Report, reaction and more
A classic day of Test cricket - if you were there, you lucky things. Ebb. Flow. Tension. Possible hat-trick - it had it all. Pujara played a blinder, and inched India’s nose ahead - despite some terrible shot choices from his late-middle order. England’s newbies, or returnies, plus the old Broad warhorse , kept them in sight. Moeen’s five wickets have ensured his place on the winter tour. Curran got Kohli to put in his pocket of Ageas surprises. And at the end of it all - virtual parity. I’ll give the last word to Dean Kinsella:
“Bloody marvellous! After 2 days of wonderful ebb and flow these two teams have hardly a whisker between them. As much as I am a committed England supporter, a bit of me would love to see a winner-takes-all scenario at the Oval next week. It really seems mad that this great, historic, thrilling game called Test Cricket could be under threat of non-survival.”
4th over England 6-0 (Cook 2, Jennings 4) A four, a four, a palpable four! Jennings swivels Bumrah’s first ball behind him and down to the boundary. He and Cook fist-bump. Ooooh, then he’s beaten by the fourth which slices through him, past the outside edge. He smiles, and he survives. What a day.! The players walk off and England trail by 21.
3rd over England 2-0 (Cook 2, Jennings 0) Cook plays out a maiden from Ashwin and with the shadows lengthening, India will get one more over.
2nd over England 2-0 (Cook 2, Jennings 0) It’s Bumrah, fresh from his triumphant 6. He runs in, clockwork toy action, pink-fleshed grips on both arms. Cook pats him away. The inswinger has him circling awkwardly, but they get a single off the last ball and Cook keeps the strike.
1st over England 1-0 (Cook 1, Jennings 0) Cook pushes the first ball to midwicket and they takes the single. Jennings opens his eyes wide and plays a succession of immaculate defensives shots. Breathe.
And what can y0u say about Moeen? A table-spoon of confidence and suddenly 5-63 in pocket. Curran got the main man. And Broad was superb.
Ashwin rubs his feet on the crease and prepares to bowl the first ball. Keaton Jennings is on a pair - and in last chance saloon.
84.5 overs. India 273. Pujara not out 132. India lead by 27 runs. Ten minutes! Ten minutes! That’s how long England will have to bat this evening. But first of all, all hosannas and palms to Pujara - what an innings full of wristly class and calm farming of the tail at the end.
WICKET! Bumrah c Cook b Broad 6
Broad tries a short one, and it bounces hard and quick, Bumrah plays an ugly inside out shot and gets an edge from his glove high to Cook at slip.
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84th over: India 273-9 (Pujara 132, Bumrah 6) Pujara wristily steers the ball through mid-on for a couple. This is really excellent batting with the tail - though they do fail to grab a single off the last ball. India lead by 27
Elliot Carr-Barnsley is growing frustrated: “How many yorkers have been bowled at Bumrah? Is that even still a thing?”
Not many is I think your answer - though Bumrah has only faced 19 balls, so well has Pujara farmed the strike. But perhaps Broad now has a few up his sleeve.
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83rd over: India 271-9 (Pujara 130, Bumrah 6) Broad to Pujara, he’s offered some runs, he turns them down, then loses his head to the penultimate ball and willfully heaves, and misses. But they skittle through for a single to backward point off the last. India lead by 25.
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82nd over: India 270-9 (Pujara 129, Bumrah 6) And Root gives the new ball to Curran. It’s a maiden. India lead by 24.
Dave, Dave - are you listening to TMS? They just mentioned an England transplant cricket team. See here:
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81st over: India 270-9 (Pujara 129, Bumrah 6) England take the new ball and heave-ho! Pujara dispatches Broad high for four over mid-on. Then an even better shot - it’s gorgeous actually. An extra-cover drive, head perfectly balanced above bat, drilled pointedly to the boundary. But they don’t get the final run ... Bumrah will face. India lead by 24.
80th over: India 261-9 (Pujara 121, Bumrah 6) Root now plumps for Rashid Pujara steps out and lifts the ball over mid-off where it beats the chasing fielder to the boundary. Then he gets his single from the last ball of the over. And the lead builds. India lead by 16.
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79th over: India 257-9 (Pujara 116, Bumrah 6) Ah, but Broad bowls a full-length ball, Bumrah gets an inside edge and they scamper a single. Broad tries a shorter one which Pujara misses, but so does Buttler, and they run two byes. Pujara then rolls his wrists into the shade a classy 2. This partnership now worth 29 unlikely runs.
78th over: India 251-9 (Pujara 113, Bumrah 5) And India take the lead, Kohli applauds from the balcony. Curran bowls wide, then wider again - which is belatedly called by the umpire. Oh dear, and now India get their running in a tangle, and Bumrah is left to face an over of Broad. India lead by 5.
Abhijato Sensarma is back.
“Developing Mr. Starbuck’s idea could help us end up having a good product.Here’s my version of it - there shall be eight fielders as the pawns. The two rooks should be the two bowlers from each end, the pacers. The two bishops would be spinners. The knights are swing bowlers who can make moves like no one else. Castling can be done with them, and be called ‘spells.’ These three pieces can change positions whenever any two of them are next to each other. The King is the ‘Coach’ of the team, since he is the most important, but isn’t really that active (case in point: Mr Shastri, who always likes a friendly nap). Finally, the Queen is the most powerful piece, the Captain. Both sides have the same pieces in the traditional starting position, with the faces perhaps resembling the players of the country’s/region’s team. Two sides will face off on the board (the Ashes edition will be a hit). They would be fun to play with, and collectibles one can brag about for a long time! “I’ve got the set where Curran was the Captain!”
