That’s it for today’s blog. It’s been a lovely Test match, and a memorable series. The 3-1 scoreline is a bit harsh on India but England will celebrate well tonight, as they should. Thanks for your company, bye.
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Moeen Ali is a very popular Man of the Match “It’s great to be back. I have missed Test cricket a lot. I needed a break but it’s great to come back and contribute to a win. I’ve played so much in the last few years that it wasn’t a bad thing to go back to county cricket and play a bit of IPL and start to enjoy my cricket again. When I was watching the guys at home I thought, I really need to get back into that side.
“I’ve been playing in England for a while now and I back myself a bit more. I did a lot of hard work with Saqqy and it’s paid off. I feel like I’m getting better as a spinner every day and I need to keep improving.”
“Rooty asked me if I fancied batting at No3. It’s where I bat at Worcester and where I’d like to bat. If I bat there again I’ll have to score runs and maybe tighten up a bit. But I did enjoy it, for the 15 balls I faced!”
Joe Root speaks “We were really up against it on that first morning and showed strength of character and skill. I couldn’t be more proud of the group. We wanted to spinners to be as aggressive as possible. We could have defensive fields but also keep the catchers in and wait for a ball to really do something. I thought the way we went about it as a team and trusted our process was exceptional.
“I’ve spoken with Mo about the value of him having a bit of time away from this environment, and I think today was the best I’ve ever seen him bowl in an England shirt. We’re building a squad which really excites me.”
Virat Kohli speaks “I thought England batted really well in the third innings. They applied themselves and got to a total that was challenging to us. I would have to say England were relentless with the ball today, so the credit has to go to them – I don’t think we made too many mistakes. It was a challenging day. We put our best foot forward but were just not good enough. They put pressure on us non-stop. We felt the passion of 11 players on the field wanting to win a Test for their country.
“There’s a lot of what-ifs: a couple of calls that might have gone our way, my dismissal in the first innings. There are many factors you can think of. But I don’t think there are many negatives for us in this game – England played better than us and deserved to win, but we can take a lot of pride in the way we played.
“England have guys who are fearless down the order and they were braver in tough situations than us. That’s why they won this Test match. I would like to congtratulate Sam Curran. He’s been a nice find for England and has done really well.
“Apart from Lord’s I don’t think we’ve been outplayed in any game. It’s been a very enjoyable series to play in and we definitely will not throw the towel in for the last game.”
The captains are out on the field for the post-match presentation.
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In a low-scoring match, Sam Curran scored 124 runs - and in both innings he gave his wicket away when he was left with No11. That is some performance for a 20-year-old. But I doubt even he would begrudge Moeen Ali the Man of the Match award: he took nine wickets, including the game-breaking dismissal of Kohli today, and scored 49 runs.
“With the series won, I reckon the Oval would be a good place to blood a next-gen young quick: Olly Stone at Warwickshire and Jamie Overton have both taken a lot of wickets when fit this summer,” says Tom Bowtell. “Also means we can rest Broad or Jimmy (or both).”
Yes, I hope they rest/rotate a few of this team. I would definitely start Jennings, Root, Curran, Moeen and Buttler, but the rest are up for discussion.
“England regained the Pataudi Trophy, surely?” says Akshay Shah.
I might be wrong but I think they have a different trophy in each country – the Pataudi for the series between the teams in England and the Anthony de Mello Trophy in India.
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Here are Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson
Broad “It’s fantastic to win the series. It’s been hard work to play in emotionally – each day you weren’t sure where the match was going to go. Huge credit to both sides really, because both sides have showed amazing character. Even then with 60 needed Ashwin hadn’t given up and we still weren’t sure.
“It’s been really intense. We’ve been helped by the pitches, which have meant our workloads have been manageable. We’re very proud as a bowling unit that we’ve adapted to every pitch we’ve had. Even this one changed during the match – it was unrecognisable from day one to day three.
Anderson “Mo bowled so well, challenged the forward defensive all day. The pressure he created was immense and made our job so much easier: he’s not going anywhere so we can attack a bit more. Once we opened up an end we had a really good chance. It’s a really exciting challenge for us to face Virat Kohli – I haven’t got him out but you have to give him credit.”
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Sam Curran and Ben Stokes are being interviewed by Sky’s Ian Ward
Curran “I can’t believe what’s happening. I’m just taking it all in. It’s pretty special. I’ve tried to play naturally the way I did for Surrey and luckily a few shouts have come out of the screws. On another day I suppose I’d have nicked it.”
Stokes “I’m buzzing mate. We came here under a bit of pressure but credit to everyone. We could have crumbled in the third innings but we showed real fight and character and put a lot of the demons out of our mind. I’ve found another aspect to my game – trying to dig in and adapt to the game.”
The players shake hands out in the middle; England’s respectfully suppress their smiles for a few seconds. It’s been a memorable series, a compelling dogfight that could have gone either way. England’s bowlers were immense today - Broad and Anderson set the tone, and Moeen Ali was back to his best.
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The wounded Ashwin went across his stumps, missed a flick to leg and was given out LBW. It looked like it might have slipped down the leg side, but India have no reviews remaining.
ENGLAND WIN BY 60 RUNS AND RETAIN THE PATAUDI TROPHY!
WICKET! India 184 all out (Ashwin LBW b Curran 25) Sam Curran takes the final wicket and England have won the series!
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69th over: India 184-9 (Ashwin 25, Bumrah 0) Ashwin continues his defiant cameo by dancing down the track to lift Moeen for six. He steals a single off the last ball to keep the strike, though he might have been out with a direct hit by Curran at point. Ashwin injured himself in the process and has called for the physio. It looks like he has aggravated his adductor injury.
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68th over: India 175-9 (Ashwin 16, Bumrah 0) Sam Curran replaces Ben Stokes. There’s no unhappy ending for England if they win the series, but Curran or Moeen taking the last wicket would be especially heartwarming. It won’t be Curran, at least not yet - Bumrah survives the over. Curran has Ted Rogers figures: 3-2-1-0.
“Moeen has just inched ahead of Rashid in the strike-rate table for England spinners (past 50 years, at least 20 wickets),” writes Tim de Lisle. “Makes you wonder where Rashid would be if Root had any faith in him.”
