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.
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