 119, Ansari 9) A maiden from Mishra to Ansari. You know, Quasimodo predicted all this.
7.46am GMT
141st over: England 495-8 (Stokes 119, Ansari 9) It’s an odd thing to say about an innings of 8 not out from 31 balls, but Ansari has played perfectly so far, with no risk whatsoever in his strokeplay. He’s playing for Stokes.
7.40am GMT
140th over: England 495-8 (Stokes 117, Ansari 7) Mishra comes into the attack in place of Jadeja, which is a bit of a surprise. He was panelled by Stokes and Bairstow in the morning session, and Stokes hits another six in this over. He smacked the ball towards long on, where Vijay took the catch but had his foot on the rope. The next ball is slog-swept high in the air and again lands safely. The placement of Stokes’s mishits has been immaculate in this innings
“Morning Smyth,” says Andy Bradshaw. “There’s a lady called Hope at the door. Should I let her in? She just muttered something about inviting her friends Hubris & Crushing Disappointment to pop around later.” It’s 2016 mate, we don’t let ladies in.
7.35am GMT
139th over: England 485-8 (Stokes 108, Ansari 6) Stokes charges Ashwin and gets a thin inside-edge that goes wide of Saha for four. Technically that’s a missed stumping chance to go with his two dropped catches earlier in the day, though it was very tough because he was unsighted and there was that slight edge. I’m not sure that qualifies as a Wriddhiman Blues moment.
7.33am GMT
138th over: England 481-8 (Stokes 104, Ansari 6) Jadeja continues to wheel away at the middle of Ansari’s dead bat. A maiden.
“Morning felicitations from a wonderfully wet and windy Darlington,” says Lee Smith. “Darlington time allows for porridge and mahogany-coloured tea. Chris Drew is correct in noting, very quietly, that an Indian renaissance is building here.”
7.31am GMT
137th over: England 481-8 (Stokes 104, Ansari 6) Ansari is playing sensibly and with minimal risk. He has 6 from 21 balls; Stokes has 104 from 178.
“So David Acaster comes on here, boasting about his jet-setter lifestyle, and expecting us to be sympathetic because he wakes up in a crappy bed, knowing that in the lefty echo chamber of the Guardian he’s singing to the choir,” says Felix Wood. “What about the poor cleaner who has to deal with that? It’s no wonder The People Are Angry.” Yeah but who cleans the cleaner?
7.28am GMT
136th over: England 480-8 (Stokes 104, Ansari 5) Stokes rocks back to crash Jadeja through the covers for four and reach a fine century! There have been moments of luck, but there have been many more moments of brilliance. The comic-book hero of world cricket is getting better with every match. This ton is particularly sweet: it’s his first hundred on the subcontinent, and it comes after a desperate series against India in 2014 when he literally didn’t score a run. It’s only the second time England have had three centurions in a Test innings in Asia, and the first in 55 years.
7.24am GMT
135th over: England 474-8 (Stokes 99, Ansari 4) Stokes gets another with another yahoo. He charged Ashwin and sliced him high over the off side for a single. His only two attacking strokes in the non-nuclear nineties could have brought his dismissal. But now he is on 99, and you don’t need to be a Countdown Octochamp to know what that means.
7.22am GMT
134th over: England 471-8 (Stokes 97, Ansari 3) “Rob, could you try to be less entertaining please,” says Ian Copestake, mistaking me for Jimmy Carr. “I have just started on rum and cokes and it is 11pm with nothing but imaginary kids to take to school in the morning. So my 2pm wake up tomorrow is all on you, hombre.”
7.19am GMT
133rd over: England 469-8 (Stokes 97, Ansari 1) Ashwin replaces Shami, who bowled a good spell of reverse either side of lunch. Stokes gloves a reverse sweep onto his body, with the landing safely on the leg side. Ansari, meanwhile, has started his innings with some calm defensive stokes.
7.16am GMT
132nd over: England 467-8 (Stokes 96, Ansari 0) Stokes continues to crawl towards his hundred, one single at a time. It’s paradoxically thrilling to see him play so cautiously. Our boy is all growns up.
7.14am GMT
131st over: England 466-8 (Stokes 95, Ansari 0) Stokes has taken some risky singles since lunch, and there’s another to Ashwin at mid-off. It would have been really tight with a direct hit, despite Stokes’s shirt-filthening dive.
“Whisper it quietly, but there is quite a good comeback going on here from India,” says Chris Drew. “French time allows for coffee, croissants and pain au chocolat with the cricket. Very acceptable.” Yes, there is still a scenario whereby England could lose. Mind you, in a post-Adelaide world, there’s always a scenario whereby England could lose.
7.10am GMT
130th over: England 465-8 (Stokes 94, Ansari 0) That wasn’t a great piece of batting from Rashid in the circumstances. Ansari, hopefully, will play for Stokes because I can’t see the No11 Broad hanging round too long.
7.08am GMT
Rashid flicks Jadeja wristily, elegantly and straight to mid-on, where Yadav takes a good catch.
7.07am GMT
129th over: England 465-7 (Stokes 94, Rashid 5) Apart from that one loose heave, Stokes has been extremely judicious since the break. He is now six away from his hundred.
“Hi Rob,” says Richard Woods. “Subcontinental matches are perfect for Beijing time. Start midday, finish 7pm. Pretty much like being back home. Almost - but not quite - compensation for Saturday afternoon football kicking off at 11pm.”
7.01am GMT
128th over: England 461-7 (Stokes 91, Rashid 4) Stokes does go nuclear - and gets away with it. He slog-swept Jadeja high in the air, and leant over his bat in disgust. Kohli ran a long way towards deep mid-on but just couldn’t reach it as he dived forward. It was an easier chance for Vijay, coming in from long-on, but Kohli called for it and Vijay pulled up short to avoid a Gillespie/Waugh-style collision. Rashid then slices a boundary to third man to get off the mark.
6.59am GMT
127th over: England 456-7 (Stokes 90, Rashid 0) Another dodgy run between Stokes and Rashid, but they get away with it because of a misfield.
“Stokes,” says Ian Copestake, “Is about to go nuclear.” Never mind the nervous nineties, here’s the nuclear nineties. That said, I don’t think he will, at least not until he gets his hundred. After that he might decide to go berserk, especially with Rashid’s jittery start to his innings.
6.56am GMT
126th over: England 453-7 (Stokes 87, Rashid 0) Jadeja was surprisingly underused in the morning session, when England took the legspinner Mishra to the cleaners. He always looks a threat in home conditions, and in that over he gets one to bounce nastily past Rashid shouldered arms.