And also how dear old Embers was once regarded as the world’s best offspinner.
67th over: India 175-9 (Ashwin 16, Bumrah 0) Ashwin moves across to sweep Moeen behind square for four, another excellent stroke. He is playing beautifully.
Edit: He was playing beautifully. He tries to lap the next ball over the keeper and toe-ends it towards short midwicket, where it falls just short of the diving Root.
“India has been brilliant for most parts of the game, but recently they have been losing the ‘big moments’ Kohli claims his team is winning,” says Abhijato Sensarma. “Maybe it’s just me, but his brilliance has always had premature ending in the fourth innings, ever since that fateful day in Adelaide in 2014. No one around him seems to step up and take responsibility after he is gone. It’s more disappointing and heartbreaking to see the world’s supposedly best team fall short so many times. While the interesting prospect of Jadeja and Shaw getting a look in intrigues me, a 3-1 lead hides the flaws of the English team, and reveals the loss of temperament by the Indian players. Hopefully, the team goes out on a high in the last match for their own sakes.”
I know what you mean, though I would argue they’ve lost a lot of these games in the second innings by not building as a big a lead as they should. They have batted on some filthy fourth-innings wickets this year.
66th over: India 171-9 (Ashwin 12, Bumrah 0) Ashwin carts a poor ball from Stokes for four. If India do win this, and Bumrah becomes a deluxe Danny Morrison, I’ll either never recover or never stop laughing.
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65th over: India 166-9 (Ashwin 7, Bumrah 0) Virat Kohli looks pretty despondent on the balcony. His team have given so much to this series, and he has been comically good. In a sense we’ll remember this as his series, even though his team have been beaten.
“I know Rashid’s selection was controversial, but surely this Test shows why Moeen should have been in from the start,” says AB Parker. “He’s always done well against India, and he’s just the best spinner in the country. It might be sad to think about, since Moeen’s no mystery spinner, but it’s just the truth. With his batting, he just has to start every game.”
I think that’s being wise after the event. He had a dreadful series with the ball in India in 2016-17, and a miserable winter in Australia and New Zealand. The problem with Moeen, as with Chris Woakes and others, is that he’s a must pick in certain conditions, and almost a mustn’t pick in others. His confidence also fluctuates wildly. So I think England were right to give him a break – not least because that break allowed him to go back to county cricket and get into the scintillating form that has served him so well in this game. But I’d certainly have him in the squad this winter in Sri Lanka and the West Indies, probably with Leach and Rashid. (Though I’d sit down with Rashid and have a frank chat first.)
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WICKET! India 163-9 (Shami c Anderson b Ali 5)
Shami drives Moeen miles in the air towards long on, where Jimmy Anderson takes a comfortable catch. England need one more wicket for a fabulous series victory - and Moeen needs one for a richly deserved ten-for.
63rd over: India 160-8 (Ashwin 4, Shami 5) Shami hoicks Moeen not far short of the man at deep midwicket. I don’t think this is going to take long.
“Permission to be outrageously pleased for Moeen Ali, Rob?” says Guy Hornsby. “Aside from him being an absolutely unhateable man, his sunny, deadly performance here is surely the best advert for sending a player back to the counties to get some runs and wickets. This will never be even a 13-man game anymore, but surely a rotating cast of 16 or 17, depending on form, pitch, workload & opponents. Bravo for England on resting him, and double that for his last two months of cricket, culminating this weekend.”
It’s such a lovely story, and there have been a few for England in this series - Sam Curran, Chris Woakes’s hundred.
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62nd over: India 158-8 (Ashwin 3, Shami 4) This is a familiar story for India, who lost a similar Test at Edgbaston and two more in South Africa earlier in the year. They have played some really brilliant cricket in the two big away series, and they have the square root of eff all to show for it.
It turns out Sharma’s LBW would have been overturned had he been able to review - Hawkeye had it going over the top of leg stump.
WICKET! India 154-8 (Sharma LBW b Stokes 0)
England are nearly there. Sharma jumps across his stumps, misses and is given out LBW by Bruce Oxenford. There are no reviews left, but I don’t think that would have been overturned.
61st over: India 153-7 (Ashwin 2, Sharma 0) Moeen Ali is such a diffident character that you wouldn’t necessarily expect him to thrive when there’s a match to be won in the fourth innings. But his record in such circumstances is spectacular – Derek Underwood is the only English spinner to take more fourth-innings wickets in Tests, and nobody has taken more in matches that England have won.
WICKET! India 153-7 (Rahane LBW b Ali 51)
Moeen Ali is knifing through India for the second time in the match! Rahane goes back to a huge offbreak that beats the inside edge and hits him on the pad. It’s given out LBW and reviewed by Rahane - but this time there is no reprieve. No inside edge, three reds on Hawkeye, and Rahane’s masterpiece is over.
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60th over: India 152-6 (Rahane 51, Ashwin 1) Two from Stokes’s over. He’s almost holding up an end for Moeen.
59th over: India 150-6 (Rahane 50, Ashwin 0) It seems it was Jos Buttler’s idea to have that cover sweeper for Pant. The new batsman Ashwin survives an LBW appeal, and quite right too as he was well outside the line.
WICKET! India 150-6 (Pant c Broad b Ali 18)
That might be the series for England. Pant’s dangerous counter-attack comes to an end when he charges Moeen Ali and slices towards the cover boundary, where Cook takes a calm catch. Pant made 18 from 12 balls.
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58th over: India 146-5 (Rahane 50, Pant 14) Stokes tries to tempt Rahane into a fatal flirt off stump. Rahane resists the invitation and it’s a maiden.
57th over: India 146-5 (Rahane 50, Pant 14) The ultra-aggressive Pant survives a big LBW appeal from Moeen after missing a sweep. I reckon he was just outside the line, though England have no reviews left anyway. Replays confirm it hit him outside off stump and would also have missed off.
Rahane then works a single to leg to reach a quietly immense half-century from 147 deliveries. It’s been a brainy innings, too. He’s hit only one four, which shows the extent to which he has eschewed risk.
Pant, by contrast, is embracing risk. He scoots back for two off the last ball of the over and has raced to 14 from eight balls.
