Right, that’s it for today’s blog. I’ll leave you with Ali’s match report from Lord’s. Thanks for your company and emails, see you tomorrow. It’s going to be emotional.
😱 WHAT. A. BALL! 😱
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 15, 2021
Moeen bowls Jadeja (3) with a peach - perfectly described by Sir Andrew Strauss on commentary! 💥🎙️
India 175-6, lead by 148 | #ENGvIND@RuthStraussFdn 🔴 | #RedForRuth
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The post-match thoughts of Moeen Ali
“We could have carried on with the spinners but Joe wanted to bowl the seamers so that’s why we came off. There were two parties out there - one wanted to stay on and one wasn’t so sure! It’s going to be a tight game, so 15-20 extra runs tonight could have been crucial. Now Jimmy will have the new ball in the morning.
“It’s a fantastic Test match. I’ve loved it. I hadn’t done much preparation but I feel like I’ve done okay and played my part. As soon as I got the call, I was buzzing to get back to play. We’ve been doing well [in the Hundred]. It’s been great but those kind of things will always be there. Test matches aren’t always gonna be there.
“I thought we were fantastic in the first session today. They came back strong and played really well but we managed to contain them. We knew if we got one out we could possibly go bang-bang, and that’s what happened. It’s strange, there are times when batting looks pretty easy but then something happens, like the ball to Pujara. There is something there for the bowlers.
“It’s probably easier to go from bowling quicker to slower [from the Hundred to Test cricket] than the other way round. I’ve found staying patient the hardest bit, but I managed to get a couple of the poles at the end which was really nice. Sometimes in the past I’ve overbowled in practice and got into bad habits, whereas this game I didn’t bowl too much beforehand - I just made sure my basics were good.
“I thought Jinks [Rahane] played me really well today. I just fired it in [for the wicket] and it was natural variation. With a bit of pace on the ball you’ve always got a chance of catching someone out on the back foot.
“[On Jadeja’s wicket] I just kinda went for it. I was at the end of my mark and I thought, ‘Right, I’m gonna try and spin this as hard as I can.’ It was a nice delivery. I was pretty pleased with that.”
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Joe Root will be thrilled not only with the day England have had, but that all six wickets were taken by the change bowlers. There were three for Mark Wood, who revelled in the glad animal action of bowling fast, two to Moeen Ali and one to Sam Curran. Virat Kohli will be equally chuffed that Cheteshwar Pujara (45 from 206 balls) and Ajinkya Rahane (61 from 146) returned to something resembling their world-class best. And all the while, a compelling contest ebbed and flowed. Cricket is the best team sport in the world; cricket is the best individual sport in the world.
Stumps: India lead by 154
Ach, that’s a shame. But it shouldn’t really affect the match, in that the draw is now highly unlikely. And after a fascinating fourth day’s play - meandering at times, blistering at others - we have a rare old humdinger in store at Lord’s tomorrow. India will resume on 181 for six, a lead of 154, with an unfettered gentleman by the name of Pant still at the crease.
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Bad light stops play
The umpires are discussing the light again ... and they’re off. The crowd responds, somewhat bizarrely, by chanting ‘Roooooooooooooooot’. It’s past 6pm, the official cut-off time, so that will be it for today.
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82nd over: India 181-6 (Pant 14, Ishant 4) Moeen to Pant, who cuts a single to the cover sweeper. No need to farm the strike at this stage. Virat Kohli, on the balcony, is unhappy and signals to Pant and Sharma that they should nag the umpires about the light. Sharma does, without success, and then slices a couple of runs behind square. England are very chirpy out there, Bairstow in particular. This is tremendous stuff.
81st over: India 178-6 (Pant 13, Ishant 2) Although the second new ball is available, England can’t bowl their seamers because of the light so they aren’t going to take it for now. Joe Root continues to Rishabh Pant, who thumps a drive up to long-off for a single. That’s your lot. India lead by 151 in what might be the best Lord’s Test since that epic against South Africa in 2012.
80th over: India 177-6 (Pant 12, Ishant 2) Mark Wood comes back on the field, realises he won’t be allowed to bowl because of the fading light (or possibly because he has been off the field for too long) and goes off again. England may have to keep two spinners on, though they won’t mind that with the way Moeen is bowling. Ishant fiddles an edge wide of slip for a couple.
“The gap in quality between India’s number 7 and number 8 is quite something, isn’t it?” says Michael Anderson. “England’s 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 would probably all bat at number 8 in this India team.”
Good point, but then so might England’s 1, 2 and 3.
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WICKET! India 175-6 (Jadeja b Ali 3)
Goddim! Moeen has struck again with a stunning delivery. It curved onto off and middle from round the wicket and turned dramatically to beat Jadeja’s defensive push and hit the outside of off stump. After waiting almost 50 overs to break the partnership between Pujara and Rahane, England have taken three wickets in seven overs!
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79th over: India 174-5 (Pant 12, Jadeja 2) As Root skips through an over, the camera cuts to Mark Wood in the England dressing-room. He doesn’t look in pain but he’s had his right shoulder strapped.
78th over: India 174-5 (Pant 12, Jadeja 2) Moeen huries through another over, two from it. There are 12 overs remaining today, 10 of which should be bowled with the second new ball.
77th over: India 172-5 (Pant 11, Jadeja 1) Pant misses an almighty hack at Root, bowling round the wicket, with the bowling turning sharply out of the rough to hit Buttler high on the gloves. Rishabh Pant is such a delight; he could bring rock & roll spirit to a game of tiddlywinks.