“I spend a bit of time in hotels,” says David Acaster. “Not much fun in my book. But I’ve found that Test series in different time zones at least give some compensation for waking up early in crappy beds. Thanks OBO and come on Stokesy.” Don’t you get sport jetlag? I always find it confusing when, say, England are playing a Test in the UAE at 9pm on Saturday night in Tokyo.
6.51am GMT
125th over: England 452-7 (Stokes 86, Rashid 0) Stokes shows his football skills when the ball bounces back towards the stumps after a defensive stroke off Shami. It wouldn’t have hit the stumps but Stokes didn’t want to take any chances. He does take a chance later in the over with a dodgy single. Rashid would have been out with a direct hit from Kohli, who did brilliantly to collect the ball on the slide and throw on the turn. There is decent reverse swing for Shami, which won’t disappoint England.
6.47am GMT
124th over: England 451-7 (Stokes 85, Rashid 0) It’s important that England’s talented lower order aren’t blown away here. The top order have scored at a match-winning pace, but it could also be a match-losing pace if India take a first-innings lead. England will want at least 500.
“Morning Rob!” says Tim Myles. “Do you remember all the worrying about moving Root up to No3? After 21 innings at each position: average at No3 - 49.21, average at No4 - 50.37. Don’t hear too much about it now....funny that!”
6.45am GMT
Ravindra Jadeja strikes with the fourth ball after lunch. Chris Woakes felt indecisively for a good delivery that straightened off the pitch and took a thin edge on its way through to Saha.
6.39am GMT
Breakfast statgasm
If Ben Stokes scores 16 more runs, England will have three centurions in a Test innings on the subcontinent for only the second time. Geoff Pullar, Ken Barrington and Ted Dexter all scored hundreds in the second innings at Kanpur in 1961-62.
6.34am GMT
An email! “I know you see India as Spurs and England as Arsenal, mate,” says Ian Copestake. “But try to wipe the prejudice juice off your hands and be a bit balanced yeah?”
6.21am GMT
Morning one, morning both of you. Rob here, and I bring good news and bad news. The bad news is that, yes, Biff Tannen really is heading to the White House. The good news is that England’s all-rounders, erm, biffed India all round Rajkot in the morning session. It was an audacious performance that produced 139 runs in 30 overs for the loss of Moeen Ali (117) and Jonny Bairstow (46)
Ben Stokes is still there on 84. He was dropped twice by the keeper Wriddhiman Saha, as good a reason as any to dust off the old ‘Wriddhiman Blues’ headline, but it has nonetheless been a superb innings – the kind he simply could not have played a year ago. He has done an indecent amount of work to develop his batting in these conditions.
6.07am GMT
An excellent session for England, and excellent entertainment for everyone. 139 runs were scored (from 30 overs, at 4.63 an over), two wickets were taken, a couple of chances were dropped, and it all ends with England on a pleasingly round number and with another batsman approaching a century.
6.04am GMT
123rd over: England 450-6 (Stokes 84, Woakes 4) Shami bowls the final over before lunch. There has been one maiden in the last 42 overs, and this wasn’t another.
5.59am GMT
122nd over: England 447-6 (Stokes 82, Woakes 4) Woakes flicks Yadav’s final delivery to fine leg for four, and is off the mark. It’s nearly four years since a touring side scored 450 in India, since England’s 523 on their way to victory in Kolkata in December 2012. Of the last five times a touring side reached 450, they’re the only ones who actually won the match. “Top of the early morning to you, Simon,” writes Ian Copestake. “Great to see England piling on the runs. We need to enjoy such moments in these uncertain times.”
5.54am GMT
121st over: England 442-6 (Stokes 80, Woakes 0) Another bowling change, as Shami returns, and his first delivery nips literally into Stokes, hitting him in the upper thigh (not a euphamism for his genltemanly area), while his third hits Bairstow in the upper thigh (a euphamism for his gentlemanly area). Two balls later he’s gone.
5.53am GMT
Saha catches a ball! Perhaps a whisper of away movement from Shami, but Bairstow was stretching anyway, and the ball nicked his bottom edge.
5.47am GMT
120th over: England 441-5 (Stokes 80, Bairstow 46) Jadeja comes into the attack, and Stokes tries to hit him back out of it again. He has a go at sending the first ball down the ground for six, doesn’t quite get hold of it but gets four for his troubles, the next is boshed to square leg for a couple, and the third nicked over his shoulder to the fine leg boundary.
5.44am GMT
119th over: England 430-5 (Stokes 69, Bairstow 46) Bairstow is nearly out twice in as many balls! The first would have been extraordinarily unlucky, as a decent shot hit the guy at short midwicket on the foot and dropped just short of a diving Kohli at short mid on, but the second was sliced into the air only to land just short of mid on.
5.39am GMT
118th over: England 425-5 (Stokes 68, Bairstow 42) Mishra bowls, Stokes skips down the track and hits just wide of midwicket for four, and then Bairstow chops the last square for four more. He’s scored 42 off 50 balls so far, blistering stuff.
5.36am GMT
117th over: England 416-5 (Stokes 63, Bairstow 38) Stokes wasn’t in fact dropped in over 116, that was just a copy-and-pasting error on my part. Sorry if I got you unnecessarily excited. Still, the drop in over 115 was bad enough to get excited about twice. (If you’re not reading this live, I’ve already deleted the rogue repeated drop-reporting, but sorry for spending the whole of over 117 wittering on about it.)
5.32am GMT
116th over: England 415-5 (Stokes 62, Bairstow 38) Mishra bowls, and Bairstow decorates his over with boundaries, sending the first ball high over cover, and the third low past midwicket, both for four.
5.30am GMT
115th over: England 407-5 (Stokes 62, Bairstow 30) Stokes is dropped again! And if letting the last chance go was excusable, as Saha had to go low and fast to even reach it, this one looked pretty easy. It was a poor shot, the ball flicked the top edge and flew behind, and Saha somehow let it go between his gloves.
Saha drops Stokes again! Similar shot, easier chance. That's five catches dropped now by India in this innings #INDvENG
5.24am GMT
114th over: England 404-5 (Stokes 61, Bairstow 29) Cripes, now that is significant spin! Mishra balls, and a ball heading vaguely towards off stump changes its mind, ends up going a foot wide of leg, surprising Saha and rolling away for four byes. “Much as I enjoy watching England play well and savour each success as much as anyone, I can’t help but think that the 2000 plus runs Root and Bairstow have contributed this year were possibly the difference between Yorkshire winning the Championship and falling just short,” moans Phil Withall. “Yes I am a miserable, self serving git but it still hurts.”
