No clear favourites in this one yet as the momentum continues to sway to and forth. After a positive start by Umesh Yadav forced England into a corner, a fine comeback led by Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes helped England all the way to 290, handing a huge 99-run lead. India would've hoped to keep it a lot more tighter but as the surface eased up to make batting a cakewalk, there wasn't much that the seamers could do.
India's big objective late in the evening was to see through to stumps with minimum casualties and that's exactly what Rohit and Rahul have done. Their biggest Test lies in front of them in the first hour tomorrow. Bat through the first phase and bat all day! Join us tomorrow for more action, folks. Good night.
IND 43/0 in 16 overs: Stumps. Rohit and Rahul see off the evening as India gets off to a solid start in its reply.
Overton into the attack
IND 42/0 in 15 overs: Robinson brings the ball in sharply but Rahul swats them down, hoping to keep them off the pads. Just two runs from the over with another likely in the day.
IND 40/0 in 14 overs: Woakes continues to tempt Rohit into the drive. With little under 10 minutes left in the day's play, Rohit restraints himself from any stroke at all. He continues to leave the balls outside the off-stump line.
IND 40/0 in 13 overs: Cracking shot from Rahul. Robinson fends one short but on a strict line outside off. Rahul rocks back and shifts his weight to the backfoot and creams it past point for a boundary.
Robinson returns
IND 35/0 in 12 overs: Woakes drills the ball in the channel outside off and Rohit gets a stiff test. He does well leave them out on their merit and tucks the last ball off his pads to find a single towards square.
IND 34/0 in 11 overs: Anderson goes wide off the crease and tails the ball in towards Rahul's off-stump. He does well to stay beside the line of the ball and push straight down the ground.
IND 33/0 in 10 overs: A sharp nip-backer from Woakes and Rahul's a near goner. He is taken aback by the movement off the length and the ball clips the inside edge and races to the boundary. Woakes continues to produce these magic deliveries time and again.
IND 29/0 in 9 overs: Rohit continues to induce the odd inside-edge that lobs up behind the stumps. Tantalisingly close but he survives. Anderson continues to grind and keep the ball straight in line of the stumps.
IND 26/0 in 8 overs: Woakes cramps Rohit for room but he creates space on the on-side to find two runs. Rohit's up with a more proactive approach this evening.
IND 24/0 in 7 overs: Anderson goes short on a fifth stump line and Rahul pushes it down to the third man boundary with ease. Delectable play from KL as he keeps his guard down against the nip-backer for the rest of the over.
IND 20/0 in 6 overs: Woakes bowls a touch too straight and Rohit easily works it to the on-side. He fails to get past midwicket but controls the shot well to keep it rolling on the ground.
Woakes replaces Robinson
IND 19/0 in 5 overs: Anderson continues to hit the fine channel but Rohit employs a much cleaner front-foot defence this time. Anderson brings in the wobble seam to clip the edge and Rohit nearly chops it back to the stumps.
IND 19/0 in 4 overs: Classy drive from Rohit as Robinson touches a shade too full. He finds just a couple of runs as Hameed gives chase and saves two runs. And that's 15,000 international runs for Rohit - the eighth Indian to the mark!
IND 15/0 in 3 overs: Rohit is dropped in slips! A genuine outside edge and Burns makes a mess of it at second slip. Unfortunate for Anderson and a big lifeline for Rohit. Seems like Burns had no clue as to where the ball was heading. It hits his foot as he aims to spring up from his position.
IND 11/0 in 2 overs: Streaky start from both openers. Robinson finds the outside edge from Rohit first ball. He draws the ball outside off and Rohit wafts at it and the ball lobs up and skims past backward point for four. Rohit tucks one fine and gets a single. Rahul is beaten with two exquisite nip-backers, nearly brushing the outside edge. Rahul finishes the over with a cracking cover drive as Robinson pitches it a bit too full.
Robinson into the attack
IND 1/0 in 1 over: Probing start from Anderson as he bowls a couple of outswingers to Rohit. Rohit wafts at one away from the body and nearly brushes the ball. He opens his account with a confident push through the covers before Rahul defends the last ball to point.