76th over: India 167-5 (Pant 9, Jadeja 0) Moeen deserved that wicket for some very tidy bowling throughout the match. India lead by 140, and the game is well and truly on.
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WICKET! India 167-5 (Rahane c Buttler b Moeen 63)
A huge wicket for England just before the second new ball! Rahane, pushing defensively on the back foot, thin-edges a delivery from Moeen that skids straight on, and Jos Buttler takes a smart catch. Now. Then.
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75th over: India 165-4 (Rahane 59, Pant 9) Root replaces Wood, so that means six overs of spin (probably) before the second new ball. Pant, whose positivity extends way beyond big-hitting, steals a quick single and then tries to take another from the non-striker’s end. Rahane sends him back, a wise decision. India lead by 138.
“Even from the recesses of the Corbières in Southern France,” begins Georgie Clay, “I know that what sounds like booing is the crowd calling Root’s name!!”
My point exactly.
Wood is leaving the field to have his shoulder checked. That’s sensible but also worrying - not to mention frustrating, because he has been in blistering form today.
74th over: India 163-4 (Rahane 58, Pant 8) With Pant at the crease, Joe Root replaces himself with Moeen Ali. The pace, mood and noise of the match have changed instantly. Pant edges down to third man, where the diving Wood does brilliantly to save the boundary - but he has damaged his right shoulder in the process.
This is a worry. Wood has a quick word with the physio on the boundary edge and decides to stay on, but he’s clearly uncomfortable and I’m not sure he’ll be able to bowl.
73rd over: India 158-4 (Rahane 58, Pant 3) Rishabh Pant, who was lying down on the physio’s bench a couple of minutes ago, pulls his first ball for two and then takes a quick single to keep the strike.
Evening Rishabh
WICKET! India 155-4 (Pujara c Root b Wood 45)
Mark Wood has got blood out of the stone! On a slow pitch, with an old ball, he somehow got the fourth delivery of his new spell to burst viciously at Pujara, who could only fence it to Root in a wide slip position. Pujara defended so well, making 45 from 206 balls, but that was unplayable. Mark Wood is in the team for exactly that type of breakthrough.
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72nd over: India 151-3 (Pujara 41, Rahane 58) The Lord’s crowd boo the announcement that Joe Root is coming on to bowl, which is an appalling way to respond to somebody who gave them such entertainment yesterday. His second ball drifts away from Pujara and then turns back in, though it was too wide to cause any problems. A decent start from Root, and that’s drinks.
71st over: India 149-3 (Pujara 40, Rahane 57) Pujara almost walks past one from Moeen. He just managed to squeeze the ball on the half-volley and scrunch it past Buttler’s right foot. And now it looks like Joe Root is going to have a bowl.
70th over: India 143-3 (Pujara 39, Rahane 53) Rahane, who is playing more a bit more fluently, clips Curran through midwicket for a couple. England look a little flat, and anything before the second new ball will be a bonus. India lead by 117.
69th over: India 140-3 (Pujara 38, Rahane 50)
68th over: India 139-3 (Pujara 37, Rahane 50) Rahane opens the face to steer Curran to third man for four, a high-class stroke that brings up a commendable half-century - probably match-saving, possibly match-winning. It’s only his second fifty in 16 innings, since he made that pointed century at Melbourne last winter, but he has shown again why he has such a great career record overseas.
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67th over: India 135-3 (Pujara 37, Rahane 46) Moeen continues and is worked for a single. I know Root has a million things on his mind but I do think he should have a short spell before the second new ball. It would get the crowd going, and if nothing else he might take a wicket through positive vibes. It was no fluke that, when he scored 456 runs against India at Lord’s in 1990, Graham Gooch also picked up an important wicket with the ball and ended the match with a spectacular run-out.
66th over: India 134-3 (Pujara 37, Rahane 45) Now then. Curran, around the wicket, beats Pujara with a gorgeous delivery. Buttler celebrates the caught behind, but Curran doesn’t even appeal. Michael Gough says not out anyway. Joe Root has only one review left, because England threw away the first two, and that means he can’t risk it.
Here comes the replay... and there’s nothing on UltraEdge, so it’s a good job Root didn’t review. The noise came from the bat hitting the pad as Pujra pushed forward.
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65th over: India 131-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 42) Moeen has changed ends now to replace Anderson, who will have a bit of a break before the second new ball. Rahane whirls a flat, hard sweep for four to inch ahead of Pujara in this compelling race between the tortoise and the tortoise. He gets four off the next ball too, albeit in slightly strnage circumstances. He flicked Moeen to long leg for three and picked up a bonus run when Wood’s throw beat Buttler.
“Settle CC five wickets down but win!” says Anthony Bradley. “Our seconds only need one win from five remaining games to win their league as well. All four junior teams won their respective competitions too. Thirds mid-table but full of juniors.”
64th over: India 121-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 33) Hang on, Anderson’s hair was red, the Freddie Ljungberg tribute. I was getting my skunks confused. Meanwhile, the bleach blond Sam Curran launches into a lone appeal for LBW against Rahane, who pushed forward at a delivery from around the wicket. Michael Gough says not out, so that’s the end of that. Inside edge, probably outside the line. Another maiden. This partnership is now 66 from 41 overs.
63rd over: India 121-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 33) Nope, Anderson continues, and beats Pujara with a good delivery from wider on the crease. The pitch is painfully slow, so even he does find the edge there’s no guarantee it will carry. As if to prove the point, Buttler takes the last ball of the over on the second bounce.
