
Take a look at our newest merchandise
Key occasions
56th over: India 150-2 (Rahul 70, Gill 71) Joe Root, maybe smarting at my description of him simply now, bowls a maiden to Gill.
“Spin choices,” says Colum Fordham. “Good to see Liam Dawson get a correct bowl and put himself in competition for the Ashes. He’s bowling guilefully on an unfavourable pitch. Clearly Bashir must be match by then however I’d say Rehan Ahmed should be on the selectors’ minds after his heroics in opposition to Derbyshire. And a leg-spinner may very well be helpful Down Below.” Sure – although visiting spinners don’t are inclined to have a lot pleasure in Australia, except their identify is Graeme Swann and their captain is Andrew Strauss.
The 150 partnership!
fifty fifth over: India 150-2 (Rahul 70, Gill 71) Dawson takes a well-earned relaxation. He hasn’t obtained the breakthrough however he’s given Stokes management: his figures are like one thing from the Nineteen Sixties, 19-6-32-0. On comes Chris Woakes, to make use of the crease, Ricky Ponting notes, and goal for the knee roll. Rahul steers for 2 to deliver up the 150 partnership off 54.1 overs. Additionally old-school.
“@ Kim Thonger (fiftieth over),” writes Brian Rafferty. “From throughout the Pennines it must be a younger Anderson along with his crimson hair.”
54th over: India 148-2 (Rahul 68, Gill 71) Stokes takes Carse off and summons Root. As an off-spinner, he can come around the wicket and nonetheless demand a stroke. As a part-timer, although, he’s much less constant than Dawson, and the batters assist themselves to 4 singles.
53rd over: India 144-2 (Rahul 66, Gill 69) Dawson continues and Stokes will get even funkier, sending Pope right into a place that will need to be known as silly gully. He’s so near the bat that he’s on his knees, as Popes usually are.
Gill reaches a thousand!
52nd over: India 142-2 (Rahul 65, Gill 68) It’s nonetheless Carse, banging it in, discovering no pleasure. Nothing is occurring … besides that Shubman Gill has now confronted 1000 balls within the collection. KL Rahul actually must get his act collectively: he hasn’t even obtained to 950.
51st over: India 139-2 (Rahul 63, Gill 67) Stokes provides Dawson a cool subject – foolish level, semi-silly mid-off, mildly frivolous brief further. Dawson, various his tempo properly, thinks he’s obtained Gill LBW, however there was an inside edge.
fiftieth over: India 138-2 (Rahul 62, Gill 67) Carse goes again over the wicket. Rahul retains on pulling if the ball is under his chin, taking part in no stroke if it’s greater.
“Bonsoir Tim,” says Kim Thonger. “We’re having a debate right here about, if we had a alternative, which English cricketer’s face ought to characteristic on our financial institution notes if redesigned.
“I’ve been laying out the case for David Gower sporting flying goggles on the £100 observe. Not a lot pushback. It simply feels proper.” Ha.
“However as to the opposite notes, we’ve hit a wall. No one can agree. Lets throw it open to the OBO?
“For what it’s price, if Yorkshire had its personal foreign money Brian Shut is profitable over Boycott and Root. Indestructibility has received the day.”
forty ninth over: India 136-2 (Rahul 61, Gill 66) Nonetheless nothing doing: only a single off Dawson’s over.
Right here’s Paul Moody in Aracati, Brazil. “I discover myself hoping,” he says, “India can scratch round and get a draw, although in fact they’re only some wickets away from a collapse… Would arrange a tense day tomorrow and in addition the fifth Check. What do you assume? Been an incredible collection.”
Draw? A part of me is hoping that India win this one, impressed by Rishabh Pant hobbling out and hitting 200 earlier than lunch.
forty eighth over: India 135-2 (Rahul 61, Gill 65) Archer is taken off after bowling 4 overs for 22, which I believe was his first detached spell of the match. On comes Carse, beginning off around the wicket, so the bumper coverage continues to be in place. Rahul performs a trendy pull for no run because it goes to Jacob Bethell, the twelfth man, who’s an impressive fielder.
forty seventh over: India 133-2 (Rahul 61, Gill 64) Dawson goes again around the wicket and appears extra at house, however the batters aren’t bothered. England are actually hoping for some reverse swing, as Zak Crawley reveals by throwing the ball in on the second bounce and getting a ticking-off for his hassle.
One of many pleasures of this job is the way in which the readers will give you a line you want you’d considered your self. “Am I lacking one thing,” says Adam Roberts, “or are these two taking part in for a attract a match they need to win?”
