Day 1 - Match Report
India finished the opening day of the third Test against England on 326 for five at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Thursday. Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja scored centuries, while debutant Sarfaraz Khan struck a brisk fifty.
Stumps on Day 1
A solid day of Test cricket comes to an end. England began the day on the top, reducing India to 33/3 in the first hour of play. Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja recalibrated the ship with composed hundreds.
Mark Wood was the pick of the bowlers for England. His hurrying pace caused a lot of trouble for Indian batters. His well-directed bouncer ended Rohit’s fluent knock.
Sarfaraz Khan made an eye-catching debut, scoring a smooth 66-ball 62 before he was run-out following a mix-up with Jadeja, who had a lengthy spell in the nervy 90s.
Jadeja eventually got to his fourth Test hundred and will be looking to take India past 400 and beyond on Day 2.
IND 326/5 in 86 overs
Should be the last over of the day. Anderson steams in and swings it past Kuldeep’s outside edge, repeatedly. Kuldeep manages to eke in a single. Jadeja gets a fuller one on the pads and he clicks it away for a four. And we have end of play.
IND 321/5 in 85 overs
Low full toss from Root to start with and Jadeja puts it away for an easy four past mid off. Short now from Root and Jadeja pulls it for a couple of runs. Jadeja defends his way through the rest of the over.
IND 315/5 in 84 overs
Stokes finally takes the new ball and Anderson gets the first go with it. Kuldeep handles the first over with the new cherry with confidence. He leaves the away moving ball with assurance. Another maiden over.
IND 315/5 in 83 overs
Kuldeep has been sent up the order as the night watchman as India looks to get through the day without further damages. Anyway, Jadeja on strike now and he keeps Hartley at bay. Maiden over.
IND 315/5 in 82 overs
Stokes doesn’t take the second new ball. Anderson continues. Length ball outside the off stump. Drives it for a couple of runs. Another ball on the same line. Patted down by Jadeja and a quick single is stolen and he moves to 99. Sarfaraz clips one to deep fine to bring Jadeja on strike.
Jadeja dabs one to mid on. There is a miscommunication between him and Sarfaraz and the latter is left stranded at the non-strikers end and Wood throws the stumps down.
Sarfaraz Khan run out (Wood) 62 (66b 9x4 1x6)
Jadeja eventually gets his hundred, with a single down the leg side.
IND 310/4 in 81 overs
Wood gets a crack at Sarfaraz now. Around the wicket and going short. Two short catchers on the leg side now for Sarfaraz against Wood. He is watchful against the bouncers. Leaves a few and defends the others. Maiden over.
IND 310/4 in 80 overs
Anderson around the wicket to Jadeja. There is a very straight short mid on in place. He is angling it into Jadeja’s stumps. The Indian batter is in no mood to take risks. Defends everything with a straight bat. Maiden over from Anderson.
IND 310/4 in 79 overs
Hartley around the wicket to Sarfaraz. Pitches one on middle stump before drifting it past Sarfaraz’s outside edge. That spun sharply. Sarfaraz has had enough of Hartley’s strangling. He pounces out to a full-length ball and lobs it for a four over the umpire.
IND 306/4 in 78 overs
Stokes brings Anderson back. Sarfaraz shuffles forward first ball and punches it into the off side gap to gain two runs. That brings up the 300 for India. Anderson brings Foakes forward. Short and wide now from Anderson and Sarfaraz guides it behind third man for a four. Leg sideish now from Anderson. Tucked away for a single.
IND 299/4 in 77 overs
Hartley now up against Jadeja. On the pads and Jadeja nicks it to the leg side for a single. Full from Hartley and Sarfaraz thumps it straight back. SIX!! He pushes one to the leg side next ball to get to his fifty. A fifty on debut for Sarfaraz!!
IND 291/4 in 76 overs
Sarfaraz continues his charge. Now he brings out the slog sweep against Root. FOUR!! And now he goes back foot to pocket an easy single. Jadeja pulls one to deep midwicket to take a single. He is closing in on a richly deserved hundred.