62nd over: India 120-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 32) Sam Curran replaces Moeen, who might be about to change ends. I like this move, because Curran has the personality and optimism to make things happen when they logically shouldn’t. He almost strikes third ball, in fact, when Pujara edges just short of Bairstow in the slips.
61st over: India 120-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 32) Another maiden from Anderson, who has figures of 17-6-22-0. Eighteen years ago, when he was a blue-haired tearaway, his first over in Test cricket went for 17. He’s the Benjamin Button of economy rates.
NOT OUT! Rahane was surprised by a ball from Anderson that popped from a length outside off stump and went through to Buttler. Anderson’s appeal was more of an enquiry, and Root wasn’t convinced either - but he reviewed at the last second, presumably out of desperation. There was nothing on UltraEdge and that means England are down to their last review.
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ENGLAND REVIEW FOR CAUGHT BEHIND AGAINST RAHANE I don’t think this is out.
60th over: India 120-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 32) Oh my, Rahane has been dropped by Bairstow off Moeen! It was a tricky chance, low to his right at point with the ball dying on him, but he’s such a good fielder that you expected him to take it. I think it bounced off the carpometacarpal joint.
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59th over: India 118-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 30) Another accurate over from Anderson, but with no movement whatsoever. He might as well save his legs for the second new ball.
I didn’t fancy the draw at all this morning, but it is fast becoming the favourite as the pitch gets slower and lower. In fact, WinViz has it at 47 per cent, with England on 28 and India 25. I wouldn’t have it as such a strong favourite myself, but I’m no meticulously developed algorithm.
58th over: India 118-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 30) The old ball is doing very little for the seamers, so England have 23 overs of hard yakka ahead. It might be time for Joe Root to bowl himself for a few overs and see how far his halo extends.
57th over: India 117-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 29) Pujara continues this orgy of boundaries - two in three balls now - with a flashing back cut off Anderson. That was beautifully played. With the caveat that I haven’t a clue, I think India are slightly ahead now.
56th over: India 113-3 (Pujara 32, Rahane 29) Out of nothing, Rahane jumps down the track to swing Moeen to cow corner for four. He didn’t nail it, and it was in the air, but he managed to drag it over midwicket and well wide of mid-on. India lead by 86.
55th over: India 108-3 (Pujara 31, Rahane 25) Jimmy Anderson returns to the attack, as he usually does at the start of a session, and troubles Pujara with a bit of extra bounce. The ball rams into the glove and drops safely on the off side. One from the over.
“Thanks for the shout out for Settle CC,” says Anthony Bradley. “Settle CC bowled out Cherry Tree for 64 so if we lose from here…”
54th over: India 107-3 (Pujara 30, Rahane 25) Moeen continues after tea, and induces a biggish drive from Rahane that he can only scuff back to the bowler. Two singles from the over.
It’s not just cricket
Gerd Muller scored with his shin, his knee and his backside, and sometimes even with his feet
So said Uli Hesse about Gerd Muller, the most supernatural goalscorer we’ve ever seen. RIP, Bomber.
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The afternoon session in numbers
- 49 runs
- 28 overs
- 0 wickets
And it was a delight.
Tea: India lead by 78 runs
53rd over: India 105-3 (Pujara 29, Rahane 24) Rahane steers a full toss from Curran for a single to bring up a quietly resolute fifty partnership from 175 balls. In the context of the match and their individual form, it’s been thoroughly admirable.
Pujara blocks the last ball before tea, a loopy slower one from Curran, takes his helmet off and smiles as he walks off with Rahane. For the first time in a while, he looks like he’s having fun out there. Niche fun, admittedly, he has 29 from 148 balls after all, but fun nonetheless.
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52nd over: India 103-3 (Pujara 28, Rahane 23) Time for two more overs before the tea break. Moeen continues his accurate if mostly unthreatening spell... and the moment I type that, Rahane misses a cut stroke at a ball that keeps very low outside off stump. He is beaten again off the last delivery, this time by a bit of extra bounce.
51st over: India 103-3 (Pujara 28, Rahane 23) Sam Curran replaces Mark Wood, and his first over is a gem. Pujara edges for four, wide of second slip at catchable height, and then survives a big LBW appeal from around the wicket. I’m pretty sure there was an inside edge... Indeed there was.
“Would be good to have a big shout out for Settle CC today,” writes Anthony Bradley. “The Firsts play in the Ramsbottom Cup final today having already won the Ribblesdale League yesterday for the third year in succession. They are the only Yorkshire side in the two competitions and we have to bear in mind the War of the Roses only finished 400 years ago.”
I thought it came out in 1989, honk.
50th over: India 99-3 (Pujara 22, Rahane 22) Pujara survives an LBW appeal from Moeen. It was beautifully bowled, dipping and turning past Pujara’s inside edge, but he was a long way forward and I think he got an inside edge anyway. Replays show it was had the square root of eff all going for it.
“It might be pedestrian progress for India now, but if Pujara and Rahane continue this way up till close of play today and muster a lead of 200, England will certainly be under pressure,” says Gangesh Vadakeyil in Kerala. “Pant and Jadeja can come and blast their way tomorrow morning to set a 300-plus target for the hosts on the last day on a weary pitch. Such an interesting scenario can’t be entirely ruled out.”
I agree. The insecurity of both teams makes another layer of intrigue to an already fascinating match situation. It’s not only that all results are possible; a big win for either team is also conceivable. These two teams are showing us the life of the mind.
