India v England – live! | Rob Smyth and Simon Burnton

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54rd over: England 148-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 74, Pietersen 45) Ashwin continues, having changed ends. Pietersen celebrates by reverse sweeping the first delivery for a single, and the only other run from the over involved Cook playing a remarkably similar shot to exactly the same spot, only for him it was a non-reverse sweep. The penultimate ball flicks Pietersen's pad and loops up to leg slip, leading to loud appeals, but the bat was nowhere near it.

53rd over: England 144-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 72, Pietersen 43) Harbhajan Singh returns to the fray. Couple of singles off the over.

52nd over: England 142-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 71, Pietersen 42) That's the 12th successive Ojha/Ashwin over, and they'll have some drinks now. An excellent start to the session from England, who but for the 45th over, when Ashwin had Cook in all sorts of trouble, have been admirably controlled.

51st over: England 140-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 70, Pietersen 41) And another swept four from Cook. Every one of his sweeps has provoked minor tweaks from the fielding team, but none of it seems to be stopping him.

50th over: England 136-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 66, Pietersen 41) Another sweep for Cook, but he gets a sharper angle on this one and it duly trundles away for four. On TMS, Boycott is asked if he's on Twitter. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't even know how to do it!" Cue lengthy discourse about text messaging.

49th over: England 129-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 61, Pietersen 39) "Talking about pet names got me thinking of a my valentines tradition with my fiance," writes Tom Gucht. "For the past few years I've been buying her a new goldfish on the 14th of February. Unfortunately, all apart from one of them have croaked after only a few weeks (possibly from the trauma of being transported from the pet shop to my house in my bike panniers mid winter) and I have to try and convince my special lady friend that her pet's death isn't some sort of morbid metaphor for our love." Let's hope that in a few years you won't be telling that story with a shake of the head and saying, "I should have trusted the goldfish."

48th over: England 128-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 60, Pietersen 39) Pietersen boshes the ball towards the boundary, and three – three – fieldsmen give chase. Harbhajan reaches it first, a few yards away from the rope, and celebrates his success by throwing the ball about five feet over Dhoni's head. And then, a Cook single later, a faster ball rears off the pitch, beats Pietersen all ends up and Dhoni, having a testing couple of minutes, just about holds on to it.

47th over: England 124-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 59, Pietersen 36) Ashwin bowls a loose ball, high and wide, and Cook slaps it through long on for four, not entirely convincingly. "I think the reason Sir Geoff can't remember the rabbits' names is because rabbits deserve no respect," writes Ian Reynolds. "They should learn to bat properly and with the proper technique and application. Honk?"

46th over: England 120-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 55, Pietersen 36) Ooooooh! Now Ojha finds Pietersen's edge, and the ball bounces a foot short of slip. Makes a change of sorts – it had started to appear that every time Pietersen swung his bat, he unerringly found Harbhajan Singh at extra cover. And just as I write that, he boshes the ball high but safe over the bowler's head for four.

45th over: England 116-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 55, Pietersen 32) A lovely over from Ashwin, who repeatedly gets enough turn to trouble Cook. Twice he beats the bat, and once he finds an edge but the ball doesn't carry to slip.

44th over: England 112-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 52, Pietersen 31) "Geoff can't recollect the names of any man or beast unless they have a first-class batting average of +40. Or can keep wicket, which is a scarce talent in the rabbit community, especially when facing leg spin," writes Paul Griffin. "Re the names, my money is on 'Fred' and ' Pinny'."

43rd over: England 108-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 51, Pietersen 28) Cook completes another half-century. Earlier, Pietersen cuts the ball away for four, the ball landing a couple of feet in front of Tendulkar at gully and then spinning out of reach and off to the boundary.

42nd over: England 101-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 49, Pietersen 23) Pietersen is picking the loose balls and dealing with them most effectively, moving England's tally into triple figures with a sharp drive through long off.

41st over: England 96-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 49, Pietersen 18) Two runs off the last ball is the only interest in Ashwin's over. "I feel that Sir Geoff's failure to recall his pets name would be down to the fact that being a real Yorkshireman naming something that you could well eat is seen as being unnecessarily sentimental," suggests Phil Withall.