Anderson with the new ball.
2nd innings begins. India's openers Rohit and Rahul are back at the middle.
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ENG 290 all in 84 overs: Woakes perishes after reaching his fifty. All over for England. He slogs one to the boundary down the ground for a boundary before trying to sneak in a bye after missing the slower one from Bumrah. Pant collects the ball and lobs it back to Bumrah who smashes the stumps at the other end. What a return for Woakes after a year's break as his innings has made a significant difference for England here. Chris Woakes run out (†Pant/Bumrah) 50 (83m 60b 11x4)
ENG 286/9 in 83 overs: Umesh peppers Anderson with a bouncer but he does well to wade out of it and sneak a singles. Woakes nudges a single off the fifth ball and Anderson's back to face Umesh once again. He attempts another bouncer but Anderson pushes it off his body.
ENG 285/9 in 82 overs: Bumrah bowls full and Woakes thuds it to the midwicket boundary for four. Seems like Bumrah's in some trouble as he immediately clutches his calf. He lies down on the field and there's a break in play. Bumrah's back and continues. Woakes seems to have no care about the break as he bludgeons the hard ball to the boundary. Bumrah bowls a good bouncer but Woakes hooks and the top-edge sails to the boundary behind the keeper.
Bumrah returns
ENG 272/9 in 81 overs: India takes the new ball midway through the over. Umesh finds the inside edge that hits flush on Woakes' leg. He's in pain and resume after a short break. Umesh gives a hint of room and Woakes pounces on it and smashes it to the deep cover boundary. Woakes works a single of the last ball to retain strike. Now, this is going to worry the Indians as the leadmoves towards 100.
Umesh is back
ENG 267/9 in 80 overs: Woakes churns a single off his pads quite early in the over. He trusts Jimmy to get through Jadeja. Anderson rocks back to the backfoot and keeps his stumps in check. Just one run from the over and the new ball is available for India.
ENG 266/9 in 79 overs: Crunch from Woakes! Thakur goes full and wide and Woakes quashes him to the cover boundary. Poor from Thakur as he fends a loose delivery in Woakes' arc. He swivels and pulls it for another four through midwicket.
ENG 257/9 in 78 overs: Jadeja to Robinson. OUT! Cleans him up! Jadeja comes from over the wicket and slides it in quickly as Robinson attempts a huge slog. Undone by the pace and the ball zips through to crash the stumps. India, one wicket away. Ollie Robinson b Jadeja 5 (6b)
ENG 255/8 in 77 overs: Thakur to Pope. OUT! Played on. Inside-edge from the length and crashes into the stumps. Pope is livid with himself as the 'Lord' finds a way for India. Robinson, the new man, flicks Thakur twice to the leg side to sneak a couple of runs. Ollie Pope b Thakur 81 (159b 6x4)
ENG 250/57 in 76 overs: Jadeja finds the outside edge off Pope. Unfortunate for India as the ball lobs but falls short of Rahane at a wide first slip. Jaddu skims through another over as luck begins to dry out for the visitor.
ENG 249/7 in 75 overs: Thakur attempts to keep the ball away from Woakes' arc and succeeds. He maintains the ball on the wide length outside off and Woakes keeps himself off the bait.
Thakur replaces Bumrah
ENG 248/7 in 74 overs: Jadeja keeps it one spot outside the off-stump and Woakes fends the deliveries with ease. He bowls another no-ball and Woakes tucks it fine for a single.
ENG 246/7 in 73 overs: All too easy at the moment for Pope. Bumrah offers width and Pope teases the point fielder twice as he sneaks a double off successive deliveries. Bumrah attempts to bring the ball back in sharply but Pope sets himself well behind the line of the ball to defend.
ENG 241/7 in 72 overs: Pope works out a single before Jadeja pins Woakes in the crease. He continues to attack the stumps but Woakes is up for it with a neat defence. Just the single from the over.