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49th over: India 96-3 (Pujara 22, Rahane 22) Wood rams in a short ball to Rahane, who top-edges a slightly woolly hook for a single. It landed nowhere near Moeen at fine leg, but it wasn’t a particularly convincing shot. Pujara then pulls away with Wood into his delivery stride. “Was it me?” asks Wood to Pujara, who points behind him at an open door to the side of the sightscreen. The rest of the over passes without incident, save Wood moving back over the wicket, and that might be it for this spell. He’s bowled 13 today, four in this anotherwordforspell.
48th over: India 92-3 (Pujara 20, Rahane 20) Pujara is using his feet a lot to Moeen, though usually with singles, defence and length-disruption in mind. Three singles from the over, and both batsmen have 20. Pujara has faced 131 balls, Rahane 61.
“This is the mega plan,” says Amod Paranjape. “Bore everyone to sleep and then unleash some singles.”
Boring? Not for me I like it.
47th over: India 89-3 (Pujara 19, Rahane 18) This is a great example of cricket being both a team and individual sport. A superb match is exquisitely poised; there are two outstanding batsmen, who have been around forever, trying to grind their way out of a desperate spell of form; and they are facing two bowlers who have had a mixed relationship with Test cricket over the years but could be England’s matchwinner on their return to the side.
Wood has moved around the wicket, with a field set for short stuff. Pujara gloves a thoroughly unpleasant lifter round the corner for a couple, just short of the diving Buttler, and then sways out of the way of a well-directed follow-up. A fine over from Wood, which has got the crowd going again.
46th over: India 86-3 (Pujara 17, Rahane 17) Rahane shapes to cut a ball from Moeen that turns sharply and ends up hitting either the glove or the bat handle. Transcript of Ravichandran Ashwin’s internal monologue please!
45th over: India 85-3 (Pujara 17, Rahane 16) Pujara blots his copybook by hitting a boundary, the first of his innings from his 118th ball. It was expertly played, a crisp flick through square leg when Wood strayed slightly in line.
44th over: India 81-3 (Pujara 13, Rahane 16) One of the benefits for India of this very slow partnership - 26 from 21 overs - is that Rishabh Pant is going to come in against an older ball and wearier bowlers. Pujara flicks Moeen for another single to move to 13 from 114 balls. As somebody with some, let’s say, interpersonal shortcomings, I’ve always had a soft spot for these tortoisian labours. Have a look at Nasser in the second innings here. I watched every ball, and you’ll never be able to take that away from me.
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43rd over: India 79-3 (Pujara 12, Rahane 15) Mark Wood returns in place of Ollie Robinson. Ajinkya Rahane’s beans heat up accordingly - he has a wild slap at a first-ball loosener and is beaten. A more measured quick single later in the over takes India’s lead to 52; then Pujara does well to dig out a beautiful inswinging yorker.
42nd over: India 78-3 (Pujara 12, Rahane 14) Rahane survives an appeal for LBW off Moeen. The reason I say ‘off’ rather than ‘from’ is that Moeen didn’t appeal himself, with only Buttler and Root going up behind the stumps. It was comfortably missing leg. Nice bit of bowling though, and it turned off the straight.
41st over: India 77-3 (Pujara 12, Rahane 13) Pujara receives a loud ovation upon reaching his hundred - that’s balls faced, obviously. You know exactly how many runs he’s got because it’s at the start of this entry; don’t start playing silly buggers. By the end of Robinson’s over he has moved to 104 balls, though he did well to keep out his 103rd. It came back off the seam and kept a bit low, but Pujara was good enough to block it.
40th over: India 77-3 (Pujara 12, Rahane 13) Cheers Geoff, hello everyone. This is sheer delightful Test cricket, a devilishly layered struggle. It’s time for another layer, a first bowl for Moeen Ali in this innings. He starts with a slip and short leg for Rahane, who whaps a single into the leg side. Pujara, on the walk, does likewise off the last ball of the over.
39th over: India 75-3 (Pujara 11, Rahane 12) Last over before drinks, and Pujara will give nothing away now. Doesn’t even chase one down the leg side. Does play a nice crisp shot into the covers but Anderson saves. Pujara has had three or four possible boundaries that instead have been fielded, so he hasn’t been quite as sedate as 11 from 96 would suggest. He has been almost that sedate though.
India lead by 48 runs. The partnership is 20 from 14.1 overs.
Righto. My work here is done. As the struggle continues, Rob Smyth shall be your guide. Treasure him and follow him to the gates of glory.
38th over: India 75-3 (Pujara 11, Rahane 12) Thank you, says Rahane: a nice full toss on his leg stump from Curran. Clipped through midwicket for four. He goes past Pujara in this gradual partnership.
37th over: India 71-3 (Pujara 11, Rahane 8) Robinson to Pujara, up to 90 balls faced now with another scoreless over.
Samuel Chappell on Twitter asks, “Do we have stats on the lowest score to reach a Cowan Ton?” Which for the uninitiated is facing 100 balls in a Test.
Samuel, please. Of course I do. Hanuma Vihari was the second-slowest for a time during the Sydney Test earlier this year, strike rate of 6.25 until he hit a few boundaries late in the day. Greedy.
The slowest though was England wicketkeeper JT Murray, who made 3 runs from exactly 100 balls in a Sydney Test in 1961. Admittedly they were behind in the match, but trying to score a few might have helped, champ.