56th over: India 142-5 (Rahane 49, Pant 11) Rahane flicks Stokes off the pads for a couple to move within one of his half-century. He now been at the crease for 144 deliveries. It’s been a quite brilliant performance under extreme pressure on a difficult pitch.
“If India complete their innings, as the English fans hope they will, then there will potentially be four completed innings scores pretty close to each other,” says Peter Mitchell. “I wonder: what is the smallest gap between highest & lowest total across four innings?”
I’m pretty sure it’s Melbourne 1982-83, certainly in Test cricket.
55th over: India 140-5 (Rahane 47, Pant 11) Pant will surely have a dash and try to unsettle England. Indeed he does, dancing down to drive his first ball from Moeen Ali for six! That’s some shot, both in intent and execution. He’s such a dangerous player, with a strike-rate of 94 in first-class cricket.
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54th over: India 131-5 (Rahane 45, Pant 4) Root and Stokes have both taken high-class catches in the cordon today, more than justifying England’s controversial decision to put their best catchers in the most important catching positions.
The new batsman Rishabh Pant, who made a 29-ball duck on Friday, gets going with a confident clip through midwicket for four.
“I’d like to raise a glass, in a knowingly lame way, to all other OBOers who have experienced the difficulty of stifling your enjoyment at the cricket in public settings, while the others around you go about their business as if Señor Ali didn’t just get Admiral Kohli out,” says Harry Coleman. “Sat in a bar in Amsterdam on a sunny day, trying to provide feedback on a student’s report, and instead grinning my stupid face off to Boycott’s description on TMS of Kohli giving it the big elbow-placate for the umpires.”
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WICKET! India 127-5 (Pandya c Root b Stokes 0)
Ben Stokes strikes in the first over after tea! Pandya edged a good delivery to second slip, where Root seemed to take a superb low catch. Pandya waited around to make sure, and the umpires went upstairs. Replays showed it was a clean take from Root, and England need five more wickets!
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“Here’s a rhyme from my side to chug us along for the rest of the day!” chirps Abhijato Sensarma.
“Making you say clichéd Michael Holding phrases
Through the different phases
Of this match of Test cricket
Makes you wonder how the ‘mums and kids’ are not entertained yet.
“Oh when the Indians looked set
And you would be happy to bet
On an unlikely visitor’s victory
Ali decides to strike on the stroke of tea.
“To cause unbearable tension
But also to help the lovers of the game shun
All those who say this format has no place
By showing them any viewer’s face.
“As they watch this game of ebb and flow
And how the faintest nicks or its absence can cause a row
In this beautiful sport we are enthralled by
Long after this classic’s result is known, everyone following the sport will surely be left on a high.”
I have no idea how you can write something so coherent under this strain. All I’ve managed is:
Effing hell,
We need six more wickets.
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Thanks Nick, hello again. In the next three hours, whether you support England or India, you will need at least three of the following: Valium, hope, patience, despair, booze, booze substitute, a year’s supply of Embassy Regal, strong paint, medical attention.
And that’s it from me. Rob Smyth will take you home. India probably won’t win this tonight, but England could. Either way, stick around. Your emails to Rob.Smyth@theGuardian.com.
Treachery is afoot, from Simon Horbury: “I’m going to confess that seeing the back of Kohli has made me have to consider my loyalty to England. The problem is that I’ve got tickets for the final test and 2-2 would make it an incredible occasion...but, of course if England win this one, then well... Is it somehow possible for us to win, yet the series be all square at 2-2? Mind you, we have got to win this one first.”
Tea: India 126-4 - require another 119 runs to win
Well then. Well, well, well then. We did tell you this was going to be a brilliant day, and it shows the beauty of Test cricket. Only one wicket in the session, India are going at 2.42 an over, but the extended format extends the tension almost unbearably. It’s quite, quite brilliant.
53rd over: India 126-4 (Rahane 44, Pandya 0) Last over before tea. Funny what a wicket can do: previously Rahane was playing it with the proverbial stick o’ rhubarb, but now he looks much less certain. Again, a single gives Pandya two balls to face and he smothers them both. And that’s the afternoon session done.
52nd over: India 125-4 (Rahane 43, Pandya 0) Stokes tries some short stuff at Rahane, but one does wonder about how wise the effort ball is with his knee: particularly as it was slightly harshly called a wide. A single, so Stokes has a go at Pandya, and howls into the skies as two balls seam just, just, just past the edge.
51st over: India 123-4 (Rahane 42, Pandya 0) Well then. WELL THEN.
WICKET! Kohli c Cook b Moeen 58 - India 123-4
It was glove. Huge. HUGE. YYYYYYUUUUGE wicket.
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Review!
Kohli is caught at short leg off Moeen, but he thinks it hit his arm, not bat or pad. Upstairs we go...
50th over: India 122-3 (Kohli 58, Rahane 41) The running of these two has been excellent. Rahane dabs one just in front of point, and immediately they’re off: any hesitation and that might have been close, but they were decisive and it was easy. Then, four: Kohli goes a long way across his stumps, and flicks one fine off his hips. Brilliant batting, and also the 100 partnership.
“I was at Headingley a year ago for the Hope & Brathwaite run-chase,” writes Timothy Sanders. “They were excellent at moving outside off stump to counter Moeen’s LBW threat. There was at least one unsuccessful review that day as well, with the fielding side were utterly convinced it was out.”
49th over: India 117-3 (Kohli 54, Rahane 40) These two batsmen have judged the length of Moeen’s deliveries superbly. Rahane gets a single going back, while Kohli picks up two by going right forwards, and flicking a shot in front of mid-wicket.
48th over: India 114-3 (Kohli 52, Rahane 39) Here’s Stokes, and he beats Kohli with what was basically an 80mph leg break. Stokes grits his teeth: at how close he was to a wicket, or because of his iffy knee? Perhaps both.
47th over: India 114-3 (Kohli 52, Rahane 39) “Let’s get halfway before they do, eh lads?” says England’s hype man Buttler. That would need two quick wickets, which looks ambitious at the moment. Two singles from the over.