IND 285/4 in 75 overs
Full from Hartley and Sarfaraz lofts him off the front foot for a four to the long on fence. Short now from Hartley and Sarfaraz is quick to pounce on it. Launches it over mid wicket for another four. The intent is clear from Sarfaraz. A single of the last ball means he will retain the strike.
IND 276/4 in 74 overs
Root pitches it outside the leg stump and Sarfaraz sweeps it in front of the square. In control and it is a four. Positive cricket from the debutant. He is showing he is ready to take on the English bowlers.
IND 269/4 in 73 overs
Hartley begins by drifting to Jadeja’s pads. Ticked away for a single. Another half-tracker. Sarfaraz pushes it to the cover region to take another single. Sarfaraz and Jadeja continue to keep the scoreboard ticking with some easy singles.
IND 265/4 in 72 overs
Root persists with his around the wicket ploy against Sarfaraz. He defends the first three off his front foot. Fourth ball of the over, he retreats to the back foot to nudge one to square leg to gather a single. Jadeja slices one to the off side to return strike. Last ball of the over. Sarfaraz tries to take on Root with a sweep shot. Top edge and it flies past short third for a four. Lucky break for the debutant.
IND 259/4 in 71 overs
Hartley back into the attack. He drops it slightly short and Sarfaraz takes the easy option of a single to the leg side. A slip and a leg slip in place for Jadeja. Hartley bowls to the field to not offer Jadeja any easy run.
IND 258/4 in 70 overs
Root around the wicket against Sarfaraz. Root strangles Sarfaraz for three balls. The debutant had enough of it. He goes aerial. Connects it perfectly and launches it over mid on for a four. Shot of confidence that one.
IND 253/4 in 69 overs
Short from Rehan to start with. Sarfaraz gets on top of it, but can only get single out of it with a shot to the off side. Jadeja dabs one to the leg side to add a single. Rehan loses his control with that one. Wide and short and slow. Sarfaraz has all the time in the world to go back and slice it past point for a four. His first in international cricket.
IND 246/4 in 68 overs
Root back into the attack. Jadeja presses forward in defence and succeeds to smother Root’s off spinners. Length ball now from Root and Jadeja taps it to deep square leg to pluck a couple of runs. Not much trouble for Jadeja.
IND 244/4 in 67 overs
Couple of singles to start the Rehan Ahmed over. Sarfaraz is watchful of Rehan and traps himself in the crease. Rehan pushes one through and it keeps very low. Sarfaraz somehow manages to jam his bat down to keep it away from the stumps.
IND 242/4 in 66 overs
Wood will bowl another one. Short again and pulled by Jadeja to midwicket for a dot. Pulled away again and a single for Jadeja at deep square-leg. Bouncer and Sarfaraz takes evasive action. Low full toss, Sarfaraz pushes it to mid-on, where the fielder misfields, and he gets his first runs in international cricket with a three. Short and Jadeja pulls this almost straight into the hands of deep square-leg. Short ball going down leg-side and let go.
IND 238/4 in 65 overs
Rehan continues. Four dot balls and then Jadeja gets a single at midwicket. Beaten! Sarfaraz goes for the sweep and fails to make any connection.
IND 237/4 in 64 overs
Wood again, around the wicket to Rohit. Short, Rohit gets another top edge on the pull but it balloons behind him and falls short of deep fine-leg. One more for Jadeja next ball. OUT! Soft dismissal and Stokes’ ploy has worked. The leg-side was packed with fielders in catching positions inside the circle and Rohit ends up pulling straight into the hands of midwicket. Debutant Sarfaraz Khan comes in next. A short-leg in place for Sarfaraz. Bouncer and Sarfaraz ducks under it. Three dot balls to end the over.
Rohit Sharma c Ben Stokes b Mark Wood 131 (196b 14x4 3x6)
IND 235/3 in 63 overs
FOUR! An exquisite late cut by Rohit and he finds the boundary behind him. This one stays low and Rohit punches it off the backfoot for one more through cover.
IND 230/3 in 62 overs
Going down leg-side and Jadeja swivels and pats this to deep fine-leg for a single. A short one to Rohit and pulled to fine-leg for one more. Short and this is way down leg-side and Jadeja lets it go. FOUR! Short again and Jadeja responds with an imperious pull shot in front of square that gets him another boundary.
