England’s top order was skittled again but the impressive Sam Curran took the home side to 246 with a spirited 78
- Read Vic Marks’s report from day one
- Andy Bull: Jennings shipwrecked amid storm of failure
- Curran credits ‘natural game’ for vital England runs
Related: Keaton Jennings shipwrecked amid a storm of failure by England’s top order | Andy Bull
Related: Fearless Sam Curran credits ‘natural game’ for vital England runs
Right, that’s it from me. Be sure to join us again tomorrow. Cheerio!
Related: India on top before Sam Curran and Moeen Ali save England from collapse
Here’s Sam Curran on Sky: “There’s positives and negatives. It swung more than we thought all day, which is pretty positive going into tomorrow.”
So, a satisfactory end to the day for India. It feels the chance is there for the tourists to surge past England’s total tomorrow.
4th over: India 19-0 (Dhawan 3, Rahul 11) No time to squeeze in a fifth so this will be the final over of the day from Broad. Again he draws a thick outside edge from Rahul but hands softer than Mr Soft’s soft underbelly means the ball zips away for four at third man. There’s four byes as Buttler demonstrates the difficulties behind the wicket, Broad again straying well wide outside off. And, after a single, Dhawan prods away for three to third man. The final ball is … left alone outside off. And that’s that.
3rd over: India 7-0 (Dhawan 0, Rahul 6) Too wide again from Anderson for the first half of the over but it’s better from the midpoint, although that does allow Rahul to punch the ball through the covers for a couple.
2nd over: India 4-0 (Dhawan 0, Rahul 3) Anderson replaces Jennings at fourth slip for Broad’s over. He immediately draws a defensive prod from Rahul then straightens the batsman up with the next and prompting an appeal as the ball crashes into the thigh pad. It’s going over comfortably so there’s no review. The last of the over is called wide outside off so Broad gets another go, and this time India get off the mark, Rahul squirting a thick edge to third man for three.
“‘India have been bowled out for lower totals than this three times this series already.’ I note that comment, but India showed they could grit it out in our conditions in the last test – they have really come on,” notes John Cook. “I hate being gloomy, but with a sunny day forecast for tomorrow, I am anticipating a really gloomy day for England.”
1st over: India 0-0 (Dhawan 0, Rahul 0) Anderson rumbles in, with four slips – Cook, Root, Stokes and Jennings – poised. Dhawan doesn’t have to play at the first four, so Anderson goes round the wicket … and Dhawan watches the next go by well wide of his off stump. The batsman, tempted into a shot, pushes the last into the gully. A maiden.
The England players are back out on the boundary. India’s openers, as is their right, are making them wait.
So, a decent recovery from 86 for six. India have been bowled out for lower totals than this three times this series already. And they’ll have an awkward 15 minutes – maybe four overs if England get a wiggle on – to survive this evening.
More byes! Just one, in fact, but particularly irritating for India given it allows Anderson to escape. But no matter – from the next Curran looks to send the ball into the stands at cow corner … and is clean bowled by Ashwin.
76th over: England 245-9 (Anderson 0, Curran 78) From the second ball, Curran runs the ball to third man and sets off for a single, getting more than halfway down the track before realising an unmoved Anderson is sending him back. Smiles all round. But he gets stuck on strike, giving Ashwin six balls at Anderson next up …
75th over: England 245-9 (Anderson 0, Curran 78) Shami steams in, in search of this final wicket. Curran wanders across his stumps and aims a couple of pulls in the direction of the Solent but fails to make contact. He does hammer the next straight back down the ground for four, though. A single means Anderson has to survive the final two balls of the over … and he does.
74th over: England 240-9 (Anderson 0, Curran 73) Before that wicket, a beautiful cut from Curran off Bumrah brought him four more – meaning he needs 12 more runs to become England’s leading scorer in the series, not bad for a No 8 who was dropped for one of the Tests.
“Am I right that Curran’s gone past 20 in each of his first five Test innings?” wonders James Brough, who is indeed correct (20, 24, 63, 40 and now 73*). “If so, when was the last time anyone did this for England? Or indeed for any side? The most recent I can think of for England is Pietersen back in 2005. Anyone think of anyone else?”
Ah, the fun ends! Broad, having changed bat, doesn’t get to use it trapped in front as he is by a Bumrah inswinger.
73rd over: England 231-8 (Broad 16, Curran 64) Shami returns as an increasingly perturbed Kohli seeks to end this irritation. No joy, though.
72nd over: England 228-8 (Broad 15, Curran 63) Hardik continues, Broad shovels a couple to the leg side, then drives for a couple into the off to bring up the 50 partnership. I’d say 86-6 to 228-8 constitutes a decent recovery from this England lower order, though that obviously shouldn’t overshadow the fact that they keep being put into these positions in the first place.
71st over: England 221-8 (Broad 10, Curran 61) Ashwin again. A top-spinner rattles into Broad’s pads and, with the umpire unmoved, India review. The batsman was sweeping and the ball hit the back leg but I imagine it’ll be umpire’s call on impact … and, in fact, Hawkeye shows the impact was outside the line (though the umpires have taken the impact as being the front pad). Broad celebrates the reprieve by edging the last ball of the over between Pant and first slip, the ball trundling away for four.
70th over: England 217-8 (Broad 6, Curran 61) Hardik Pandya, expensive earlier, returns to the fray and four leg byes take the extras column to a healthy 33. Broad joins in the fun with a thrash over the covers for three, and Curran pulls the last for a couple more.