40th over: England 94-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 47, Pietersen 18) Another sweep for Cook, and more pain for the man at short leg – this one thwacked Rahane full on the arse. Two balls later another sweep misses the man and goes for a single. Pujara, incidentally, has yet to return from his earlier blow.

39th over: England 93-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 46, Pietersen 18) Another four from Pietersen, hoiked through extra cover. He's started pretty well, and is scoring at more than a run a ball (he's faced 17).

38th over: England 86-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 44, Pietersen 13) The highlight of Ojha's over is another sweep from Cook, which goes for a single. It's not a good day to be fielding at short leg, as Pujara has already discovered, but this one goes over the fielder's shoulder.

37th over: England 85-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 43, Pietersen 13) After giving himself a few balls to play himself in, Pietersen drives through cover for four and then boshes the next ball over mid on for another.

"On TMS Geoff Boycott is taking part in a Mastermind spoof: subject - Geoff Boycott," wrote John Starbuck during tea. "He's got one wrong though, as he can't remember the names of his boyhood pet rabbits. This seems odd, as I can recall the names of every animal we've adopted in our family, including dogs, cats and goldfish. Can't most people do that? If not, it would make a pretty good sledge, asking a batsman the name of all his pets, ever." Personally I think it would be a fairly boring sledge, but I do feel that anyone who cannot recall the names they have previously publicly announced belonged to their pet rabbits either has a truly woeful memory, or more likely just made up the rabbits in the first place.

Drink up! The fielding side is back out and preparing for action, so drink up and settle down. This is a(nother) massive session for England, whose innings started promisingly but is currently just a couple of quick wickets away from hideous meltdown.

Morning Rob, morning world! This tea break will be soundtracked by this nice song I just discovered. Enjoy. Or don't, I don't care. I'll be back when the action re-starts.

TEA

36th over: England 77-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 43, Pietersen 5) Cook survives a ludicrous shout for LBW when a ball from Ojha hits him well outside the line. That's the end of the session. Cook has been magnificent, again, and so much will depend on him after tea. Simon Burnton will be with you for the evening session. See you tomorrow.

35th over: England 73-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 40, Pietersen 4) The Sky commentators haven't mentioned a possible inside edge from Trott, and he didn't seem aggrieved by the decision. My eyes are clearly jiggered because I'm pretty sure I saw a deviation. Anyway, KP drives his first ball, from Harbhajan, crisply and calmly for four. That might be a sign of how he plans to play today after his KP-on-a-hot-tin-roof performance at Ahmedabad.

34th over: England 68-2 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 39, Pietersen 0) That was the last ball of the over. That was Trott's second consecutive first-innings duck. He's improving, though: he only lasted four balls at Ahmedabad, whereas today he hung around for six.

WICKET! England 68-2 (Trott LBW b Ojha 0) Another failure for Jonathan Trott. He was beaten by the previous delivery and, perhaps unsettled, went back when he should have been forward. The ball went straight on to trap him in front of middle. It looked absolutely plumb, although I'd like to see a replay as I reckon Trott might just have got an inside edge.

33rd over: England 67-1 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 38, Trott 0) The short leg Rahane, again anticipating Cook's lap stroke, almost takes an outrageous low catch. The ball got to him pretty much on the half volley. Ten minues to tea.

32nd over: England 66-1 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 37, Trott 0) That was the widest delivery Ojha has bowled to Compton in this innings. I still think he had to play it, however. The new batsman is Jonathan Trott, who – and how weird it feels to type this – really needs a score.

WICKET! England 66-1 (Compton c Sehwag b Ojha 29) Ojha returns to the attack and makes the breakthrough with his fourth ball. Compton played forward defensively at a fine delivery that turned enough to take the edge, and Sehwag at slip took a low two-handed catch. That ends another promising innings from Compton, 29 from 90 balls.

31st over: England 66-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 37, Compton 29) Groundhog Over.

30th over: England 65-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 37, Compton 28) Cook premeditates a lap at Ashwin, so the short leg Rahane runs towards leg slip and almost takes a stunning catch. He couldn't quite get his hand down in time and it hit him on the boot. That was a wonderful effort, reminiscent of this stunning catch. The pressure is building, and later in the over Cook inside edges one just short of Rahane.