@NickMiller79 slightly surprised there wasn’t more said about the second time Kohli should have been given out LBW (to Rashid’s googly out of the rough when he was on 44 in the 43rd over). He was clearly hiding his bat and not playing a shot.
— Adrian Morris (@11AMdeclaration) September 2, 2018
I thought he was playing a shot there, and you’ll rarely get a decision with those. Game of opinions innit.
46th over: India 112-3 (Kohli 51, Rahane 38) Just when you think batting is looking a little easier, Anderson bowls one at Kohli that rears up nastily from a decent length. The previous ball was a leave just missing off that bounced a couple of times before reaching Buttler. Up and down, up and down. But here’s 50 for Kohli, playing a great shot off his knees out to the square leg boundary: what an absolutely magnificent batsman, cricketer, human he is.
Brian Withington’s been on: “Reverse swing could yet be key but suspect England may need to keep the run rate below 2.5 to maintain the relevance of the second new ball tonight/first thing tomorrow. Looking like a tall order now though as run getting becomes easier.”
45th over: India 108-3 (Kohli 47, Rahane 38) Rashid’s out, Moeen’s back in. Immediately he finds the rough and gets big spin and big bounce: again, I would have brought Stokes back, but given the turn that looks wrong. Really good over, just the one run coming from it.
44th over: India 107-3 (Kohli 46, Rahane 38) Another big lbw shout, as Anderson gets some reverse, but that was heading a decent way down leg. Broad stops a single then flings the ball in the rough direction of the stumps, accidentally-on-purpose sending it pretty gosh darn close to Kohli, who isn’t impressed at an attempt to unsettle a batsman. Huh. Three smartly-run singles from the over.
43rd over: India 104-3 (Kohli 44, Rahane 37) 100 up as Rahane nudges round the corner and they dash through for three. The umpire is briefly accosted by some wasps, which holds up play briefly. A Rashid googly hits Kohli’s pads, but the batsman holds his pose and giggles at the appeal, looking closely at how far outside the line of off he was. Which is quite far. 141 runs to win.
42nd over: India 98-3 (Kohli 42, Rahane 33) Mercy this is tense. Anderson sends one a gnat’s short & curly away from Kohli’s outside edge. Some smart running from India brings them three from that over.
41st over: India 95-3 (Kohli 41, Rahane 31) Rashid goes again, but again the batsmen deal with a maiden quite comfortably. Maybe a couple of overs from Stokes might be worth a go?
40th over: India 95-3 (Kohli 41, Rahane 31) Anderson gets one to spit at Rahane, moving away but sadly for him too far for an edge. After a single, Kohli dabs to third man and a direct hit as they come back for the second causes the umpires to go upstairs, but the Indian captain was in comfortably. The all-powerful ‘WinViz’ suggests England are 63% likely to win this, 37% India, but I’d say it’s the other way around. These two look pretty comfortable.
39th over: India 91-3 (Kohli 38, Rahane 30) A change of ends for Rashid: he replaces Moeen, and Kohli hits him down the ground for three, Jennings doing well to haul it in from the boundary. He then drags one down that he’s lucky to get away with, Rahane’s whipped shot stopped short of the boundary by a diving Moeen.
38th over: India 86-3 (Kohli 35, Rahane 28) Anderson replaces Rashid, and will hope to get some reverse swing with this ageing ball. There’s a hint of it in his first over, nothing more, and India reduce the target by four.
“Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Kohli decision, and whatever the outcome of this match and series, I think we can safely say that TEST CRICKET HAS BEEN THE WINNER.”
Has it ever. This is shaping up to be the best series in England since 2005.
Right, it’s drinks and I’m off. Nick Miller is your man until tea. Mail him at nick.miller@theguardian.com
37th over: India 82-3 (Kohli 34, Rahane 25) Though Moeen has bowled well today, he could with a wicket to replenish his confidence levels. Kohli flicks him off the stumps for three, with Bairstow doing superbly to save the boundary. The last ball of the over spits malevolently at Rahane, who inside edges it just short of the diving Jennings at gully.
This is so tense, and in that respect it’s reminiscent of that memorable dogfight against South Africa at Headingley in 1998. Where’s Dominic Cork’s mouth when you need it?
36th over: India 79-3 (Kohli 31, Rahane 25) Kohli pulls Rashid into the leg side for a couple. I’d be tempted to get Anderson or Stokes on at Rashid’s end, where Kohli in particular is looking comfortable.
35th over: India 74-3 (Kohli 27, Rahane 24) That’s good for Rahane and Kohli, who take a couple of low-risk singles off Moeen. Every little helps. India need a further 171 runs for a legendary victory.
34th over: India 72-3 (Kohli 26, Rahane 23) A wide, flighted delivery from Rashid forces a false stroke from Kohli, a big drive that he drags into the ground. Another maiden. This is fascinating stuff.
33rd over: India 72-3 (Kohli 26, Rahane 23) Both batsmen are getting outside the line to Moeen, taking LBW out of the game. A maiden from Rahane, who is playing a fine defensive innings. He has 23 from 75 balls.
“One of the great but less remarked aspects of DRS is that it has tended to truncate the extended appealing of the fielding side that was becoming endemic pre-DRS,” says Brian Withington. “Effectively you have to put up, or shut up. However, when all reviews have been expended early (and in one case effectively expropriated) then no such constraint applies. Expect to see some serious and increasingly virulent appealing before this day is done ...”
Yes, good point. I also wonder if it might even help England, as an umpire might unconsciously be inclined to give 50/50 decisions against the team who still have some reviews remaining. And 50/50 decisions tend to be, by definition, umpire’s call.
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32nd over: India 72-3 (Kohli 26, Rahane 23) Do you ever wake up and think, ‘I don’t fancy work today’? Virat Kohli doesn’t. Of all his qualities, and by heaven he has a few, the greatest might be his sheer relentlessness. Here he is again, trying to become the first captain since Bishan Bedi in Australia 40 years ago to lead a team from 2-0 down to 2-2 in a Test series. He brings up a vital fifty partnership by whapping Rashid through mid-on for four.
31st over: India 67-3 (Kohli 22, Rahane 22) Rahane wears another big-spinning delivery from Moeen on the chest. I told you on day one that this pitch might transmogrify into a Bunsen!