IND 224/3 in 61 overs
Rehan again. Flighted slightly on middle and Rohit pushes it to mid-on. SIX! A rank long-hop and Rohit pulls this away with disdain over the rope at deep midwicket. FOUR! Too short again and Rohit pulls this again to the midwicket boundary.
IND 214/3 in 60 overs
Wood replaces Anderson. Short ball first ball but slightly sluggish and doesn’t bounce much. Rohit pulls this along the ground for a single. SIX! Short ball to Jadeja too, and it goes off the top edge of Jadeja’s blade and sails over the backward square-leg boundary. Next up is a bouncer and called wide for height.
IND 206/3 in 59 overs
Another over in this spell for Rehan. Rohit gets a top edge on the slog sweep but midwicket couldn’t get there in time as he came running in.
IND 204/3 in 58 overs
Anderson again. Rohit clips one off his pads for an easy single. Jadeja works this to midwicket and takes another single after some hesitation with Rohit. Drifted on the pads again but Rohit flicks this to the midwicket fielder this time. Confidently defended back to Anderson to end the over.
IND 202/3 in 57 overs
Rehan will continue. He keeps it full and outside off. Jadeja collects a single after four dot balls. Another single to end the over as Rohit cuts to sweeper cover.
IND 200/3 in 56 overs
Anderson continues. Three fielders in catching positions on the leg-side for Jadeja. A slower one outside off keeps low and beats Jadeja but also goes past the keeper for one bye. FOUR! Good length on middle and leg and Rohit flicks this behind square with a flourish and to the boundary. That’s 200 runs up for India in 55.5 overs.
IND 195/3 in 55 overs
Rehan again. He keeps it outside off and Rohit is cautious. Rehan gets one to bounce a little extra and its goes off Rohit’s gloves as he shapes to defend. A paddle sweep gets Rohit a single. Flicked off the backfoot by Jadeja through midwicket for one more.
IND 193/3 in 54 overs
Anderson from the other end. Loud appeal for lbw as the ball seems to have hit the pad before the bat. Rohit defended this off the front foot and didn’t really get a measure of this ball nipping back. England has gone upstairs. Impact is outside off-stump and Rohit survives. Full and whipped off the pads by Rohit for a couple. He then dabs the next one behind point for one more. A couple of dot balls to end the over.
February 15, 2024 14:34
100
IND 190/3 in 53 overs
Rehan to Rohit to begin the final session of the day. A couple of runs to start and Rohit moves to 99. He then presses forward to defend the next one. A couple more and that’s Rohit’s century, off 157 balls.
Tea taken
And we have the first wicketless session of the Test series. Jadeja and Rohit have been nearly flawless with the bat, taking India from a precarious position to one of relative safety. But they have been aided by a flaccid pitch, which offered not much help to the England bowlers. Hartley bowled a long, controlled spell. Anderson was the only one to cause the Indian pair any trouble. More to come in the third session. Stay tuned.
IND 185/3 in 52 overs
Rohit is one hit away from a hundred. Root with ball now. Tucks one to square leg for a single. Root drops it short against Jadeja, who picks the length early. Smokes it over deep mid wicket for a six. And that is the end of the second session.
IND 178/3 in 51 overs
Rohit blunts a Rehan Ahmed delivery to the mid on to take a single first ball of the over. Jadeja slides one to the leg side now and returns the strike. Rohit drives one to the deep mid wicket fielder to add another single. Jadeja resorts to defence for the rest of the over.
IND 175/3 in 50 overs
Much better line and length from Root. Not much for Rohit to target now. Rohit defends the first four balls. The Indian skipper tries to make something happen the next ball. Jumps out of the crease. But Root pushes it wide to the leg side. Rohit scrambles to get some bat on it. Quick thinking from both the bowler and batter.
IND 174/3 in 49 overs
Rehan Ahmed continues. Jadeja taps one to deep cover to take a single. Rohit returns the favour with a single to the leg side. Rehan has been faulty of bowling too full, allowing the Indian batters to pick up easy singles.
