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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Daniel Harris (later) and Simon Burnton (earlier)

India v England: fourth Test, day one - as it happened

Keaton Jennings celebrates his century. The debutant made 112 as England ended day one on 288-5.
Keaton Jennings celebrates his century. The debutant made 112 as England ended day one on 288-5. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Anyhow, thanks all for your company and comments - sorry I couldn’t use them all - and we’ll be back tomorrow. Good-day.

Updated

So, England are in the ascendancy. Runs on the board, plenty of batting in the middle and to come, and a pitch that is going to become increasingly vicious. Of course, they might still get rolled in the morning and then be flayed by Kohli, but in the meantime, they’re looking good.

Oh, and the boy Keaton Jennings, scored a century on debut. But how many Nice and Spicy Nik Naks can he eat in one sitting?

94th over: England 288-5 (Stokes 25, Buttler 18) Jadeja will bowl the last over the day, and some kicking turn fires the ball at Stokes, but he’s well outside off stump and takes it on the body. He’s defended really well since his earlier roasting, and Kohli sends a man back for the final delivery, then Jadeja aborts his run-up, but Stokes is equanimous in defence and that’s the end of a fantastic day.

93rd over: England 288-5 (Stokes 25, Buttler 18) Ashwin returns, but with a tired loosener, and Buttler, for all his earlier confusion, does not miss out, slamming four through the covers. Two singles follow, and England are nearly there.

“These people mentioning the Jennings books need to think High Art rather than children’s literature,” says Fran Mason. “Alastair Cook in his interviews has himself revealed that Jennings is ‘Keats’. Yes, it’s just a shortened form of Keaton, but a century on debut is both a thing of truth and a thing of beauty (even if it’s scratched together) because as the lad himself said ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty – that is all /Ye know on earth and all ye need to know’. As an aside, he was also clearly talking about cricket in the last part.”

Jennings is high art. I am now in a frightful bate.

Updated

92nd over: England 282-5 (Stokes 24, Buttler 13) Ashwin is warming up as Jayant sees Buttler coming down, dropping short - Buttler bumps to leg and they run one. Stokes then cuts a further single, and Buttler does the same, using his feet again to take the ball on the full and prevent it spinning.

91st over: England 279-5 (Stokes 23, Buttler 11) And to rub it in, Stokes flicks four to fine leg when Jadeja strays; Kohli looks to still be considering the wasted review. this has been a good 20 minutes for England.

REVIEW! NOT OUT!

Impact was umpire’s call, just on the edge of the line. It was hitting the stumps, but that wasn’t enough - Stokes was saved by his stride.

91st over: England 274-5 (Stokes 19, Buttler 10) The third umpire fingers the new ball as Jadeja hurries in again, and after Buttler hustles one to midwicket, there’s an appeal when Stokes takes one on the pad. Then again next ball, and this time Jadeja is convinced. No one else is, but so beseeching is he that Kohli goes upstairs.

90th over: England 274-5 (Stokes 19, Buttler 10) A quiet over, which will please England greatly. It’s not long till we see Ashwin back, I shouldn’t wonder, perhaps with the new ball. 15 or so minutes left in the day.

89th over: England 272-5 (Stokes 18, Buttler 9) I wonder if England are still happy with their four seamers. My guess is they are - they’ll bowl dry, rotated from one end, with whichever of spinners is bowling well looking to take wickets at the other. Buttler is on strike to Jadeja, not something he’ll want to continue - he’s looked much more in tune with himself against Jayant. And there’s another edge, earning two to fine leg, and slowly, England are reaching the point at which a defendable total is almost unavoidable.

88th over: England 270-5 (Stokes 18, Buttler 7) Stokes takes a single, then Buttler does the same - his feet are starting to move.

87th over: England 268-5 (Stokes 17, Buttler 6) Jadeja comes on for Ashwin, presumably with that new ball in mind, and after Stokes nabs a single through mid on, Buttler edges four. Then Jadeja, bowling around, sends down a fuller one and Buttler goes back then leaves - a phenomenal amount of misjudgment packed into about a third of a second. He gets away with it.

86th over: England 263-5 (Stokes 16, Buttler 2) Jayant draws Stokes forward and he edges to gully - again, the ball drops agonisingly, triumphantly short; Kohli gets Pandey a helmet and brings him even further forward. Stokes then cuts for one, and two more singles follow; perhaps England are through the worst of it.

Updated

85th over: England 260-5 (Stokes 14, Buttler 1) Stokes picks Ashwin’s length and checks his pull, edging into his midriff and sending Patel scurrying forwards seeking a catch. He chides himself for not seeing the shot through, because he was there early enough to deliver it. All set for him to get himself out playing it at the wrong time.

84th over: England 259-5 (Stokes 13, Buttler 1) Buttler edges one that drops just short of leg slip so tries coming down the track - Jayant is wise to it, dropping shorter. But there’s a sign, with the penultimate ball of the over, that he’s starting to feel comfortable - he brings his bat inside the line and allows the spin to do its thing in the meantime. Maiden.