“Hi Rob,” says Pete Salmon. “Having a nice little debate in my own head about which cricket record/event is referred to most often. Pretty much every fourth innings run chase brings up Australia’s 3-404 in 1948, which seems to me the winner. I’ve also got Bannerman scoring 67.34% of Australia’s runs in the FIRST EVER TEST INNINGS (always said with emphasis). Also, any third-innings declaration (or lack thereof) leads to a discussion of Gower and Greenidge in 1984 and Garry Sobers in 1968. Any other suggestions?”
I reckon it’s the record run chase, West Indies’ 418 for seven against Australia in 2003 (and Australia’s 404 for three before that). Either that or Carl Hooper’s comedy grubber to Nasser.
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30th over: India 64-3 (Kohli 22, Rahane 19) Adil Rashid comes on to replace Stuart Broad, which means spin from both ends. Kohli survives a big LBW appeal when he whips across a googly. England have no reviews left, though I doubt they’d have sent that upstairs. It was turning a long way past leg stump.
29th over: India 64-3 (Kohli 22, Rahane 19) Rahane survives an LBW appeal from Moeen after missing a sweep. He was well outside the line. Moeen moves around the wicket to increase the chances of LBW, and then ends the over by moving back over the wicket. An excellent maiden.
28th over: India 64-3 (Kohli 22, Rahane 19) A maiden from Broad to Kohli, who even by his standards is batting with such intensity and determination.
“Dear Rob,” says Davorder. “Dr Virender Goebbels wrote compellingly in his celebrated Caltech doctoral thesis of 1974 that a culture’s propensity to bemoan incorrect sports decisions indicated its vulnerability to economic & social collapse. The V-G index. as it is called, was used for example to forecast Argentina’s monetary crisis in 1998-2002 after the sending off of Ariel Ortega for a headbutt in the Football World Cup semifinal versus Holland in 1998. A country’s inability to turn the other cheek in such situations, so the theory goes, can lead to a delusional collective act of self-harm in order to ‘make the wrongdoer acknowledge guilt’. Such an acknowledgment is seldom forthcoming when, especially, as was the case with Ortega, the decision was factually correct. What this all means for the Kohli decision is that England just need to eschew being aggrieved, get on with it and just bowl the Indians out.”
Yes, Michael Holding is good on this. He points out that the great West Indies attack suffered hundreds of bad decisions over the years. Their response was to dismiss the bloke again. (Or hoof the stumps down in a strikingly elegant manner, but we’ll not dwell on that.) But when it’s as big a wicket as Kohli’s, in a match of this importance, and after such a clear error from the third umpire, you can understand why they might lose focus.
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27th over: India 64-3 (Kohli 22, Rahane 19) Moeen is bowling beautifully, helped by all kinds of filth outside the right-hander’s off stump. His figures are 8-1-17-0.
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26th over: India 63-3 (Kohli 21, Rahane 19) Kohli times Broad through the covers for three, a superb stroke. It’s vital England don’t lose focus over those Kohli appeals, though that’s easy to say when the most high-pressure cricket match you’ve played is Borden Grammar School Swale House v Some Other House Whose Name You Can’t Remember.
“Whither Hotspot?” says Miranda Jollie.
Yes, I think it’s because not every host broadcaster around the world wants/can afford to use it, though I’m not sure. You’re welcome.
25th over: India 60-3 (Kohli 18, Rahane 19) That’s another aspect of the first Kohli LBW appeal - not only did he survive, but England lost a review as well. That alone could be significant, never mind the fact Kohli is still at the crease.
KOHLI IS NOT OUT!
It was a brilliant delivery from Moeen that turned sharply and kept low. Here come the replays. Did it hit Kohli outside the line?
Yes it did! Kohli survives and England lose their last review. That’s great umpiring from Kumar Dharmasena because it looked plumb.
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24th over: India 57-3 (Kohli 15, Rahane 19) Rahane survives a big shout for caught behind by Broad. England thought there was an inside edge onto the body before it went through to Buttler, but Bruce Oxenford gave it not out and England could not risk their last review. Replays, and Ultra-Edge, show it was the right decision from Oxenford.
ENGLAND REVIEW AGAINST KOHLI FOR LBW!
Here we go again!
23rd over: India 53-3 (Kohli 15, Rahane 15) “Unusually (?!), I think you’re completely wrong about the DRS appeals only being made on the sole reason they originally weren’t given out,” says Nick Parish. “First, it would be uneven that reviewing a decision that was given out could look at any reason that shouldn’t be the case, while reviewing one that was not out was limited. But more importantly, it was be ludicrous if in reviewing an lbw adjudged not out because it hit outside the line, the third umpire saw that it was missing the stumps by a foot but had to give it out because it hit in line. The answer is simply for the third umpire to get it right.”
I agree with your second point, and I should have phrased it differently. The point is that if the inside edge is 50/50 to the third umpire, and the on-field umpire thought there was no inside edge, that shouldn’t be a factor. Ultimately, pretty much everyone accepts Kohli was out, and he wasn’t given out, so I think it’s worth discussing any possible procedural flaws.
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22nd over: India 49-3 (Kohli 11, Rahane 15) Stuart Broad, who was majestic this morning, comes back into the attack. He’s bowling a lot of straight deliveries, to maximise the impact of any uneven bounce. Rahane squirts a single through Stokes, who slaps the ground eight times in frustration, and then Kohli takes a dodgy single to mid-off. Anderson doesn’t pick up cleanly.
21st over: India 47-3 (Rahane 14, Kohli 10) The dangers of live pause, part 1: THE CRICKET HAS RESUMED, SMYTH, YOU IDIOT. Yes, I missed the first over after the break, from Moeen Ali, but Cricinfo instinct tells me nothing much happened.
“Not sure I agree with you on the Kohli decision,” says Phil Harrison. “I’ve seen it ten times now and I’m not 100 percent sure. Therefore there’s doubt, therefore it goes with the batter. Either way, England need to park that grievance right now. There’s plenty going on and if they bowl well and take their catches, they’ll win comfortably.”
I’ve seen it ten times and I’m about 98 percent sure. Sod it, it’s done, and I agree England are still strong favourites.