5.22am GMT
113th over: England 400-5 (Stokes 61, Bairstow 29) A change of pace as Ashwin is replaced, Yadav replacing him, and Stokes is dropped! The ball flies off his edge and Saha dives low to his left, gets his glove to it but the ball slips out again! To add insult to injury, or at least setback to setback, Bairstow sends the next ball to the rope.
5.16am GMT
112th over: England 395-5 (Stokes 60, Bairstow 25) Bairstow gets a second six from Mishra’s first ball, and England will be encouraged both by the fact that the pitch appears to be deteriorating, and by the fact that they appear to be coping.
Suddenly signs of sharp spin
Over no 109 (Ashwin) Balls turned between 4.3° and 11.5°
His AVERAGE turn before then less than 4°#IndvsEng
5.13am GMT
111th over: England 387-5 (Stokes 59, Bairstow 18) Boundaries for Stokes from the first and last balls of Ashwin’s over, the first an apparently premeditated stretching swish through midwicket, the last tickled to fine leg.
5.11am GMT
110th over: England 383-5 (Stokes 51, Bairstow 18) In all that 109th-over excitement I failed to adequately praise Stokes upon the completion of his half-century. It’s been another impressive innings, composed and clinical.
5.07am GMT
109th over: England 378-5 (Stokes 50, Bairstow 17) The players take drinks, and were it not for Moeen’s momentary loss of reason it would have been a fabulous first hour for England. As it was, though, it was only excellent. They’ve scored fluently and generally made themselves very much at home. Ashwin’s first delivery after drinks turns a bit, though, as for that matter does his fifth. Those are the only dots, though, and Bairstow hits the third ball wide of cover for four.
Jimmy Anderson bowling in the nets. Just taken out Gary Ballance's off stump with a beauty.
He probably got him again a couple of balls later. Nicking off.
5.00am GMT
108th over: England 371-5 (Stokes 47, Bairstow 13) Mishra’s first delivery hits Bairstow on the pads and prompts what I think is the first lbw appeal of the day - a half-hearted one, and rightly so with the ball heading comfortably down leg side. Bairstow, offended, sends the next ball high and straight down the ground for six, instantly doubling his score.
4.57am GMT
107th over: England 363-5 (Stokes 47, Bairstow 6) After four dots, Stokes sends Ashwin’s fifth delivery bouncing past cover for a couple.
4.55am GMT
106th over: England 361-5 (Stokes 45, Bairstow 6) Decent over from Mishra, with only one run attempted and only one scored.
4.52am GMT
105th over: England 360-5 (Stokes 44, Bairstow 6) With two spinners on, an OBOer can investigate a potential stat for a couple of minutes, essentially miss an entire over and still not have a stat. Which is disappointing.
4.49am GMT
104th over: England 358-5 (Stokes 43, Bairstow 5) Amit Mishra, the most expensive bowler yesterday, is given an 11th over of the innings, and Stokes sweeps hard, well and straight to a fielder for a single. Bairstow then pushes the ball to Jadeja at short extra cover, calls a single, and has to scurry as the fielder collects and sends the ball stumpwards. A moment of concern ends when a) he grounds his bat in time, and b) the ball misses the stumps by a distance.
4.45am GMT
103rd over: England 356-5 (Stokes 42, Bairstow 4) Ashwin continues, and Bairstow scores two with a nice shot to square leg, and two more with an awkward low edge.
It is hard to work out quite how Moeen Ali, who had played so well, was dismissed on the second morning #IndvsEng pic.twitter.com/cHglS9lFoM
4.42am GMT
102nd over: England 352-5 (Stokes 42, Bairstow 0) Stokes goes down the ground again for four runs, a fine shot that Bairstow had to be on his toes to get out of the way of, but then was not to be stopped.
4.39am GMT
101st over: England 346-5 (Stokes 36, Bairstow 0) Ashwin continues, and Stokes plays the over pretty conservatively.
Moeen played that ball with all the judgement of a US pollster #INDvENG @Simon_Burnton
4.35am GMT
100th over: England 343-5 (Stokes 33, Bairstow 0) An excellent first half-hour for England ends in disappointing style, with a centurion befuddled by the change in angle as Shami goes round the wicket and giving his wicket away.
4.31am GMT
Moeen Ali leaves a ball that thumps into his off stump! I mean, it didn’t knick it, flick it or skim it, it verily and lustily smashed it.
4.28am GMT
99th over: England 343-4 (Moeen 117, Stokes 33) A bowling change, then, as Yadav is dumped following a couple of loose overs and Ravi Ashwin comes on, with the new ball four overs old. Stokes sends it low down the ground for four.
4.25am GMT
98th over: England 339-4 (Moeen 117, Stokes 29) “On commentary yesterday Nasser pointed out that 21 of the 22 players in this match have scored first class centuries,” notes Ian Forth, as Moeen tickles the ball to fine leg for four. “Broad, England’s number 11, has a test score of 169, for flip’s sake. I seem to remember a match from over a century ago (not actually remember, but you know) where all the England team had scored 100 at some point. Wilfred Rhodes was number eleven, and he went on to open the batting for England. So three interesting statistics there. You’re very welcome.”
4.20am GMT
97th over: England 335-4 (Moeen 113, Stokes 29) Yadav isn’t so threatening, though he only concedes the one boundary this time, Stokes driving through the covers with some violence, though if the batsman had actually connected with the wild heave prompted by the final delivery the ball would still be flying.
4.16am GMT
96th over: England 330-4 (Moeen 112, Stokes 25) Shami’s second ball has Stokes all a-wibble, just flying past the edge, and his fifth is lovely, flummoxing the batsman and flying just past leg stump. His fourth, though, is clobbered for four.
4.11am GMT
95th over: England 326-4 (Moeen 112, Stokes 21) The day’s first boundary - little more than a flick from Moeen that rolls away (though Jadeja really should have stopped it a foot from the rope, but only helped it on its way) is immediately followed by the second, which zips underneath Gambhir at backward point, who might really have stopped it. The third boundary of the over, though, doesn’t go anywhere near anyone. Shot. Yadav is the bowler.