"I know Patel is largely thought of as a better player of spin but surely failure here would mean Morgan gets another crack at 6, especially as he should fill his boots in NZ?" says James Debens. "Bairstow at 5 of course means Bell must be waist-high in nappies and regret, the lil fella." Hmm, I don't know about that. Not many batsmen fill their boots on the green seamers of New Zealand. I doubt we'll see Morgan in Test cricket until at least next summer. I'd expect Bairstow and Bell to play over there, depending on what happens in the last few Tests here of course.

29th over: England 65-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 37, Compton 28) Harbhajan gets one to rear nastily at Cook, who gets a leading edge that plops safely on the off side. That could have gone anywhere.

"Given what's currently happening Down Under, how heavily will Australia defeat us, and at which point did they become favourites?" asks Paul Bacon. If they beat South Africa they go top of the Test rankings, so I suppose they'd become favourites then. I think England will win 2-1 next summer. The most important thing, though, is that it's going to be a belting series. It could even be the first ever SuperAshes, with both the urn and the mace at stake.

28th over: England 63-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 36, Compton 27) Cook smashes Ashwin straight into the ribs of Pujara at short leg. He really wore that, and is on his back receiving treatment. He's going to leave the field, although he doesn't seem too bad. The substitute Ajinkya Rahane assumes the position and then Cook times Ashwin beautifully off the pads for four.

"Something to talk about," says Sam Wylie. "Crystal Palace are top of the league." Next!

27th over: England 59-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 32, Compton 27) A bit of an escape for Compton, who turns Harbhajan between keeper and leg slip for four.

26th over: England 55-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 32, Compton 23) I've run out of things to say. I can't think of anything.

25th over: England 53-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 31, Compton 22) Here's Bhajii to bowl in Test cricket for the first time since August 2011. His overspin should make him a significant threat on this pitch. A quiet first over brings just a single for Cook. The first 25 overs could barely have gone much better for England.

24th over: England 52-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 30, Compton 22) Cook and Compton look extremely comfortable at the moment. As always in India, when you get in you have to make it count, because there will always be players who are dismissed in single figures.

"Bless the BCCI marketing dept," says Dominic Piper, achieving his lifetime ambition of coming up with a phrase that has never ever been used before. "I'd studiously avoided putting the cricket on so as not to upset the kids. But then I put the telly on to check the score and my three year old tells me he wants to watch it because he saw a Hot Wheels advert on the sightscreen."

23rd over: England 51-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 29, Compton 22) Compton thick edges Ojha for two to bring up another fifty partnership for England's new opening pair. "That is truly an evocative picture," says Arnab Banerjee. "The twelve year old me, under the duvet listening to Don Mosey commentating on a little transistor radio." Every boy should grow up with TMS duvet nights. Australia 1990-91 was my first. Carl Bloody Rackemann.

22nd over: England 49-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 29, Compton 20) Ashwin continues to Cook after the drinks break. Nothing much happens. Cook's defence has been outstanding.

"Morning Rob," says Dan Lucas. "I'm not sure a lead of 250-odd with five wickets in hand, of whom Michael Clarke – with his home Test average this year of around 17 billion – is one, is a position from which Australia are likely to lose." Nor am I. I just said they might lose. If Clarke or Hussey go early tomorrow, it could turn into a hybrid of Perth 2008 and Adelaide 2003.

21st over: England 49-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 29, Compton 20) Nick Compton jumps out of his bunker, charging down the pitch to drag Ojha to long on for a one-bounce four. England have been slightly in block/thwack mode, with 38 of the 49 runs coming in boundaries, and the approach has served the well thus far. Compton then plays back to a ball that gets trapped between his thighs before dribbling away from the stumps.

20th over: England 45-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 29, Compton 16) Oof. Ashwin beats Cook with a brutish delivery that turns and bounces off middle stump. There's not much you can do against bowling like that.

19th over: England 44-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 29, Compton 15) Where is my Alastair Cook? What have you done with him? The Cook impostor is very confident coming down the pitch to Ojha, and he does so again to drive lazily over mid on for four.

18th over: England 40-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 25, Compton 15) Compton comes down the track to Ashwin, plays for non-existent turn and gets a leading edge just wide of Sehwag at slip for four. Ashwin then switches around the wicket to Compton, who gets in a tangle with a ball that bounces sharply to hit him in the chest. That was an excellent over.