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36th over: India 71-3 (Pujara 11, Rahane 8) Curran bowls the Kohli ball, but better: tighter to Pujara’s off stump and seaming away more markedly. Cut to footage of Kohli on the balcony: an hour or so later, he’s still shaking his head and muttering to himself. Pujara glances two runs from Curran, then gets a short ball and dusts off the pull shot! You crazy kid. Gets a run.
35th over: India 68-3 (Pujara 8, Rahane 8) Eight runs in nine overs since lunch. Robinson starts the tenth, replacing Anderson. Drops short and pulled for four. That’s crisp from Rahane but Robinson is excited too, he has a leg-side trap in place. Midwicket, short leg, backward square, long leg. The short leg is set deep, maybe 10 paces from the bat, and the shot goes over him as Haseeb Hameed crouches in self-preservation. More excitement as Rahane shoulders arms to an in-ducker that hits his pad: outside the line doesn’t matter, but it’s too high.
India’s lead is 41.
34th over: India 64-3 (Pujara 8, Rahane 4) Pujara facing Curran, tries the cut. His best shot usually, and this is close to his body but he still almost manages to cut it. Bottom edge into the ground. Gets a little more width but less short next ball, and plays more of a diagonal slash at the ball - good fielding at cover point saves four. Pujara shuts up shop again.
33rd over: India 64-3 (Pujara 8, Rahane 4) That’s good from Pujara, lays a little more into a drive and Curran at mid off has to scurry across to extra cover. Only a run but there was intent against Anderson.
Ruth Purdue, I assure you that you’re a kindred spirit with many on the OBO. “I love this graft and battle from the Indian batters. I don’t know if I am the only one, but I do love this part of the game. The bowlers are on top and searching, the batters dogged and fighting to stay in.”
32nd over: India 63-3 (Pujara 7, Rahane 4) Mark Wood charges in, with his bodybuilder’s runup and his jockey’s build. Rahane pulls again for a run, Pujara nurdles into the leg side. Wood pings down a sharp bouncer but Rahane is short enough to get under it easily.
31st over: India 61-3 (Pujara 6, Rahane 3) Anderson to Pujara, blocking, blocking, blocking.
“I know he wasn’t quick, but how old was Wilf Rhodes when he took his last Test wicket?” asks Ian Andrew. Wilfred took a couple of wickets in his last Test in 1930, when he was 52 years and change. The oldest Test player to this day (and probably forever). He so nearly had a Test overlap with Bradman, which in the degrees-of-separation game would take you from WG Grace to 1948 in two moves.
30th over: India 61-3 (Pujara 6, Rahane 3) Another edge from Pujara short of the cordon, again his soft hands keeping him out there. It gives you a sense of how well he plays that even Mark Wood’s pace wasn’t enough to make the edge carry to the slips. And you can see how deliberate it is, because after the edge Pujara is turning around and watching, not to much to see whether it carries but to see whether it gets through for a run. He’s tensing and ready to take off as soon as he’s got the nick. And there is a fumble, and he nearly runs, but calls against it. Does get the single later in the over, that pat to cover again.
29th over: India 60-3 (Pujara 5, Rahane 3) That’s better from Pujara, plays the little pat into the off side and gets away from Anderson first ball of the over. Rahane’s turn to soak up some bowling. He’s happy to take a good look at Anderson and nothing more.
28th over: India 59-3 (Pujara 4, Rahane 3) Wood bowls short, Rahane plays the pull shot with no hesitation. He’s faced 15 balls and caught Pujara’s score from 52. Che thinks about a run after dropping the ball to point, but decides against. Ducks under a shorter ball. Does find a run after that though, pushed to cover. The glacier begins to creak with movement. India’s lead is 32.
27th over: India 57-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 2) Speaking of him, here is Mr Anderson. He bowled a long spell in the first session, we’ll see how he backs up. Everything in the channel to Rahane, who eventually steps forward to drop and run a single into the covers. Every time Rahane sets off for a run these days, it’s a nervous moment.
26th over: India 56-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) Back after lunch, and Root wants to rev up Mark Wood for an immediate burst. He aims at the stumps throughout, making Pujara play, but the man with the bat blocks out the lot and adds another six dot balls to his tally. Three runs from 52 balls.
Steve Hudson is in the mood for appreciation. “The fact we are struggling to find older quickies than Anderson shows how extraordinary he is. Hope he comes through the Aussie tour ok and can stick around for another year or so. Still a stroppy bugger too, as shown by his chat with Kohli!”
Feel the good cheer spreading around England.
Morning @GeoffLemonSport. This is a delight of a Test, and clear surely to England what happens when you actually have runs to make a game of it. Root, of course, has been sublime, but others have finally supported him. It allows bowlers to attack to positive fields. Who knew?
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) August 15, 2021
@GeoffLemonSport I know we're not supposed to reward pitch invaders with attention, but this guy was genuinely funny. Curious if you (or OBO readers) know of a better one, or if the rest are just all drunk and naked? https://t.co/CRl1bTZqYD
— Dr Meghan Purvis (@meghanpurvis) August 15, 2021
He was very good. Jarvo 69 is a variation on the original from the 2001 Ashes, the bloke who walked out in full England kit - helmet, pads, gloves - to try to bat in the middle. Might have been the fourth Test. He really looked the part. In some ways, Jarvo looking less the part makes this more amusing.