83rd over: England 259-5 (Stokes 13, Buttler 1) “He’s a good team man,” says Botham of Stokes. “Always there if they’re playing golf.” Case closed, m’lud. There is nothing better than tales of sportsmen playing golf, but back out in the middle, Stokes miscues four and is then completely done when Ashwin javelins one in flat that grips and phlegms to slip.

Updated

82nd over: England 255-5 (Stokes 9, Buttler 1) Paul Reiffel is fine, say Cricinfo - CT scan clear, precautionary rest advised. Stokes gets two with an edge, then a single, and Jayant looks like he’s bowling with Oddball of Whizzer and Chips fame - Buttler currently looks like Butthead, without the laughs. He’s almost done by the final delivery, inside edging into his pad.

“I wonder if Boycs will have as much of a go at YJB as he did at Moeen?” tweets Guy Hornsby. “Both risky shots on this wicket @DanielHarris Oh, ENGLAND. #rhubarb”.

In a way it’s hard to be vex with either, though Moeen might have recalibrated his mind against Ashwin, not tried to hit a six over against the spin. Bairstow might also have tried to stay in, especially given the doing Stokes is in the middle of. Or, put another way, I really don’t know, perhaps because it’s unknowable.

Updated

81st over: England 249-5 (Stokes 5, Buttler 0) I’d like to know what Ashwin has for this spell - I think it’s, er, 3-9. Yes, really. And nearly another, when one rips past Buttler’s bat. England need another 100, reckons Beefy. Er, ok then.

Updated

WICKET! Bairstow c Umesh Yadav b Ashwin 14 (England 249-5)

What a half-hour this has been for India! Bairstow premeditates a sweep, the ball is too full, and he top-edges to deep backward square. He looks somewhat disappointed with his behaviours.

Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates the wicket of Jonny Bairstow.
Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates the wicket of Jonny Bairstow. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Updated

80th over: England 249-4 (Bairstow 14, Stokes 5) Three singles off the over, but the last ball turns and bounces past Stokes’ outside-edge - again. India review, but only because their larder is replenished next over. Not sure “tactical review” is the right term for it, though.

Bob O’Hara emails in with bad news for Kim Thonger and civilisation at large.

“Dear Bob O’Hara,

We rejected the petition you supported – ‘Require Keaton Jennings’ opening partners to change their surname to Darbishire’.

It’s offensive, nonsense, a joke, or an advert.

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards:

Thanks,

The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament”.

I don’t even recognise this country anymore.

79th over: England 246-4 (Bairstow 12, Stokes 4) So, should Bairstow try and face Ashwin as much as possible, or should he protect his wicket as the man in form? Stokes gets himself off strike, second ball of the over, and then Bairstow adds a single of his own. Drinks.

78th over: England 244-4 (Bairstow 11, Stokes 3) Jayant returns, and things don’t get easier for Stokes, who plays more deliberately at one that turns away from him nonetheless. At the moment, he looks like a hippo trying to thread a needle. But he gets down the other end via cut, and then Bairstow, who still looks in nick, comes down the track and finds himself short, so closes the face with serious expertise, earning the first boundary in a while.

Updated

77th over: England 239-4 (Bairstow 7, Stokes 2) A single to Bairstow from the first ball of the over gives Ashwin five at Stokes, and he completely befuddles him with an arm ball, flicked with the forefinger, that’s quicker and flatter. Stokes plays for the spin and it scoots just past off stump, as Kohli and Patel, who did read it, giggle with mirth and frustration.

76th over: England 237-4 (Bairstow 6, Stokes 1) Bairstow’s beard looks especially peculiar in combination with the strap on his helmet; he’d be a good Guess Who character. And his fellow ginger ninja would too - MB Games failed to anticipate the growing prevalence of body art.

75th over: England 236-4 (Bairstow 5, Stokes 1) Bairstow is allowing himself as much time as possible to see what’s going on, looking to play back whenever he can. He takes two through midwicket, then a single to square leg, but all that does is give Ashwin a go at his buddy and again, he goes from wide of the crease and conjures one past the outside edge. Stokes is getting an absolute shoeing here, but is still here.

74th over: England 233-4 (Bairstow 2, Stokes 1) India have put the thumbscrews on England here, and given two attacking batsmen, something is going to give; probably the aforementioned thumbs. One off the over, to Bairstow, who goes back and shoves into the leg side.

73rd over: England 232-4 (Bairstow 1, Stokes 1) Bairstow sweeps nicely to open his account, but then Stokes is diddled by an absolute beauty that Ashwin brings in from wide of the crease that turns away across the face of the bat. Far, far too good. And then another, on leg and turning square; Stokes can only laugh as Ashwin is forced to curtail his celebration on account of being too good once again.

72nd over: England 231-4 (Bairstow 0, Stokes 1) England cannot afford to lose too many more tonight. If they get rustled f0r anything below 350, they’re in big trouble.

“ Now I am safely at work I thought you might be interested in this as it is an eye watering version of Smells like Teen Spirit, but you can hear the words,” emails John Tumbridge.

Nah, that ruins the fun. I remember reading the inlay of the cassette trying to allocate the various lyrics in the paragraph we were given, waiting for my Walkman batteries to run low, before accidentally disturbing the plastic cover on the sheet music in HMV.