"I know this is slightly off beam in the context of this match but have you seen this footage of Duncan Spencer?" says Phil Rhodes. "Proper pace bowling. Sad that his back meant he never got a chance at the highest level." Yep, I've wept over that footage before. He was such a prospect.

17th over: England 36-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 25, Compton 11) Cook defends a maiden from Ojha. England have played really well so far, even if the pitch hasn't done as much as we might have expected. The tempo of the game, however, is not conducive to staying awake at 7.30am.

16th over: England 36-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 25, Compton 11) "Incidentally, good to see that your recovery is coming along well," says Robin Hazlehurst. "In the 9th over you typed the words 'Adelaide' 'second Test' and 'lost... after posting 550' without any sign of the yips. Followed by a couple of shorter entries I notice though, was that the shaking hands and twitching eye making it difficult to type? Or are you really really recovered?" Adelaide's gone, mate. It went in December 2010. Abu Dhabi, on the other hand ...

15th over: England 36-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 25, Compton 11) Ojha comes into the attack in place of Zaheer Khan (5-2-6-0). Cook comes down the track again, this time to drive Ojha for a handsome six over mid-on. That's an outstanding shot, only the eighth six of his Test career. He looks a seriously good batsman right now.

14th over: England 28-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 17, Compton 11) A stroke of luck for Cook, who top edges a cut at Ashwin wide of gully for four. That's a risky stroke with the extra bounce, although as much as anything I think it was a bit too straight for the shot.

13th over: England 22-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 12, Compton 10) Zaheer moves around the wicket to Compton. He probably hasn't made the batsmen play enough, but with Zaheer you always wonder whether that's part of a set-up rather than poor bowling. Nothing much is happening. From an England point of view it's akin to a slightly unsettling silence.

"I think England need to get quick runs now as the ball will start to turn about now like it did yesterday!" says Dipak Patel.

12th over: England 21-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 12, Compton 8) Compton, after blocking a series of deliveries from the spinners, pulls out the sweep to get Ashwin away for a single. Ashwin then has a tentative LBW appeal against Cook; there was a big inside edge.

11th over: England 20-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 12, Compton 8) Cook pulls Zaheer nicely for four. England are dealing in boundaries and dot balls at the moment.

10th over: England 16-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 8, Compton 8) Ashwin replaces Ojha and bowls a maiden to the watchful Compton. England are doing well defensively but they might be slightly concerned about the scoring rate.

"Saw my good friend J Evans on Thursday night who contrived to miss a train and stayed the night," says Paul. "He was inordinately smug after having his ridiculous suggestion of opening with KP ridiculed by Lord Selvey."

9th over: England 16-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 8, Compton 8) Sad to report that Ricky Ponting has failed again in Adelaide, where a fascinating second Test has taken another twist. Australia lost on that ground to India in 2003 after posting 550; lightning may be about to strike twice.

"England are well positioned now, having done the first part of the job by getting India all out for not much more than 300," says expert deadpan comedian Anand Subramaniam. "The pitch is going to be at its easiest for batting today and tomorrow, and if Cook and Compton can set it up, England can pull the rug from under India. I think a first innings lead of around 100+ by tea tomorrow is on the cards."

8th over: England 16-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 8, Compton 8) Ojha's first ball drifts onto the pads and is flicked fine for four by Compton. England's start has been almost too comfortable.

7th over: England 12-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 8, Compton 4) Cook ignores a series of wider deliveries from Zaheer.

6th over: England 11-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 8, Compton 3) The left-arm spinner Ojha continues around the wicket to Cook, who skips down the track to chip authoritatively over midwicket for four.

5th over: England 7-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 4, Compton 3) The ball didn't really grip for the spinners before lunch, so Zaheer Khan is going to replace R Ashwin. He starts to Nick Compton, who edges the last ball of the over just short of second slip. An excellent start from Zaheer. You sense that he fancies Compton as a relatively cheap top-order wicket.

"Early start to fly to Cork for my grandparents' wedding anniversary – they are 60 not out and would be completely bemused by an OBO mention as they wouldn't know anything about cricket," says Rossa Brugha. "Now an MBM on hurling..... The old boy would love that. Is Glendenning in the office yet?" Bazza's regularly in the office at 6am on a Saturday, but not this week.