Jadeja from the other end
ENG 240/7 in 71 overs: Woakes finds three boundaries in the over! This is as flat as a wicket you'd ever see in England. Bumrah goes for the bouncer but Woakes easily steers it past slips for the first boundary. He follows it up with another four behind point as Bumrah balls a lot fuller. Bumrah keeps the ball outside off once again and Woakes opens the face of the bat and directs the ball once again to the third man boundary.
Bumrah into the attack
Third session begins. Pope and Woakes back at the crease.
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An excellent comeback from England after being reduced to 62/5. Ollie Pope, in particular, has been rock solid. He is currently batting on 74, and could soon reach his century in the post-tea session, given how flat the pitch seems to be now.
It wasn't completely England's session, though, as Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali were dismissed against the run of play. Both looked comfortable and confident in the middle when they got out. Siraj removed Bairstow with an excellent delivery that came back into the batsman after pitching, instead of holding its line. And Moeen tried to play an ill-advised slog sweep to Jadeja and paid the price.
England will want Woakes and the rest of the tail to provide support to Pope for as long as possible.
Join us, for the post-tea session, in about 20 minutes.
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ENG 227/7 in 70 overs: Umesh is back in the attack. He starts off with a delivery going down the leg side. Woakes shapes to play the flick but doesn't get bat to ball.
Then, short of a length delivery to Woakes, who awkwardly defends from the crease. Three slips and a short leg in place for him. A short of a length delivery, and it's played to midwicket for no run.
It's followed up by a bouncer. Woakes ducks and just places his bat above his head, as if flirting with the idea of playing the upper cut.
A full delivery on off-stump, driven handsomely by Woakes for a four.Last ball: it's on a good length, on off-stump, defended well from the crease.
It's tea.
ENG 223/7 in 69 overs: Pope defends a short of a length delivery from his crease, and the ball is too close to the stumps as it lands after bouncing, after the defensive stroke is played. Siraj jumps in the air in excitement.
Pope nicely drives or defends the next five deliveries. No run taken, though, as Pope's drives haven't found the gap.
Maiden over.
ENG 223/7 in 68 overs: Jadeja starts off with a full delivery to Pope, it's driven to cover.
Sliced up by Moeen! And it's caught by the fielder at extra cover. Cover, rather. Rohit had enough time to go to his left and settle under it to take the catch comfortably.
It was a full delivery on off-stump and Moeen was trying to plays the slog sweep to that. He ended up slicing it. A wicket at long last for India.
Woakes is the new batsman. Pope picks up a single after driving to cover. A slip and short leg in place for Woakes. He defends the first ball he faces - the last ball of the over - off the front foot without much troubles. Moeen Ali c Rohit b Jadeja 35
Moeen Ali walks back after being dismissed for 35. - REUTERS
ENG 221/6 in 67 overs: Meanwhile, a ball change. Perhaps the current ball has gone out of shape. Rahane rubs the ball on his trousers and hands it to someone else.
Siraj replaces Umesh. He will bowl his 11th over. Can he get India a breakthrough before tea?
Boundary. Nonchalant. Siraj bowls a good length delivery and Moeen square drives it with minimal movement of the feet. Siraj follows it up with a slightly fuller delivery and is driven again; two runs picked up.
Movement after pitching! Siraj bowls on a good length, on off-stump. Moeen hangs his bat out and the ball narrowly evades the edge. It was the off-cutter from Siraj.
Moeen negotiates the rest of the deliveries carefully.
ENG 215/6 in 66 overs: Jadeja continues to float it up for Pope. Pope defends off the front foot, then goes on his backfoot to defend. He gets a bit of width and plays the cut the backward point to pick up a single.
A slip and leg slip in place for Moeen. He gets a full delivery and he drives it to mid-on for a single. Two more singles in the over: Pope and Moeen both pick up singles through their drives.
ENG 211/6 in 65 overs: Umesh continues. He bowls short of a length first up, to Pope, who punches off the backfoot for a single.
And then a cracking stroke from Moeen! Short from Umesh, it's pulled away to deep midwicket by the batsman. Didn't bother keeping the ball along the ground; it was placed well.