71st over: England 231-4 (Bairstow 0, Stokes 1) Suddenly, 400 looks a nice total again, with both set batsmen gone. Stokes turns to midwicket to get off the mark first ball, and the crowd are up, the Indians are up, and what a session of cricket we have to elevate our otherwise tedious existences. What an over that was; what an over.

WICKET! Jennings c Pujara b Ashwin 112 (England 230-4)

The height of subcontinental cricket, the height of England, the height of Ravi Ashwin! This is a lovely ball, fired at off stump, bringing Jennings forward, and drawing the edge that flew to the gully that had only just been sent in.

Keaton Jennings edges the ball into the hands of India’s Cheteshwar Pujara.
Keaton Jennings edges the ball into the hands of India’s Cheteshwar Pujara. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Updated

71st over: England 230-3 (Jennings 112, Bairstow 0) On the one hand, Moeen was taking the attack to India with England in a good position; on the other, might he have had a look at Ashwin, or treated him differently from Jadeja and Jayant?

WICKET! Moeen Ali c Nair b Ashwin 50 (England 230-3)

I doubt anyone even needs to be furnished with detail here, but for the sake of process, here is it. Ashwin returns to the attack because he has to, Moeen tries another slog-sweep, imparts every millimetre of his top edge, and Nair holds a dolly at midwicket. Moeen, Moeen, Moeen, Moeeeeeheeeeheeen....

70th over: England 230-2 (Jennings 112, Moeen 50) Jennings swishes at a wide one, it takes some rough and ends up at slip, and then Moeen, who took a single from the first ball of the over, glides another into the covers and celebrates another fifty. He is always a pleasure to watch, whether performing cricket or comedy.

Updated

69th over: England 227-2 (Jennings 111, Moeen 48) Or should it be Sangawardene-style? Anyway. Kohli and Jadeja have a meeting, forced to rethink things for the first time in a fair few days’ play.

68th over: England 225-2 (Jennings 110, Moeen 47) Jennings takes a single could be the title of a book but is in fact what just happened, so Jayant goes around the wicket and Moeen gathers him from outside off to hump a slog-sweep to the midwicket fence. And there’s another! In the air this time, one bounce and over the fence. England are batting like a sub-continental team here: work hard through the day, cash-in in the final session, Kumhela-style.

A correction from David Green: “Unless the sentence were ‘Nasser, a dab hand at running his partner out in his time....’”.

Updated

67th over: England 216-2 (Jennings 109, Moeen 39) Single to Moeen, behind square on the off side, then one to Jennings, miscuing a drive that was meant to go over mid-on and ends up at deep square.

“Wikipedia appears to have been ‘moderated’,” emails Nick in Cambodia. “Jennings’ height varied from ‘6ft - 1in’ to ‘As tall as the Burj Khalifa’ ... and now the height category has gone. Was fun while it lasted.”

I wonder how old Rabbie Walpole is getting on.

66th over: England 214-2 (Jennings 108, Moeen 38) Jennings has such an array of shots; Jayant’s first ball is greeted with another sweep, but this one is struck powerfully and in front of square - “it can leave you thinking you’re a fielder short,” says Nasser, referencing the dab and reverses that we’ve already seen. “Dab”, not a word anyone ever expected to see in the same sentence as “Nasser”.

65th over: England 210-2 (Jennings 104, Moeen 38) Jadeja rushes in, and there’s a shout of “catch it!” as Moeen twinkles down the track and snaps what looks like four but is in fact six, just over the rope. What a valuable innings this is. But, is he going to be a regular in the summer, now that he’s been overtaken as number 1 spinner by Deirdre?

64th over: England 202-2 (Jennings 103, Moeen 31) Jayant is in, and the ball’s turning for him as you’d expect. I wonder whether it’s easier on a track that spins as a matter of course, rather than one where some do and some don’t. And just as Nasser says that when Moeen bats at 7 you think he should be batting at 4, and when he bats at 4 you think he should be batting at 7, he’s drawn forward with a slow, flighted delivery, opens the face and edges just shy of Kohli in the slips. A hazard of a bowler who varies his pace to such extent, I’m afraid.

63rd over: England 201-2 (Jennings 103, Moeen 30) Unusually, a loosener from Jadeja, who drags one down, and Moeen isn’t having that, pulling to the midwicket fence. Then, three balls later, a lofted front-foot sweep has the fielders hollering, taking the top edge, but it drops safe.

“Just thought I’d smugly point out that of the 5 batsmen who’ve made tons for England on debut this millennium, 4 were born in South Africa – Jennings, Trott, Prior and Strauss. Cook is your only home-grown debutante centurion since Graham Thorpe back in 1993.

Having said that, really looking forward to the 4-test series against Ingerland next year. We have some scores to settle. Roll on 6 July 2017.”

Heh! I’ve not seen better live sport since the last time South Africa toured England. Neither team is as good, but agreed, it should be great.

Jadeja has the ball.

Right then, yalla - here we go again.

“Easy to go overboard after Jennings’ hundred and Hameed looking the part before his unfortunate injury,” emails Kevin Wilson who is definitely not going overboard, “but England might have unwittingly solved their number three position. But who drops down? Maybe lighten Cook’s load a little, or would that put too much pressure on two new kids?”