Maybe we can answer the oldest to take a wicket question. For non-spinners, WG Grace and Frank Woolley both played to an advanced age, but they both bowled medium pace. Grace took his last wicket about a decade before his career ended, Woolley four years beforehand. So that would make Grace about 41 and Woolley 43.
Gubby Allen was a proper quick though, and took a wicket in his final Test in Kingston in 1948. He was 45 years and well on the way to 46. That wicket was Frank Worrell out lbw too - handy.
While we wait, Andrew Tyacke is playing OBO Quiz. “Regarding the enduring Peter Pan who masquerades as Jimmy Anderson: who is the oldest genuine quickie to take (a) a wicket, (b) a five-for in a Test against a major Test country?”
I can answer the second bit: 20 players older than Jimmy have taken five-fors, but most of them as you correctly guessed were spinners. Bit easier to tweak the ball than rocket it when your limbs are ageing.
Anderson turned 39 a couple of weeks ago. Richard Hadlee was 11 days younger than that when he took his oldest five-for. Frank Laver and Freddie Brown bowled seam rather than spin, though not fast. And I don’t know what Freddie - the greatest Peruvian cricketer and an eventual England captain - was bowling against Australia in 1951, given he also turned his hand to spin.
In the same year though, Geoff Chubb took 6 for 51 against England at Old Trafford. Freddie Brown was captaining that match too. Chubb was a genuine quick and was 40 years and 84 days old. South Africa still lost heavily, but he had a good day.
Anderson would need five wickets after another year and three months from now to take the top spot. As for the oldest to take any wicket, not sure I can sift that out in one lunch break.
Lunch – India 56 for 3, lead by 29 in the second innings
A fine session for England. Only conceding 59 runs is a big plus, but the three wickets are bigger. Both openers and India’s captain, the three who have made some runs in this series. Pujara and Rahane have battled, and while we know how dangerous Pant and Jadeja can be, it will be too much work left to them if the current pair can’t at least summon a stand worth a hundred or so.
There’s been enough assistance to give the bowlers some joy today, but really for Rohit and Kohli, batting error was the cause.
India lead by 29. Huge chance for England to come out after the break, grab another, and set about suppressing their fourth-innings target to something very chaseable.
25th over: India 56-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) Robinson to Rahane, down the slope, nailing his pad and Robinson first beseeches the umpire, then beseeches Root for the review. “I thought it was out,” says the bowler. Root waits for timer to run down and then shrugs, as if to say sorry, wish there was something I could do. Ball-tracker says a leg-stump trimmer at best. Rahane sees out the next few balls and that is lunch.
24th over: India 56-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) So much rests on this pair, now. Rahane played so well in Australia as stand-in captain. Needs to produce one of those innings today. He’s off the mark promptly, one to square leg.
WICKET! Kohli c Buttler b Curran 20, India 55-3
That’s the big one! Curran gets it, and he takes off for a 400m men’s final. Does a lap of the ground. Catches up to Imran Tahir. I wonder how much of that wicket you can give to Michael Gough, whose warning about running on the pitch moved Curran back over the wicket. He’s been trying to swing the ball into the pads but this is the ball that goes on straight. Kohli has had a real problem playing balls that are wider than he needs to play. He does it again, shapes to play the inswing then follows the movement away, nicking to the keeper, and he’s absolutely furious about it.
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23rd over: India 53-2 (Pujara 3, Kohli 20) Gradual progress for India, as Pujara finds another single, and Robinson gives away another leg bye.
22nd over: India 53-2 (Pujara 2, Kohli 20) Sam Curran, zeroing in at the stumps, left-arm around the wicket. Umpire Gough warns him off the danger zone, the opposit of Kenny Loggins, so Curran comes back over the wicket. Pujara doubles his score with an outside edge, then Curran goes up wildly after hitting Kohli’s pad, but the DRS shows it was going over the top. The left-armer was so pumped that he’d got the ball pitching in line that he didn’t think about height, I fancy.
21st over: India 52-2 (Pujara 1, Kohli 20) Robinson to Kohli, who uses the bowler’s strength against him: reaches for that consistent line and steers it away, deliberately along the ground, past the slips for four. Robinson though has tricks in his bag, gets another ball to deck up the hill and beat the bat. Next ball, Kohli flicks four. Just past the short leg. Hameed no chance to catch that, it’s past him before his hands can move, but it goes just by his left thigh. Kohli up to 20 from 25, he’s not waiting around today. Lovely bright sunshine now, it looks a perfect day to bat.
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20th over: India 44-2 (Pujara 1, Kohli 12) Let’s play a game called Will Pujara Score This Over? First ball, half volley, patted away.
Second ball, half volley, patted away.
Third ball, opens the face, drives! Saved at point! Haseeb Hameed off quickly, as was Pujara - the latter has to turn around and scramble back to his ground.
Fourth ball, and there it is. Nudged to midwicket and finds the gap between three fielders on the leg side. Huge cheer from the crowd, they like this game. El Che is away.
Kohli by contrast immediately smokes a drive to cover but on the bounce to the field, then drives wide of mid on for one.
19th over: India 42-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 11) Anderson finally needs a rest, to fume at mid on in peace, like a gently cooling locomotive. Robinson is back, just hitting a line outside off stump. Kohli happy to let the over pass by. India lead by 15.
“One of the markers of Root’s captaincy is his tendency to often adhere to preformed plans and rarely improvise,” writes in Tom Van der Gucht. “He seems to have a bowling list that he follows diligently. So it was a bit of a surprise to see him venture off piste - to impressive results. Was he emboldened by his batting success to go with his gut instinct, or was this another statistical suggestion from the data crunchers behind the scenes. Is this the new unrootish Root? If so, I like it.”
