Key events
8th over: India 30-2 (Shreyas 0, Gill 0) Just what Ben Stokes ordered, just what Jimmy Anderson delivered. The wobble seam, and the catch scooped stylishly off the ground. Interestingly, this Test has given us 11 wickets each from spin and pace but the pace wickets have come in 51 overs at an average of 57, and the spin wickets in 125 overs at an average of 11.
WICKET! Jaiswal c Root b Anderson (India 30-2)
Number 695! Jaiswal drives, Root collects at first slip. In the dressing room Rahul Dravid stands up and walks away.
8th over: India 30-1 (Jaiswal 17, Gill 0) Jaiswal drives but picks out the lone man on the boundary, Rehan Ahmed. Root runs into Jaiswal fielding off the final ball, and falls over, and they share a laugh.
7th over: India 29-1 (Jaiswal 16, Gill 0) At the other end, Jimmy Anderson spoils the party for the fans chanting Rohit, Rohit outside. Vuvuzelas blow forlornly. Superb stuff.
WICKET! Rohit b Anderson 13 (India 29-1)
Stumps a go-go! Anderson darts one out, Rohit plays down the wrong line and Anderson nips the top of off stump.
6th over: India 28-0 (Jaiswal 15, Rohit 13) Slip, leg slip, Ben Stokes sets his field as if England are 170 ahead not behind. Pressure, pressure, pressure. A maiden.
Our man at the ground, Ali Martin, reports that it is chaos outside the stadium and the signs say sold out. If you’re in the queue, do send us your report from masses. Right, the players are out, and here comes Joe Root.
Steven Finn in the studio is singing the praises of Brendan Mccullum “I played with them under Middlesex and he [was amazing] and its no coincidence that success has followed him around.”
Tea in hand, I’m starting to feel a bit more alive.
Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Kartik are out in the middle looking at the pitch. “The cracks are starting to open up,” says DK. “India will be very aware that England are very good at chasing in the fourth innings.”
Time for a quick cup of tea, Ill be back in five.
Preamble
Hello insomniacs and dirty stop outs, peoples of many and differing time zones. Thank you for logging on. Over in Visakhapatnam, England are about to start the grind of trying to bowl out India for the second time, all while computing the business of being well and truly Bumrah’ed yesterday afternoon, done like a kipper by the yorker king with the beguiling smile.
A lead of 143 at the end of England’s innings had grown by 28 by stumps as Rohit and young double centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal had a jolly old hit in the nip of an evening session. Ali Martin is there, and he didn’t sound overwhelmingly confident of England’s chances, but judge for yourself in his excellent match report
But this England relish bad odds, so get comfortable there on the sofa, the benches of Visakhapatnam, or wherever you find yourself and turn on, tune in and definitely don’t drop out. This could be a cracker.