I’m sure it’ll be Jennings who drops down. Cook certainly isn’t, and he’s a lefty, so it makes sense. I know it’s overbored, not overboard, but ears can’t detect homonyms.

Teatime email: “My dear chap,” misdirects Kim Thonger, “I need five signatures to make this happen, can you help?

My petition:

Require Keaton Jennings’ opening partners to change their surname to Darbishire

The nation has a once in a lifetime opportunity to have an England opening partnership named Jennings and Darbishire (sic) We would therefore like Parliament to enact legislation requiring all Keaton Jennings’ possible opening partners to change their surname by deed poll to Darbishire.

For justification, you are invited to investigate the Jennings novels by Anthony Buckeridge. ‘Jennings in Particular’ is an excellent starting point, in which a cricket match takes place against a specially invited Outer Space XI.”

Here it is.

And here’s one from the same book by your Rob Smyths, on Curtly Ambrose. The book, Supreme Bowling, investigates the finest performances of all-time; buy many copies, here.

Tea-time reading: here’s an essay on Indian cricket, Kapil Dev, and his 7-56 against Pakistan in 1980, by, er me.

62nd over: England 196-2 (Jennings 103, Moeen 25) If Keaton Jennings’ nickname isn’t JCT, then it really needs to be Diane. One off the over, and that’s the end of a frankly superb session for England.

“Surely, as any fule no,” emails Molesworth Tumbridge, “Darbishire was the scorer or at least meant to have been when Jennings scored a first ever half century for Linden Court.He failed in his duties being absent elsewhere so the feat was not recorded Jennings was then asked to bat again and was out first ball. Darbishire was never deemed good enough to bat.”

It’s a shame old Molesworth never put together a cricket team to match his football team, which lined up as follows:

Goliath

Romulus Remus

Skool dog self Richard I

Julius Caesar Cain Jack the Ripper Livy Esau

61st over: England 195-2 (Jennings 103, Moeen 24) So then, what have you accomplished today? Feel free to send in your triumphs; I semi-successfully plaited my daughter’s hair, which I doubt Keaton Jennings could do as uselessly. Exactly.

“Morning Daniel, morning everybody,” chirps Guy Hornsby. “For once, checking my phone during a Test match at 6am this winter in India hasn’t induced an existentialist crisis. This lad Jennings looks handy, but not handy enough to get a ton on debut, obviously*. You do worry if these two will get bogged down before tea, but I’d settle for slow accumulation with no flurry of wickets. Moeen’s surely due a score here, after his brain farts in Mohali. He’s such a gent, isn’t he? (*contractually obliged to reverse jinx here).”

I wonder if the bounce here might help England’s quicks, too. I know, I know.

60th over: England 193-2 (Jennings 102, Moeen 23) The England balcony are giggling away, Jennings too, his initial reaction is of someone who always expected this to happen. In the crowd, Hasseb Hameed is clapping - suddenly, England have a top order. Anyway, enough of the frivolity; its Daddy time. So, a single is eased to third man, the only run from the over.

59th over: England 192-2 (Jennings 101, Moeen 23)

serene

Calm, peaceful, and untroubled; tranquil:

‘her eyes were closed and she looked very serene’‘serene certainty’

AND THERE IT IS! SLAP YOUR BREAKFAST ACROSS YOUR FACE! FEEL USELESS, MORTIFIED, INSPIRED, EVERYTHING! WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS PIECE OF BEHAVIOUR!

Keaton Jennings, who has never played in India, never faced spinners in India, never played a Test, never done any of the things that are meant to be done, has reverse-swept for four, and there we are!

Keaton Jennings celebrates his century.
Keaton Jennings celebrates his century. Photograph: Rafiq Maqbool/AP

Updated

58th over: England 186-2 (Jennings 96, Moeen 22) Bhuvi returns, and Jennings, who is 24, swings everything at it on account of being 24, and makes a complete moron of himself on account of being 24, and we all feel better on account of not being 24 but once being 24. Not really, he flicks to square leg and adds another single, achieving our dreams while politely reminding us that we’re useless. On the wireless last night, Steve Harmison described him as “obsessed with cricket” and as having a “perfect mentality”. So, when Moeen takes another single to leg, er, “Jet” - come on, nobody’s perfect (apart from John Eales) - edges one of is own, Moeen replies, and England are cruising.

57th over: England 182-2 (Jennings 94, Moeen 20) Moeen negotiates a quiet one from Jayant, and looks slightly less frenetic than against Umesh. Maiden.

“I’m thinking of starting a petition,” begins Kim Thonger, but please keep reading nonetheless - it gets better - “asking Alastair Cook to change his surname by Deed Poll to Darbishire, purely because the opportunity of Jennings and Darbishire opening for England is just too good to miss. Are you on board?”

If I hadn’t just moved house, I’d be posting a picture of my bookshelf to show you that I’m not just on board, I’m navigating this baby.