IND 170/3 in 48 overs
Rehan Ahmed makes the error of pitching it up to Rohit’s pads. Pumped to deep mid wicket fence. FOUR!!
Jadeja too gets into the action. He brings out a straight drive against Root to gather another boundary.
IND 160/3 in 46 overs
Another bowling change for England. Joe Root with the ball now for the visiting side. Rohit welcomes Root by taking him over the mid wicket fence. SIX!! Root responds by rapping Rohit on the pads with a fuller one. Not much of an appeal as it pitched outside the leg stump. Rohit adds a single with a push to the leg side. Short from Root. But Jadeja can only make a single out of it.
IND 152/3 in 45 overs
Finally, Rehan Ahmed gets an over. Only the second of the day for the leg spinner. Easy single on offer for Jadeja and he takes it. Rohit adds another with a tap to deep mid wicket.
IND 150/3 in 44 overs
Back of a length from Wood and Rohit nudges it to deep square for a single. Full from Wood now and Jadeja flicks it for a single to the leg side. That is his fifty and he brings out his trademark sword celebration. Couple of singles from the rest of the over. And that brings up India’s 150.
IND 146/3 in 43 overs
Jadeja up against Hartley. A short mid on in place for the left-arm spinner, in addition to a short leg and short mid wicket. Jadeja manages to put one through this crowd to get a single and get off the strike. It is much easier for Rohit with a spread out field. Single taken.
IND 144/3 in 42 overs
Wood follows Anderson in attacking Jadeja’s defence from around the wicket. Wood manages to get a big chunk of Jadeja’s inside edge. But it squirms away from the stumps for a single. Not much scoring opportunity there for Rohit.
IND 143/3 in 41 overs
Stokes persists with Hartley from the other end. Short and wide. Easily cut away by Rohit for a four. A rare loosener from Hartley. He pushes it forward now, holding Rohit to the crease. No other scoring shot from the rest of the over.
IND 139/3 in 40 overs
Wood gets another crack. Short and wide from him. Jadeja gets on top of it and guides it to the cover fence for a four. Full and on the pads now. Pushed to the leg side for a couple of runs. Wood goes short and Jadeja lets it go past him with his hands down.
IND 133/3 in 39 overs
Hartley gets another over. Jadeja looks to jump out of the crease to manufacture a shot. But he can’t get it past mid on. Next ball he hits it to mid on, but with greater control. Quick single taken. Rohit is watchful against the left-arm spinner. Hartley goes a tad short last ball and Rohit ticks it to the leg side for a double. And that is also the 100-run partnership for Rohit and Jadeja.
IND 130/3 in 38 overs
Anderson drifts one onto Rohit’s pads. Easy pickings for Rohit, who clips it away for a four to fine leg fence. Anderson gets his line right for the rest of the over and Rohit is back to defending with a straight bat.
IND 126/3 in 37 overs
Soft hands from Rohit to smother a Hartley delivery. Thickish outside edge and it runs away. Three runs taken there. Jadeja is unbothered at the other end.
IND 123/3 in 36 overs
Jadeja continues to tested by Anderson’s inswingers. The defence is better from the left-handed batter. Anderson finally swings one the other way and it narrowly misses Jadeja’s outside edge. This is probing stuff from the England pacer. MAIDEN OVER!!
IND 123/3 in 35 overs
Hartley around the wicket against Rohit. Measured defence from the Indian skipper. Four dot balls to start with. Slightly short from Hartley now. Rohit tucks it to the deep square leg for a couple of runs.
IND 121/3 in 34 overs
Anderson cracks one in again. Cuts Jadeja by half. Flashes past his inside edge and misses the stumps by a fraction. Rohit deals with Anderson’s swing better than Jadeja. Gets a single off the last ball to keep the strike.
IND 119/3 in 33 overs
Hartley continues on. Leg stump line from the spinner. Rohit paddles it for a couple of runs. Full from Hartley and Rohit goes boom. Dances down the track and launches it over the fence straight back the bowler. SIX!!!