18th over: India 42-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 11) Sam Curran doesn’t argue with anyone, as best I can tell. He bowls a decent over. Telling though the difference between the two batters. Kohli: drops and runs, off strike first ball. Pujara: soaks up five and hasn’t scored from 31.
17th over: India 41-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 10) Another picture-perfect shot from Kohli: his trigger movement, a half step forward, a square drive that teases Sibley into the fence. The fence doesn’t tease, it smacks Sibley down as he lurches into it. Tried to knock the ball back, missed it, and flew over the rope himself. Picks himself up after some time on the ground enjoying the sun. He’s ok. Anderson follows up with a beauty on the fifth-stump line that beats a push, before Kohli gets off strike to long leg.
There’s quite the exchange between Anderson and Kohli over the next couple of balls, too. I think they almost ran into each other as Kohli was taking the single. Then we can hear Kohli through the stump mic, saying “You swearing at me again, huh? Like you did with Jasprit?” The next ball, it’s something like Anderson asking why Kohli can do what he likes but not others. Kohli responds saying “This isn’t your f***ing backyard.”
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16th over: India 36-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 5) Here we go with Sam Curran, still looking eerily like a cartoon burglar with a sack full of candlesticks. Try watching his run-up from the side and see what I mean. He’s around the wicket to the right-handers. Kohli drives a run square, Pujara abides. Yet to score from 23 faced.
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Test Match Special overseas link? Yes, we can do that.
15th over: India 35-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 4) Anderson will continue, hoping for a chance against Kohli. And Kohli doesn’t mind: as Pujara pushes into the covers, India’s captain is keen to hustle a run. Pujara refuses, then laughs and holds his hand out flat, waving it side to side. 50-50, he’s indicating, as to whether they would have made it. He doesn’t get off the mark next ball, but he does get his thigh pad onto an Anderson delivery to collect four leg byes. India lead by 8. Short leg, square leg and midwicket all wait for Pujara to stop him nudging runs to the leg side, and he plays into that trap a couple of times with no reward.
14th over: India 31-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 4) If you thought Kohli was nervous, he leaves three deliveries from Wood, blocks one, then steps into an overpitched ball and drives it sweetly through the covers for four. That’s some opening remark.
“The bell-ringers were as follows: Enid Bakewell on the opening day, Andrew Strauss on the second, Farokh Engineer yesterday and Deepti Sharma today. Quite the line-up.” Thanks, Aditi.
13th over: India 27-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 0) Thus it’s Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s blue-ribbon pair, coming together with scores level. Somehow between themselves, Rahane, Pant and Jadeja they need to get a score that will test out England in a chase. At least 200 from here.
Pujara edges a ball from Anderson on the bounce to slip. Soft hands are his trademark, he does that so often. Soaks up the Anderson over and leaves Kohli to start his own day by facing Wood.
WICKET! Rohit Sharma c Moeen b Wood, India 27-2
12th over: India 27-2 (Pujara 0) Wood into his fourth over drops short, and Rohit smashes that for six. Flat over deep backward square into the crowd. Took it on and the sound off the bat was... fat. Wood gets cranky, bowls shorter and faster, over the helmet in the end and Rohit gets under it.
That should be as far as his adventures go against the short ball. But for some reason, from the sixth ball of the over, Rohit tries to repeat the earlier result. Still two catchers out there waiting, and they’ve moved Moeen further behind square. Rohit miscues it. Out deep but dropping short. Moeen runs in and takes a very good sliding catch.
Scores are level, India effectively two down for none.
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11th over: India 21-1 (Rohit 15, Pujara 0) Rohit harvests a few runs, a two and a one to the leg side, bringing Pujara on strike. Anderson splices him immediately, on the bounce to gully. It’s going to be tough going for Che.
10th over: India 18-1 (Rohit 12, Pujara 0) That’s huge for England. India’s opening two have been the biggest contributors, both at Trent Bridge and the first innings here. They’ve been separated early. Cheteshwar Pujara under pressure from a low run of scores comes in at first drop.
WICKET! KL Rahul c Buttler b Wood 5, India 18-1
Joe Root’s golden touch prevails. He brought Wood on early and it has worked. Rohit looked comfortable against the fast man but Rahul makes a mistake. Back of a length from Wood, and Rahul stays at home, hangs on the crease and tries to defend from there. A bit of movement from the slope away from the right-hander perhaps. A nick through to the keeper.
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9th over: India 18-0 (Rahul 5, Rohit 12) Rahul pushes carefully at Anderson to find a single to cover. Circumspect.
Bless you, Ollie Brookes. “Didn’t take as long as you’d think. Two games in history have lasted exactly 2,700 balls! South Africa v England at Cape Town in 1949 and Zimbabwe v India at Harare in 1992. Both were drawn, surprise surprise.”
That Zimbabwe game was hugely significant: that country’s first Test match, and they were over the moon to draw with an established side like India. Ten players on debut for Zim that day, plus John Traicos who had played Tests for South Africa 20 years earlier. He took Zimbabwe’s first five-for, and Dave Houghton scored the country’s first century, in that match.
8th over: India 17-0 (Rahul 4, Rohit 12) Wood straining every sinew, as he always does. You’d expect him to be on for a short spell here, four overs perhaps, to give it everything before Robinson comes back with the ball still newish, the seam still offering him something. He mostly bowls fast and fairly straight, with Rohit happy to defend everything away.