Drinks: Rahul and Gill nonetheless there
forty sixth over: India 131-2 (Rahul 60, Gill 63) Archer carries on with the barrage. He has 4 fielders on the legside ready for the catch, however Rahul calmly middles a pull and will get 4 for it. He provides a single and briefly overtakes Gill, who, 25 overs in the past, was forward by 45-20. Archer, presumably tiring of this ploy, goes full and broad exterior off to Gill and will get pushed for 4. Adnd that’s drinks, with the batters asserting themselves once more after a spell of attrition.
forty fifth over: India 122-2 (Rahul 55, Gill 59) Dawson tries going over the wicket to Gill, who is aware of he can pad the ball away if it lands exterior leg stump. In order that’s what he does. Dawson should be hoping for an explosion out of the tough, which doesn’t come on this over. He has a convention with Stokes, presumably to debate going straight again to plan A.
forty fourth over: India 122-2 (Rahul 55, Gill 59) Archer resumes bowling bouncers at 85-87 mph. Rahul will get in a tangle, then in two minds (to drag or to not pull), however quickly adjusts, stays leg-side and guides the following bumper for 4 previous gully. Previous ball, flat pitch, massive stand: how Stokes the captain may do with Stokes the bowler.
forty third over: India 118-2 (Rahul 51, Gill 59) Rahul steers Dawson for a single to succeed in one more fifty. It’s been a vigil, coming off 141 balls, containing solely three fours, and completely suiting India’s predicament. They nonetheless path by 193 runs.
forty second over: India 115-2 (Rahul 49, Gill 58) Rahul, going through Archer, goes again and has loads of time to glide previous the slips for 4. When the following ball goes for 4 byes, Stokes, unimpressed, tells Archer to bomb the batters and sends the fielders out. Broad reckons Stokes is doing this to get Archer fired up.
forty first over: India 104-2 (Rahul 42, Gill 58) Dawson attracts an edge from Gill, however it squirts out safely sufficient. Earlier than that, Rahul pushed into the covers and went for a fast single. Stokes took a shy on the stumps, with out the deadly accuracy he summoned at Lord’s, and solely an outstanding instinctive cease by Harry Brook at slip prevented some overthrows.
fortieth over: India 102-2 (Rahul 41, Gill 57) With Dawson on this parsimonious groove, Stokes can rotate the seamers from the opposite finish. Woakes will get a break now as Archer returns. He’s correct however not threatening, and Rahul picks up two with a dab. An English voice on the stump microphone says, “The scoreboard’s going nowhere, boys.”
Hundred partnership!
thirty ninth over: India 100-2 (Rahul 39, Gill 57) In a sudden flurry of runs, every batter takes a single off Dawson. The second brings up India’s 100, and subsequently the 100 partnership too: fairly one thing while you come collectively at 0-2. Rahul dropped anchor, and Gill, after a fast begin, appears to have determined it must be anchors all spherical.
thirty eighth over: India 98-2 (Rahul 38, Gill 56) Woakes continues, to Rahul, and clocks up one other maiden. “I’d be wanting to make use of the leg-cutter on this floor,” Stuart Broad says, “to see if it grips.”
In the meantime my suggestion that Don’t Look Again In Anger is Manchester’s unofficial anthem has not discovered favour with Mark Dawson. “No, can’t presumably be DLBIA,” he says, though his topic line says “official”, not unofficial.
“Not an excellent track in any respect albeit positive for a beery shoutalong. Love Will Tear Us Aside, Kinky Afro, I Am The Resurrection can be my (southern) choices.”
thirty seventh over: India 98-2 (Rahul 38, Gill 56) Dawson continues and ruins his figures by conceding a single. Two members of the bottom employees come on with a brush and shovel to make some repairs to … not the bowlers’ footmarks, however the batters’, deep contained in the crease. Very hospitable.
“Stokes defensive?” says Jeremy Boyce. “Don’t you assume he’s betting on the truth that these two can’t final endlessly (or can they?) and that, with out forcing, a wicket will come. One brings two, Pant is knacked … Antithesis to Bazball, i feel he’s taking part in the lengthy sport. Particularly IF he’s accomplished his hamstring once more.” Sure, he’s taking part in the lengthy sport, however with a good quantity of rain forecast for tomorrow, is that clever?
thirty sixth over: India 96-2 (Rahul 37, Gill 55) Gill has been standing exterior his crease to Woakes, to negate any swing. Now Jamie Smith comes as much as the stumps, to cease that and maybe to murmur some candy nothings in his ear. Gill, unperturbed, takes a single with a tuck to leg. Woakes is asking the best questions with a decent line, however doing so sedately sufficient to provide the batters time to search out the solutions.
thirty fifth over: India 95-2 (Rahul 37, Gill 54) Dawson to Rahul: one more maiden. “Simply two runs,” says Mike Atherton, “from the final 5 overs.”
