Key events
Mark Wood is bowling beautifully here. He almost cleaned up Shubman Gill with the previous ball, which kept low and just missed the off stump. Gill pushed nervously at the follow up, feet going nowhere, and edged healthily through to Ben Foakes. After a century in Vizag, a nine-ball duck in Rajkot.
WICKET! India 24-2 (Gill c Foakes b Wood 0)
Englandâs magical new-ball expert strikes again!
5th over: India 23-1 (Rohit 12, Gill 0) Anderson has a big LBW shout against Gill turned down. It might have been high and there was definitely an inside edge, but it was a lovely nipbacker from Anderson. Apart from Jadeja this is an extremely inexperienced Indian middle order; England would love to have a crack at Patidar at Sarfaraz while the ball is still hard.
âGood toss to lose, because ChatGPT isnât much helpâ¦â says Kim Thonger.
Q. When playing a test match in India, on winning the toss, should England captain bat or bowl first?
A. Deciding whether to bat or bowl first upon winning the toss in a Test match in India involves considering various factors including pitch conditions, weather, team strengths, and historical match outcomes at the venue. Indiaâs pitches typically offer good batting conditions on the first couple of days before starting to deteriorate, which can assist spin bowlers significantly as the match progresses.
Are you trying to crush my spirit? That thing is going to put me out of a job by 2026 and probably out of existence by 2030. Iâve seen Ex Machina, I know whatâs coming.
4th over: India 22-1 (Rohit 11, Gill 0) I think Mark Woodâs last new-ball wicket in a Test match was David Warner at Trent Bridge in 2015, when Australia were skittled for 60.
WICKET! India 22-1 (Jaiswal c Root b Wood 10)
Goddim! Wood pulls his length back and takes the big wicket of Jaiswal, who fiddles outside off stump and is taken at first slip by Joe Root. That is a vital breakthrough, and Iâll keep my opinions to myself from hereon in.
3.4 overs: India 22-0 (Jaiswal 10, Rohit 11) Wood isnât a new-ball bowler. His first delivery is too full, too straight and Rohit rolls the wrists to put him away through midwicket. I do think Wood was the right selection but I canât get Ollie Robinson out of my head right now.
It wonât be long before start to get creative. Wood takes out third slip and rams in a bouncer that beats Rohitâs attempted flick-pull.
In other news, what a charming picture this is of the debutant Sarfaraz Khan and his father. Iâm getting sentimental in my old age, I know, but this is lovely.
3rd over: India 17-0 (Jaiswal 10, Rohit 6) Another full ball from Anderson is waved to the long-off boundary by Jaiswal, who has started with his usual intent. England really, really need to get him early or he could have 200 by the close. This pitch looks like an absolute belter.
2nd over: India 13-0 (Jaiswal 6, Rohit 6) Itâs rare to see Mark Wood take the new ball; before this series he hadnât done it in a Test since 2015. His third ball is too full and waved elegantly through mid-on for four by Rohit. The fifth delivery, left by Rohit, bounces nicely into the gloves of Foakes. England will have to watch that bounce when they start sweeping later in the game.
Woodâs selection makes sense on this pitch, given how flat it looks, but what England would give to have Ollie Robinson alongside Anderson this morning.
1st over: India 6-0 (Jaiswal 5, Rohit 0) Thatâs how to start a Test match. Anderson pitches the first delivery up, testing for swing, and Jaiswal punches him through mid-off for four.
Anderson settles into a length thereafter, and Rohit Sharma is beaten by a lovely delivery. Theerâs also a rare no-ball from Anderson, but overall it was a good start.
Here we go: James Anderson to Yashasvi Jaiswal
This interview with Ben Stokesâ mum is really lovely
Ben Stokes: 100 not out
Never mind âmoving Testâ, this is definitely a Test full of milestones. Ben Stokes plays his 100th Test, while Ravichandran Ashwin and James Anderson are eyeing even rarer achievements. Ashwin needs one wicket for 500 in Tests; Anderson needs five for 700.
Jimmy is such a constant that weâve become anaesthetised to the fact an England fast bowler is going to take 700 Test wickets. When he started his career 21 years ago, Courtney Walsh held the record with 519 and only one England bowler, Lord Beefy, had half as many wickets as Anderson has now. Itâs entirely bonkers.
Thereâs another Test going on at the Waca, and Australia â specifically Darcie Brown â have made a flying start.
Sign up for the Spin!
We almost certainly wonât see Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett bat until tomorrow, but give this a read anyway â itâs very good.
The teams
India have made four changes in all. Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj, who were injured and rested respectively at Vizag, come in for Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar.
India Jaiswal, Rohit (c), Gill, Patidar, Sarfaraz, Jadeja, Jurel (wk), Ashwin, Kuldeep, Siraj, Bumrah.
England Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Bairstow, Stokes (c), Foakes (wk), Rehan, Hartley, Wood, Anderson.
India won the toss and bat
Itâs never good to lose the toss in India, but this might not be the worst game in which to bowl first. There might be a little bit in the pitch for Jimmy Anderson this morning, and the consensus from those on the ground is that the pitch â which looks a belter â wonât break up completely. Still, youâd rather be batting first.
âWeâd have batted first, thatâs what you do in India when you win the toss,â says Ben Stokes. âThe series is nicely balanced, itâs a fair reflection. Weâre refreshed after a break and weâre looking forward to the battle this week.â
Team news: Sarfaraz and Jurel make Test debuts
India have two more debutants in this game: Sarfaraz Khan, a 26-year-old with a first-class average of â get those exclamations marks ready – 69.85, and the wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. They replace Shreyas Iyer and and KS Bharat, who kept beautifully in the first two Tests but scored a modest 92 runs in four innings. Weâre still waiting to hear who Ravindra Jadeja will replace.
England named their team yesterday, with one change from Vizag: Mark Wood in, Shoaib Bashir out.
Ali Martinâs preview
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of India v England at Rajkot. The third day of a Test match is often described as âmoving dayâ, because itâs often when an evenly matched game begins to move decisively in one direction. The contest we are about to enjoy, the third in a five-match series, might be a a rare example of a moving Test.
Itâs only the fourth time this century that a five-Test series has been 1-1 after two games. A draw is almost impossible, even on what should be the best batting pitch of the series, so one of these teams will almost certainly move within touchign distance of a series victory.
Itâs too early to imagine it might be England, because a series win away to India â even an under-strength India â would be almost too joyous to bear. But just imagine if itâs England.