IND 111/3 in 32 overs
First over of the session for Jimmy Anderson. Starts by ripping one back in to strike Jadeja’s pads. Not much of an appeal from the English players. Anderson continues to attack Jadeja with sharp inswingers. Now he strikes the Indian batter high on the thigh pad. Testing time for Jadeja.
IND 111/3 in 31 overs
Rohit uses his feet to nudge one to the leg side to take a quick single against Hartley. The left-arm spinner now has Jadeja crowded with three close-in fielders. Jadeja too goes on the front foot to gain a single.
IND 109/3 in 30 overs
Wood goes legside against Jadeja. Deflects off his thigh pad for a leg bye. Wood goes wide of the crease to angle it into Rohit’s stumps. Dead-bat defence from the Indian skipper. Slightly short from Wood. Once again, India adds a leg bye.
IND 107/3 in 29 overs
Hartley up against Rohit now. Just a slip in place. The length is perfect from Hartley, not allowing Rohit to attack him. The left-arm spinner gets a maiden over in.
IND 107/3 in 28 overs
Wood continues. He starts with a surprise bouncer, which Jadeja manages to evade from in the last minute. Fuller delivery now. Thickish outside edge from Jadeja and it runs away for a four through the gully region. Wood drags the length back and Jadeja is comfortable defending those from inside the crease.
IND 101/3 in 27 overs
Hartley around the wicket against Jadeja. Leg slip in place. Starts with a leg stump line. Jadeja defends the first three, before tapping one to the leg side to get off the strike. Full and wide now from Hartley. But Rohit can’t pierce the offside field.
IND 100/3 in 26 overs
Mark Wood with the ball for England to start the second session. Full to start with and Jadeja dabs it to mid off. Wood goes wide next and Jadeja caresses it through covers to gather a double. On the pads now and Jadeja clips it away to add two more runs. Wood goes around the wicket now. Full and straight. Jadeja drives it on the leg side for three runs. 100 up for India.
Second session begins
Rohit and Jadeja will look to keep up the good work as the second session begins.
An unforgettable moment for Sarfaraz and Jurel
Lunch, Day 1 - Third Test
Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja’s 60-run partnership has lent India’s scorecard some normalcy. England still very much ahead after getting three early wickets on what seems like a flat deck. Mark Wood accounted for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill early on with his raw pace and perfect lengths. Tom Hartley then got one to bounce extra and turn to nab Rajat Patidar. Rohit had his share of luck, dropped on Joe Root by 27, and braved a tricky spell from James Anderson. However, Rohit and Jadeja opened up towards the end of the session as the momentum slightly shifted in India’s favour. We will be back with live action by 12:10 PM IST. Stay tuned!
IND 93/3 in 25 overs
Rehan Ahmed comes into the attack, replacing Hartley. Full one down leg-side and Jadeja flicks it behind square for a single. Rohit is beaten by one that turns away. Loud appeal for stumping and third-umpire will have a look. Rohit’s foot is grounded and he will stay on. This keeps low and Rohit whips it off the backfoot for a single through midwicket. Jadeja tucks this behind square off the backfoot for one more and that will be lunch.
IND 90/3 in 24 overs
FOUR! Low full toss from Root and Jadeja drives down the ground for a boundary. That is the fifty-run partnership between Jadeja and Rohit, off 88 balls. FOUR! This is cut away imperiously by Jadeja off the backfoot for another boundary. Pushed to mid-wicket by Jadeja for a single to end the over.
February 15, 2024 11:23
50
IND 81/3 in 23 overs
Pulled by Jadeja to deep backward square-leg for a single as Hartley pitches it short. Rohit defends cautiously in front of the stumps. Rohit is beaten with an arm ball and is hit on the pad. Appeal for lbw, not given and England doesn’t review. Height would have been an issue. Flicked through midwicket for a couple by Rohit and that will be his 50 off 71 balls. A much-needed captain’s knock and he will need to score a big one here.
IND 78/3 in 22 overs
Root continues. Worked off the pads by Rohit for a single at square-leg. Jadeja defends the length ball to cover. A single for him at midwicket. FOUR! Going down leg-side and swept with ease by Rohit to the fine-leg fence.