An fascinating level right here from Alisdair Gould. “This success may very well be detrimental to England’s long-term curiosity,” he argues. “I actually really feel two to 4 locations within the group must be mentioned: Woakes and Pope, then Bashir and Crawley. They’ve had alternatives however there could also be higher selections. Success and damage have postponed renewal but once more? Does nobody really feel the identical means?”
thirty fourth over: India 95-2 (Rahul 37, Gill 54) It’s Woakes’s flip to maintain Gill quiet. Gill, who raced to 45 off his first 52 balls, has crept alongside since with 9 off 44.
thirty third over: India 94-2 (Rahul 36, Gill 54) Dawson retains Gill quiet and provides one other maiden to his assortment. Stokes appears content material to include: for such an attacking captain, having only a slip and a gully, with no one at bat-pad, could also be erring on the protected aspect.
thirty second over: India 94-2 (Rahul 36, Gill 54) Woakes, who’s a medium-pacer lately, by some means manages to rattle Gill with a bouncer that thuds into his shoulder as he tries to drag. Perhaps he was overwhelmed for lack of tempo.
thirty first over: India 93-2 (Rahul 36, Gill 53) Liam Dawson has a go from the Statham finish and virtually will get by Rahul’s formidable defences. It’s an arm ball that hurries into Rahul as he goes again and tries to flick to leg, however he will get a thick edge and simply avoids taking part in on. Dawson picks up one other maiden: he has 9-4-17-0.
When Rahul hit that three off Woakes within the earlier over, Stokes needed to chase it and he seemed pretty sore. Has his hamstring gone once more?
thirtieth over: India 93-2 (Rahul 36, Gill 53) Woakes runs in from the top named after the bowler he usually resembles, Jimmy Anderson. Rahul, untroubled, performs a sq. push for 2 and a canopy drive for 3. The gang resolve it’s time for a little bit of Manchester’s unofficial anthem, Don’t Look Again In Anger.
The gamers are again on the market. Stokes sends for Chris Woakes, the bowler of the day to this point, to see if he can discover some extra magic.
Tea: Gill’s fifty, India’s session
twenty ninth over: India 86-2 (Rahul 30, Gill 52) Gill likes the look of Root’s off-breaks and clips for 3 to go to fifty off 77 balls with eight fours. After a gargantuan feast, and a three-innings famine, he’s discovered his urge for food once more. And India, after their disastrous morning, have had a restorative afternoon, shedding no extra wickets. They path by 225 runs and should still go right down to a heavy defeat, however their captain and senior batter have proven grit and talent in a decent nook.
twenty eighth over: India 82-2 (Rahul 29, Gill 49) Dawson bowls on the stumps, Rahul defends them along with his life. That’s a maiden and it unfolds with a Jadeja-like briskness, so England will squeeze yet another over in earlier than tea. Joe Root steps as much as bowl it.
twenty seventh over: India 82-2 (Rahul 29, Gill 49) One other good testing over from Carse, and India have made solely 22 off the final ten. Stuart Broad, finding out the replays of Dawson’s drop, wonders if his mistake was opting to dive when he could not have wanted to. Gill’s sq. drive went quick: it was heading for the highest nook and Dawson tipped it over the bar like a stocky model of Hannah Hampton.
twenty sixth over: India 81-2 (Rahul 28, Gill 49) Dawson virtually redeems himself with a beautiful ball to Rahul – the traditional sluggish left-armer’s supply, pitching on off and straightening, however lacking the sting. Earlier than that, Rahul performed a sweep for 3, so this can be a good contest.
twenty fifth over: India 76-2 (Rahul 24, Gill 48) Carse retains up the stress, beating Rahul once more exterior off. After which he has Gill dropped by Dawson at deep gully – a tough probability however one {that a} good fielder like Dawson would possibly anticipate to cling on to. If England had had a taller man there, he would have discovered it simpler.
“Due to the wonders of contemporary expertise,” says Jim Denvir, “I’m watching this from 11.5km above sea degree on a flight from Heathrow to Philadelphia. If I’d identified forward of time that this was out there, I’d have booked the sooner flight and made the household stand up at 6 so I may whereas away the entire transatlantic leg of the journey having fun with the cricket. As it’s, it’ll be stumps about three hours earlier than we land.” No offence, however is {that a} little bit of a first-world downside?