7th over: India 17-0 (Rahul 4, Rohit 12) Anderson’s patience runs thin, and he convinces Root to go upstairs for an lbw shout against KL Rahul. It didn’t look that great. Lucky for England in the end that umpire’s call has it shaving leg stump, so they don’t lose a review. A couple of runs from the over, guided away behind point.
6th over: India 15-0 (Rahul 2, Rohit 12) An early intro for Mark Wood, looking to get something going with the new ball and his extreme pace. Both batters handle him alright to begin with, off the pad to deep backward square. Two fielders out behind square for the hook. Wood goes full at 90 miles an hour, and Rohit drives it away through mid on as calmly as you like. That is a shot of top class. Four.
5th over: India 9-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 7) Anderson keeps working away at Rahul, has him tangled a couple of times. Beats the outside edge, then nearly takes a glove down the leg side. Getting decent bounce today, Anderson. Another scoreless over.
Speaking of obscure stats, here’s Tim Myles. “In that innings Root faced two hat-trick balls - has anyone ever faced more in a single Test innings? I’m sure someone out there has the answer!”
4th over: India 9-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 7) Four balls on line from Robinson, then Rohit has to play something. Drives on the up. It looks ok, gets plenty of contact, but that’s a dicey stroke given the length wasn’t there. The ball opens the face of the bat a bit, so the shot goes through cover point for two. The next delivery, hit much better. Off drive for four. That one is fuller, and Rohit plays the understated forward push that zips past the bowler and beats the chase. There was a no-ball earlier in that over as well.
3rd over: India 2-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 1) India’s pair left really well in the first innings, and Rahul does so again here. Some excitement for Anderson when his final ball comes in and hits the pad, but there’s a fair bit of bat involved there. And maybe height. And maybe leg side.
John Kovacs writes in. “Thinking about the Hundred, as I tend to avoid doing, I suppose you could call a Test match ‘the Two Thousand Seven Hundred’ because that’s the maximum number of balls possible in the match (theoretically at least, possibly more if there’s a particularly rapid over rate). But has any Test match in history lasted exactly 2,700 balls? I’m guessing not.”
I can tell you, John, that both teams in the timeless Test of 1939 got close on their own. South Africa bowled 2759 deliveries, England bowled 2688. I’m sure Andrew Samson could find you a Test match of 2700 balls. Or if any of our readers have the time. This is Test match 2429, so I don’t quite have it myself.
2nd over: India 2-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 1) Ollie Robinson from the Nursery End, the new man with the new ball. He also starts outside leg stump but Rohit can’t catch up with either of those stray deliveries. Robinson finds his way to the off stump eventually, and Rohit is happy to leave through the over.
1st over: India 2-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 1) Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Anderson with the new Exocet, KL Rahul with the club. Anderson bowls on leg stump and KL tucks it away for first-ball run. Rohit gets the same ball, same result. Anderson will be irritated. Finds his off-stump line after that, and gets a couple to come back down the hill to Rahul. Lots of bounce though, well over the bails.
Remarkably, play will get underway on time. Quite the novelty.
Andrew Benton writes in. “Traipsing back across London town last evening to get my train home (I went neither for the cricket nor the naked bicycle riding), I was surprised by the number of MCC ties I saw - these chaps really are proud members! No-one wears a tie unless they have to, surely? I de-tie the minute I’m out of a meeting... Hoping for a brilliant day’s play!”
Surely no one would wear a tie as visually distressing as the MCC one by natural sartorial preference? It’s all about what it means, not what it is. When imbued with enough meaning, a symbol can preclude the object it is made of, instead of representing it.
“Morning Geoff,” writes Finbar Anslow. “34 degrees here in Piedmont, the river us calling. Yesterday’s bell ringer was Farokh Engineer. Happy memories of him, Clive Lloyd, and the superb Lancashire team which taught the other counties how to play one-day cricket.”
Emails have begun. “Any idea who the celebrity 5-minute bell ringer is today?” asks Jeremy Boyce. “Whoever it is has a lot to live up to, given the top entertainment the last two have rung for us.”
Not only do I not know who it is today, I don’t know who it was yesterday or the day before. Someone will have to tell the class what we’ve missed.
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Emma John, meantime, was more interested in looking back at the audience.
Jonny Bairstow had a bit to say about his captain, having watched a good chunk of that innings from the non-striker’s end.
Next up, Jonathan Liew did his part.
Safe to say there’s a fair bit on one J. Root since yesterday. Let’s start with Ali Martin’s wrap of the day.
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Preamble
Hello again, cricket friends and fiends. What is this? It’s the game that goes for five days. The highs, the lows, the rain, the tea. And we’re only up to day four. Two full days of entertainment to come.
Yesterday was all that and more. Joe Root has made 180 at Lord’s and he did it again. He’s also done a 180 in 2021 on his somewhat indifferent returns in Test cricket over the last few years. This year he’s gone past 1200 runs already and it’s only August. He has six more matches to go. He carried England, all the way up to India’s first-innings score and just beyond.
Then there was the bowling: excellence from Ishant Sharma, enthusiasm from Mohammed Siraj, and the bizarre bouncer barrage strewn with no-balls from Jasprit Bumrah. A wicket from the sixth ball of the final over of the day happened to be the tenth to fall for England.
So we will start today with the first ball of India’s third innings, 27 runs behind England and looking to set a lead.
Game. On.