IND 72/3 in 21 overs
Hartley again. Rohit presses forward to defend. Inside half of the bat again and Rohit gets a single at fine-leg. Just a single from the over.
IND 71/3 in 20 overs
Root replaces Anderson. Maiden over for Root. Jadeja got one off the inside half of the bat and then chipped in slightly in the air and short of the extra-cover fielder.
IND 71/3 in 19 overs
Hartley still has the ball. FOUR! After four dot balls, Hartley pitches it short and Rohit pulls it to the midwicket boundary.
IND 67/3 in 18 overs
Anderson again. Around the wicket to Jadeja. Three defensive shots to begin the over. First maiden over for Anderson as Jadeja continues to defend.
IND 67/3 in 17 overs
Jadeja starts off the Hartley over with a single through cover. Rohit steps out and pushes along the ground straight to mid-on. FOUR! Rohit skips out again and belts this down the ground for a boundary.
IND 62/3 in 16 overs
Anderson to Rohit again. The pressure was getting to the Indian skipper, who eventually had to step out and take the attacking route down the ground. However, he ends up lifting the ball just over the mid-on fielder and gets a couple. FOUR! This is glorious, punched through cover for a boundary.
IND 56/3 in 15 overs
Hartley will continue. Jadeja tucks the first ball of the over off his pads for a couple through square-leg. This was in the air for some time though, and just wide of Pope at short-leg. Hartley keeps it on middle and leg-stump, forcing Jadeja to play to a packed leg-side field. A short-leg and leg-slip are in place. FOUR! But there is not much to guard against a half-volley outside off-stump, which Jadeja deposits down the ground for a boundary.
IND 50/3 in 14 overs
Anderson replaces Wood. Jadeja gets an inside edge as the ball drops in the vacant square-leg area for a single. Fifty runs up for India in 13.2 overs. Loud LBW appeal, and given! But Rohit has reviewed this straight away. And DRS shows he got an inside edge and Rohit gets away. He gets another inside edge next ball, this time into his back thigh pad and he is down in some pain. The physio is out to check on him. Rohit is struck again high on the back thigh as Anderson continues to torment him with the nip-backer. Rohit comes out of his crease next ball to negate the movement and defends it back to the bowler.
IND 49/3 in 13 overs
Hartley continues after the short break. FOUR! Short and wide and Rohit doesn’t miss out, cutting it through point for a boundary. FOUR! Rohit turning it on here as goes aerial and heaves to the midwicket boundary. Rohit goes for a big shot again on leg-side but gets an outside edge and Root drops it in the slips.
Rohit Sharma dropped by Joe Root on 27
IND 39/3 in 12 overs
Beaten! Angling away and Wood beats Jadeja’s outside edge as he keeps it on a tricky length. Angling away wider outside off-stump and Jadeja lets it go. Flicked to fine-leg for a single by Jadeja and he is off the mark. Wood continues with the short-ball ploy against Rohit, who pulls a short one to deep square for one more. Jadeja leaves another one alone that angles away across him. Wood now comes around the wicket to Jadeja. Veered on the pads and Jadeja tucks it away for a couple. Wood has overstepped as the buzzer goes off and that will be a no-ball. Dabbed to point by Jadeja to end the over. Time for a drinks break.
IND 34/3 in 11 overs
Hartley continues. He keeps it on the stumps and bowls on a good length. Beaten! Some turn too and Rohit plants his foot forward to defend but the ball goes past his outside edge. This one stops on him and Rohit almost hands a return catch trying to punch off the backfoot. Excellent from Hartley.
IND 34/3 in 10 overs
Wood continues from the other end. Unexpected bounce again and Rohit is hit on the grill as he looks to evade the bouncer. Next one is on a good length and Rohit defends. Short again and Rohit hops and defends it on the off-side. Short again and pulled to deep sqaure for a single and Rohit will keep strike.
IND 33/3 in 9 overs
Spin comes into the equation as Tom Hartley replaces Anderson in the attack. Loose ball outside leg-stump and swept to deep backward square-leg for a single. OUT! Extra bounce, some turn too and Patidar ends up guiding the ball straight into the hands of cover. Ravindra Jadeja has been promoted up the order. Defended off the front foot to end the over.