“Hi Simon,” writes Sam Mellor. Hi! “I have a problem. I’m in Cambodia (not the problem) and I want to listen to TMS (the problem). Do you or any of your army of early morning readers know any way that I can? I know you’re going to tell me to ask Aggers on That Twitter instead of you but I really, really despise That Twitter and am too stubborn to go on it even for TMS. Can you help me pretty please? Thanks!” Um, not really. Is it not on Tunein?
4.05am GMT
94th over: England 314-4 (Moeen 100, Stokes 21) There’s a new ball for the new start of the new day ... and I’m feelin’ good!
3.59am GMT
The players are out. This is about to actually happen.
3.58am GMT
Today’s weather forecast for Rajkot: hot. Chance of rain: no.
3.49am GMT
David Gower tells me that Moeen is the first England batsman to spend the night on 99 not out since Graham Hick, also in India, in February 1993, comfortably more than two decades ago. Two perhaps pertinent facts arising from this:
3.42am GMT
Morning/evening/afternoon world!
Well, this is exciting. Moeen Ali has spent a sleepless night* on 99 not out, one run from making this the first touring team to have two centurions in a single India-based innings - or even, for that matter, in a single India-based Test - since Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott’s second-innings draw-securers at Nagpur in December 2012, since when India have hosted 13 Tests, winning 12 and not losing any. So, that’s something.
The pitch at Rajkot before day 2... pic.twitter.com/KHwSIJR54n
8.47pm GMT
Simon will be here shortly. In the meantime you can enjoy Ali Martin’s analysis of the first day’s play and how the match might develop in Rajkot
Related: Fortune helps England gain first Test foothold but Kohli’s India can fire back | Ali Martin
Continue reading...India v England: first Test, day two – live!
Email rob.smyth@theguardian.com
9.08am GMT
The end of the innings means it’s time for the tea break. England have had a good day, with Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes making hundreds and Jonny Bairstow and Zafar Ansari contributing as well. There are only 21 overs remaining in the day, so England’s seamers can really charge in after tea.
9.06am GMT
Ashwin tries to sweep Mishra and misses, and Kumar Dharmasena gives him out LBW. Ansari reviewed, primarily because he was the last man, but replays showed it straightened and would have hit leg stump.
9.04am GMT
159th over: England 537-9 (Ansari 32, Broad 6) Broad turns Ashwin just short of leg slip as this session continues to potter along. Ashwin has figures of two for 167.
9.02am GMT
158th over: England 534-9 (Ansari 31, Broad 4) Broad is dropped by Rahane, a diving chance at leg slip at Mishra, and then survives a run-out referral after dropping his bat.
“Hey, bud,” says Ian Copestake, “stop reporting on the cricket and tell us whether you think Trump will inspire May like Ronnie did Maggie.”
8.56am GMT
157th over: England 529-9 (Ansari 29, Broad 1) Ashwin returns, eyeing a cheap wicket with which to massage his figures. Instead Ansari swaggers down the track and lifts a classy boundary over mid-on. This has been an excellent innings from one of the better No10s in English cricket history.
8.52am GMT
156th over: England 522-9 (Ansari 23, Broad 0) Broad had his face redefined by a Varun Aaron bouncer in 2014, so it’s not surprised Shami attacks him with a couple of bouncers. Broad ignores them, and it’s a maiden.
8.49am GMT
155th over: England 522-9 (Ansari 23, Broad 0) Ansari pulls Yadav through midwicket for four, a high-class shot that verges on disdainful. Yadav beats him for his insolence, but only outside off stump.
Oh, it should be tea but because England are nine down, the session will be extended for half an hour or until Broad misses a straight one.
8.44am GMT
154th over: England 518-9 (Ansari 19, Broad 0) Shami bowls the penultimate over of a somnolent afternoon session, with Ansari pulling a single off the last ball. La la la.
8.39am GMT
153rd over: England 517-9 (Ansari 18, Broad 0) The No11 is the centurion Stuart Broad.
8.38am GMT
Stokes’s innings ends when he is caught down the leg side. He pushed wearily at an errant delivery from Yadav and got a thin edge that was well taken by the keeper Saha.
8.33am GMT
152nd over: England 517-8 (Stokes 128, Ansari 18) Stokes defends a few deliveries from Shami and then winces a sharp single to Kohli at mid-off. He is showing almost heroic restraint, given the match situation and his own tiredness.
“Agree with the 146-over guy,” says Paul Griffin. “Can you stop publishing facetious nonsense emailed in by eejits and stick to the cricket? Publicising these emails is never, ever, ever justifiable.”
8.28am GMT
151st over: England 516-8 (Stokes 127, Ansari 18) Stokes is struggling now, presumably with cramp. If I was a world-class allrounder I’d take no risks until tea (which is 15 minutes), then mainline Evian during the interval and swing like a beauty in the evening session. I suspect he might give it away before tea though. Either way, he should be beyond criticism as he has been quite brilliant.
“Does everyone who follows cricket have a whirring set of possible amazing scenarios going in their head that are ultimately so outlandish and unlikely they can’t even air them to their nearest and dearest?” says Pete Salmon. “At the moment I’m thinking Stokes top score 258 (136 more from here), Ansari, top first class score 116 (another 100) and Broad top score 169. That’s another 405 runs, meaning the 1000 is on! Do you think this will happen?” In 2016, I’d say it’s a near certainty.
8.24am GMT
150th over: England 513-8 (Stokes 125, Ansari 17) Stokes is shattered now and has a hack at Shami, dragging it through square leg for a single. England have plodded along in this session but I think that’s okay. What they didn’t want was to be bowled out for 480 and for India to end the day on 150 for one.
“Much better,” says Zaph Mann. “You have to learn to bed-in with banal descriptions, before gradually moving into speculative ideas then, if all’s going well, pretentious insights… while distinguishing the whole with an original spin which is brief or quickly cut and pasted… Did I say pasted?” I’d like to paste something.
8.19am GMT
149th over: England 510-8 (Stokes 123, Ansari 16) Freddie Flintoff famously broke his bat during a hundred in 2003. Now Stokes has broken the ball. He cracked it so hard back to Yadav that it made a big dent, and there’s a delay while the umpires choose a replacement.
The first delivery with the new ball hits Stokes amidships and plops just in front of his stumps. Stokes staggers backwards and fresh-airs a weary attempted kick at the ball. That was funnier than I made it sound. I’m new at this so bear with me.