69th over: England 206-8 (Broad 1, Curran 59) Fifty for Sam Curran! A smashes a slog-sweep into the stands at cow corner for six, which also takes England to 200. And a couple of balls later he hammers four more to the same area. He’s been a nugget of diamante in an England batting order of gristle and twigs.
“In the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, it is pointed out that those who most want to lead are usually those least suited to do so,” writes Andrew Benton. “On that basis, choose the person who least wants to be captain and you’ll get a brilliant one.”
68th over: England 194-8 (Broad 1, Curran 47) So Bumrah gets six balls at Broad. Four outswingers probe away at Broad’s outside edge … but Broad keeps out the inevitable inswinger (which, come to think of it, isn’t a bad name for a pub). Broad keeps out the last neatly enough. A maiden.
67th over: England 194-8 (Broad 1, Curran 47) Sharma is frustrated with himself after straying on to Broad’s pads and allowing the England No 10 to escape to the non-striker’s end midway through the over. Pant is on his knees again a couple of balls later as Sharma strays down leg once more, the ball swings away, and for more byes zip past the outstretched keeper. Curran thunks the penultimate ball of the over for four through the covers to rub in a bit of salt.
Stuart Broad will soon have more Test runs than Graeme Hick. He is, though, unlikely to become Australia’s batting coach
66th over: England 185-8 (Broad 1, Curran 43) Four more byes! More hooping swing from Bumrah, who has again strayed down the leg side. Poor old Pant, who has kept very well by and large (that slightly weird drop of Buttler notwithstanding), has 18 byes against his name.
65th over: England 179-8 (Broad 1, Curran 42) There was no sense of permanence about Rashid at the crease there but it took a decent delivery to unseat him. It was swinging prodigiously and the replays show … it was missing leg.
Broad gets off the mark with an inside edge
Rashid clips a couple to fine leg; Sharma responds with a rocket of a delivery that whistles past off stump. And follows that with a vicious inswinger that crashes into Rashid’s pads. Up goes the finger and, reviewless, Rashid has to walk.
64th over: England 175-7 (Rashid 4, Curran 41) Bumrah returns and troubles Rashid with a bit of extra bounce, catching the leading edge and squirting away for a single through gully.
“If we’re considering cricket captains as generals,” begins John Starbuck, “the Douglas Jardine was probably Alexander the Great, being complexly ruthless. His successors were the disappointing Ptolemies, making Rachel Heyhoe Cleopatra? Also, on TMS, Boycott talking about the number of Cookie’s partners: ‘There must be at least a dozen: count them on your fingers.’ It’s good to have him back.”
63rd over: England 174-7 (Rashid 3, Curran 41) Curran is Playing A Few Shots now, though has picked up the unfortunate habit of finding the fielders in the last couple of overs. Sharma remains on the money.
62nd over: England 172-7 (Rashid 2, Curran 40) Curran smashes a couple of loose Ashwin deliveries straight at fielders but squeezes a single away later in the over. Only three players have scored more runs in the series than the Surrey all-rounder: Buttler, Bairstow and Kohli.
61st over: England 171-7 (Rashid 2, Curran 39) Sharma thunders in once more, with India surely fancying their chances of keeping England to under 200. Rashid, though, gets off the mark with a whip through square leg. There’s a stifled appeal from the last as Sharma finds the pad, but it’s hooping down leg.
60th over: England 168-7 (Rashid 0, Curran 38) A frustrating end for Moeen, who was going well but undone by a bit of extra bounce. His 40 has helped keep England in the game … for now.
“Re Prince Eugene of Savoy: any historian’s out there able to confirm whether he came from the right sort of family?”wonders Matthew Valentine.
Just when you thought it was safe … Moeen looks to slog sweep Ashwin away for his third six but top edges into the leg side. There’s a moment of concern as Bumrah and Pant threaten to get into a tangle but the former slides in to take a very fine catch.
59th over: England 167-6 (Moeen 40, Curran 37) Ishant Sharma (11-6-11-1) returns with India’s stranglehold on the game loosening a touch. Curran has a big waft at a wide one without success but there’s four byes from the last!
58th over: England 161-6 (Moeen 40, Curran 35) Ashwin drops a little short and Curran cashes in, smiting square of the wicket for four.
“Prince Eugene was a very good general, but left nothing in the way of a succession plan for those to follow,” writes Kurt Baird, who seems to know about these things. “The poor lot that did succeed him had to contend with 80 years of military spankings. Could I suggest Captain Strauss was our Eugene, and Cook and Root the poor successors. Which must mean Kohli is Napoleon ...”
57th over: England 156-6 (Moeen 40, Curran 30) Shami again draws a play-and-miss, with Moeen this time lining up a booming drive and connecting only with Southampton air. Four byes add insult to injury, with Rishabh Pant left helpless by some on obscene movement on the ball. Still, he kips up like Bret Hart in his pomp to cheer himself up.
“One of the many joys of OBO is you learn something new every day,” writes Brian Withington. “I must confess I had never heard of Prince Eugene of Savoy before. Never mind Mike Brearley, his Wiki resumé makes Napoleon look like a callow corporal who’d be lucky to captain Ilford Second Team.”