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Thanks Nick, hello there. Right, to that Kohli LBW. As ever, Nasser Hussain nails it on Sky Sports. The decision highlights a flaw in DRS procedure for LBW appeals. The third umpire should ask the on-field umpire why it has been given not out - inside edge, missing the stumps, outside the line - and those aspects alone should be subject to review.
In this case, I doubt Kumar Dharmasena perceived an inside-edge – he probably thought it was outside the line or doing too much. Those parts of the decision were overturned by technology.
Even allowing for that, it was poor third umpiring from Joel Wilson, as it was pretty clear there was no inside edge. I can understand why England are so hacked off. They’ll be feral if Kohli goes to win the match.
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Over to Rob Smyth now, who will be your man for the first half of the afternoon session. Mails to Rob.Smyth@theGuardian.com.
Just another word on that Kohli non-lbw. The problem England will have is that third umpire Joel Wilson seemingly didn’t even consider the possibility that the disturbance on Ultra Edge might have been bat hitting pad - which it very clearly did - rather than bat hitting ball. The little wavelength thing didn’t show the sudden spike you usually associate with the edge of the bat. Equally, because the on-field decision was not out, Wilson had to be pretty sure a mistake had been made to overturn it. But my instinct, for what little that’s worth, is that Kohli was out.
Lunch: India 46-3, require another 199 runs to win
Magic, this. England are probably just favourites for the moment, but as long as Kohli is there then India have more than a fighting chance. England have bowled pretty well, and the good news for them is they have plenty of variety: Rashid hasn’t even bowled yet. The rest of the day should be just as good. Stick around.
20th over: India 46-3 (Kohli 10, Rahane 13) - target 245 Rahane takes a single, which means their required runs tick below 200. And there ends a brilliant session.
Not out!
It was outside the line, hitting his back leg rather than the front. The first reversal of a decision in the last 26 in this series.
Review!
Scurran tries around the wicket to Rahane, and it works! Lbw! But they review, although the only way this isn’t out is if it hit him outside the line.
19th over: India 45-3 (Kohli 10, Rahane 12) - target 245 Moeen is getting some good rip, even when not landing in those footmarks. A short one is flapped out to deep mid-wicket by Rahane for two, then a single from a flick around the corner.
18th over: India 42-3 (Kohli 10, Rahane 9) - target 245 Sam Curran gets a bowl. Not much swing, not a huge amount of pace, but he gets a maiden.
17th over: India 42-3 (Kohli 10, Rahane 9) - target 245 Kohli goes for one of those brilliantly whipped shots through mid-wicket: he doesn’t get all of it, more a thick inside-edge. Then the review: the more and more you look at the replay, the more and more it doesn’t look like it hit the bat. The third umpire did make the decision pretty quickly, and didn’t seem to consider the possibility that the noise came from bat on pad. Huh. Still, England lose their review.
Not out!
Well. Ultra edge showed some movement, so not out. Joe Root not happy at all: they might claim the noise came from bat hitting pad, because there wasn’t the big spike one usually associates with an edge. Otherwise it was hitting leg stump.
Review!
Big rip from Moeen, hits Kohli’s pad: it looks close, might have turned too much, might even be just outside the line of off, but England review.
16th over: India 38-3 (Kohli 7, Rahane 8) - target 245 Stokes goes onto Rahane’s pads, and he flicks it nicely to a vacant area out on the leg side: three runs. Both of these at the crease look pretty solid for the moment. A couple more singles, then Kohli flicks two more off his hip down to fine leg. Stokes takes a kick at the turf: bit of an inconsistent over, and he still shakes his head as he takes up the position at slip for Moeen’s over.
15th over: India 31-3 (Kohli 4, Rahane 4) - target 245 Turn and bounce from Moeen as one rips past Rahane’s inside edge and loops up off his knee. Jennings comes in at silly point, right under Kohli’s nose, presumably because of how far forward the Indian captain is coming. Two singles from the over, one nicely driven by Kohli, one the leg-bye.
14th over: India 29-3 (Kohli 3, Rahane 4) - target 245 Double bowling change: here’s Ben Stokes. Bounce straight away, as Rahane has to get up on his toes to keep a couple from just back of a length down. Then a superb take from Buttler who dives left to stop a wayward delivery down leg. Then an absolute snorter that Rahane had no chance of even edging: pitching on middle, jagging away off the seam. Great stuff.
13th over: India 29-3 (Kohli 3, Rahane 4) - target 245 Spin. Mo. Yes. Root gives his off-spinner a go at that rough outside the right-handers’ off stump, and he lands it there first up with one that produces a whacking great puff off dust. Some turn there, but Kohli gets a big step in to smother it. They call for lbw, but Kohli’s front pad was a long way down the track and outside off. Good over, pretty well played.
12th over: India 29-3 (Kohli 3, Rahane 4) - target 245 Three singles from the first three balls of Broad’s over: the third they think about what would have been an entirely suicidal second, but shrewdly think again.
11th over: India 25-3 (Kohli 1, Rahane 2) - target 245 Weird that Anderson is bowling so brilliantly when there isn’t a cloud in the sky, eh? Kohli looks pretty uncomfortable out there, jumping around his crease a little, although he’s pretty watchful. This is great stuff.
10th over: India 25-3 (Kohli 1, Rahane 2) - target 245 Couple of singles from the over, both pushed through the covers. Meanwhile, to depart from sport briefly, this is quite a story.
9th over: India 23-3 (Kohli 0, Rahane 1) - target 245 Wonder how India are going to approach this. Obviously time isn’t a factor, so conventional logic says they don’t need to attack too much. But equally that might knock England off their game a bit more. Let Broad and Anderson - then later Curran and Stokes, and Rashid and Mooen - bowl to them, they could be in trouble. Rob Smyth, who will be on after lunch, points out that Anderson’s last 200 Test wickets have come at an average of 20.36. He is quite literally getting better with age, so following this to its natural conclusion, presumably when he’s 85 he’ll be getting a wicket every single ball.