The fourth delivery is another short one: Moeen tucks it behind square for a single. Pope picks up another single: he plays one to leg.
Last delivery: Moeen defends comfortably from the crease. An expensive over: seven from it.
ENG 204/6 in 64 overs: Jadeja gets through his 10th over quickly. He wants Pope to drive his deliveries, which Pope does. And he picks up three from the over: two runs through extra cover, and one run off the final ball of the over, through cover.
ENG 203/6 in 63 overs: Bumrah continues. Meanwhile, replays show that the yorker dug out by Moeen in the previous over would have dismissed him had there been an appeal for lbw.
Apparently, the ball hit the boot before it hit the bat. And ball tracker shows it would thud into the stumps.
A single on the third ball as Pope plays one to mid-on. Then three dot balls. Fifth ball: Umesh's good length delivery from around the wicket to Moeen is on-driven nicely for four runs. It's followed up by a short delivery that hits Moeen on his arm and runs away past the wicketkeeper for four leg byes.
ENG 192/6 in 62 overs: Jadeja continues to bowl with drift. Pope drives the first delivery to mid-on for a single. England in the lead. Moeen negotiates the rest of the over carefully.
Jadeja replaces Shardul.
ENG 191/6 in 61 overs: Umesh is back in the attack. He starts off with a good length delivery on off-stump; Pope plays the ball to mid-on and picks up a quick single.
Umesh sprays it wide down the leg side and Moeen lets it go.
Umesh, too, switches to around the wicket for the left hander. He bowls a good length delivery on off-stump and Moeen defends. Then, another good length delivery, on middle-stump, defended again.
And crack! A lovely punch from Moeen for a four through extra cover. It was just slightly short of a length, Moeen rises on his toes and plays the drive. Scores level.
ENG 186/6 in 60 overs: Bumrah's back of a length delivery outside off-stump is pushed to point by Pope, and a single is picked up.
Moeen gets a delivery angling across him from over the wicket. The ball pitches on middle stump and Moeen comfortably shoulders arms to it. Then he gets a straighter delivery and defends it.
Bumrah switches to around the wicket and bowls on a leg-stump line. Moeen defends. The fifth delivery is a yorker, which is dug out well by Moeen.
Last delivery: on a good length, outside off-stump. It's driven to cover for no run. One run from the over.
ENG 185/6 in 59 overs: A sweet drive from Moeen yields no run. It's a good length delivery and it's driven to mid-off. The fielder had to scramble to his right to stop the ball.
Shardul switches to around the wicket for the left hander. Shardul bowls full, on off-stump, and is met with a defensive stroke. Moeen defends from the crease again on the next delivery.
Shorter and wider from Shardul. It's square driven to point for no run. Shardul changes his line a bit, and Moeen duly plays an on-drive for no run.
Moeen gets a good length delivery on off-stump again, and defends again.
ENG 185/6 in 58 overs: Bumrah to continue. Two slips and a gully in place. Point, cover and mid-off in place as well.
The first delivery is in the corridor outside off-stump: left alone by Pope. A fuller delivery next up, defended off the front foot. Then a good length delivery outside the off-stump, defended to cover.
A full delivery on off-stump is driven to mid-off. A short of a length delivery outside off-stump again, and it's defended again. The final delivery of the over is a similar one, and it's defended once again. A maiden over.
ENG 185/6 in 57 overs: Two slips for Shardul as he bowls to Pope.
Pope gets a short, wide delivery, and hits a nice cut shot for a single. There's a deep cover in place for exactly that shot.
Moeen gets one on his legs, and turns the ball to square leg. No run. Short and wide again from Shardul, Moeen cuts the ball hard and picks up four runs through extra cover. The ball was there to be punished.
A short delivery from Shardul. It's pulled hard; Umesh Yadav at fine leg dives to his left to try to take the catch, but the ball lands in front of him. He saves three runs, nonetheless.