Updated

56th over: England 182-2 (Jennings 94, Moeen 20) You’re not going to believe this, but Moeen has just been deceived but what he thought was a bouncer, rocking all his weight back onto his back foot, then waving the bat at a fuller one and guiding a precision edge against the fingertips of the diving Kohli at two, earning four. Don’t laugh. He then adds two more with an awkward looking frask, wangles a further single, and England are sitting pretty for a collapse.

55th over: England 175-2 (Jennings 94, Moeen 13) Jennings is one swipe away, turning to long on for one; he’s making these look like the nonsense nineties. Moeen takes a single of his own from the final delivery, and India could really use some Shami.

54th over: England 173-2 (Jennings 93, Moeen 12) Paul Reiffel is going to hospital for scan; godspeed, sir. In the meantime, Moeen nurdles a single towards the point fence, and Jennings is calmly calm while the rest of us are clammily clammy. He takes a single off the last delivery to retain the strike, and it seven away.

Updated

53rd over: England 171-2 (Jennings 92, Moeen 11) Morning all. Kohli brings men and Ashwin tosses them up, trying to persuade his royal Jetness to try and get there with two hits. The fourth ball of the over brings a big appeal, caught at silly point, but it was all pad. Maiden.

Updated

52nd over: England 171-2 (Jennings 92, Moeen 11) There have only been five Englishmen since 1950 who have scored centuries in their first ever Test innings, most recently Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior, both at Lord’s, in 2004 and 2007 respectively. Could Jennings be No6, or have I just jinxed him? Time will tell, I guess. I, however, won’t: I’m handing over to Daniel Harris. You can email him here or tweet him here. Thanks and stuff. Bye!

51st over: England 168-2 (Jennings 90, Moeen 10) A single off Ashwin takes Jennings into the nervous 90s. “The Wikipedia thing is clearly an attempt to confuse the enemy,” writes Felix Wood. “Can you imagine running in to bowl to him and not knowing how high you need to get the ball to deliver an effective bouncer? Your captain is desperately tweeting updates at you from the Wikipedia page, you’re trying to hide the shiny side of the ball, and you’ve got On a Ragga Tip going round and round your head for no reason. It’s a surefire disaster. If England had thought of this earlier then we wouldn’t be 2-0 down. Also, if we just changed the wikipedia entry for this series we wouldn’t be 2-0 down either.”

50th over: England 167-2 (Jennings 89, Moeen 10) A bit of pace, Umesh coming back presumably to test Moeen against the short ball. When he does bang one in, Moeen ducks under it. A maiden.

49th over: England 167-2 (Jennings 89, Moeen 10) No immediate post-unexpected-break concentration-losses. Nitin Menon will apparently be stand-in TV umpire while Reiffel gets himself sorted.

Updated

Eventually, after a considerable delay presumably caused by the fact that as fourth umpire he had been watching proceedings in his underpants and then couldn’t find his trousers, Erasmus has er-ived.

Substitution: Reiffel is going off to recover from the blow and the shock. Marais Erasmus will replace him. That was shockingly poor fielding from Kumar, tossing the ball limply straight at Reiffel’s head for no obvious reason.

48.2 overs: England 165-2 (Jennings 88, Moeen 9) There’s an umpire un the turf! And he’s holding his head! It’s Paul Reiffel, who’s hit on the back of the bonce as the ball is gently - much too gently, really - returned towards the middle by Buvi from the outfield. The other umpire, Bruce Oxenford, runs over to assist, and when he gets there he - and this is thinking outside the box, you won’t find this in the first aid manuals - stands next to his stricken colleague, holding his hat in the air so that Reiffel’s head, while throbbing and aching, is at least pleasantly shaded. The players take early drinks while Reiffel is treated.

Umpire Paul Reiffel receives treatment.
Umpire Paul Reiffel receives treatment. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Updated

48th over: England 165-2 (Jennings 88, Moeen 9) “Keaton Jennings’ height was 11ft 8 two minutes ago on Wikipedia, then 2.35m, now he’s listed as ‘really bloody tall’, although I guess that too will have changed by the time you receive this,” writes Nick in Cambodia. It has: Wikipedia currently lists his height as “immeasurable”. Why is this happening? Why?

47th over: England 163-2 (Jennings 88, Moeen 7) All the action comes in the last couple of Ashwin deliveries, Moeen getting a single off the fifth and Jennings getting a thick outside edge to the last, the ball going wide of slip and being chased down before it reaches the rope.

46th over: England 160-2 (Jennings 86, Moeen 6) Jennings’ second attempt at a reverse sweep is much less impressive than the first but has identical effect, the ball just kissing the face of the bat and going almost straight past Patel and away for four.

44th over: England 150-2 (Jennings 78, Moeen 4) Jennings since the start of over No31: 1...1......1......1........1...1 - and then, from nowhere, back-to-back boundaries. Jayant’s first ball is dismissed with an excellent reverse sweep, and his second is driven through the covers. And then four dots, but still.

43rd over: England 142-2 (Jennings 70, Moeen 4) Moeen plays at a ball that turned plenty but passed well wide of his bat and the stumps and could very easily have been left. Jennings and Kohli exchange interested looks, as if they were tempted to review, but they were eventually put off by the fact the ball didn’t go anywhere near bat, pad, any other part of the batsman or the stumps.