WICKET! Dhawan c Stokes b Anderson 17 - India 22-3
Dhawan somehow manages to play a shot which looks simultaneously awful and excellent, almost falling over into the covers as he flicks a boundary through mid-wicket. Then one which is merely awful, a thick edge when looking to push Anderson into mid-wicket. Stokes dives to his left, and takes a solid catch with both hands. It’s on.
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8th over: India 18-2 (Dhawan 13, Kohli 0) - target 245 England sure are excited. They go up for a Broad ball which beats Dhawan, didn’t look anywhere near glove or bat but there might have been a noise from bat on pad. Broad then gives it the “oooohhhhhh” treatment to a straight ball that Dhawan basically middles to mid-wicket. Exciting stuff, Test cricket. One run from the over, Dhawan guiding a single to third man.
7th over: India 17-2 (Dhawan 12, Kohli 0) - target 245 Anderson has Dhawan groping outside off, one that nips away just too much to catch the edge. He gets a more controlled shot along the ground past fourth slip, which Bairstow does well to dash around and prevent a fourth run. That brings Pujara on to strike, and then the wicket.
WICKET! Pujara lbw b Anderson 5 - India 17-2
That hit his back thigh, but he was crouched down going for the forward defensive and it was clipping the top of middle. YUUUUGGGGE wicket for England.
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Review!
Anderson traps Pujara, it looks good but he goes upstairs...
6th over: India 14-1 (Dhawan 9, Pujara 5) - target 245 Broad bowling pretty straight to Pujara, but no joy for him yet. Pujara shoves one in front of mid-wicket for a couple: early days but he does look pretty solid.
Meanwhile: poor old Rahul...
The ball which dismissed Rahul bounced 36cm. Others balls that Broad has bowled on that spot in this innings bounced 1m. #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/pR7EeUWUjX
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) September 2, 2018
5th over: India 12-1 (Dhawan 9, Pujara 3) - target 245 Another meaty lbw shout, and they have a long old debate about whether to review. No is the decision, but that looked close: Dhawan was a long way across, but ball tracking shows it was umpire’s call. So, ultimately, a good call from England.
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4th over: India 9-1 (Dhawan 8, Pujara 1) - target 245 Broad looks pumped here: possibly the reason for his ropey shot, but if it means he’s more likely to bowl India out, England will take it. Pujara gets a thick edge out to deep point for his first run, then Broad gives Dhawan a leg stump half-volley that is perfectly flicked just in front of mid-wicket and to the boundary.
WICKET! Rahul b Broad 0 - India 4-1
Woof. That kept low, Rahul playing a bit back to Broad, and it makes a mess of off stump via the toe-end of his bat.
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3rd over: India 4-0 (Dhawan 4, Rahul 0) - target 245 India off the mark, but not particularly convincingly, with a thick edge from Dhawan that goes through where about fifth slip would be.
2nd over: India 0-0 (Dhawan 0, Rahul 0) - target 245 Stu Broad from the other end, who has a bit of redeeming to do after that dose of silliness with the bat. First ball goes in, next two go out, Rahul doesn’t look comfortable. But he does survive the over, leaving the last couple smartly.
1st over: India 0-0 (Dhawan 0, Rahul 0) - target 245 Dhawan shoulders arms at one that ducks back at him and thunks his knees: big appeal, but England sensibly elect not to go upstairs. Bit high, bit wide of off. Fair play for them not getting too giddy there. On commentary, Bumble points out that the last 24 reviews by either side have been unsuccessful. Blimey. Dhawan leaves the rest of the over alone - there’s a touch of swing there, but Anderson was a little too wide.
In a shock move by Joe Root, Jimmy Anderson will open the bowling.
Historical note:
Only once - at Port of Spain in 1976, when they made 404 for 3 - have India made more in the fourth innings of a Test outside Asia to win than the 245 they need here.
— Lawrence Booth (@the_topspin) September 2, 2018
Having six bowlers could be key here for Root, even if Stokes isn’t in ship-shape. If someone isn’t cutting it, they can be binned reasonably quickly.
“Ben Stokes’s recent innings remind me of late career Roy Keane,” writes David Murray, “when his youthful cocky recklessness had been replaced by such a pathological desire to win that his style of play became negative and defensive, afraid to shoot or make risky attacking passes for fear of losing the ball. I wonder if Stokes, post-trial, is similarly seems so determined to make the most of his career and to make amends to the team that he’s obsessed with retaining his wicket that he’s not forgotten how to enjoy himself and to actually score. Or is it just good bowling?”
India require 245 runs to win
Well, Root said before play that he wanted another 30 or 40, but in the end they only got 11. I still have India as mild favourites, but it’s going to be tough. Kohli and Pujara look like their only two reliable batsmen, but that might just be enough.
WICKET! Curran run out (Sharma) 46 - England 271 all out
Curran goes for a big ol’ swipe/sweep, it flies off his thigh and down to shortish third man. Anderson is running straight away but Curran hesitates at the start of the first, then as they come back for the second too. As such, he’s about a foot short. Under normal circumstances he would never have come back for that second, but first ball of the over, he didn’t want to potentially expose Anderson to five from Ashwin.
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96th over: England 270-9 (Curran 46, Anderson 1) - lead by 243 Curran turns down singles thrice, to long-off, to the cover sweeper, to deep mid-wicket, then pushes one from the fourth ball. Anderson stoutly (ish) keeps out the last two deliveries.
Tom Adam really should grow up: “Kohli has his ring out”, says Aggers solemnly on TMS. Brian Johnston is chortling on a cloud somewhere.”
Awfully immature. Can’t see why that’s funny. Not at all. No sir. Let’s have a bit of decorum.
95th over: England 269-9 (Curran 45, Anderson 1) - lead by 242 Shot! Curran drives Ashwin deliciously to the straight boundary - high elbow, flowing follow through, the works. Llllllllllovely stuff. Interesting that Ashwin is coming over the wicket to Curran, limiting the runs being the priority and leaving the wicket-taking stuff for when he bowls at Anderson. Thanks to a single he only gets one go at that, but as it’s a wide one Anderson leaves it well alone. Stuart?