56th over: England 152-6 (Moeen 40, Curran 30) A huge appeal from Ashwin as he straightens one on to Curran’s pads. But has he straightened it enough? Dhamasena thinks not but India review… and it’s umpire’s call, with the ball clipping leg. To the naked eye, it barely turned at all, but it ended up very close. Nevertheless, a maiden.
55th over: England 152-6 (Moeen 40, Curran 30) A rare play-and-miss from Curran as Shami continues. Just a single from the over, Curran cutting away to deep point from the last.
54th over: England 151-6 (Moeen 40, Curran 29) Moeen dances down the pitch at Ashwin and launched him into the stands at long on for six. Super shot.
53rd over: England 143-6 (Moeen 34, Curran 28) With the shine off theball, the threat level has dropped considerably. Shami struggles to trouble either batsman here.
“Are there any captains in county cricket with Brearley-like captaining skills, who’d be worth a place despite being inferior batsmen?” wonders Andrew Robinson. “I don’t know, and you don’t often see it written about. Would OBO readers know?” Given even wicketkeepers can’t get picked for Being The Best Wicketkeeper, you’d need to be some sort of tactician up there with Prince Eugene of Savoy to have a chance.
52nd over: England 140-6 (Moeen 31, Curran 27) Ashwin continues after the tea break with England looking to continue this mini-fightback. It’s a little murky out there now, with the clouds having drifted over, though the forecast doesn’t suggest any rain in the offing. Moeen taps down the ground for one.
And it’s time for tea. This partnership is now worth a handy 53. See you in 10.
51st over: England 139-6 (Ali 30, Curran 27) This has been an excellent little spell for England – this pair have really managed to quieten the game down. They’re still in a hole, no question about that, but at least the sense of chaos has abated for now.
And, predictably enough, just as I type that Curran has to dive full length as he threatens to run himself out while attempting a panicky quick single. A play-and-a-miss follows a couple of balls later, then Shami is just off the mark with a yorker that Curran does well to deal with.
50th over: England 135-6 (Ali 28, Curran 25) Ashwin (5-2-7-0) is proving difficult to get away but hasn’t bowled many wicket-threatening deliveries. A couple of singles.
49th over: England 133-6 (Ali 27, Curran 24) Moeen tucks Bumrah away to backward square leg for a single and the bowler for the first time is a little loose at Curran, sending a couple well down the leg side, though the batsman can’t cash in.
48th over: England 132-6 (Ali 26, Curran 24) Ashwin sends down a maiden at Curran.
47th over: England 132-6 (Ali 26, Curran 24) Curran does well to shovel away a Bumrah inswinger while Moeen jumps all over a bouncer and toe-ends a hook away for six!
Meanwhile …
20,000 - Ian Bell has reached 20,000 runs in first-class cricket having just posted his 4th @CountyChamp century of the 2018 campaign; more than anybody else this season. Outstanding. pic.twitter.com/DJRc9TxNvF
Just to douse the Bell flames. He's made four CC tons this season, three of them against Glamorgan, who are bottom of Division 2. Against teams that aren't Glammy, he averages 34.15 this season. #CountyChampionship
46th over: England 125-6 (Ali 20, Curran 23) Ashwin once more and Curran pushes into the on side for one. Moeen bottom-edges slightly tentatively at a full delivery but otherwise is solid in defence.
45th over: England 124-6 (Ali 20, Curran 22) Moeen pulls Bumrah gently away for a single but is discomfited by an inswinger a few balls later and straightened up by another cracker from the last.
“Picking a captain at all levels of cricket is the same,” reckons Dave Brown. “They have to be a guaranteed pick for the side which narrows it down to four or five players. Then you choose the most sensible one that is least likely to make an arse of themselves away from the game.” That, or you can go down the whoever-has-the-best-appetite-for-admin route.
44th over: England 122-6 (Ali 19, Curran 21) Despite the state of the England scorecard, there’s a happy hum at the Rose Bowl now, as lunchtime fades away and late afternoon drifts into view. Ashwin finds Curran’s edge but sees the ball pop too square for the man at slip. Another maiden, despite Curran’s clear eagerness to get after the spinner.
43rd over: England 122-6 (Ali 19, Curran 21) Curran now has more runs in this series than Joe Root (and Cook, Stokes and Jennings for that matter). And, at 36, this is already England’s best partnership of the day. A maiden from Bumrah at Moeen on this occasion.
42nd over: England 122-6 (Ali 19, Curran 21) Ashwin returns for his second tweak of the day – his first spell consisted of one over just after lunch. A couple of singles from this one.
41st over: England 120-6 (Ali 18, Curran 20) With Pandya releasing the pressure valve, Kohli turns back to Jasprit Bumrah (10-2-21-2). It’s a mixed bag – four tempters outside off, one pretty miserable short wide one that Moeen slaps for four, then a ripsnorter that someone beats the edg.
“In that case, I agree with John Starbuck – the best captains are often batsmen who have to work hard to make runs in Test cricket,” writes Steve Hudson. “As a result they are better able to empathise with other struggling players. As he says, Brearley and Close (and similarly Illingworth) were all excellent captains.
40th over: England 116-6 (Ali 14, Curran 20) Short, wide filth from Pandya and Curran climbs into a cut – four runs. And there’s four more from the very next ball, straight down the ground this time. And he’s a touch unlucky to pick up only two from a gorgeous back-foot off drive next up. And then he clumps a no-ball over the top of gully for four more. Bit useful this lad.