”That is simply unimaginable stuff from England. I’ve been watching Check cricket on and off for about 40 years (there was a niche after I moved to the States 30+ years in the past and it merely wasn’t out there to me for some time), however it’s laborious to recollect a time when watching England play was this gratifying.”
twenty fourth over: India 69-2 (Rahul 22, Gill 45) Dawson drops brief once more, however will get away with it as Rahul’s lower goes straight to the duvet sweeper. Gill, in the meantime, is becalmed: after making 45 off his first 52 balls, he made none in any respect off the final 14. Not that it’s going to hassle him.
twenty third over: India 68-2 (Rahul 21, Gill 45) Carse bowls an enormous inswinger to Gill and has an LBW shout turned down. The fielders get excited and Brook persuades Stokes to overview, fairly wrongly – it’s doing an excessive amount of and on the excessive aspect too. However it’s one other spectacular over from Carse: Stokes is getting good worth out of his change bowlers.
twenty second over: India 67-2 (Rahul 20, Gill 45) Dawson, with a slip and a brief leg, bowls full sufficient and straight sufficient to limit Gill to classical defence. One other maiden.
The Sky director finds a clip from the earlier over, displaying Harry Brook and Ben Duckett, within the slips, sharing a hug. I’m wondering (a) what it was all about and (b) what number of different instances it has occurred in England’s historical past, celebrations apart.
twenty first over: India 67-2 (Rahul 20, Gill 45) Stokes provides Archer a breather, so, at three overs, this spell has been even shorter than his first. He fingers over to Carse, who has been workmanlike on this collection aside from that marvel spell on the Sunday night at Lord’s, when he had some assist from the sunshine. This over is an effective one, a maiden that pulls a play-and-miss from Rahul.
twentieth over: India 67-2 (Rahul 20, Gill 45) After discovering his size, Dawson mislays it once more, permitting Gill to chop for 4 and two. England can afford it.
nineteenth over: India 61-2 (Rahul 20, Gill 39) Archer to Rahul, who meets fashionable accuracy with steely defence. A maiden to Archer, whose figures weren’t ruined by that pair of fours from Gill: 7-2-18-0.
The commentators talk about Stokes. “He’s been England’s finest bowler,” says Ian Ward, solely to search out Dinesh Karthik trumping him: “I’d go as far as to say the most effective bowler on both sidethroughout the collection.”
18th over: India 61-2 (Rahul 20, Gill 39) Dawson finds excessive size, lets Rahul have a single after which retains Gill quiet.
Typical Stokes – he takes England’s solely five-for of the collection and promptly demotes himself to fifth bowler.
seventeenth over: India 60-2 (Rahul 19, Gill 39) Archer continues. He goes full, in search of the lavish swing he discovered earlier than lunch, however it’s not there as Gill performs one in every of his luxurious cowl drives. When Archer responds with an 88mph lifter, Gill is prepared with an higher lower for 4 extra. He’s managing to bat as if he’s not the captain. You can argue that, for a lot of England’s large innings, he confirmed why he shouldn’t be.
sixteenth over: India 51-2 (Rahul 18, Gill 31) Ben Stokes decides it’s time for spin, so right here is Liam Dawson, who, with out setting the Check alight, has made England higher in each division. 4 off the over as he begins by dropping a bit brief.
Thanks Rob and afternoon everybody. Solely two individuals have lasted longer than Joe Root on this collection, they usually’re each on the crease now. Root has confronted greater than 700 balls, KL Rahul greater than 800, Shubman Gill greater than 900. To tug India again into this sport, all Rahul and Gill have to do is go well beyond 1000.
Drinks
fifteenth over: India 47-2 (Rahul 17, Gill 28) Archer adjustments ends to switch Woakes. Rahul leans right into a full ball, solely simply broad of off stump, and instances it by the covers for a pair. His batting, stuffed with serenity and sophistication, has been one of many joys of this collection: as I kind he has made 438 runs at 62.57.
That’s drinks. Time for me handy over to the nice Tim de Lisle for the remainder of the day.
14th over: India 45-2 (Rahul 15, Gill 28) 4 singles and a no-ball from Carse’s over. The final of these runs was flicked broad of brief leg by Rahul. It was within the air for some time, with a bit of pleasure among the many England fielders, however Rahul had all the things underneath management.