You’ve thought this through! Whither Toys-R-Us?
77th over: India 245-9 (Pujara 110, Bumrah 4) Moeen, after a spell of 10 overs 5 wickets for 4, is replaced by Stuart Broad, who gets the chance to bowl at Bumrah. But Bumrah breathes, adjusts his helmet, sleeves, moustache, and shoulders arms. Repeatedly. India trail by 1.
Max Williams is giving you all a kick. Well done Max, and thank you:
“Following Dave’s email, I’ve also signed up as a donor – two minute job tops. Come on, people, it’s Friday afternoon – stop pretending to work (you’re on the OBO for starters) and do something important before you hit the pub.
PS: shaping up to be another cracking Test.”
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76th over: India 245-9 (Pujara 110, Bumrah 4) Root reaches into the duffle bag and picks out... Curran. Good call, to try the man with the golden arm/bat/etc. But Pujarah steps on the back foot and with a strong bottom hand drives the ball with piercing accuracy between the fielders for four. India trail by 1.
And a good point here from OBO regular, Tim de Lisle - can Bumrah the batsman see India into the lead?
#ENGvIND, which looked like being a duel between Anderson and Kohli, is now more about the fresh players drafted in on either side – Woakes, Bumrah, Curran & Moeen. Like a football match settled by the subs
— Tim de Lisle (@TimdeLisle) August 31, 2018
DRINKS - and this game loses nothing in its fascination as it moves on.
Re the chess - I don’t think it has to be a chess-themed game, just a chess game with cricketers for pieces. Like this Star Wars one.
75th over: India 241-9 (Pujara 106, Bumrah 4) Oooh this is getting annoying for England now, They swarm Bumrah with fielders, but he defends. There you go. And India trail only by 5.
John Starbuck - this is genius. Someone do it in time for Christmas - please. My soon-to-be-ten year old would be in heaven.
“Tanya,Bad chess eh? Would it be possible to devise a cricket-themed game using chess pieces and board. Kohli, as the King, would be most valuable and England’s top order the serried ranks of pawns. You can have more than one Queen, who are the top bowlers. It needs work ....”
74th over: India 235-9 (Pujara 101, Bumrah 3)
73 overs: India 227-9 (Pujara 101, Bumrah 0) The field come in on the fourth ball after Pujara gets a couple to long leg and moves onto 99, then England review an LBW that pitches outside the line - it’s not out - and England lose their last review. Pujara, invigorated, takes a dance down the wicket and lifts the ball over Moeen’s head and that’s his hundred! Well played!. His 15th Test hundred in his 61st match, his fifth against England and his second outside Asia.
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72 overs: India 228-9 (Pujara 97, Bumrah 0) Pujara plays out Rashid’s over in a state of agitation, what with Bumrah being a batsman in the Devon Malcolm class. But they take a quick single off the last ball of the over and Pujara retains the strike.
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71 overs: India 227-9 (Pujara 96, Bumrah 0) The ball before that wicket, the Indian batsmen had decided not to take the run. Many a slip between cup and slip (short leg)....? And Moeen has his five-fer - very well bowled.
WICKET! Ishant c Cook b Moeen 14
Ishant tries to defend, leg tangles with bat and is caught on the second attempt at short leg.
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70 overs: India 222-8 (Pujara 95, Sharma 10) Rashid, flighting it nicely, bamboozles Sharma who gets in a complete tangle to a googly - but survives.
69 overs: India 220-8 (Pujara 94, Sharma 9) Moeen appeals as Pujara tries to sweep him, but it is well outside the line. Pujara has enough, steps away and whallops Moeen over mid-wicket for four. The sun is lowering and the shadows are long as India creep towards England’s total - 26 behind.
68 overs: India 216-8 (Pujara 90, Sharma 9) That’s more like it. Rashid for Anderson. Rashid shouts for lbw as Sharma sweeps, it strikes him on the back pad but outside the line. Then Sharma chops at the googly, perilously close to his stumps.
67 overs: India 212-8 (Pujara 88, Sharma 7) Moeen is tight but Pujara plays a wristy late cut, down to third man for four. Sharma shuffles around inexpertly but with a straight bat keeps Moeen out.
And one LAST rhyme from Abhijato Sensarma :
“India’s only hope now remains Che Pu
But will he do
What most modern greats can
And play with the tail like he is about to face a ban
For tampering with the lead of the nation?
That is the big question.
He is known to bat in a shell
But he needs to get out of it as his team collapses
Virat Kohli and the others fell
Due to good bowling and mental lapses
There is plenty of time, oh Che Pujara
But you are our last hope
We know we should respect you as much as the Burnley Lara
Excuse us; a good innings here can be the rope
Which pulls in Indian and English fans towards your style alike
Unfurl those beautiful drivesHelp bring the total up to parity
And you’ll be doing something much greater than simple charity.”
I might have messed up the scanning there, sorry.
66 overs: India 208-8 (Pujara 84, Sharma 7) Root perserveres with Anderson who keeps bowling short, and Pujara keeps turning down the single. Like bad chess.
“Evening Tanya”. Evening Simon. “If it’s doggerel, or possibly genius, you’re after look no further than the incomparable William Topaz McGonagall. The closing verse of his masterpiece The Tay Bridge Disaster contains some of my favourite lines
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.
Sage advice from a master craftsman, I think you’ll agree. And applicable in all areas, especially Test cricket. ‘The stronger we our forward defensive do build, The less chance of our place by someone else being filled.”
65 overs: India 207-8 (Pujara 83, Sharma 7) Moeen strokes his more-luxuriant-than-usual hair and turns... Pujara takes a quick and odd single off the second ball of the over. Maybe he knows something about Sharma that we don’t. Ah, here we are, Sharma has a go, over the top and they take three.