8.13am GMT
148th over: England 509-8 (Stokes 122, Ansari 16) Shami comes into the attack. His first ball, a reverse outswinger, is edged just short of gully by Ansari. The extent to which England make the ball reverse might decide this game. Maybe this will be Stokes’s Jubilee Test, albeit without the 3am brandy chasers.
“Sod the White House, it’s shock and awe in Rajkot as England have gone from a thrashing in Dhaka to 500 here,” says Guy Hornsby. “I feel rather foolish now, having questioned whether Stokes was a bit of a flat-track bully when he failed in India last time round, but he’s been outstanding this winter. I keep forgetting he’s only 25. There’s a real potential core of this team for the next 5 or 6 years, when England never seemed that good at succession. I may have to replace my Bell-amour with some Stokes-ardour. What a man.”
8.07am GMT
147th over: England 509-8 (Stokes 122, Ansari 16) Stokes winces a little after playing a forward defensive off Yadav. He’ll be bowling 90mph in a couple of hours. Yadav continues to bowl very wide of off stump, hoping Stokes will go fishing. He doesn’t.
8.03am GMT
146th over: England 509-8 (Stokes 122, Ansari 16) Stokes hasn’t really gone for Mishra, apart from that one six down the ground, and there are just a couple of singles from that over. England are going fairly slowly but I don’t think that’s a problem; they are using up some of the good overs before this pitch hopefully deteriorates.
“While I appreciate the anecdotes and humour,” says Zaph Mann, “the 144th over has NO information about the cricket. Simon’s preceding commentary was the flip side - good information. Shape up man.” I’ll try bud. I’m new to this so bear with me.
7.59am GMT
145th over: England 507-8 (Stokes 121, Ansari 15) Umesh Yadav, who has had four catches dropped in this innings, returns in place of the subdued Ashwin. Stokes ignores some wider reverse-swinging deliveries and Donald Trump is the American president.
“To balance out the giggling sirens at Andy Bradshaw’s front door he needs to call up his friends Perspective and England Cricketing History of the 1990s,” says Lee Smith. “That should dampen his ardour.”
7.54am GMT
144th over: England 506-8 (Stokes 121, Ansari 14) “I am not watching any live coverage of Stokes alas as I have a new computer and all my porn, I mean cricket links are lost,” says Ian Copestake. “It’s a bit like missing out on watching Joy Division on Granada Reports because you insisted that Tony Wilson was too much of a prick to be worth your time.”
7.51am GMT
143rd over: England 504-8 (Stokes 120, Ansari 13) Stokes works Ashwin for a single to bring up the 500. England have gone from 5-0 to 500 in four-and-a-bit sessions. It’s the 10th time they have reached 500 in Asia. Their highest score was the 652-7 in India in 1984-85, the match of Foxy Fowler, Foxy Foster and Foxy Gatt. Ansari then gets his first boundary with a nice flick through midwicket off Ashwin.
7.48am GMT
142nd over: England 495-8 (Stokes 119, Ansari 9) A maiden from Mishra to Ansari. You know, Quasimodo predicted all this.
7.46am GMT
141st over: England 495-8 (Stokes 119, Ansari 9) It’s an odd thing to say about an innings of 8 not out from 31 balls, but Ansari has played perfectly so far, with no risk whatsoever in his strokeplay. He’s playing for Stokes.
7.40am GMT
140th over: England 495-8 (Stokes 117, Ansari 7) Mishra comes into the attack in place of Jadeja, which is a bit of a surprise. He was panelled by Stokes and Bairstow in the morning session, and Stokes hits another six in this over. He smacked the ball towards long on, where Vijay took the catch but had his foot on the rope. The next ball is slog-swept high in the air and again lands safely. The placement of Stokes’s mishits has been immaculate in this innings
“Morning Smyth,” says Andy Bradshaw. “There’s a lady called Hope at the door. Should I let her in? She just muttered something about inviting her friends Hubris & Crushing Disappointment to pop around later.” It’s 2016 mate, we don’t let ladies in.
7.35am GMT
139th over: England 485-8 (Stokes 108, Ansari 6) Stokes charges Ashwin and gets a thin inside-edge that goes wide of Saha for four. Technically that’s a missed stumping chance to go with his two dropped catches earlier in the day, though it was very tough because he was unsighted and there was that slight edge. I’m not sure that qualifies as a Wriddhiman Blues moment.
7.33am GMT
138th over: England 481-8 (Stokes 104, Ansari 6) Jadeja continues to wheel away at the middle of Ansari’s dead bat. A maiden.
“Morning felicitations from a wonderfully wet and windy Darlington,” says Lee Smith. “Darlington time allows for porridge and mahogany-coloured tea. Chris Drew is correct in noting, very quietly, that an Indian renaissance is building here.”
7.31am GMT
137th over: England 481-8 (Stokes 104, Ansari 6) Ansari is playing sensibly and with minimal risk. He has 6 from 21 balls; Stokes has 104 from 178.
“So David Acaster comes on here, boasting about his jet-setter lifestyle, and expecting us to be sympathetic because he wakes up in a crappy bed, knowing that in the lefty echo chamber of the Guardian he’s singing to the choir,” says Felix Wood. “What about the poor cleaner who has to deal with that? It’s no wonder The People Are Angry.” Yeah but who cleans the cleaner?
7.28am GMT
136th over: England 480-8 (Stokes 104, Ansari 5) Stokes rocks back to crash Jadeja through the covers for four and reach a fine century! There have been moments of luck, but there have been many more moments of brilliance. The comic-book hero of world cricket is getting better with every match. This ton is particularly sweet: it’s his first hundred on the subcontinent, and it comes after a desperate series against India in 2014 when he literally didn’t score a run. It’s only the second time England have had three centurions in a Test innings in Asia, and the first in 55 years.
7.24am GMT
135th over: England 474-8 (Stokes 99, Ansari 4) Stokes gets another with another yahoo. He charged Ashwin and sliced him high over the off side for a single. His only two attacking strokes in the non-nuclear nineties could have brought his dismissal. But now he is on 99, and you don’t need to be a Countdown Octochamp to know what that means.
7.22am GMT
134th over: England 471-8 (Stokes 97, Ansari 3) “Rob, could you try to be less entertaining please,” says Ian Copestake, mistaking me for Jimmy Carr. “I have just started on rum and cokes and it is 11pm with nothing but imaginary kids to take to school in the morning. So my 2pm wake up tomorrow is all on you, hombre.”