42nd over: England 141-2 (Jennings 69, Moeen 4) Jayant replaces Jadeja, and Jennings’ recent slow scoring continues with a single.

41st over: England 140-2 (Jennings 68, Moeen 4) “We are due an orgasmic innings from Moeen,” writes Ian Copestake a little optimistically of a batsman whose last five innings were 1, 2, 16, 5 and now 4* and who isn’t looking very comfortably currently.

40th over: England 138-2 (Jennings 68, Moeen 2) Moeen diverts Jadeja’s first delivery towards short midwicket, where it lands a couple of feet short of the diving fielder. In the last 10 overs Jennings has scored four runs, all singles, from 24 deliveries.

39th over: England 137-2 (Jennings 68, Moeen 1) Looking at the replays, Kohli trapped the ball between his wrists rather than in his hands. But hey, they all count.

Ravi Ashwin celebrates after taking the wicket of Joe Root.
Ravi Ashwin celebrates after taking the wicket of Joe Root. Photograph: Rafiq Maqbool/AP

Updated

WICKET! Root c Kohli b Ashwin 21 (England 136-2)

Root doesn’t capitalise on his let-off. Moments later, he edges straight to where the single slip was standing. Kohli was no longer standing there, though, having taken a few shuffles to his right before ball struck bat, but he flung out a left hand and caught it anyway!

India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, left, celebrates the wicket of England’s Joe Root.
India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, left, celebrates the wicket of England’s Joe Root. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Updated

38th over: England 136-1 (Jennings 68, Root 21) Root flicks the ball through midwicket and sets off down the pitch, before realising he actually didn’t touch the ball at all. Behind him, though, the ball hit Patel in the arm and bounced towards slip.

37th over: England 135-1 (Jennings 68, Root 20) A few more singles for England, ticking along.

36th over: England 132-1 (Jennings 67, Root 18) Just four maidens so far today, one for each bowler except Bhuvi. Root gets a single here to stop Jadeja getting his second.

35th over: England 131-1 (Jennings 67, Root 17) “I’d forgotten how handy Gough was with a bat,” writes Phil Withall. “In my slowly failing memory the things I most remember are that hat-trick, his Yorkshire endeavours and having an arse like Fred Trueman. Possibly not they way he should be remembered but all points worth saluting.”

34th over: England 128-1 (Jennings 67, Root 14) Another Jadeja over, the highlight of this one being Root’s delightful cover drive for four.

33rd over: England 121-1 (Jennings 66, Root 8) Phwoar! There’s a lovely ball here from Ashwin that spins and rises and nips just past the edge of Jennings’ bat. The batsman leaves the next one, which only just misses the stumps.

32nd over: England 120-1 (Jennings 66, Root 7) A curious pair of emails this morning/evening/whatever: “Greetings from Beijing Simon, where I am doing absolutely nothing useful while reading the OBO working my socks off to earn an honest crust,” writes Richard Woods. “I’ve just read Keaton Jennings’ Wikipedia entry. He seems to be a very small person.” I’m not sure how tall Wikipedia said he was as Richard penned his missive but then, a matter of minutes later, an email from Denis Smith: “Just had a snifter through Jennings’ Wikipedia page – stunned to learn he is 11ft 8 inches tall.” What japes, eh, people making stuff up on the internet and then publishing it as if it were true. What harm could possibly come of it?

The players are back out. Jadeja holds the ball.

All three of the England batsmen who batted this morning made their Test debuts in India and scored a half-century in their first innings. Cook got 60 in Nagpur in 2006, Root 73 also in Nagpur in 2012, and now Jennings has 65 so far today. The only other batsman to do so in the last 30 years is Owais Shah, who hit 88 also in 2006, a couple of weeks after Cook’s first match.

The last Englishman to score (precisely) 65 runs in his first ever Test innings? A certain Darren Gough, whose first 10 Test knocks included, as well as that 65, a 42no and a 51. Those remained his three highest scores when he retired 76 innings later.

LUNCH: England 117-1

A fine morning for England, and for Keaton Jennings, who was very nearly out twice in the first half-hour but settled impressively. “I was just about to compliment England on the fine start and wonder what could possibly go wrong, and the skipper goes charging down the wicket trying to smash his way to his 50.” writes Brian Withington. “Quite bizarre but a fine knock nevertheless.” Cook’s innings was decent enough, but I expect he’ll be very disappointed about the way it ended.

31st over: England 117-1 (Jennings 65, Root 5) Umesh bowls the last over before lunch, but the brief burst of pace brings India no chances and England three singles.

30th over: England 114-1 (Jennings 64, Root 3) There’s a loud lbw appeal here as the ball hits Root at the top of his pad, just above the knee. India debate the review, but having already lost one they decide not to risk it. Quite right too, the ball striking the pad well wide of off stump. England take a single, and then Jennings sweeps very fine for four.

29th over: England 109-1 (Jennings 60, Root 2) Blammo! Jennings reads the flight of the ball, advances and boshes it to the long on boundary, where it flies over the rope on its first bounce. Pretty much risk-free given the lack of fielders in the vicinity, but good stuff all the same.