Moeen has inspired more poetry-in -motion. From Mike McCArthy.
“Mo-een
Mo-een
Mo-een
Mo-eeeeennnn
I’m begging of you to please take their men”
64 overs: India 202-8 (Pujara 81, Sharma 4) Anderson tries a couple of short ones, Pujara ducks ineffectively into one and is hit on the back of the helmet. Root and Anderson squabble over the field placings for Sharma, but after all that the last ball passes harmlessly by. India trail by 44.
From Jim Procter-Blain:
“Normally I’d try and say something pithy and witty - but I just want to say well done Moeen. So very pleased for him.”
I think we all are Jim. What a come-back story
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63 overs: India 199-8 (Pujara 78, Sharma 4) The field closes in for the hat-trick ball. Six men round the bat. Moeen licks his lips. But Sharma stretches that lengthy front leg forward and pats it away.
The tension remains for the rest of the over as Sharma sweeps right into Cook’s shin at short leg. And then makes real contact and sweeps him for four. This can’t last long.. .Moeen took six here four years ago against India.
62 overs: India 195-8 (Pujara 78, Sharma 0) Pujara now batting with a touch of panic, tries an upper cut at an Anderson bouncer which flies over his head into Buttler’s gloves. And then another, lower, dart, which again doesn’t make contact.
And this from Mike Gooch. Thank you Mike.
“Just registered following on from the update for Dave – having worked with a lady who had the same terrible illness and is now living a fantastic life in Ireland fit and healthy – I should have done it years ago.
Took less than a minute to maybe help someone in the future.
Let’s hope Dave gets well soon.
Puts it all in perspective.”
Hear, hear.
61 overs: India 195-8 (Pujara 76, Sharma 0) A double-wicket cracker from Moeen who, wicket-to-wicket has now taken 4 for 8 in 16 balls. Not bad for a second spinner. He will start the next over on a hat-trick (he’s got one before).
WICKET! Shami b Moeen 0
Shami misses a straight one and the ball clocks the top of off-stump
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WICKET! Ashwin b Moeen 1
Yikes. Ashwin gets down on one knee and plays an agricultural reverse-sweep, the ball hits the toe end of the bat and ricochets onto the stump.
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60 overs: India 194-6 (Pujara 76, Ashwin 1) Anderson’s radar slightly askew here. Ashwin takes a swing at a bouncer, doesn’t make contact but Buttler fumbles it and India go through for a bye.
A bon-mot from the eagle-eyed Olly Horne: “Handy how we’ve persuaded the opposition to wear clothing with appropriate labelling (i.e. shirts with ‘OPPO’ written on them). Unsure how this helps viewers in India though.
59 overs: India 191-6 (Pujara 75, Ashwin 1) Moeen bowling with loop, guile and above all confidence. It’s wonderful to see. India wobbling here, trailing by 55.
WICKET Pandya c Root b Moeen 4
Moeen hits the rough and Pandaa turns it half-heartedly to midwicket where Root takes it diving catch knee-high to his left.
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58 overs: India 188-5 (Pujara 73, Pandya 4 ) Pujara flicks Andersonn nicely through gully. Three runs from the over.
A sobering email from Dave Weirdigan - please read it and do register to be a donor if you can. An OBO transplant? I can’t think of a more wonderful thing. Dave, sending you all our OBO love.
“Hi Tanya, Currently at St. James’ hospital in Leeds having blood transfusion to fill the shortfall caused by my leukemia.
Not much signal here so Guardian updates are keeping me informed... and excited - the match seems perfectly balanced, the perfect distraction.
I need a stem cell transplant to ensure more years of cricket (both playing and watching) and don’t, as yet, have a donor - so we’ve launched an appeal.
Being a donor is painless and signing up is simple and quick - it can be done between overs... please consider registering, you may save a life...
https://www.dkms.org.uk/en/register-now?utm_source=SocialMedia&utm_medium=SocialMedia-dave&utm_campaign=dave
Best wishesDave Brooks(aka Dave Weirdigan)
https://m.facebook.com/dave.weirdigan?ref=bookmarks
57 overs: India 185-5 (Pujara 70, Pandya 4 ) Moeen finishes the over truncated before tea and Pandya sweeps, hard, for four to get off the mark. Btw, Pant’s 29-ball nought was the longest duck ever by an Indian in Test cricket.
Justin Horton has some more thoughts on Pant:
“Dear Tanya
I am sure readers will recall the character from AG MacDonell’s England Their England (i’m sure they will - ed) who, told to go in and keep it tight, hits a succession of boundaries until he is advised it’s OK to cut loose - at which point he begins to block and scratches only a solitary single until he’s out. I was wondering whether Rishabh Pant might have received similar advice prior to the Third Test and this one.”
Gripping stuff. England perhaps slightly more buoyant as they break the tea-time pink wafer. You’ve got to feel for Rishabh Pant - IPL superstar thrown into an atmosphere as different as you could possibly imagine. But what an experience. Superb bowling by England, but .... crucially ....Pujara is still there. The deficit is 65.
And in the grand tradition of cricket ditties, Andrew Benton offers up this:
“Its great when Mo-Al,
comes in to Bo-Al,
With beardy chin, he doth spin,
Can England go on to win?”
Genius or doggerel?
I’ll hand over to Tanya Aldred for the final session of this excellent day’s play. You can email her on tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com. Bye!
Tea
56.3 overs: India 181-5 (Pujara 70) That’s the last ball before tea. It wouldn’t have been overturned even if India were able to review. It drifted in and straightened sharply to hit the pad as Pant got in a bit of a tangle. England lead by 65 runs.