39th over: England 101-6 (Ali 14, Curran 6) After a slo, shaky start Moeen is beginning to find his groove a little – he pushes confidently through point for two then squirts Shami away for four to bring up the England 100.
“It’s easy, isn’t it?” begins the cocksure Davorder. “Keeper/batsmen make the best captains. Viz., MS Dhoni, Kumar Sangakkara. Andy Flower. Behind the stumps you see everything; and you might even have an idea about when to try DRS appeals. You’re not scared to bat first when it’s the right thing to do because you’re middle order. Jonny Bairstow ought to be imminent heir apparent at this point; it would almost be worth England losing this series ingloriously to make that happen.”
38th over: England 95-6 (Ali 8, Curran 6) Hardik Pandya returns. A short wide one offers Curran the chance to slap through the covers but an excellent stop from Rahane denies him runs. There’s nothing the man at cover can do a couple of balls later as the youngster thunks through for three. Moeen lets the ball slide off the face and through backward point for three more.
“Re: 32nd over captains,” begins John Starbuck. “Yes, Steve Hudson has a point about fast bowlers, but that isn’t quite what I meant. The very best batsmen seldom make very good captains, though there are always exceptions. A fine example is Mike Brearley, who wasn’t picked for his run-making, but his leadership. Otherwise, a good captain might well be at least a useful bowler, spin or medium-pace. Another instance is Brian Close, who led the team by being absolutely terrifying to his players, but always knew when to bring himself on to get rid of a particularly persistent batting opponent. I’m thinking both New Zealand and India in the early 1970s.”
37th over: England 89-6 (Ali 5, Curran 3) Hello all. It feels like a while since I was last in this chair. But there’s a familiar sight on the scoreboard at least – England six down and scrambling to stay in the game. Much of the day one post-mortem will focus on England’s batting failures, understandably, but India have been nothing short of exceptional out in the field.
Shami continues and beats Moeen with a beauty that seams away a touch across the left-hander. From the last the bowler brings one back into him and Moeen isn’t a million miles away from Jenningsing himself but the ball whistles past off stump, taking a layer of lacquer off on the way past. A maiden.
36th over: England 89-6 (Ali 5, Curran 3) Curran, who has started very aggressively, drives Sharma through the covers for two. That’s drinks, which means it’s time for me to tag in John Ashdown. You can email him on john.ashdown@theguardian.com. Bye!
35th over: England 87-6 (Ali 5, Curran 1) England should play some shots and ensure Jimmy Anderson gets at least 10 overs tonight in these conditions. What the hell, they might as well - in the parlance of our time - own the 1936-37 precedent and declare
Ben Stokes’s dogged 79-ball innings is over. He played around a good delivery from Shami, who had just switched around the wicket, and was given out by Bruce Oxenford. Stokes reviewed, more in hope than expectation, but Hawkeye showed three reds. England lose their sixth wicket and their final review.
34th over: England 85-5 (Stokes 23, Ali 4) Shami puts some ice on his bowling hand between overs. Stokes and Moeen pick up a single each in a quiet over from Sharma. His figures are outstanding: 10-6-9-1.
33rd over: England 83-5 (Stokes 22, Ali 3) Stokes is beaten by the most beautiful delivery from Shami, on a full length and zipping away off the seam. A straight drive from Stokes, played on the walk, is fielded painfully in his follow through by Shami. It’s his bowling hand but he’s okay to finish the over. Stokes is playing with a lot of determination, discpline and intelliegnce; he has 22 from 72 balls.
“I disagree with John Starbuck’s implication that bowlers make better captains than batsmen,” says Steve Hudson. “There have been many fewer specialist bowler captains, which reflects the fact that bowlers, especially the quicker ones, have too much think about when bowling to captain a side, and are often too drained by their efforts afterwards to remain fully engaged with the game. Specialist bowlers who have captained the England Test team? Willis, and very few others. Willis actually used to delegate the captaincy to other players while he was actually bowling.”
32nd over: England 82-5 (Stokes 21, Ali 3) Moeen, like Stokes, is playing his unnatural game, trying to hang around until things get easier. I’m not sure they’re going to get easier. A beautiful outswinger from Sharma finds Moeen’s edge and lands short of the slip cordon. It’s another maiden. Sharma has now received an official warning for running on the danger area in his follow through.
“Yes, South Africa lost the first Test of the 2007/8 home series against the West Indies in Port Elizabeth,” says Andrew Gladwin. “But they did win the next two and the series. And less than a year later they became the first team in 16 years to beat Australia in Australia. Thinking about why they did so well overseas and less well at home, I’m wondering whether the big hostile crowds in England, Australia and India fired them up, while the poor home crowds especially in Durban and Port Elizabeth may have deflated them. Would also explain why they did best in Cape Town which always has good Test crowds.”
31st over: England 82-5 (Stokes 21, Ali 3) Shami’s eighth over goes for 11 - but it almost includes the wicket of Ben Stokes. Ali pushed three through gully, Stokes clipped four through square leg and then a loose delivery flew away for four byes. The last ball found Stokes’s edge and landed this far short of gully.
“Dear Rob, says Abhyudaya Tyagi. “Can i just say that the Indian Test Team between the 2007 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup remains severely underrated. Defeated everyone (except for South Africa- whom they drew with) at home. Meanwhile beat England, New Zealand, West Indies in series away from home while drawing with South Africa’s greatest ever side in 2011. India only lost two series in that period - 2-1 in Australia (cough Steve Bucknor cough) and 2-1 to Sri Lanka in that crazy Murali/Mendis series. Arguably a better team than Ganguly’s India.”