7.19am GMT
133rd over: England 469-8 (Stokes 97, Ansari 1) Ashwin replaces Shami, who bowled a good spell of reverse either side of lunch. Stokes gloves a reverse sweep onto his body, with the landing safely on the leg side. Ansari, meanwhile, has started his innings with some calm defensive stokes.
7.16am GMT
132nd over: England 467-8 (Stokes 96, Ansari 0) Stokes continues to crawl towards his hundred, one single at a time. It’s paradoxically thrilling to see him play so cautiously. Our boy is all growns up.
7.14am GMT
131st over: England 466-8 (Stokes 95, Ansari 0) Stokes has taken some risky singles since lunch, and there’s another to Ashwin at mid-off. It would have been really tight with a direct hit, despite Stokes’s shirt-filthening dive.
“Whisper it quietly, but there is quite a good comeback going on here from India,” says Chris Drew. “French time allows for coffee, croissants and pain au chocolat with the cricket. Very acceptable.” Yes, there is still a scenario whereby England could lose. Mind you, in a post-Adelaide world, there’s always a scenario whereby England could lose.
7.10am GMT
130th over: England 465-8 (Stokes 94, Ansari 0) That wasn’t a great piece of batting from Rashid in the circumstances. Ansari, hopefully, will play for Stokes because I can’t see the No11 Broad hanging round too long.
7.08am GMT
Rashid flicks Jadeja wristily, elegantly and straight to mid-on, where Yadav takes a good catch.
7.07am GMT
129th over: England 465-7 (Stokes 94, Rashid 5) Apart from that one loose heave, Stokes has been extremely judicious since the break. He is now six away from his hundred.
“Hi Rob,” says Richard Woods. “Subcontinental matches are perfect for Beijing time. Start midday, finish 7pm. Pretty much like being back home. Almost - but not quite - compensation for Saturday afternoon football kicking off at 11pm.”
7.01am GMT
128th over: England 461-7 (Stokes 91, Rashid 4) Stokes does go nuclear - and gets away with it. He slog-swept Jadeja high in the air, and leant over his bat in disgust. Kohli ran a long way towards deep mid-on but just couldn’t reach it as he dived forward. It was an easier chance for Vijay, coming in from long-on, but Kohli called for it and Vijay pulled up short to avoid a Gillespie/Waugh-style collision. Rashid then slices a boundary to third man to get off the mark.
6.59am GMT
127th over: England 456-7 (Stokes 90, Rashid 0) Another dodgy run between Stokes and Rashid, but they get away with it because of a misfield.
“Stokes,” says Ian Copestake, “Is about to go nuclear.” Never mind the nervous nineties, here’s the nuclear nineties. That said, I don’t think he will, at least not until he gets his hundred. After that he might decide to go berserk, especially with Rashid’s jittery start to his innings.
6.56am GMT
126th over: England 453-7 (Stokes 87, Rashid 0) Jadeja was surprisingly underused in the morning session, when England took the legspinner Mishra to the cleaners. He always looks a threat in home conditions, and in that over he gets one to bounce nastily past Rashid shouldered arms.
“I spend a bit of time in hotels,” says David Acaster. “Not much fun in my book. But I’ve found that Test series in different time zones at least give some compensation for waking up early in crappy beds. Thanks OBO and come on Stokesy.” Don’t you get sport jetlag? I always find it confusing when, say, England are playing a Test in the UAE at 9pm on Saturday night in Tokyo.
6.51am GMT
125th over: England 452-7 (Stokes 86, Rashid 0) Stokes shows his football skills when the ball bounces back towards the stumps after a defensive stroke off Shami. It wouldn’t have hit the stumps but Stokes didn’t want to take any chances. He does take a chance later in the over with a dodgy single. Rashid would have been out with a direct hit from Kohli, who did brilliantly to collect the ball on the slide and throw on the turn. There is decent reverse swing for Shami, which won’t disappoint England.
6.47am GMT
124th over: England 451-7 (Stokes 85, Rashid 0) It’s important that England’s talented lower order aren’t blown away here. The top order have scored at a match-winning pace, but it could also be a match-losing pace if India take a first-innings lead. England will want at least 500.
“Morning Rob!” says Tim Myles. “Do you remember all the worrying about moving Root up to No3? After 21 innings at each position: average at No3 - 49.21, average at No4 - 50.37. Don’t hear too much about it now....funny that!”
6.45am GMT
Ravindra Jadeja strikes with the fourth ball after lunch. Chris Woakes felt indecisively for a good delivery that straightened off the pitch and took a thin edge on its way through to Saha.
6.39am GMT
Breakfast statgasm
If Ben Stokes scores 16 more runs, England will have three centurions in a Test innings on the subcontinent for only the second time. Geoff Pullar, Ken Barrington and Ted Dexter all scored hundreds in the second innings at Kanpur in 1961-62.
6.34am GMT
An email! “I know you see India as Spurs and England as Arsenal, mate,” says Ian Copestake. “But try to wipe the prejudice juice off your hands and be a bit balanced yeah?”
6.21am GMT
Morning one, morning both of you. Rob here, and I bring good news and bad news. The bad news is that, yes, Biff Tannen really is heading to the White House. The good news is that England’s all-rounders, erm, biffed India all round Rajkot in the morning session. It was an audacious performance that produced 139 runs in 30 overs for the loss of Moeen Ali (117) and Jonny Bairstow (46)
Ben Stokes is still there on 84. He was dropped twice by the keeper Wriddhiman Saha, as good a reason as any to dust off the old ‘Wriddhiman Blues’ headline, but it has nonetheless been a superb innings – the kind he simply could not have played a year ago. He has done an indecent amount of work to develop his batting in these conditions.
6.07am GMT
An excellent session for England, and excellent entertainment for everyone. 139 runs were scored (from 30 overs, at 4.63 an over), two wickets were taken, a couple of chances were dropped, and it all ends with England on a pleasingly round number and with another batsman approaching a century.
6.04am GMT
123rd over: England 450-6 (Stokes 84, Woakes 4) Shami bowls the final over before lunch. There has been one maiden in the last 42 overs, and this wasn’t another.
5.59am GMT
122nd over: England 447-6 (Stokes 82, Woakes 4) Woakes flicks Yadav’s final delivery to fine leg for four, and is off the mark. It’s nearly four years since a touring side scored 450 in India, since England’s 523 on their way to victory in Kolkata in December 2012. Of the last five times a touring side reached 450, they’re the only ones who actually won the match. “Top of the early morning to you, Simon,” writes Ian Copestake. “Great to see England piling on the runs. We need to enjoy such moments in these uncertain times.”