28th over: England 103-1 (Jennings 55, Root 1) Jadeja gets one to straighten significantly, and Root gets nowhere near it. Patel whips the bails off again, but the batsman’s foot never left the ground. Still, fine bowling.

27th over: England 102-1 (Jennings 54, Root 1) In 250 Test Innings, Cook has only been stumped three times before.

26th over: England 99-1 (Jennings 52, Root 0) Jadeja takes out Cook for the third time this series. Lunch is in sight now. If England can make it with one wicket down, they’ll be happy enough with their morning’s work.

WICKET! Cook st Patel b Jadeja 46 (England 99-1)

Jadeja makes the breakthrough in his first over! Cook attacks, misses and is in no-man’s land when Patel takes off the bails.

Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, left, successfully stumps out England’s captain Alastair Cook.
Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, left, successfully stumps out England’s captain Alastair Cook. Photograph: Rafiq Maqbool/AP

Updated

25th over: England 98-0 (Cook 46, Jennings 52) Cook’s suddenly going big on boundaries, as if he’s determined not to be being outscored at lunch. He drives Jayant’s first ball to long on for four.

24th over: England 92-0 (Cook 40, Jennings 51) Cook flicks the ball away through midwicket for four, a really classy shot, and then slams the next through the covers for four more. And then he’s almost out next ball, which takes a leading edge and flies just over the left shoulder of the man at silly point; if he’d been standing a couple of feet further back it would have been the easiest of catches. They run a single, and Jennings works the next fine for a couple and now has his half-century. He is - wait for it - the 41st Englishman since the Second World War to score a half-century with his first innings in Test cricket.

23rd over: England 81-0 (Cook 31, Jennings 49) Jayant doesn’t let Jennings stroll to his half-century, producing a fine over that offers no freebies.

22nd over: England 81-0 (Cook 31, Jennings 49) Well this is all very encouraging for England, though it could be argued that Kohli has let Jennings off the hook here, by failing to keep the pressure on during that nervous opening period when he kept nearly getting out.

21st over: England 75-0 (Cook 26, Jennings 48) Spin at both ends now, as Jayant comes on, and his final delivery really rips off the surface, in a way that will make England intensely grateful to have won the toss. Haseeb Hameed is watching here - I thought he’d flown home to get his finger sorted, but obviously not.

19th over: England 70-0 (Cook 25, Jennings 44) Jennings has seen a lot more of the ball than Cook (he’s faced 74 deliveries to Cook’s 40) and has been at the heart of pretty much all the day’s best moments so far. This is already England’s joint sixth-highest debut innings of the last decade, though he’s got a long way to go to catch Matt Prior’s 126 not out at Lord’s in 2007.

18th over: England 65-0 (Cook 25, Jennings 39) Jennings, who seems to have settled down very nicely now, works Ashwin’s first delivery to fine leg for two, and then gets a couple more through midwicket.

17th over: England 60-0 (Cook 25, Jennings 34) Umesh is back, and there’s another excellent cover drive from Jennings, the ball flying perfectly between two fielders, neither of whom move an inch as it whistles distantly past.

16th over: England 53-0 (Cook 24, Jennings 28) A single from Ashwin’s first delivery takes England to 50. Jennings has very nearly been caught, and very nearly been dismissed lbw, but he has survived.

15th over: England 49-0 (Cook 23, Jennings 25) A nice cover drive from Jennings brings him a third boundary, and a handsome pull two balls later is his fourth, and his finest. The only other Englishmen in the top 20 touring Test batsmen in India are Gatting (No12) and Greig (No20). That’s Kumar’s eighth over, and more than most he’s earned his drinks.

14th over: England 41-0 (Cook 23, Jennings 17) A couple of singles. With 1,135 Cook is second on the all-time list of runs scored by tourists in India, having played two matches fewer than both the No1, Clive Lloyd, and the No3, Gordon Greenidge.

13th over: England 39-0 (Cook 22, Jennings 16) Buvi keeps going. A list of England’s top run-scorers against India reveals that Michael Vaughan only played nine Test against them. This surprises me. This is Cook’s 24th.

12th over: England 36-0 (Cook 19, Jennings 16) Cook is only the sixth man to score 2,000 runs against India. He needs another 50 to become No5 in the all-time against-India rankings.

11th over: England 36-0 (Cook 19, Jennings 16) Jennings tries to pull Kumar’s first ball, mishits it into the air and survives this one as well - there’s nobody anywhere near the ball when it drops in deep midwicket, and the debutant gets another three runs. And that’s all the action until the final ball of the over, pushed down the ground for four by the captain. Cook has now scored precisely 2,000 Test runs against India.

10th over: England 29-0 (Cook 15, Jennings 13) So, 10 overs gone. England are laying a foundation here. A slightly wonky, not entirely steady foundation, but a foundation just the same.

9th over: England 28-0 (Cook 15, Jennings 12) Kumar continues, and it’s a calmer over. Jennings gets a thick edge on the last ball but it’s safe enough.

8th over: England 7-0 (Cook 15, Jennings 11) Some spin, then, from Ravi Ashwin, and just five deliveries in the ball hits the surface, produces a pronounced puff of red dust and spins encouragingly.