WICKET! India 181-5 (Pant LBW b Moeen 0)
A big wicket on the stroke of tea! Rishabh Pant goes LBW to Moeen Ali - and India have no reviews remaining. Pant falls for an unlikely 29-ball duck.
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56th over: India 181-4 (Pujara 70, Pant 0) Pant is beaten yet again, driving loosely outside off stump at Anderson. He now has 0 from 26 balls, and something surely has to give.
55th over: India 179-4 (Pujara 69, Pant 0) This is Stokes’s seventh over, and it might be time for a break. Two loose deliveries are put away for four by Pujara, a classy extra-cover drive followed by a tuck off the pads. A huge inswinger hits Pujara on the pad, prompting a hopeful LBW appeal from behind the wicket. Stokes did not appeal; he knew it had done too much.
Stokes ends the over with a gorgeous outswinger that beats Pant. Maybe it’s not time for a break; he is still getting the ball to do plenty.
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54th over: India 170-4 (Pujara 60, Pant 0) It’s a quiet period in the game. Pujara is stockpiling singles, while at the other end Pant is playing his unnatural game with the tea break in mind. He now has 0 from 22 balls.
“I have lived long enough to be told that there is a man who lives and breathes on this earth who goes by the eternal name of Paddy Farhart,” says Robert Wilson. “I have passed beyond bliss and fulfiment. Forget the funeral, bury me wherever you like (any old roundabout will do). I’m ready now.”
Wait till you have one of his massages. Apparently they are brutal yet exquisite.
53rd over: India 169-4 (Pujara 59, Pant 0) At Trent Bridge, Pant hit his second ball in Test cricket for six. This time he is struggling to get off the mark. He plays and misses at Stokes and then considers a dodgy single before being sent back by Pujara. Pant has nought from 20 balls.
52nd over: India 168-4 (Pujara 58, Pant 0) Hawkeye is up and running again, it says here. England could with Anderson being in full working order. He hasn’t been at his best today and that’s another unthreatening over.
51st over: India 167-4 (Pujara 57, Pant 0) After a few minutes of treatment, Pujara resumes his innings. They jogged a leg bye when he was hit on the helmet, so Pant faces the rest of the over. Nothing happens.
50.1 overs: India 167-4 (Pujara 57, Pant 0) Pujara misses an attempted hook off Stokes and is smacked on the helmet. It was a terrific bouncer which beat Pujara for pace. He seems fine, though the physio Paddy Farhart is on to check for concussion. There’s already a bump on the side of his head and he’s going to change his helmet.
50th over: India 166-4 (Pujara 57, Pant 0) Apparently Hawkeye is down, which means no DRS at the moment. India are out of reviews anyway so it won’t affect them. Anderson replaces Curran and is worked square for a single by the excellent Pujara.
49th over: India 165-4 (Pujara 56, Pant 0) The wickets of Kohli and Rahane have slowed the scoring rate, though Pant won’t die wondering if he gets in. It’s compelling stuff, full of momentum shifts. India are still ahead in the game, but not by much.
“How was that not a no-ball from Stokes to Rahane?” writes Seventh Horcrux. “There was nothing behind the line? Am I missing something?”
The bit of your foot that is behind the line doesn’t need to be grounded, and there was a millimetre of two of raised heel behind the line. It was so close, though, and he has bowled a few no-balls today.
48th over: India 163-4 (Pujara 55, Pant 0) I said Stokes dismissed Rahane ‘yet again’. In fact that’s only the second time in this series, which is slightly surprising. But he has caused him a lot of problems and was brought into the attack with Rahane in mind.
“If Curran can keep this up,” says Tom Adam, “he’ll be well on track for getting dropped before the final Test!”
47th over: India 161-4 (Pujara 55, Pant 0) Rishabh Pant is the new batsman.
WICKET! India 161-4 (Rahane LBW b Stokes 11)
Ben Stokes gets Ajinkya Rahane yet again. It was beautiful bowling, a booming inswinger that trapped him LBW as he fell over towards the off side. Rahane reviewed but it was hitting the top of leg stump and that means India lose their last review. It was perilously close to being a no-ball, however, and that bit could have gone either way. The third umpire decided it was a legitimate delivery, and from that moment Rahane was in trouble.
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46th over: India 157-3 (Pujara 55, Rahane 7) Thanks Tanya, hello again. Sam Curran continues around the wicket to Pujara, who is looking increasingly immovable. The wicket of Kohli was a lovely bonus but England still have a lot of work to do to stay in this match.
And that’s drinks. England’s demi-session - and I’ll hand you over to Rob Smyth who will take you through the tantalising pre-tea hour.
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45th over: India 156-3 (Rahane 6, Pujara 55) We didn’t have to wait long. Stokes angles the ball in, Rahane fences and edges to the very fingertips of the outstretched hand of Joe Root at second slip. He can’t hold on. “Should’ve had a third slip,” says Athers.
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44th over: India 154-3 (Rahane 5, Pujara 55) Curran again. A steer with a horizontal bat from Rahane takes him off the strike. Three off the over. On Sky, Atherton points out that Rahane has struggled this series against Stokes. So we wait and watch.
And this really is the last word on over/around. Over to you Phil Russell:
“Further to the interesting conversation on the correct terminology for bowling from each side of the wicket, it might be understood in terms of the wicket in is original form of a gate. So to go by one side of the gate, the one more commonly used, is to go ‘over’ it, while the other side is going round/around. Going through the gate will be called a no-ball (thank you Steve Harmison).”