5.54am GMT
121st over: England 442-6 (Stokes 80, Woakes 0) Another bowling change, as Shami returns, and his first delivery nips literally into Stokes, hitting him in the upper thigh (not a euphamism for his genltemanly area), while his third hits Bairstow in the upper thigh (a euphamism for his gentlemanly area). Two balls later he’s gone.
5.53am GMT
Saha catches a ball! Perhaps a whisper of away movement from Shami, but Bairstow was stretching anyway, and the ball nicked his bottom edge.
5.47am GMT
120th over: England 441-5 (Stokes 80, Bairstow 46) Jadeja comes into the attack, and Stokes tries to hit him back out of it again. He has a go at sending the first ball down the ground for six, doesn’t quite get hold of it but gets four for his troubles, the next is boshed to square leg for a couple, and the third nicked over his shoulder to the fine leg boundary.
5.44am GMT
119th over: England 430-5 (Stokes 69, Bairstow 46) Bairstow is nearly out twice in as many balls! The first would have been extraordinarily unlucky, as a decent shot hit the guy at short midwicket on the foot and dropped just short of a diving Kohli at short mid on, but the second was sliced into the air only to land just short of mid on.
5.39am GMT
118th over: England 425-5 (Stokes 68, Bairstow 42) Mishra bowls, Stokes skips down the track and hits just wide of midwicket for four, and then Bairstow chops the last square for four more. He’s scored 42 off 50 balls so far, blistering stuff.
5.36am GMT
117th over: England 416-5 (Stokes 63, Bairstow 38) Stokes wasn’t in fact dropped in over 116, that was just a copy-and-pasting error on my part. Sorry if I got you unnecessarily excited. Still, the drop in over 115 was bad enough to get excited about twice. (If you’re not reading this live, I’ve already deleted the rogue repeated drop-reporting, but sorry for spending the whole of over 117 wittering on about it.)
5.32am GMT
116th over: England 415-5 (Stokes 62, Bairstow 38) Mishra bowls, and Bairstow decorates his over with boundaries, sending the first ball high over cover, and the third low past midwicket, both for four.
5.30am GMT
115th over: England 407-5 (Stokes 62, Bairstow 30) Stokes is dropped again! And if letting the last chance go was excusable, as Saha had to go low and fast to even reach it, this one looked pretty easy. It was a poor shot, the ball flicked the top edge and flew behind, and Saha somehow let it go between his gloves.
Saha drops Stokes again! Similar shot, easier chance. That's five catches dropped now by India in this innings #INDvENG
5.24am GMT
114th over: England 404-5 (Stokes 61, Bairstow 29) Cripes, now that is significant spin! Mishra balls, and a ball heading vaguely towards off stump changes its mind, ends up going a foot wide of leg, surprising Saha and rolling away for four byes. “Much as I enjoy watching England play well and savour each success as much as anyone, I can’t help but think that the 2000 plus runs Root and Bairstow have contributed this year were possibly the difference between Yorkshire winning the Championship and falling just short,” moans Phil Withall. “Yes I am a miserable, self serving git but it still hurts.”
5.22am GMT
113th over: England 400-5 (Stokes 61, Bairstow 29) A change of pace as Ashwin is replaced, Yadav replacing him, and Stokes is dropped! The ball flies off his edge and Saha dives low to his left, gets his glove to it but the ball slips out again! To add insult to injury, or at least setback to setback, Bairstow sends the next ball to the rope.
5.16am GMT
112th over: England 395-5 (Stokes 60, Bairstow 25) Bairstow gets a second six from Mishra’s first ball, and England will be encouraged both by the fact that the pitch appears to be deteriorating, and by the fact that they appear to be coping.
Suddenly signs of sharp spin
Over no 109 (Ashwin) Balls turned between 4.3° and 11.5°
His AVERAGE turn before then less than 4°#IndvsEng
5.13am GMT
111th over: England 387-5 (Stokes 59, Bairstow 18) Boundaries for Stokes from the first and last balls of Ashwin’s over, the first an apparently premeditated stretching swish through midwicket, the last tickled to fine leg.
5.11am GMT
110th over: England 383-5 (Stokes 51, Bairstow 18) In all that 109th-over excitement I failed to adequately praise Stokes upon the completion of his half-century. It’s been another impressive innings, composed and clinical.
5.07am GMT
109th over: England 378-5 (Stokes 50, Bairstow 17) The players take drinks, and were it not for Moeen’s momentary loss of reason it would have been a fabulous first hour for England. As it was, though, it was only excellent. They’ve scored fluently and generally made themselves very much at home. Ashwin’s first delivery after drinks turns a bit, though, as for that matter does his fifth. Those are the only dots, though, and Bairstow hits the third ball wide of cover for four.
Jimmy Anderson bowling in the nets. Just taken out Gary Ballance's off stump with a beauty.
He probably got him again a couple of balls later. Nicking off.
5.00am GMT
108th over: England 371-5 (Stokes 47, Bairstow 13) Mishra’s first delivery hits Bairstow on the pads and prompts what I think is the first lbw appeal of the day - a half-hearted one, and rightly so with the ball heading comfortably down leg side. Bairstow, offended, sends the next ball high and straight down the ground for six, instantly doubling his score.
4.57am GMT
107th over: England 363-5 (Stokes 47, Bairstow 6) After four dots, Stokes sends Ashwin’s fifth delivery bouncing past cover for a couple.
4.55am GMT
106th over: England 361-5 (Stokes 45, Bairstow 6) Decent over from Mishra, with only one run attempted and only one scored.
4.52am GMT
105th over: England 360-5 (Stokes 44, Bairstow 6) With two spinners on, an OBOer can investigate a potential stat for a couple of minutes, essentially miss an entire over and still not have a stat. Which is disappointing.
4.49am GMT
104th over: England 358-5 (Stokes 43, Bairstow 5) Amit Mishra, the most expensive bowler yesterday, is given an 11th over of the innings, and Stokes sweeps hard, well and straight to a fielder for a single. Bairstow then pushes the ball to Jadeja at short extra cover, calls a single, and has to scurry as the fielder collects and sends the ball stumpwards. A moment of concern ends when a) he grounds his bat in time, and b) the ball misses the stumps by a distance.
4.45am GMT
103rd over: England 356-5 (Stokes 42, Bairstow 4) Ashwin continues, and Bairstow scores two with a nice shot to square leg, and two more with an awkward low edge.