ENG 178/6 in 56 overs: Three slips and a gully for Bumrah as he bowls to Moeen, and they're in business! On a good length, angling across the left hander; Moeen flashes hard at it outside the off-stump, and bisects the third slip and gully for four runs.
And an excellent delivery to follow up. Pitches on leg stump, on a good length, and narrowly evades the edge of Moeen's bat as it passes him by.
Bumrah bowls full, and is driven to extra cover for no run. And then a short delivery, which Moeen negotiates well, moving his head away from it. Last delivery: again a good length delivery. Defended from the crease.
ENG 174/6 in 55 overs: There's still swing left in this old ball. Shardul's first delivery to Pope swerves in the air after pitching; it's a good length delivery and left alone.
Shardul digs it in short, and Pope pulls it to long leg for a single.
Moeen gets a full delivery on leg stump, and defends it. And a cracking stroke for no run! It's short, wide, and Moeen cuts the ball hard off the back foot. The fielder at short cover stops the ball.
Shardul bowls a bouncer again; Moeen takes his head away from the line of the ball as it passes him by. Last ball: it's on his legs, and it's turned away for a single. Leg byes.
ENG 172/6 in 54 overs: Bumrah replaces Jadeja. A single is picked up after Pope defends a short of a length delivery outside off.
Bumrah strays down the leg side and Moeen turns it off his hips to fine leg for four runs. No bat on that one: it's four leg byes.
A full delivery to Moeen, who defends it. Then he shoulders arms to a couple of deliveries angled across him from over the wicket. Last delivery: driven nicely to short cover for no run.
ENG 167/6 in 53 overs: Shardul Thakur replaces Siraj. He will bowl his ninth over.
Runs straightaway as Pope cuts a short and wide delivery to third man for a single. Shardul greets Moeen with a short delivery, and Moeen nicely ducks under it.
He bowls a good length delivery on off-stump: defended from the crease by Moeen. He follows it up with a similar delivery, on a middle stump line, and it's defended again. And then, again.
The last delivery is shorter. It climbed on Moeen, who rose up tall to defend it.
ENG 166/6 in 52 overs: A slight misfield at short fine leg allows the batsmen to come back for two runs, after Pope turns a full delivery from Jadeja to leg.
He defends twice, and then uses his wrists to turn the ball to leg again. Two runs through square leg.
A full toss! Pope slaps it hard to deep extra cover for a single.
ENG 161/6 in 51 overs: Siraj strays down leg, and is punished. Pope flicks it well to fine leg for a boundary, and the boundary gets him his half-century. It's a fluent, confident knock by the right hander.
Siraj immediately corrects his line, and resumes bowling either full or on a good length, on off-stump. Pope defends. A short of a length delivery outside off-stump is defended and a run is taken.
A close shave! Moeen shoulders arms to a delivery that pitches on a good length on off-stump, and the ball narrowly evades the off-stump as it goes through to the keeper. The last delivery is a more comfortable leave for him as it's wider, going across with the angle.
ENG 156/6 in 50 overs: Jadeja bowls to Moeen from over the wicket. He gets them to pitch on a good length or full, and Moeen has no trouble either turning the deliveries to the leg side or defending.
A neat over from Jadeja. Another maiden over.
ENG 156/6 in 49 overs: Siraj bowls short of a length first up. It's defended on the off-side by Pope. Next up: he bowls a bit straighter, and it's driven to mid-on by Pope for no run.
Another short of a length delivery; it's turned to midwicket. Then he plays one to midwicket again. Siraj bowls a bit fuller, on the off-stump, and it's defended back to the bowler. The last delivery is wide outside the off-stump, on a good length, it's driven well but for no run. A maiden.
ENG 156/6 in 48 overs: Jadeja continues to bowl his drift-laden deliveries. Pope drives through cover to take a single, and then Moeen gets a short delivery, and just helps it along the leg side for a boundary through fine leg. A nice glance.
England now trails by just 35.
ENG 151/6 in 47 overs: Siraj has settled in on a nice line and length: good length, on off-stump. Bairstow either defends or plays the drive. There is a short cover in place for him.