43rd over: India 151-3 (Rahane 3, Pujara 54) Aha! Here we have Ben Stokes, replacing Moeen Ali. He starts with a no ball, then has Rahane edging him between keeper and first slip. Rahane takes a breath and plays out the rest of the over with a straight bat.
42nd over: India 146-3 (Rahane 3, Pujara 52) That’s the wicket England so desperately wanted. Kohli didn’t really need to play at that - an inelegant shot from an elegant batsman. And that’s Pujara’s 50 off 100 balls. Curran has magic in his fingers at Southampton.
Wicket! Kohli c Cook b Curran 46
Curran slants the ball across, Kohli edges, and is caught low and well by Cook at slip.
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41st over: India 142-2 (Pujara 49, Kohli 46) Single. Single. Single. Moeen has not tempted India into any mistakes yet.
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40th over: India 139-2 (Pujara 48, Kohli 44) Sam Curran replaces Stuart Broad, scuttles in and immediately has a huge lbw shout against Pujara, England consider reviewing but Buttler’s face says hmmmm, and Root decides not to. Which is just as well, as the replay shows bat on ball. Pujara gets down on one knee to the last delivery and drives through the covers for four, with a follow-through so gloriously high he could scratch that itch on his left shoulder.
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39th over: India 135-2 (Pujara 44, Kohli 44) Moeen getting some nice loop here, prepared to toss it up into the breeze. Pujara winds his bat and late-cuts to third man. Very elegant.
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38th over: India 131-2 (Pujara 41, Kohli 43) A handful of singles off Broad. Kohli is rapid between the wickets - love to know what his 100m time is. Broad’s fourth ball flies through and is taken by Buttler up by his shoulders.
John Starbuck writes: “Tanya,Does the Southampton ground really have boundary boards (over 34)? It seems like a bit of a throwback, to the days when Derek Randall first introduced a sliding stop to save a boundary and used to clatter into the Australian boards/fence. After which they sensibly brought in ropes instead, which have the benefit of being adjustable to fool spectators that more boundaries were being scored. To continue the confectionary theme, the ropes were covered with Toblerones, or so they say.”
Am I going mad? I think there are. Rope. Then space. Then boundary boards.
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37th over: India 128-2 (Pujara 40, Kohli 40) Moeen looks as disappointed as Moeen ever does (which isn’t very) as Kohli pushes at a ball which glides between Jos Buttler and the outstretched hand of Ben Stokes at first slip.
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36th over: India 118-2 (Pujara 38, Kohli 33) Kohli leaves Broad’s first ball, and then with immaculate timing seemingly just blocks the next, and it speeds past the bowler in his follow through, straight down the ground for four. You know that clopping sound you make when you click your tongue against the bottom of your mouth? That. But then Broad comes back as Kohli is drawn into a ball pitched on a perfect length and it passes the outside the back. And again. Super bowling by Broad.
35th over: India 114-2 (Pujara 38, Kohli 29) Three singles from the over as Moeen probes and weaves.
34rd over: India 111-2 (Pujara 37, Kohli 27) Broad is cut by Pujara, awkwardly over the slips for four. Then he bends his knees to leave one that nips in. He cuts the last delivery past Keaton Jennings and over and towards the boundary boards. A battle builds.
33rd over: India 103-2 (Pujara 29, Kohli 27) There’s a wind ruffling Moeen’s shirt as he turns his arm over. It’s a tight over, just a couple of singles. Pujara drives Moeen straight back into the bowler’s stumps, but Moeen fails to get his fingers to it and Kohli steps back into the crease.
From Graham Pigney
“To help with the continuity of commentary I thought I’d share something on the round/around debate. Round tends to refer to something substantive: the edge of a circle is round, a round of drinks. Around is something less definitive: it cost around £50 for instance. Round can usually substitute for round but the reverse is not true.
“So bowling around the wicket would involve bowling from somewhere approximately in the region of the wicket. Equally you wouldn’t buy an around of drinks.”
Fingers crossed for this afternoon.
32nd over: India 101-2 (Pujara 28, Kohli 26) Stuart Broad takes the ball after lunch. A single not taken, as Pujara displays stone-tablet stoicism at the bowler’s end. They then take a more risky single to Keaton Jennings’ arm and Pujara dives full-length to make the crease.
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This is the crucial session. There’s turn in the pitch, already, and England have two spinners. They’ve kept India in the cage, but Kohli is still there. With a scratch and and itch, a fumble and a drive, whoever finishes the day with a first-innings lead will be dancing all the way to a hot/ice bath.
Geraint Morgan has more culinary news. “Following on from double deckers, I found out this week that Wham! Bars are suitable for vegetarians too. And it was every bit as good as I remember after 30 years without one.”
I remember spending a long time trying to extract a bit of Wham bar that had got uncomfortably stuck in my back teeth, back in about 1987, after buying one from the school tuck shop.
Some thoughts from Aman Gaur.
“Quick comment about Jennings’ bowling. Cricinfo tells me he has 28 FC victims at 31 (53 strike rate). Given he’s the sixth bowling option in a team that bats down to 10 and has two top keepers - is this current English team the Most All-round Team in Test History? (but still can’t catch in this slips).”
Jack of all trades...?
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Thank you Rob, and do enjoy that lunch - the black olive tapenade is a genius touch. Also on a culinary tip, and particularly for anyone following yesterday’s county blog, I’ve received some good news from Phil “Galactus” Sawyer:
Afternoon, Tanya
I have a Double Decker on the desk in front of me and I can confirm that it says ‘Suitable for vegetarians’ on the wrapper. Having been a veggie for 20 years now I decided to buy one purely for scientific reasons just to double check. Ahem.