30th over: England 71-5 (Stokes 17, Ali 0) Sharma is staying around the wicket to Stokes - I’m surprised he didn’t start there - and is still getting some dangerous outswing. Stokes softens his hands to ensure an edge drops well short of slip. He has become England’s best defensive batsman. It’s an admirable development, especially as it does not come at all naturally.
29th over: England 71-5 (Stokes 17, Ali 0) “On plumb LBWs, has anyone mentioned dear old Nasser getting out to a filthy Carl Hooper shooter?” says Tim Sorrell. “He was unimpressed, as I recall. Carl Hooper!”
There’s a lovely story, I think it’s in Nasser’s autobiography, about that wicket. He had all kinds of bad luck at the start of that tour - I think in one game he was out to the seventh ball of an over, and he had to bat on that deathtrap in Jamaica. After the Hooper dismissal, he was ranting and raving in the dressing-room and he looked over to see his captain, Mike Atherton, desperately trying to suppress a fit of the giggles.
28th over: England 69-5 (Stokes 16, Ali 0) If the ball swings like this all day, it might benefit England to be out by tea. Because if they struggle to 180 in 80 overs, and return tomorrow to find the ball doing nothing, Virat Kohli could lap them on his own.
With Moeen Ali at the crease, Ishant Sharma replaces Ravichandran Ashwin. Stokes, who is again playing very responsibly, offers no stroke to a series of outswingers from over the wicket. Sharma moves around the wicket for the last ball of the over and beats Stokes with what looks like a slower cutter. Stokes has 16 from 53 balls.
27th over: England 69-5 (Stokes 16, Ali 0) ... And then he said England were 2-1 up in the series!
Gone! Buttler chases yet another tempting outswinger from Shami and edges a drive towards third slip, where Kohli takes a very sharp two-handed catch to his right. Buttler will know that was a poor stroke.
26th over: England 65-4 (Stokes 16, Buttler 17) Ravichandran Ashwin comes into the attack for the first time, a slight surprise given how much the ball has swung. He does have an excellent record against Ben Stokes, while Buttler has struggled against offspin in his short Test career. Stokes defends the first five deliveries and thumps the sixth down the ground for four.
“Jeremy Smith (14th over) has some nerve in suggesting Dermot Reeve for obvious LBWs,” says Richard Jansz-Moore. “One of my earliest cricketing memories was seeing him in the 1995 NatWest Trophy being as plumb as possible to Anil Kumble, only to be turned down by Dickie bloody Bird. I’m still furious at the decision 20+ years later. Sadly I can’t find a video of it so you’ll just have to believe me that literally nothing has never been more plumb.”
25th over: England 61-4 (Stokes 12, Buttler 17) Come on then, let’s get this over with. Mohammed Shami continues after lunch with some seductive outswing to Buttler, who leaves the first four deliveries and edges the next through the vacant gully area for four at catchable height. Buttler was aiming to leg, a dangerous shot in these conditions, and the ball swung to take the edge.
“It was, once upon a time, that the Dr Who theme would have me rushing for safety behind the sofa,” says Charles Sheldrick. “Now I only have to hear the first few bars of Soul Limbo and I am diving for cover...”
“Choosing the best batsman to skipper a side is bound to be counter-productive,” says John Starbuck. “Responsibility for the bulk of runs will weigh the player down, if there are not enough good bats to take up any slack. Also, there’s no guarantee that a good batsman is necessarily the best one to rotate bowlers, manipulate the field and generally be a leader. Top batters tend to be selfish by nature, and hence have less empathy; too much masculinity is a drawback.”
I agree the principle is flawed - did we learn nothing from Sachin - but I don’t agree it’s bound to be counter-productive. It has empowered a lot of batsmen to reach greater heights, including those who were eventually worn down by it (Atherton, Hussain, Strauss, Cook).
24th over: England 57-4 (Stokes 12, Buttler 13) Stokes survives an LBW shout from Bumrah, with the ball pitching miles outside leg stump. That’s the end of a distressing morning session for England, whose makeshift top order was demolished by some spectacular swing bowling from Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma. India were brilliant; England were not. Batting should get easier as the day progresses, but for who?
23rd over: England 56-4 (Stokes 12, Buttler 12) Buttler is dropped by the wicketkeeper Pant! It was a strange incident. Buttler attempted to leave one from Shami and bottom-edged the ball towards Pant, who was on the way up and couldn’t change direction quickly enough to hold on to a very difficult low chance. An eventful over ends with a storming outswinger that beats Stokes all ends up. I really don’t think England have done that much wrong this morning. India have been all over them.
“Matt Dony asked when was the last time England had a captain who wasn¹t at some stage accused of allowing the captaincy to affect his run-scoring,” says Tim Brosnan. “Bob Willis?”
22nd over: England 53-4 (Stokes 10, Buttler 11) Bumrah returns for an over or two before lunch. Hardik and Shami have not been as threatening as the new-ball pair, even though Hardik dismissed Cook, and Bumrah reminds us of his superior threat by zipping two deliveries past Stokes’s outside edge.