A huge shout for lbw! It seemed to be a similar delivery to the other ones, but it moves in sharply to hit the batsman on the knee-roll. Given out by the umpire!
Bairstow takes the review, but the on-field decision stays. First wicket for Siraj in the innings. Moeen Ali, the new batsman, lets one go outside the off-stump; it's angled across the left hander from over the wicket, and the ball is not too far away from Moeen's bat when it passes it.
Jonny Bairstow lbw b Siraj 37 (77b)
ENG 150/5 in 46 overs: Jadeja is getting the deliveries to drift a bit in the air, it seems. No trouble for Pope, though, who defends off the front foot. The third delivery was a bit shorter, and Pope had to come down the pitch to get to the pitch of the ball.
He gets another good length delivery and turns it to leg for a quick single. A fielder is positioned there, but the batsmen would have completed the single on time even if Pujara had collected the ball cleanly and thrown.
Another single taken, this time through cover. It brings up the 150 up for England.
ENG 148/5 in 45 overs: A full delivery on middle stump from Siraj is turned to leg for a couple of runs by Pope, who moves to 44. Missed out! A full and wide delivery could have been put away; Pope plays a nice drive but doesn't get the placement. No run.
Straight again from Siraj; it's on-driven through mid-on for a single.
Bairstow defends two deliveries, and plays the on-drive off the final delivery of the over. No run.
ENG 145/5 in 44 overs: Ravindra Jadeja to bowl his fourth over of the innings. Pope is content smothering the deliveries off the front foot.
On the fourth delivery, another full one outside the off-stump, he plays a square drive and gets it behind square on the off-side. Three runs.
A silly point in place for Bairstow. He takes a nice stride and turns the ball to leg for no run.
ENG 142/5 in 43 overs: A full delivery first up; it's defended well by Ollie Pope off the front foot. Another full delivery to follow up; it's on-driven to mid-on for no run.
Pope says 'yeah' as he plays a square drive to the third full delivery of the over. A single is taken as the fielder at point is a little deep.
Bairstow defends off the front foot, and then square drives for two through cover-point. The final delivery is on a good length; no trouble for Bairstow as he firmly defends.
Mohammed Siraj to start proceedings in the post-lunch session. Two slips and a gully in place for him.
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Jonny Bairstow and Ollie Pope have already added 77 runs for the sixth wicket, in quick time. Bairstow would want to kick on for a century; he's looked fluent at the crease in the series but doesn't have too many runs to show for it. His scores: 29, 30, 57, 2, and 29. He hasn't scored a Test century since November, 2019.
It's been a quiet year for him, too: 348 runs in 14 innings at 29.00. Highest score: 57.
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Plenty of boundaries in a short period of time seems to have tilted the first session towards England after two wickets fell early. It means the contest is quite evenly poised and any team can take the lead.
A reminder: Bumrah is one wicket away from 100 Test wickets. If he gets there in this Test, he will be the fastest Indian fast bowler to the landmark. A nice milestone to mark the arrival of a new sensation in Indian fast bowling.
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ENG 139/5 in 42 overs: LUNCH. A terrific second hour from the host after losing two wickets has both sides at par after the first session.
ENG 138/5 in 41 overs: A snorter from Bumrah nearly gets Bairstow. He hits the deck on the angle and fires it in to Bairstow who has no clue about it. The ball nearly brushes the edge and Bumrah pins him down through the over with some tight bowling.
ENG 135/5 in 40 overs: Jadeja continues to cramp Bairstow for room. He bowls a no ball and Bairstow nudges it to the on-side to get off strike.
ENG 133/5 in 39 overs: Crisp from Pope! Bumrah dishes it wide and Pope leans into the cover drive and finds the boundary. Bumrah brings one sharply to find the inside-edge that nearly has Pope chop the ball back to the stumps.
Bumrah is back
ENG 129/5 in 38 overs: Jadeja races through his over. He keeps a simple line of attack outside the off-stump and draws Pope forward to defend against the loopy deliveries.