Lots of notes have arrived from pedants too. Which makes me slightly nervous for the next hour.
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I’m off for some lunch. Not sure what I’m in the mood for. I might rustle up some tomato confit tart fine, black olive tapenade, crème fraiche and provençal herbs.
Tanya Aldred will be with you for the first hour of the afternoon session - you can email here on tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com. Bye!
“Ridiculous suggestion (27th over) for Dame Judi to come on to bowl,” says Gary Naylor. “She’s coaching the England top six.”
Lunch
31st over: India 100-2 (Pujara 28, Kohli 25) Moeen Ali comes on for the last over before lunch. There’s some encouraging turn to Pujara, enough for Joe Root to bring in a leg slip halfway through the over. Still no silly point though. Pujara pushes a couple of deliveries in the air on the leg side, and is very happy to survive the over and do one for lunch. That was an excellent start from Moeen, who may have a bigger influence than expected in the first innings.
30th over: India 100-2 (Pujara 28, Kohli 25) Pujara is happy that a grubber from Rashid is well wide of off stump. “How do you play those, Nass?” deadpans Beefy on commentary.
“If Ben Powell’s schoolmaster told him, ‘Right arm over, round the wicket, two to come, Powell’, no wonder he was shaking,” says Rob Harries. “The bowler was bowling both over and round the wicket at the same time. On a related note, one of London Fields CC’s finest (Hi, Parmod!), when asked for his action by the umpire, cheerily replied, ‘I try to bowl it straight and get it to nip off the seam’. The umpire had to ask him not to give too much away, but next time just to say whether he bowled right or left arm, over or round…”
On that note, who doesn’t know somebody who has fallen foul of Directory Enquiries?
‘What name please?’
‘My name’s Andrew Miller.’
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29th over: India 98-2 (Pujara 27, Kohli 24) Jennings has a strangled LBW shout against Kohli, who got a thick inside-edge onto the pad. For those of us who grew up watching Dibbly, Dobbly and Wobbly for New Zealand at the 1992 World Cup, this is great fun. Pujara cuts the last ball of the over for a couple.
28th over: India 95-2 (Pujara 25, Kohli 23) A double bowling change, with Adil Rashid coming on for Jimmy Anderson. His first ball draws an inside edge from Kohli that hits the pad and loops through the vacant silly point area. Nothing much else to report.
“During an attack of ‘earnestness’ (and, admittedly, ‘tin’), I once sang Round Here by Counting Crows at an open mic night,” weeps Matt Dony. “But I made a point of correcting the chorus to Around Here each time. I refuse to believe that Round Here is acceptable. At a push, I will accept ’round here.”
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27th over: India 92-2 (Pujara 25, Kohli 20) This is a surprising change from Joe Root. The new bowler is Dami Judi Dench Keaton Jennings, who will bowl medium pace with the keeper up to the stumps. He’s an old-fashioned dobber, really, the kind Mark Taylor used to use so effectively back in the day. There’s a bit of swing to Kohli, who plays watchfully and flicks the last ball for a single.
“Rob,” says Brian Withington. “Nasser has just remarked on Kohli getting each of his six batches of thousand runs in fewer and fewer Tests - just 14 innings for the last thousand. At the risk of further tarnishing my maths degree I estimate that at the current exponential rate of acceleration he might reach 11,000 before getting to 10,000. Some sort of cricketing Doppler effect perhaps.”
26th over: India 90-2 (Pujara 25, Kohli 18) That’s a much better shot from Kohli, who guides Anderson through extra cover for four. He’s been a little skittish so far, but if he gets in it could be a very long day for England. Anderson looks grumpy already so he might be in a rare old mood by 6pm.
“‘Around’ usually means in a circle, or suggests something scattergun or less definite, e.g. ‘wandering around’,” says Toby Skinner. “Bowling ‘around the wicket’ might suggest the bowler bowls from random places or does a little jig around the wicket before bowling. So Aggers was right to prefer ‘round the wicket’.”
Does that mean the Sugababes lyrics were wrong all these years?
25th over: India 86-2 (Pujara 25, Kohli 14) Kohli chases a wide one from Curran and edges through gully at catchable height. It landed just short of Bairstow in that strange deep gully position and ran away for four more. That’s the second time Kohli has snicked one through gully. Curran moves a round the wicket later in the over and beats Pujara. Well bowled.
“For me, it’s always been round the wicket,” says Ben Powell. “That’s probably because I can still hear the sound of our cricket master’s voice as I shakily made my way to the crease at No11 for the under-14s: ‘Right arm over, round the wicket, two to come, Powell’. I rarely survived the ‘two to come’.”
24th over: India 79-2 (Pujara 23, Kohli 9) A bad delivery from Anderson is cut for four by Pujara, the only runs from an otherwise decent over.
“Dear Rob,” says Simon Horbury. “To be fair, and pedantic, it is actually your good self that has invited OBOers to send in their examples of pedantry.”
23rd over: India 73-2 (Pujara 17, Kohli 9) We don’t know for sure whether Ben Stokes is fit to bowl. He’d usually be a very good option in these swinging conditions. On Sky, Ian Ward says he did a bit of bowling in the nets this morning with a heavily strapped knee, but that he was “hardly at full tilt”.
Curran continues for the time being, with Kohli defending a series of inswingers. We might see Jos Buttler go up to the stumps for Curran so that Kohli can’t bat outside his crease. Actually, I’m surprised that hasn’t happened. Curran has been economical but unthreatening: 6-3-9-0.