LUNCH

4th over: England 7-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 4, Compton 3) That's lunch. England's openers played well in those four overs, when things could easily have turned nasty. They trail by 320. See you in half an hour for a huge afternoon session in the context of the match, the series and the future of this England team.

3rd over: England 6-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 4, Compton 2) It's been a comfortable start for England, with both openers defending solidly. We'll have time for one more over before lunch.

2nd over: England 5-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 4, Compton 1) Pragyan Ojha will share the new ball. After a quick play with Statsguru I think this is the first time since 1967 that two spinners have opened the bowling in a Test against England – and that doesn't really count because England were chasing a target of three to win the match. Ojha also has four men round the bat for Nick Compton, who gets off the mark with a work to leg. Cook then gets going with an easy cut stroke for four. We'll probably have two more overs, unless India take a wicket.

1st over: England 0-0 (in reply to India's 327; Cook 0, Compton 0) MS Dhoni will surely start with spin at both ends. It'll be R Ashwin to bowl the first over anyway. He has a slip, gully, short leg and silly point for Cook. The third ball, wide of off stump, bounces ominously from a fullish length. A maiden.

"Am stuck at office with two odd TVs at food courts that plays the 'Breaking News' (read Indian Politics) all day long," says Bastab Chakraborty. " So, my only hope to follow Pujara's histrionics is by following your blog on Guardian.
So, this Pujara guy looks like an able successor to Dravid, what say? But, we are yet to get a Laxman. Maybe Kohli will find some time someday for that." I thought Kohli was Tendulkar? I'm confused now. So what's an elf?

INNINGS BREAK

WICKET! India 327 all out (Zaheer c Bairstow b Swann 11) Swann wraps up the innings when Zaheer is caught at short leg. Sad to say it's a desperate decision from Aleem Dar, with the bat nowhere near the ball. He took an age to give it as well. The absence of DRS seems to have really unsettled him. Swann ends with four for 70, Monty with five for 129, and England – let's set our sights high – need 128 to avoid the follow-on. Alastair Cook and Nick Compton will have an unpleasant ten-minute spell before lunch.

115th over: India 327-9 (Zaheer 11, Ojha 0) Zaheer swipes consecutive deliveries from Panesar for four and then six, a biggie over long on.

114th over: India 316-9 (Zaheer 0, Ojha 0) A wicket maiden for Swann.

HALLEY'S COMET! India 316-9 (Pujara st Prior b Swann 135) Glory be. Pujara, who has been at the crease since the year 12 BC, is finally dismissed. It was a lovely piece of bowling from Swann; Pujara danced down the track, was beaten in the flight and beaten on the outside when the ball went straight on. Matt Prior did the rest. Pujara walks off to a lovely ovation for an immense innings of 135 from 350 balls. It means he finally has a series average. Of 382.

113th over: India 316-8 (Pujara 135, Zaheer 0) Monty has no silly point for Zaheer, which doesn't impress David Gower and Sir Ian Botham. He comes in for the final ball of the over. This is all I have to say. Monty has figures of 46-12-118-5; Swann's are 33-6-70-2.

"So do you get to OBO from home now?" says Danielle Tolson. "I thought it there were security issues that meant you had to go in to the office. Still, this way I guess you don't have to worry about getting a P45 if you are currently sitting in your undies." No sack jokes please, we're British.

112th over: India 315-8 (Pujara 134, Zaheer 0) "Last Test all the talk was how England lacked a replacement for Collingwood with the bat and how he'd have stuck at the crease long enough for his tea to get cold, etc," says Simon Brereton. "My wonderful fiancée has just made the pertinent observation that his Collywobblers might also have been some use in this Test. I don't know if she's enjoying listening to him commentating more than she's upset he's not out there. Should I get a restraining order?" On his behalf? Probably best.

WICKET! India 315-8 (Harbhajan LBW b Swann 21) A great line from Beefy, who says that Pujara "really does not to get out more". He has now batted 1000 minutes in the series without being dismissed. England have taken another wicket, but it's not Pujara. Harbhajan went too far across to Swann and was hit on the pad in front of middle. Aleem Dar raised the finger to give Swann his 200th Test wicket, which is 200 more than seemed likely when he was irritating allcomers in South Africa 13 years ago. He has been a pleasure to watch in the last few years, the best England spinner many of us have ever seen.