Jadeja into the attack
ENG 128/5 in 37 overs: Pope remains positive against Thakur who continues to vary his line and length. Pope smashes one towards covers but finds no runs. He retains the strike for the next over with a single off the last ball.
ENG 127/5 in 36 overs: Bairstow hammers Umesh through the covers off the fuller length. The momentum has taken a massive tilt with a flurry of boundaries against the seamers. Umesh errs by a few inches and pays the price.
ENG 120/5 in 35 overs: Thakur bowls outside the off-stump but goes full to Pope. Pope easily puts them out of the surface but only finds a single of the last ball to retain strike.
ENG 119/5 in 34 overs: England dealing in boundaries! Umesh up with a fiery swinging yorker but Bairstow is up for it and drills it down the ground for four. Umesh follows up with a nip-backer at a decent length but Bairstow finds another boundary with a nonchalant flick through midwicket.
Umesh returns
ENG 109/5 in 33 overs: Thakur's all over the place but there's not serious damage to follow this time. Bairstow pummels another shot to the deep point fence but only finds two runs.
ENG 106/5 in 32 overs: 100 up for England! Runs coming thick and fast at both ends after the pressure that was created by Umesh and Bumrah. Siraj finds the outside edge off Bairstow that skims past the slip cordon to the boundary. Siraj strays to the pads and Bairstow lobs it dangerously close to mid-wicket but moves past the fielder for another four. Siraj draws one outside the off but Bairstow butchers it through point with a powerful shot. Three fours in the over and England has quickly made a big stride forward.
ENG 94/5 in 31 overs: Poor bowling from Shardul. Thakur offers a half-volley on the middle and Pope easily smashes it down the ground for four. Thakur strays to the pads and Pope tucks it fine on the on-side for another boundary. Two more boundaries for Pope. Kohli and Rohit are livid with Thakur's line and he ends up bowling two more loose deliveries on the pads. Pope flicks one through midwicket before rocking back to steer the other to square leg.
ENG 78/5 in 30 overs: Siraj begins by offering width and Bairstow cuts handsomely towards point. Jadeja leaps out of nowhere and stops a sure boundary. Siraj corrects his line and attacks the stumps and stuns Bairstow with a fine nip-backer that nearly brushes the off-stump. The ball still clips the edge and Bairstow's soft hands help him out of trouble.
Siraj returns
ENG 78/5 in 29 overs: Thakur gets some away movement straightaway and he finds the outside edge off Pope of the third ball. Streaky from Pope but the ball keeps low as it flies towards point.
Thakur replaces Umesh
ENG 76/5 in 28 overs: Bumrah mixes things up against Pope and attempts to surprise him with the short ball. Bumrah directs it towards Pope's shoulders but he manages to fend it down the legside for four away from Pant's reach.
ENG 71/5 in 27 overs: Umesh bowls full and Bairstow drills it through mid-on for a fine boundary. Umesh offers another and this time Pope finds three runs off a similar shot down the ground.
ENG 63/5 in 26 overs: Bumrah makes Bairstow lean forward to defend. He continues to maintain his attack on the stumps but Bairstow sees him of with a dead-batted approach.
ENG 63/5 in 25 overs: Umesh to Malan. OUT! Edged and a fine catch from Rohit at second slip. Big breakthrough for India! Fine delivery from Umesh as he slides it on the length and gets the ball to straighten just that bit to force Malan to play on the wrong line. The outside edges skims low towards the slips and Rohit leaps to his right and grabs hold of a big wicket. Bairstow is the new man. Umesh straps one to the pads and goes up in appeal. The umpire is not interested and Kohli opts for the review. Replays suggest that the ball is missing the leg-stump and
India loses a review.
Dawid Malan c Sharma b Yadav 31 (67b 5x4)
ENG 62/4 in 24 overs: Bumrah continues to work around the off-stump channel against Pope. Another sharp nip-backer and Pope's outside edge is beaten by hair's breadth. Pope follows up with a nice push towards mid-off but Siraj leaps forward to stop it from racing to the fence.