22nd over: India 72-2 (Pujara 16, Kohli 9) Anderson replaces Broad, who bowled a brilliant spell of nevermindthedata. Okay, 8-4-22-2. Kohli chases a wide outswinger and snicks it right through the vacant gully area for four. Ach! The boundary takes Kohli past 6000 Test runs.
“Dear Rob,” says Dave Seare. “Just wanted to register my own myopic pedant point. For me it will always be a wicket in the singular that is made up of stumps and bails. The hitting of ‘wickets’ is an affront to my inner jobsworth. The wicket will always be hit for me. Or the stumps. But not the wickets. Now, everyone get off my lawn!”
Let me get this straight: you’ve sent a tacit invitation to Guardian readers to share their pet pedantry via my email address. Thanks for that.
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21st over: India 67-2 (Pujara 15, Kohli 5) A maiden from Curran to Kohli. I’m sure we’ll see Jimmy Anderson again very soon.
“Well, I’m not getting pulverised by you in the County Blog Fantasy League as I was expecting,” says Phil Sawyer. “You currently appear to be beating me by a Joe Denly.”
Oh that’s you, is it? When I saw the opposition manager had made so many smart, sensible selections, I naturally assumed it was… well, I mean… no offence.
20th over: India 67-2 (Pujara 15, Kohli 5) Kohli gets off the mark with a stunning cover drive for four off Broad. The second ball of his innings, that was. Then Pujara gets away with a dreadful shot, an absent-minded waft at a short ball that flies over the slips for four. That might be it for Broad, who has bowled eight overs on the bounce this morning.
“The theatre surrounding Kohli at the moment is something else,” says Phil Harrison. “It’s exciting just watching him walking down the pavilion steps. Reminds me of prime Viv.”
It’s great, isn’t it. I wasn’t his biggest fan before this series, as a bloke or a batsman, but I was fully converted by day two of the Edgbaston Test. He’s so impressive in every way. He could give human beings a good name.
19th over: India 56-2 (Pujara 9, Kohli 0) Curran’s inswinger to the right-handers is working nicely, though Pujara has played it well so far. It’s stalemate between the two - or rather it was, until Pujara scrunched a square drive for four off the final delivery of the over. That’s his first boundary and the first off Curran.
“A year or so ago I was listening to Aggers read out a question on Ask the Umpire,” says Dan Rickard. “The bit that stood out was that Aggers congratulated the writer on being right: ‘It is round the wicket, not around’. He didn’t expand on this, but it has stuck with me. Dictionary seems to suggest they’re interchangeable in usage so... discuss?”
I’m a dreadful sub-editor so not the best person to ask, but I always thought ‘around’ was correct.
BREAKING NEWS: VIRAT KOHLI IS BATTING
18th over: India 50-2 (Pujara 3, Kohli 0) Dhawan will be a bit annoyed with that dismissal, as he didn’t need to play that far outside off stump.
WICKET! India 50-2 (Dhawan c Buttler b Broad 23)
Broad gets his second wicket, and it’s fully deserved. He has bowled so well this morning. Dhawan pushed tentatively at a full outswinger and edged it low to the left of Buttler, who took a smart two-handed catch.
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17th over: India 50-1 (Dhawan 23, Pujara 3) “Since when is Jimmy going wicketless, at 4.5 an over, a good spell?” Simon Hoggett. “Was the runs column a typo, or are the ‘Teflon Posse’ manning the slip cordon again?”
Eyes > data.
16th over: India 48-1 (Dhawan 22, Pujara 2) Broad produces an unbelievable jaffa from around the wicket to Dhawan. It swerves, straightens and somehow misses both the outside edge and the off stump. Dhawan responds by running down the track to the next ball, which is too wide for him to play. Broad’s reaction suggests he doesn’t particularly care for such tactics.
15th over: India 46-1 (Dhawan 20, Pujara 2) Another good maiden from Curran to Pujara. India have scored just nine runs from the last eight overs. I doubt that will bother them, certainly not Pujara. They know batting should become a lot easier as the day progresses.
ENGLAND REVIEW! India 46-1 (Dhawan not out 20)
14th over: India 46-1 (Dhawan 20, Pujara 2) Shikhar Dhawan survives an England review for a catch at slip. He tried to flick Broad to leg, and there was a whirl of bat and legs before the ball ended up in the hands of Cook at first slip. It looked like there had been an outside edge but Kumar Dharmasena gave it not out.
England were pretty sure it was out and went for the review. Replays showed it had missed the outside edge and hit the top of the thigh. The third umpire decided it was high enough to the naked eye that he hadn’t bother checking for LBW.
That’s brilliant, courageous umpiring from Dharmasena because he could have looked very silly: almost everyone in the ground and watching on TV thought it was a routine edge to slip.
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13th over: India 46-1 (Dhawan 20, Pujara 2) Sam Curran replaces Jimmy Anderson, who bowled a good spell of 4-0-18-0 this morning. He starts with a promising maiden to Pujara, a mixture of inswingers and deliveries angled across the right-hander.
12th over: India 46-1 (Dhawan 20, Pujara 2) Oof. Dhawan, aiming to leg, gets a leading edge that teases both the bowler Broad and mid off before dropping safely. Broad then angles a full delivery into Dhawan, who pings it sweetly through square leg for four. Lovely shot. a
“Look, man, it’s no use berating people for not seeing what is out there, or has actually physically happened, because that doesn’t matter anymore,” says Ian Copestake. When the Dude threw shade on Jesus with his ‘that’s just like your opinion, man,’ he wasn’t employing bathos, he was being prescient.”
Yeah, well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.