111th over: India 314-7 (Pujara 133, Harbhajan 21) Obligatory Jay-Z reference: England have got 99 problems and a pitch is one. Harbhajan, pushing at another good one from Panesar, edges it wide of the diving Swann at gully for four. Then he does attempt some bish-bosh, driving Panesar sweetly over mid-on for the first six of the game. Shot!

110th over: India 302-7 (Pujara 132, Harbhajan 10) Swann goes up for LBW when Harbhajan misses a rancid slog sweep. He was outside the line and Aleem Dar pulls his slightly sad sorry-I'd-love-to-give-that-out-as-you're-a-nice-human-being-and-I'd-like-to-please-you-but-it-just-wasn't-out face. There's another appeal against Harbhajan later in the over; same point of contact, same Aleem Dar face. Harbhajan looks like he's warming to the idea of some bish-bosh.

109th over: India 301-7 (Pujara 132, Harbhajan 9) Bhajii inside edges Monty – we're all friends here – for a couple to bring up the 300. With a score like that, on this pitch, it's hard to resist the conclusion that we're all going to die.

"Crisis averted on the yoga front," says Stuart Wilson. "I've just admitted that I am too much of a coward to go and have been let off. It's fortunate that I lost hero status in my house many years ago and so this latest setback has not left me any lower in the pecking order. I'm now on the sofa eating biscuits." And the award for Man of the Year 2012 goes to ...

108th over: India 295-7 (Pujara 129, Harbhajan 6) Swann has been fairly ineffectual this morning. His record when he plays with Panesar looks okay (they both average about 34) but it's not so good since he became the senior spinner. It might just be coincidence, though, as the sample size is pretty small.

"Kieron Shaw's mail, about reverse swing: it could be to do with the ball as well," says Dileep Premachandran. "The SG is quite different from the Dukes. India's pacers, especially Zaheer, were getting it to go Irish within 12 or 15 overs against Australia in 2008. It took the Aussie quicks twice or thrice as long and it wasn't nearly as dramatic. I think part of India's secret was bowling cross-seam from ball one."

107th over: India 293-7 (Pujara 128, Harbhajan 5) The other thing Pujara is doing here is allowing the pitch to age. There's a difference between being 293 for seven after 70 overs and after 107. By the time England bat we will probably be into the fifth session, which make a difference on a used pitch. Pujara plays out a maiden from Panesar. His 128 has taken 334 balls, a joyously old-fashioned innings that allows me to link to this brilliant piece from Rob Bagchi.

106th over: India 293-7 (Pujara 128, Harbhajan 5) Swann gets some vile turn and bounce to beat Harbhajan on the inside, with the ball flicking the pad and just clearing the stumps. Harbhajan will have loved it, because he is infinitely more dangerous on a pitch with bounce.

105th over: India 292-7 (Pujara 127, Harbhajan 5) Harbhajan edges a beauty from Panesar that goes right between Prior and Trott for four. Trott is slightly wider than usual and couldn't react quickly enough as he moved low to his left. He was a bit slow getting down. That's the 471st chance England have missed in the field this year. Bring back Tufnell and Mullally.

"What with all the KP flimflam over the summer, next to nothing little seemed to be written in the papers about the most unsettling aspect of the South Africa series for England: namely, day after day, Test after Test, our previously unplayable, No.1-in-the-world pacemen bowled joylessly and then shrugged and declared there to be 'no swing on this pitch' — only for the Saffers to immediately find it as soon as England were batting," says Kieron Shaw. "Then the same thing happened in Ahmedabad — no reverse swing for us; tons for India. Is anyone looking into this? Is there a technique issue? Considering how Anderson in particular hadn't played anything other than utterly beautifully for 18 months before that, it's a bit of a worry that lateral movement now seems a strain for him and the rest..."

104th over: India 288-7 (Pujara 127, Harbhajan 1) Pujara hasn't changed his tempo, even though India are seven wickets down. He just bats time, like they did in the Fifties. A maiden from Swann.