ENG 62/4 in 23 overs: Umesh brings the ball in again and Malan finds another single on the on-side. Umesh offers a hint of width to Pope as he leans forward with a meaty push through the covers to sneak in three runs.
ENG 58/4 in 22 overs: Excellent from Bumrah. He continues to fire into the channel and Pope attempts to catch up with a stern defence. Bumrah brings one close onto the off-stump line. Pope sees it well and decides to bail out of it at the last moment. Nice contest building up here.
ENG 58/4 in 21 overs: Genuine swing for Umesh but Malan's up on it with ease. Umesh lines it in towards Malan's pads and the left-hander gently tucks it off his hips for four behind square leg. Umesh continues to bowl a tinge fuller and Malan drives one after the other to the cover fielder.
ENG 54/4 in 20 overs: Cracking start from Bumrah. Bumrah gets his nasty nip-backers working rightaway as he beats Pope convincingly off successive deliveries. The ball hits the length and tails in sharply as Pope moves forward to defend. It nearly clips the edge but Pope wades out of them by a whisker.
Bumrah replaces Siraj.
ENG 54/4 in 19 overs: Umesh to Overton. OUT! Edged and straight to Kohli at slips! Umesh hits the length and gets the ball to bounce quickly off the fifth-stump line. Overton wafts at it but ends up edging it. Kohli does the rest wth a neat catch and India has done well to keep night-watchman quiet.
150 Test wickets for Umesh!
Craig Overton c Kohli b Yadav 1 (12b)
Umesh from the opposite end
ENG 53/3 in 18 overs: Siraj begins with a couple of deliveries that move gently away from Malan from over the wicket. He wafts one in from the seam but Malan does well to cover beside it and defend. Maiden to start the day.
Dawid Malan and Craig Overton at the crease. Mohammed Siraj up with the ball.
Day 2 begins! Virat Kohli leads his men to the field after a short chat in the huddle.
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PITCH REPORT: Dominic Cork says the pitch remains a solid one despite 13 wickets falling on day one. Overcast conditions continue to persist but thing should get better for the batters.
2:45PM IST: Ravi Shastri leads the talks in India's team huddle. Big day for the bowlers as sunshine hits brightly on the field before start.
2:35PM IST: Stats and numbers to watch out for
2:30PM IST:
A crucial first hour for both sides.
Can India's bowlers keep it in the hunt at the Oval on Day 2?
2:15PM IST: Can the birthday boy stage England's revival at the Oval?
DAY 1 Review
The storyline has seen a dramatic shift since India's high at Lord's a fortnight ago. The visitor's woes with the bat have hit the crescendo , and with mystery suiting itself well to the Oval track on day one, England's choice to bowl first didn't help either.
India's cornerstone batters of the series, its openers Rohit and KL Rahul succumbed early. It wasn't a surprise to see the lacklustre performance of Pujara and Rahane in the series extend to another as the English seamers time and again worked out to a poor shot from outside the off-stump. Kohli, the man in better touch among the three in the wonky middle-order, drove and defended with purpose but fell soon after reaching his second fifty of the series.
READ: ENG vs IND, 4th Test, Day 1: India fights back after being bowled out for 191
India's choice to have Jadeja move ahead at 5 before Rahane and Pant misfired too. So did the dashing Pant at 7, who once again squandered his wicket with a shot, inexplicable in the circumstances. However, a stellar cameo from the 'Lord' Shardul Thakur, pumped a fresh lease of life to India as he single-handedly lifted India to 191.
Thakur's shots seemed to have reminded Root's men about the late surge at Lord's, but comeback man Chris Woakes kept his calm under a blitzkrieg to trap him for 57.
India finished the day on a high, but Kohli's men would not afford to be complacent. Bumrah's fine burst snapped England's openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed in a single over before Umesh Yadav delivered the ball of the day at the stroke of stumps.
Umesh's snorter castled the in-form Joe Root for the lowest score in the series so far, and England finished the day at 53/3 - trailing India by 138. The pressure is poised well on either side moving into day two. The host cannot afford to lose wickets in the first hour while Kohli's bowlers will be at it to make early inroads.
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