21st over: England 53-4 (Stokes 10, Buttler 11) “Re: plumb LBWs: A special commendation for Courtney Walsh’s slower ball against Graham Thorpe,” says Jon Taylor. “The way Thorpe lost the flight of the looping ball, ducked, jumped, adjusted his feet and still had time to land and hold the pose a short while before being hit on the back foot three inches in front of middle. Beautiful.”
20th over: England 50-4 (Stokes 8, Buttler 11) Buttler hits consecutive boundaries off Hardik, with a confident cover drive followed by a bread-and-butter flick off the pads.
“Hello Rob,” says Aditi Prabhudesai. “Don’t you think a series loss here at home, after being 2-0 up is just the sort of thing that ought to shake up English cricket. Australia made drastic changes after losing to South Africa at home. England needs just that sort of clearing of the Augean stables. It’s frustrating to watch them make the same mistakes again and again.”
19th over: England 42-4 (Stokes 8, Buttler 3) Shami appeals unsuccessfully for a catch down the leg side against Stokes. India decide not to review, and there is no spike on Ultra-Edge.
“When was the last time England had a captain who wasn’t at some stage accused of allowing the captaincy to affect his run-scoring?” asks Matt Dony. “The conversation just goes on and on. Seems to me there are two issues. Firstly, every cricketer, every sportsman, heck, every person, has peaks and troughs. (Even me! I know!) No matter how talented and able they are, they’ll have spells where runs dry up. There are so many factors, it’s unhelpful to jump straight to ‘The Captaincy broke him!’ Secondly, even amongst elite players, the kind of mental strength and ability to compartmentalise needed to deal with both is rare. Most players will naturally find that a butt-load of extra responsibility will play on their minds and affect their day job in some way. So, again, it’s unhelpful to jump straight to ‘The Captaincy broke him!’ If it’s felt that the sacrifice is unacceptable, then don’t make your best batsman captain. Otherwise, make sure he’s getting the support he needs, and appreciate that he’s performing two high-pressure roles.”
18th over: England 40-4 (Stokes 6, Buttler 3) That was a weird shot from Cook, whose concentration had been so good until then. England are in quite the predicament here. But this batting performance has been nowhere near as bad as the first innings at Trent Bridge. India have been sensational.
I don’t believe this. Cook dabs absentmindedly at a short, wide delivery from Hardik and top-edges it towards third slip, where Kohli takes a brilliant low catch between his legs.
17th over: England 36-3 (Cook 17, Stokes 6) Bumrah takes a break after an electric spell of 8-1-20-2. He’s replaced by Mohammed Shami, a darn good second change bowler. Stokes mistimes a short ball through the covers for two. At the risk of tempting fate, batting looks less uncomfortable than it did half an hour ago.
This is a good spot from our own Tim de Lisle. “That four by Stokes off Hardik is the first this morning not played by Cook - not a good sign when the Chef is the strokemaker-in-chief.”
16th over: England 34-3 (Cook 17, Stokes 4) Hardik strays onto the pads of Stokes, who puts him away through midwicket for four. Good shot. Stokes is a key player today because he has shown he has the discpline to bat time. England just need to hang in there until mid afternoon. There’s a strangled shout for LBW when Stokes plays around his front pad. It was going down the leg side.
We were talking about plumb LBWs earlier. Richard Liddle has spoken for you all by sending in this link.
15th over: England 29-3 (Cook 17, Stokes 0) Bumrah was supposed to be a white-ball specialist. His fledgling Test record would suggest otherwise: he has 23 wickets at 22, including 10 at 16 in this series. India look so much more dangerous with him in the team. He can bowl long spells, too. This is his eighth over, and he throws his hands up in frustration when Cook leaves a ball that just misses the stumps. In fairness, I think that was a good leave from Cook, who looks so determined to tough this out.
“Hello Rob,” says Som Bandyopadhyay. “Why don’t you guys (you and Andy Bull in particular) get bored doing this OBO thing? I know you guys are OBOing since 2004/05 (perhaps earlier even) - and that’s a fairly long period of time considering the job description) to watch (or pretend to) and write what you see (and what you do not), and randomly copy-paste emails from random people who wish to see their name published. I mean - what’s there for you? Vic Marks at least goes to the stadium! Cheers!”
14th over: England 29-3 (Cook 17, Stokes 0) Hardik replaces the superb Ishant Sharma (6-3-7-1) and starts with a quiet over, a bit of filler between Bumrahs.
13th over: England 28-3 (Cook 16, Stokes 0) “Jennings’ wicket got me thinking: what is the most plumb lbw ever?” writes Jeremy Smith. “Neil Lenham here is one candidate. There’s also Simon Jones vs Brett Lee at Edgbaston in 2005...”
Haha. If we’re talking about plumb LBWs that weren’t given…
Well this is going well. Bairstow pushes outside off stump at an excellent delivery from Bumrah and snicks through to Pant. He had to play at that - it was angled in and held its line to take the edge.
12th over: England 26-2 (Cook 15, Bairstow 5) Cook squirts a Sharma outswinger just short of the diving Rahane, placed deliberately in a kind of short backward point position. He is fighting so hard to survive until lunch, and he’s halfway there. After an exhilarating first hour, it’s time for drinks.