"After 10 Tests Sir Ian Botham had 479 runs & 53 wkts," says Hardik Vaghani. "Ashwin in his 10th now has 436 runs & 53 wkts. He could surpass Botham this mtch." But could he single-handedly win a Test with bat, ball and brandy?

103rd over: India 288-7 (Pujara 127, Harbhajan 1) The pitch hasn't done that much this morning, in truth, but apparently Rahul Dravid reckons this pitch won't slow down like the one in Ahmedabad, so this is still a very good score for India. Pujara pads up to Panesar, who spins on his heels to launch into another wild-eyed LBW appeal. Tony Hill rightly says not out; it was missing off. Then Harbhajan, slow to back up and loath to dive, would have been run out by a direct hit from point. That was awful cricket from Harbhajan. He basically couldn't be bothered!

"A gentle six miles after play helps you sleep better," says Paul King. "The other (possibly more enjoyable) option is six pints."

102nd over: India 286-7 (Pujara 126, Harbhajan 0) Pujara late cuts Swann for a couple. HOW THE HELL DO YOU GET THIS BLOKE OUT? He has now scored 371 runs in the series without being dismissed.

"I'm a Brit living in Mumbai," says Mark Hannant. "Just heading off to day two with my half-English, half-Indian, six-year-old son. His first ever cricket match. Loyalties a bit muddled! Today he's supporting England but wearing a Mumbai Indians shirt. That's multiculturalism for you."

101st over: India 284-7 (Pujara 124, Harbhajan 0) Harbhajan is beaten twice by Panesar, the second by a delivery that turns sharply. A maiden.

"Uncalled for OBO sledging," is the subject of Matt Dony's email. "I thought you'd said that Naylor was president of the After 8s club. Boom." Go back to bed, Dony.

100th over: India 284-7 (Pujara 124, Harbhajan 0) Swann replaces Anderson. His fifth ball is so filthy that not even White Spirit could cleanse it: short, wide and blasted for four by the magnificent Pujara.

"Morning Rob!" says Amy Lofthouse. "My housemates stumbled in from a drunken night of debauchery just as I settled on the sofa to watch the Test. After a brief five minutes of trying to explain the general rules, they gave up and have gone elsewhere to continue drinking. Who's having the most fun?" I'm not sure. The Student Loans Company?

99th over: India 280-7 (Pujara 120, Harbhajan 0) The new batsman, Harbhajan Singh, is a dangerous hitter whose back England will want to see sooner rather than later. A wicket maiden for Monty, who has figures of 39-10-93-5. His career best is six for 37. On Sky, Nasser tells us that Tony Hill's decision would have stood even with DRS: the point of contact was umpire's call.

WICKET! India 280-7 (Ashwin LBW b Panesar 68) Five wickets for Monty! That was an excellent piece of bowling, an arm ball that skidded on to hit the flap of the pad in front of the stumps. Ashwin was barely halfway through his shot, completely beaten for pace. I think he might just have been out the line in fact, but Tony Hill raised the finger. Ashwin made an outstanding and potentially match-winning 68.

98th over: India 280-6 (Pujara 120, Ashwin 68) Anderson, perhaps sick of seeing the maker's name of Pujara's bat, goes a little wider in an attempt to get Pujara fishing outside off. Good luck with that, Jimmy. Pujara ignores the good-length balls and then slams a shorter one through cover for four. His shot selection is extremely good for a 24-year-old.

"Come to think of it," says Martin Wright, "the best sort of literary sledge could combine poetry with some good old fashioned personal abuse, to keep it sledgey. You know, sort of: 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? You tosser'." Or maybe you could unsettle them with a bit of Brent. No you listen to me, "Cheteshwar".

97th over: India 276-6 (Pujara 116, Ashwin 68) Panesar beats Ashwin twice in that over, the first time with bounce and the second with turn. He is bowling beautifully here. I'd get Swann on at the other end; bugger all is happening for Jim E. Anderson, accurate though he has been.

"Normally, I love a No8 getting runs," says Gary Naylor, who has been the president of the No8 club for as long as I've known him. "I say, normally."

96th over: India 276-6 (Pujara 116, Ashwin 68) Ashwin drives Anderson on the up but short of extra cover. Nothing else happens. The end.