7th over: England 23-0 (Cook 11, Jennings 10) Those fourth-over consecutive boundaries apart, Jennings is having a really awkward time. Still, he’s survived.

Not out!

The ball certainly hit the pad first, and it would have hit the stumps, but he’s saved, just, by the precise spot where the ball hit the pad. Jennings gets another lifeline!

Updated

REVIEW! Is this the end for Jennings?

India think they’ve got their man, but the on-field umpire thought the ball hit the bat first. It didn’t.

6th over: England 22-0 (Cook 11, Jennings 10) Good pace and bounce here for Umesh, and Jennings, rushed by a delivery that nips back into him, edges it into his stomach.

5th over: England 21-0 (Cook 10, Jennings 10) Bruce Oxenford doesn’t much like where Kumar’s heading on his follow-through, and the bowler gets an official warning. It was Karun, by the way, who did the dropping at gully.

4th over: England 18-0 (Cook 9, Jennings 8) A play and a miss here from Jennings, the ball whistling just past the edge. And then he’s dropped! A slightly shorter ball and Jennings fends it into the air and the ball loops high to the left of gully, who goes for it one-handed and doesn’t hold it! It’s a hard chance, but not an impossible one. Then, just when the batsman is really uncomfortable, Yadav produces a shortish, wide delivery that’s cut away for four, and then Jennings pulls the next cleanly away for four more!

Updated

3rd over: England 10-0 (Cook 9, Jennings 0) Gah! The first boundary of the innings comes isn’t one for the highlights reel, flying as it does off the edge of his bat as he tries to work the ball through midwicket and flying past a diving gully!

Updated

2nd over: England 2-0 (Cook 2, Jennings 0) The new man’s first over in Test cricket, with Umesh Yadav bowling, features attempted but mistimed pull, the ball going straight though to hit him near the waist, one defensive block and four leaves.

1st over: England 2-0 (Cook 2, Jennings 0) Bhuvi starts off over the wicket, and then switches halfway through the over. Cook works the ball through midwicket for a couple. Now to see what Jennings is made of ...

Kumar has the ball. Cook holds his bat. Let’s watch some cricket.

The anthems have been played, and India are mid-huddle. Action imminent.

Apparently it’s the 21st different XI to be selected by India under Kohli’s watch. Rahane was the only other player to feature in the previous 20, so that’s one run broken.

“I feel that the Mumbai Test offers the best chance to drive a truck through India,” writes Ramapriya. “For one, the pitch won’t help spinners until well after the halfway mark. Moreover, India’s middle-order looks even more holey than has been seen thus far due to Rahane’s absence. If I were an England bowler I’d be licking my lips seeing such inexperience in the opposition batting lineup. The bowlers can’t forever bat and bail out India! I’m an Indian but I see a decisive English victory here.”

Now the toss has been won, this has to be seen as a great opportunity. Now it’s down to the batsmen to set the match up for them.

For India, Shami has been ruled out with a knee injury, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes into the side. KL Rahul replaces the injured Rahane. Virat Kohli welcomes “an opportunity to do what we’ve done well over the last few matches”.

Two changes for England: Jennings and Ball are in, Hameed and Batty are out. Alastair Cook says:

It looks a good wicket, but we expect nothing different. It’s been nice to get away, a few days off. Now back to business. It’s nice turning up to a ground where you have good memories. Doesn’t count for much.

Updated

England win the toss again!

Alastair Cook calls it right again, and England will - and you’re not going to believe this - bat first.

Hello world!

So, here we go again. It’s been an intriguing series so far, but also a disappointing one for the tourists, who have too often had to blame themselves for their failings, rather than the conditions or the toss of a coin or the sheer brilliance of their opponents. The result is renewed discussion about Alastair Cook’s immediate future, prompted by his admission earlier this year that “I do look forward to the day when I can play a Test match as just a batter”, as well as his continued conservatism in the field and his team’s inconsistent results, despite their impressive world ranking. For all the discussion, though, there is no consensus (our own Andy Bull in The Spin this week: “There is no urgent need for Cook to quit.”; Scyld Berry in the Telegraph earlier this week: “If England do not rally in the fourth Test, Cook should resign”).

The England captain-for-now-at-least could do with a good display here, and he’s done it before, scoring a first-innings 122 while Kevin Pietersen struck 186 to set England (batting second, having lost the toss) on their way to a 10-wicked victory when they last played a Test at the Wankhede, in 2012. He’ll have another new opening partner to deal with, Keaton Jennings getting the call-up from the Lions after the forced conclusion of Haseeb Hameed’s contribution to this series.

So far in this series England have won two of three tosses and no Tests, and as it happens in seven Tests between these sides at the Wankhede only once has anyone won both toss and match (this on a ground where only one of the last seven toss-winners have lost).

Today’s coin toss is but moments away. So enough blathering, let’s play cricket! Or, at least, watch other people play cricket. Or, failing that, read what other people who are watching other other people play cricket say about it. Welcome.

Preamble

Simon will be along shortly. In the meantime why not read about the implementation of a red card in cricket:

Updated

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