11th over: India 42-1 (Dhawan 16, Pujara 2) England would love to get Virat (we’re old friends) to the crease while the ball is new. Pujara gets off the mark from his 12th delivery, flicking Anderson off the pads for two. An otherwise unthreatening over ends with a good delivery that Pujara edges short of slip. WHERE’S THE BLOODY POSTMAN?
10th over: India 39-1 (Dhawan 15, Pujara 0) Bairstow is fielding in a kind of fly slip position for Broad. I don’t know why. What I do know is that Anderson and Broad are bowling beautifully this morning. Pujara gloves a short ball to safety on the leg side and then wears a good delivery in the vicinity of his personal space. An excellent maiden from Broad. A second wicket is in the post, although that isn’t always a guarantee of delivery.
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9th over: India 39-1 (Dhawan 15, Pujara 0) The wicket of Rahul has given England control of the scoreboard, which is when Anderson and Broad are most content. They almost get a second wicket when Dhawan inside edges an Anderson inswinger just past his leg stump. The next ball is an absolute beauty that beats the outside edge. It’s coming...
“While England’s batting has received a lot of flak, the bowling seems to have slipped under the radar,” says Aditi Prabhudesai. “Broad and Anderson seem to be wasting the new ball ever since Adelaide by either bowling short or by bowling way wide outside off stump. Contrast with India who were targeting the stumps from ball 1. Every ball of theirs looked threatening. England need a new opening pair in batting as well as bowling.”
You did see Anderson take nine for 45 at Lord’s, right? I know what you mean – occasionally they do waste it, and they were poor last night – but they have been very good this morning.
8th over: India 37-1 (Dhawan 13, Pujara 0) That’s an important early wicket for England, who fancy Rahul as an LBW candidate. He has fallen that way in three of the last four innings.
WICKET! India 37-1 (Rahul LBW b Broad 19)
Broad nips one back to hit the pads of Rahul, and Kumar Dharmasena deliberates for an age before raising the finger. Rahul takes even longer to decide whether to review - but he does, hoping it might have been bouncing over the stumps. It wasn’t. Replays show it was hitting the top of middle, so India lose both a wicket and a review.
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7th over: India 37-0 (Dhawan 13, Rahul 19) Anderson looks good this morning, but India have started really positively. Rahul plays a beautiful stroke, punching an outswinger through the covers for four off the back foot. We’ve had 18 runs from the first three overs, which will displease England’s control freaks. Anderson’s over ends with an unsuccessful LBW appeal against Dhawan. It pitched outside leg.
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6th over: India 30-0 (Dhawan 13, Rahul 12) Dhawan square drives Broad confidently for four. He represents the improvement of this Indian batting line-up since the start of the series; no longer does he look a walking wicket when there is sideways movement.
“What about Stokes at No3?” says Robin Hobbs. “Could be our Jacques Kallis. Technically one of our best couple of batsmen, and seems to have a new found resolve to bat time. Someone’s got to do it, but it’s becoming increasingly evident that that someone shouldn’t be Root.”
I’d worry about Stokes against the new ball. For me, Clive, the top three is a different department to the middle order. I would ink in a 4-7 of Root, Bairstow, Stokes and Buttler and mess around with the top three until something sticks. They’re not getting any runs anyway, so it’s almost a free hit.
5th over: India 25-0 (Dhawan 9, Rahul 11) There’s some encouraging early swing for Anderson, whose line is tighter than it was lsat night. Dhawan softens his hands to steer a boundary to third man. I’d love to know why England so rarely have a third man; it feels like a lot of runs have been scored there this summer.
“Bit confused as to why England have gone with two spinners,” says Lewis Rosenberg. “Can’t see them bowling a lot today. I would have dropped Rashid to keep Pope. Do you think the young lad might have made much of a difference yesterday?”
Stokes might not be able to bowl much because of injury. That’s why they wanted a sixth bowler, but they needed somebody who could bat as well. The injuries and number of all-rounders make this quite a very complicated line-up: lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
It’s a beautiful day in Southampton, and the consensus is that it feels like a batting day. As an England fan, that means only one thing.
Here’s the TMS link for overseas readers
Broad or Curran? “Surely yesterday was crying out for Sam Curran to take the new ball with Anderson,” says Dave Brown. “Broad still has plenty to offer and losing the new ball might concentrate his mind a bit more. I feel somewhat grubby and unpatriotic suggesting that we split the Anderson/Broad partnership but could it be time?”
There was a case for it because of Curran’s mood, the expectation of swing and to put a rocket up Broad. But I think Broad has bowled very well since the Australia tour: he has 28 wickets at 23 and those figures don’t flatter him. I can see both sides!
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An email! “Getting to bedtime here in NZ, so rather than wait for the actual game, I’ll settle for your prediction for tonight (your time)’s close of play score,” says Paul Cockburn. “My money says that was nowhere near enough from England yesterday, and they’ll be 50 behind at the close. But for how many, hmmm?”
I haven’t a clue what’s going to happen, which is when Test cricket is at its best. So much depends on how much the ball swings, and I ain’t no rocket scientist.
And here’s today’s county cricket blog
Pre-play reading
Preamble
Hello. Big day, this. If India are still batting at the close, the theme from Jaws will be blaring around England’s subconscious. But if the ball swings and seams as much as it did yesterday, England will expect to take a first-innings lead.
A lot depends on Virat Kohli, though not as much as in the first two Tests. The other Indian batsmen shared the dirty work at Trent Bridge, and England really need James Anderson at his best to undermine their newfound confidence in these conditions.
India will resume on 19 for none, a deficit of 227. It would have been much worse for England but for Sam Curran’s heartwarming 78 and Moeen Ali’s patient 40. Curran will be a key man today if the ball swings. And by Jove, England need it to do so.
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