“Over the summer, I’m edging towards two rather depressing conclusions,” says Jonathan Wood. “First, the captaincy appears to be adversely affecting Root’s immense cricketing talent. Can we keep on saying his upturn is just around the corner? Secondly, there’s nothing we can do about it. Taking the captaincy away from him, against his own wishes, would be a massive kick in the swingers which could bring other negative impacts. Plus, there’s no one to replace him. Everyone else is either (a) too long in the tooth (b) too green (c) not sure of their own place in the team or (d) Ben Stokes. There’s Bairstow, I suppose, but no. Can you cheer me up on either point, Rob?”
11th over: England 25-2 (Cook 15, Bairstow 4) Cook is beaten twice in Bumrah’s over, both from short deliveries outside off stump, and then blocks a yorker.
“Pitches wouldn’t be doctored because you would alternate the election to bat or bowl, not just to bat first,” says Jon Howard.
10th over: England 21-2 (Cook 14, Bairstow 1) Bairstow just manages to repel another booming inswinger from Sharma. As has been noted all summer, Bairstow has changed his technique to open up the off side since returning to the ODI team. That makes him pretty vulnerable when the ball swings back into him. The fifth ball of the over is a monstrous inswinger that cuts Bairstow in half, bounces over middle stump and is spectacularly taken by the keeper Pant, diving high to his left. Bairstow is struggling here.
“Given Root’s relative struggles this summer, hopefully we can put to bed the parroting of this ‘Always bat your best batsman at three’ nonsense’,” says Richard Gardham. “It comes from Australia where the Kookaburra ball doesn’t swing as much, and I don’t have the time to list the number of truly great batsmen who’ve tended not to bat at three (but they include the opposition skipper today). England are at their best when they have a nuggety batsman at three: Robin Smith, Nasser Hussain, Jonathan Trott. Sticking the captain there because of a nonsense statement that has little to back it up is poor management.”
9th over: England 21-2 (Cook 14, Bairstow 1) What England would give for an ugly, five-hour 88 from Cook. He squeezes a wide yorker to third man for four, and I missed the rest of the over because it’s all frantic this morning. Nothing happened.
“If Bumrah is indeed Mr Tickle, as Daniel Harris suggests, then I guess that makes Jennings Mr Jelly on the basis of that remarkable dismissal?” says Brian Withington. “In passing one of my few claims to fame was playing poker with the nephew of the Mr Men author Roger Hargreaves ...”
8th over: England 17-2 (Cook 10, Bairstow 1) The new batsman is Jonny Bairstow, in another new role. This has been a spectacular start from India. They lost what looked a vital toss, but instead of feeling sorry for themselves they have roared at England with skill, brains and a murderous purpose. England could be gone by mid-afternoon here because the ball is swinging prodigiously. It’s exhilarating to watch.
On the subject of the toss, a few of you have suggested alternating from game to game. A nice idea in theory, but the home side could then doctor pitches accordingly and make home advantage even greater.
England are in the malodorous stuff. It was a brilliant delivery from Sharma, which came back a long way to trap Root in front. You can understand why he reviewed but that was pretty plumb.
Root is given out LBW to a huge inswinger from Sharma. The only thing that can save him is that he might be outside the line, but I reckon he’s gone.
7th over: England 15-1 (Cook 9, Root 4) Bumrah’s new danger ball, the inswinger to the left-hander, is clipped fine for four by Cook. That was slightly too straight.
“Hi Rob,” says Graham O’Reilly. “Well done for transmogrifying the debate about home advantage into the crisis of masculinity. Respect!”
6th over: England 10-1 (Cook 5, Root 4) A sizzling yorker from Sharma is dug out by Cook, who is getting a serious working over here. He could do with a single to get down the other end. In the circumstances he’ll take anything, and he squirts an uppish drive behind square for four. This is terrific cricket.
“Regarding the toss and teams struggling away, isn’t it just that for two and half decades (1980 to roughly the mid noughties), there were two fantastic, dominant teams who basically won everywhere?” says Phil Harrison. “Since the Aussies came back into the pack post Warne/McGrath et al, there hasn’t been a single outstanding side. England, SA, Pakistan and now India have all had a spell at the top. And when everyone is more evenly matched, there’ll be fewer away wins. Or am I missing something?”
5th over: England 6-1 (Cook 1, Root 4) It was a brilliant delivery from Bumrah, which roared back off the seam to hit the pad. Replays confirm Root would have been out but for the no-ball. Bumrah’s return from injury has had a dramatic impact on this series.
“I thought it was bowlers who got the yips,” says Gary Naylor in reference to Jennings’ dismissal. It looked worse than it was, I think – as the chaps on Sky have stressed, Bumrah never usually swings the ball back into the left-handers and that really startled Jennings. But bloody hell, it looked awful.
It’s a no-ball from Bumrah! Oh my. We still don’t know whether it was hitting the stumps but it looked seriously close. I reckon it would have been out.
This looks very close, an appeal from LBW from Bumrah. This is a huge moment in the series.
4th over: England 3-1 (Cook 1, Root 2) Cook is trying to do what he does best - leave the ball. It’s a nice battle of wills, with Sharma trying to tempt him with full outswingers around off stump. Cook is beaten by one delivery but otherwise shows immaculate judgement, and it’s a maiden.
3rd over: England 3-1 (Cook 1, Root 2) Joe Root is beaten by another cracking delivery from Bumrah. If England want to prove they can score ugly runs, they have a great opportunity this morning. Bumrah and Sharma have started brilliantly. Root gets off the mark with a clip for two.