It is hard to work out quite how Moeen Ali, who had played so well, was dismissed on the second morning #IndvsEng pic.twitter.com/cHglS9lFoM
4.42am GMT
102nd over: England 352-5 (Stokes 42, Bairstow 0) Stokes goes down the ground again for four runs, a fine shot that Bairstow had to be on his toes to get out of the way of, but then was not to be stopped.
4.39am GMT
101st over: England 346-5 (Stokes 36, Bairstow 0) Ashwin continues, and Stokes plays the over pretty conservatively.
Moeen played that ball with all the judgement of a US pollster #INDvENG @Simon_Burnton
4.35am GMT
100th over: England 343-5 (Stokes 33, Bairstow 0) An excellent first half-hour for England ends in disappointing style, with a centurion befuddled by the change in angle as Shami goes round the wicket and giving his wicket away.
4.31am GMT
Moeen Ali leaves a ball that thumps into his off stump! I mean, it didn’t knick it, flick it or skim it, it verily and lustily smashed it.
4.28am GMT
99th over: England 343-4 (Moeen 117, Stokes 33) A bowling change, then, as Yadav is dumped following a couple of loose overs and Ravi Ashwin comes on, with the new ball four overs old. Stokes sends it low down the ground for four.
4.25am GMT
98th over: England 339-4 (Moeen 117, Stokes 29) “On commentary yesterday Nasser pointed out that 21 of the 22 players in this match have scored first class centuries,” notes Ian Forth, as Moeen tickles the ball to fine leg for four. “Broad, England’s number 11, has a test score of 169, for flip’s sake. I seem to remember a match from over a century ago (not actually remember, but you know) where all the England team had scored 100 at some point. Wilfred Rhodes was number eleven, and he went on to open the batting for England. So three interesting statistics there. You’re very welcome.”
4.20am GMT
97th over: England 335-4 (Moeen 113, Stokes 29) Yadav isn’t so threatening, though he only concedes the one boundary this time, Stokes driving through the covers with some violence, though if the batsman had actually connected with the wild heave prompted by the final delivery the ball would still be flying.
4.16am GMT
96th over: England 330-4 (Moeen 112, Stokes 25) Shami’s second ball has Stokes all a-wibble, just flying past the edge, and his fifth is lovely, flummoxing the batsman and flying just past leg stump. His fourth, though, is clobbered for four.
4.11am GMT
95th over: England 326-4 (Moeen 112, Stokes 21) The day’s first boundary - little more than a flick from Moeen that rolls away (though Jadeja really should have stopped it a foot from the rope, but only helped it on its way) is immediately followed by the second, which zips underneath Gambhir at backward point, who might really have stopped it. The third boundary of the over, though, doesn’t go anywhere near anyone. Shot. Yadav is the bowler.
“Hi Simon,” writes Sam Mellor. Hi! “I have a problem. I’m in Cambodia (not the problem) and I want to listen to TMS (the problem). Do you or any of your army of early morning readers know any way that I can? I know you’re going to tell me to ask Aggers on That Twitter instead of you but I really, really despise That Twitter and am too stubborn to go on it even for TMS. Can you help me pretty please? Thanks!” Um, not really. Is it not on Tunein?
4.05am GMT
94th over: England 314-4 (Moeen 100, Stokes 21) There’s a new ball for the new start of the new day ... and I’m feelin’ good!
3.59am GMT
The players are out. This is about to actually happen.
3.58am GMT
Today’s weather forecast for Rajkot: hot. Chance of rain: no.
3.49am GMT
David Gower tells me that Moeen is the first England batsman to spend the night on 99 not out since Graham Hick, also in India, in February 1993, comfortably more than two decades ago. Two perhaps pertinent facts arising from this:
3.42am GMT
Morning/evening/afternoon world!
Well, this is exciting. Moeen Ali has spent a sleepless night* on 99 not out, one run from making this the first touring team to have two centurions in a single India-based innings - or even, for that matter, in a single India-based Test - since Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott’s second-innings draw-securers at Nagpur in December 2012, since when India have hosted 13 Tests, winning 12 and not losing any. So, that’s something.
The pitch at Rajkot before day 2... pic.twitter.com/KHwSIJR54n
8.47pm GMT
Simon will be here shortly. In the meantime you can enjoy Ali Martin’s analysis of the first day’s play and how the match might develop in Rajkot
Related: Fortune helps England gain first Test foothold but Kohli’s India can fire back | Ali Martin
Continue reading...November 8, 2016
Fumbles, fallouts and faulty planes: England’s nightmarish 1993 tour of India | Rob Smyth
A generation of brilliant England cricketers has been sacrificed at the altar of banter. Talk about English cricket in the 1990s and many will snigger about how relentlessly crap it was. The reality, as presented so brilliantly in Emma John’s book Following On and Mark Butcher’s documentary England in the 90s, was a bit more nuanced. England contributed significantly to the second golden age of Test cricket.
There was, however, one winter where gallows humour or outright derision was the only reasonable option. On their tour of India in 1992-93, England cocked so many things up that it was hard to know whether or not they were engaged in an elaborate satire. They were thrashed in all three Tests, becoming the first touring side – in the parlance of 1993 – to be “brownwashed” in India. Then, on the way home, they lost a Test to Sri Lanka for the first time.
Related: The Joy of Six: England v India memories
Related: England went to India in 1984 in disarray but came home with a famous victory
Continue reading...The forgotten story of ... the Pie and Pints match | Rob Smyth
Thirty years ago this Tuesday, Northwich Victoria drew with Conference leaders Maidstone despite including three fans in their starting XI – one of whom had spent the afternoon in the pub
Thirty years ago this Tuesday, Northwich Victoria drew 1-1 with Maidstone in the GM Vauxhall Conference. That bald information does not suggest an urgent need for an anniversary article, but there was a little more to the story. Northwich were so short of players that their XI included three supporters, rounded up desperately in the hour before kick-off. One of them had already engaged in a different kind of warm-up: he’d been in the pub.
This was not a bit of a laugh during a pre-season friendly, as when Harry Redknapp famously brought on a West Ham supporter at Oxford. It was a match against the league leaders. “It was a tremendous thing but it was a serious thing,” said Derek Nuttall, the chairman of Northwich in 1986. “The club would have been censured if we hadn’t put out a full team.”
Related: The day Harry Redknapp brought a fan on to play for West Ham
Continue reading...Rob Smyth's Blog
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