94th over: England 264-9 (Curran 40, Anderson 1) - lead by 237 Hat-trick ball from Shami, which Curran drives out to the cover sweeper: there’s enormous hesitation about the single, but they eventually shuffle one, surprisingly. Short leg, leg slip in, so we know how Shami is going to bowl here, but Anderson deals with it quite well, tucking a single down to fine leg, then Curran thick inside-edges one of his own.
93rd over: England 261-9 (Curran 38, Anderson 0) - lead by 234 It’s Ravi Ashwin from the other end, bowling to Curran. A few down the leg side, then Curran tucks a single out to fine leg. Anderson gets a rousing ovation for keeping two balls out, even if he prodded at the second rather and missed.
“David Gower in his pomp would have been a great Bond,” writes David Seare. “You could see him knocking a ton at Lords, going back to the dressing room to throw his cap onto a hatstand and engage in risqué banter with Miss Moneypenny. Then into his Lotus Esprit to catch a flight to Amsterdam to front up an international diamond deal before jetting back to London to keep the British end up in the company of an alluring actress of the day under the covers at HQ.”
92nd over: England 260-9 (Curran 37, Anderson 0) - lead by 233 Oh, Stuart. The only job was to stick around for as long as possible to let Curran swipe it around. Oh, Stuart.
WICKET! Broad c Pant b Shami 0 - England 260-9
One ball left of Shami’s over from last night. It’s wide of off stump, so of course Broad chooses not to leave it but drives, and nicks through to the keeper. You don’t like to judge too harshly when you’re not in the situation - but that was entirely brainless.
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The players are out, let’s play. It’s going to be glorious.
In advance of the urgent emails that usually come around this time, here’s the YouTube link for Test Match Special, only for those ‘abroad’, mind.
Any other nominations for a cricketing Bond?
@NickMiller79 If cricketers strayed into Cubby Broccoli territory, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the Bond we never had: the guarded but debonair quality, I think.
— William Hargreaves (@billhargreaves) September 2, 2018
Joe Root has been speaking, firstly about putting Moeen at No.3.
It was a bit of a spur of the moment decision. Moeen’s in great form, batted at No.3 for his county, and it was an opportunity for him to go out and play as he can do.
Root did admit that the decision had plenty to do with him dropping to his favoured position of four. “Ultimately I did it for the good of the team,” he said. Mo was “very excited” about the prospect as he “sees himself as a top order batsman.”
I’d like to see them continue with it in the next Test, but what do I know? Yesterday Geoff Boycott wasn’t happy, lecturing Ed Smith, telling him to “go to county cricket and find a No.3.” He waved away the question when asked if he had anyone in particular in mind - “not my job” - but no matter, we have a suggestion: a player who scored a double century at No.3 last week, perhaps?
Well this is very nice. Philipp Lohan writes:
“Sun’s out, great day ahead.... yet my wife and daughter preferred to stay home. Which means that there are a spare U17 and a spare adult seat 3rd row back behind the bowers arm. Any locals without ticket are welcome to ping me directly....”
Probably unwise to stick Philipp’s email out in public, but if anyone’s in the area and fancies a day of what will probably be glorious cricket, email me on Nick.Miller.casual@theGuardian.com and I’ll pass the message on.
Kimberley Thonger has been on: “Munching toast and Marmite in the sunshine, my mind has strayed to the breakfast routines of cricketers. Are they all obsessed these days with kale, quinoa and avocado, or do full English stalwarts still exist? Is our top order’s first session frailty related to a lack of kippers, porridge and black pudding? Might a proper toasted tea cake regime boost the blood sugar levels and help avoid unintended nicks to second slip?
“And furthermore, how many Shredded Wheat does Sam Curran stuff away of a morning?”
The dashing Ravi Shastri, the Bond we never had but for the moment India coach, has been speaking. He’s optimistic:
270 is definitely gettable. There is something there for the bowlers, but if you get in, like Jos Buttler and Sam Curran showed, things can get easier.
Ben Stokes was good too. Here’s Andy Bull with an appreciation:
Stokes was not in swashbuckling mood. Anything but. His innings was one long exercise in self‑restraint. After 25 balls, he had scored a single run, after 50 he had made 12 and after 100 he had 26. When he was finally out he had 30 off 110, which made it one of the very steadiest and most sedate innings of his Test career. He has only once made a slower double‑figure score, against Pakistan in Dubai in 2015, when England were trying to bat out a draw on the fifth day. It was slow going in the first innings here too, when he made 23 off 79. He has never faced so many balls for so few runs in a Test match.
Jos Buttler played pretty well yesterday, eh? Here he is toeing the party line to Ali Martin.
Buttler, the vice-captain, said: “I thought Joe batted fantastically well. People will debate it but it could be the difference of one ball. I think in time stability would be important but at the minute we are trying to work out the best combinations.
“The best teams in the world, you guys [the press] could turn up every week and write it out. That’s the golden egg of what every team is trying to get to and stability is a key pillar in a lot of successful teams.”
Let’s get you caught up on the state of things. Here’s Vic Marks’s report on day three...
The match remains deliciously in the balance. Jos Buttler, unexpectedly England’s highest Test run-scorer in the summer of 2018, contributed a vital 69 when the innings was threatening to subside. This enabled England to be 260 for eight at the close, a lead of 233. There was also a polished 48 from Joe Root plus gritty knocks from Keaton Jennings and Ben Stokes and another little gem from Sam Curran. So Sunday’s play should be a treat.
Preamble
Knife edge. Finely poised. Beautifully balanced. Or, if you prefer, bloody brilliant. This Test match could go either way, as we enter day four with nobody really able to make a convincing argument that either team have a stranglehold on it. And, as a couple of the games earlier in this series have shown, even if they did then that wouldn’t necessarily mean they would win. Man, Test cricket is great.
I have India ahead by a hair, as things stand. But if Sam Curran continues his outstanding summer and scores another 40-odd runs, England will probably nose ahead. But what if England only get 20 more? What does that mean? I don’t know! And friends, ‘I don’t know’ is the very best position to be in when we’re talking Test cricket. Or sport in general really. That’s probably how you know which pundits to listen to: the ones who sound absolutely sure of what they say are probably the ones you should be suspicious of.
Either way, a terrific day when the Test might finish, lies ahead. It’s going to be great. Stick around. Let’s watch it together.