“Rob,” says Matt Turland. “I agree about the toss thing. All teams have been rotten away from home for a while now but not because of favourable pitches – which have been in abundance since the dawn of time. But why has travelling become so difficult? We could probably blame Twenty20 in some way but it can’t be just because of that, surely? However, I also agree that an away series win should be a big ask of any team. Home advantage has to mean something and we should be neutralising that advantage in the hope of making every series super tight.”
What a remarkable dismissal. Keaton Jennings shapes to leave a ball that swings back dramatically to trap him plumb LBW. He was barely halfway through the attempted leave by the time the ball thudded into the pad. It looked hideous, and a startled Jennings almost fell over when it hit the pad. He looked like somebody who slipped on a beer-soaked dancefloor and just managed to retain their balance and their dignity - but not, in this case, their wicket.
2nd over: England 1-0 (Cook 1, Jennings 0) Ishant Sharma, the left-hander’s nemesis, shares the new ball. His second ball is a stunning outswinger from around the wicket that beats Cook’s nervous push. This is a fine start from India, who know that Cook and Jennings are fighting for their Test careers.
In other news, the peerless Tanya Aldred is hosting our county blog, so please pop over. We don’t believe in blogonogamy round these parts.
Related: County cricket: Lancashire v Worcestershire, Surrey v Notts and more – live!
1st over: England 1-0 (Cook 1, Jennings 0) Whatever happened to the loosener? Jasprit Bumrah’s first ball of the match is a cracker that seams and bounces past Cook’s outside edge, and his fourth does likewise to Jennings. This, to coin a phrase, is a big first session because you would expect the ball to do a bit.
“As loath as I am to lock horns with a man who bandies the word ‘transmogrify’ around with such ease and confidence, I would take issue with you pitting a love of Test cricket against loving Queen and country,” says Felix Wood. “Loving Test cricket is exactly how I love Queen and country. Any other way is a bit much, frankly. Also, Joe Root would be right to demand R E S P E C T, given that in the last Test, in the parlance of our time, tactically we won, strategically we won.”
To toss or not to toss
“Morning Rob,”says Oliver Smiddy. “I can’t help thinking that the best thing for Test cricket would be to abandon the toss altogether. The visiting captain should automatically be given the choice to bat or bowl first. You would then have groundsmen preparing much more ‘even’ pitches which would offer less of a clear advantage to the side batting first, and you’d help to address the massive disadvantage visiting teams face in Test cricket (borne out by the woeful record of visiting teams in recent years). As per Simon Hughes’ point, India are now up against it without a ball being bowled, which to my mind doesn’t make for a very fair contest.”
Here’s the Test Match Special link for overseas readers
Should be best batting pitch of series. Great toss to win. England must make 450 plus pic.twitter.com/KVsPqMSZo1
Before we startplease read this charity appeal on behalf of an incredibly brave young girl.
The annual Dan Lucas memorial match took place last month. We all miss Dan terribly, on the OBO and in the office. It sounds like it was a lovely day, full of goodwill and back cricket, and Dan’s girlfriend Elizabeth Aubrey has written in to say thanks.
We raised £2050 at the cricket match. So many of the OBO readers donated and quite a few came along on the day. Please say a huge thank you for Dan’s family and me. It was really lovely to chat to so many of the OBO readers. The link with the final totals is here - £800 in raffle ticket sales/cash donations on the day and £1250 in online donations as well. Brilliant result I think, especially considering we had so much rain on the day!
Virat Kohli laughs at his inability to influence probability: he’s lost all four tosses in this series. India pick the same XI for the first time since the Lord’s Test of 2014. Kohli looks very relaxed as he jokes with Mike Atherton about the unchanged XI. Jeez, he’s magnificent.
England Cook, Jennings, Root (c), Bairstow, Stokes, Buttler (wk), Ali, Curran, Rashid, Broad, Anderson.
The toss
Though the pitch has a tinge of green, my flabber will be aghast should either captain decide to bowl first. Both teams are susceptible to scoreboard pressure, England in particular, and the pitch may transmogrify into a Bunsen come days four and five. Bat first and, more importantly, bat well.
Pre-match reading
Related: Joe Root, Virat Kohli and Mr Tickle: five fourth Test pointers | Daniel Harris
Related: Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad approach new milestone on the fast track | Emma John
Related: England captain Joe Root defends dropping Ollie Pope for Moeen Ali
Related: Now is the time for England’s batsmen to nail down places for Sri Lanka | Vic Marks
Related: The Martin Plan: how Test cricket can rediscover its mainstream mojo
Hello. I found out a fascinating fact this morning: apparently England lead India 2-1 in their ongoing Test series. You wouldn’t know it from the build up to the fourth Test at the Ageas Bowl. While Joe Root did not march out of yesterday’s press conference demanding R-E-S-P-E-C-T, there is a mood of uncertainty and insecurity around England.
If you’re into the whole momentum thing, you’ll agree it is India’s 12th man in this match. Despite being 2-1 down, they look settled and confident after that masterful performance at Trent Bridge. They may even name an unchanged XI for the first time since 2014. England have made two largely enforced changes: Moeen Ali and Sam Curran come in for Ollie Pope and the injured Chris Woakes. Jos Buttler will be the wicketkeeper, with Jonny Bairstow playing purely as a batsman because of his broken finger. I don’t know about you, but I’m so looking forward to five days of groundhog conversation about whether Bairstow should give up the gloves permanently.
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