"Nice to see they are keeping you honest on the early turn again," says Paul King of Sky cricket. "Often suspicious of much-hyped long players, but the Tame Impala record is rather good. Listened to it on my post-play run yesterday and enjoyed very much." In my delirious post-play state yesterday I was debating buying that; Feels Like We Only Go Backwards is a fine piece of mus- hang on, you were up at 2am for the cricket and then went for a run after play? Surely that's a recipe for a jelly-legged disaster?

95th over: India 273-6 (Pujara 116, Ashwin 65) Ashwin slices a drive at Panesar that goes in the air but between cover and point. That ball went through the top. Monty has been very accurate this morning. He is a helluva player to have as reserve spinner.

"Morning Rob, morning all," says Matt Dony. "I'm confined to the sofa because, apparently, uncontrollable coughing fits and a tired wife are not happy bedfellows. I really need sleep, but now I've got this OBO as a distraction. I find myself hoping England don't take early wickets, as that would just raise the Spectre of False Hope, and that git will keep me wide awake." The way this is going, the only fits you'll be having by 9am will be of laughter.

94th over: India 272-6 (Pujara 116, Ashwin 64) A trio of singles from that Anderson over. India have started well, that one LBW shout aside, and the pitch hasn't done a lot yet.

"Good morning Rob," says Martin Wright. "'Minds on the margin are not necessarily marginal minds' – Prof Anil Gupta. It's not really relevant, but it's a good quote. Perhaps Monty could use it as a sort of bewilderingly intellectual sledge. Anything's worth trying to disrupt Chintu's Buddha-like calm." There's not enough unusual sledging. Frank Tyson used to quote Wordsworth and Shakespeare to batsmen and Kumar Sangakkara apparently starting singing the Everly Brothers to Nasser in 2003. Surely it's not beyond Tim Bresnan to start quoting Kieślowski to confused batsmen.

93rd over: India 269-6 (Pujara 115, Ashwin 62) A maiden from Panesar to the watchful Pujara.

92nd over: India 269-6 (Pujara 115, Ashwin 62) It'll be Jimmy Anderson at the other end, with the new ball 11 overs old. He has a huge appeal for LBW against Pujara turned down by Aleem Dar. What was wrong with that? It looked an extremely good shout as Pujara wafted around an inducker. It might just have been sliding down and Bumble reckons there might have been an inside edge. It's hard to say either way, although Aleem Dar gave is as runs. I reckon that was hitting leg stump, maybe 'umpire's call'.

Here's Harry Tuttle. "Tintin. Maoams. Early night." Isn't that the name of Pete Doherty's new band?

91st over: India 267-6 (Pujara 114, Ashwin 61) Mudhsuden Singh Panesar is going to open the bowling from the North End. He has a slip and short leg (Jonny Bairstow today, rather than Alastair Cook) for Ashwin, who gets the first run of the day with a single into the covers. A solid start from both bowler and batsmen.

"In a moment of ill placed bravado I agreed to go to 90 minutes of Zen hot yoga with my wife this morning," says Stuart Wilson. "As a man who struggles to tie my laces, I fear that this is going to catapult my back 20 years to the humiliation of double PE at school. It isn't helped by being told that men who do it are generally topless, imagine! I beg you to help me with an excuse, I have about an hour to get out of it." You could fake a thundering nervous breakdown?

Good Friday night? Send in any tales of interest. Vicarious living and all that. My Friday night consisted of necking Strathmore chasers and being in bed by 8pm. I win, yet again.

I'll be back in 10 minutes, when play will resume. I'm off to make an espresso.

Preamble Good morning. For years and years, England's woes could be summed up in two words: Margaret Thatcher 20 wickets. If they didn't take 20 wickets they couldn't win Test matches; working out how they might do so kept Nasser Hussain awake at night when he was captain. Now they have a new problem: first-innings runs. If you don't score big or at least biggish first-innings runs you are likely to lose Test matches; England's first-innings scores in Asia this year have been 192, 327, 141, 193, 460 and 191. When their turn comes to bat in this match, they must surely get at least 350 if they are to have a chance of victory. First they need to wrap up India's innings. Ordinarily a score of 266 for six after day one would suggest an even game, but this is not an ordinary pitch. If India get much more than 300, England will be in the malodorous stuff.

England in India 2012-13India cricket teamEngland cricket teamCricketRob SmythSimon Burnton
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