Rajat Patidar c Ben Duckett b Tom Hartley 5 (15b 1x4)
IND 32/2 in 8 overs
Rohit starts off the over with a single, flicking to midwicket. Patidar is off the mark with a single, tucking it fine-leg. Short and Rohit pulls it behind deep square-leg for a single. FOUR! Punched off the backfoot by Patidar through the cover region and that will give him some confidence after a jittery start. Back of a length, angling in and defended solidly by Patidar. Short ball and Patidar tucks it on leg-side.
IND 25/2 in 7 overs
Anderson again. Gently flicked by Rohit to square-leg for a quick single. Patidar leaves the next one outside off. This jags back in a bit and Patidar leaves the ball, which is precariously close to off-stump. Beaten! Back of a length wide outside off, and Patidar can’t connect his square-cut. Left alone again wide outside off-stump. Finally some bat on ball for Patidar as he defends this back to Anderson.
IND 24/2 in 6 overs
Wood continues. Short-of-a-length and tucked through square for a single by Rohit. Defended off the backfoot this time by Gill to cover. Beaten! Angling in after pitching, keeps low, and beats Gill’s inside edge. OUT! Outside edge and taken by the keeper and Wood has two in the first half hour. Rajat Patidar comes in next and defends to cover. He then leaves one outside off to end the over.
IND 23/1 in 5 overs
Anderson again. Rohit tucks it away through square-leg for a single. Big appeal for lbw as Anderson raps Gill on the pads with a delivery that comes in. Big inside edge and England doesn’t review it. Gill finally defends one with conviction back to the bowler. Pitched up and Gill plants his front leg forward to defend it to short cover. Defended again after taking a big stride forward and that’s the end of the over.
IND 22/1 in 4 overs
FOUR! Half-volley on the legs and Rohit flicks it with ease to the midwicket boundary. Beaten! Short, Rohit goes for the pull but misses as the ball doesn’t bounce as much as he expected it to. Short again, going down leg-side, and Rohit pulls it to deep fine for a single. OUT! Jaiswal gets an outside edge and taken in the three-man slip cordon. The pitch has been flat and this will come as a huge breakthrough for England in very friendly batting conditions. Shubman Gill comes in next. Chopped to gully to end the over.
IND 17/0 in 3 overs
Anderson continues. FOUR! Jaiswal mistimes a drive down the ground but the ball still rolls to the boundary and beats Ollie Pope’s chase. This one is shorter, angling away and Jaiswal does well to let it go. Angling away again and left alone again by Jaiswal. Anderson gets one to move away slightly and Jaiswal defends it late to point. Just the one boundary from the over.
IND 13/0 in 2 overs
Mark Wood from the other end. Straying on leg-stump and Jaiswal flicks it for a single to fine-leg. FOUR! Pitched up on middle and Rohit presents a full face of the bat to push it down the ground for his first boundary. Full again, on off-stump, and Rohit defends it to mid-off. Good length now, and Rohit leaves even as the ball nips back in a bit off the pitch. Rohit punches it through cover for a couple to end the over.
IND 6/0 in 1 over
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal make their way to the middle to kick-off proceedings. Jaiswal on strike and James Anderson has the ball. Three slips in place.
FOUR! Jaiswal is off the mark in style. Pitched up on middle and leg and Jaiswal drives it down the ground for a boundary first ball. Good length next up and Jaiswal tucks it off his hips for a single. Slight movement away and Rohit lets it go outside off-stump. Full on middle stump and Rohit defends with the inside half of the bat. This one nips back in and Rohit is beaten, but it is a no-ball and Anderson will have to bowl that one again. Beaten! This seams away slightly and beats Rohit’s outside edge. Defended solidly to short cover to end the first over.
Playing XIs
India - 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Rajat Patidar, 5 Sarfaraz Khan, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj
England - 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Rehan Ahmed, 9 Tom Hartley, 10 Mark Wood, 11 James Anderson
Ben Stokes after the toss
We’d have batted too, that’s what you do in India. Time does fly when you’re having fun. Series in nicely balanced, it’s a fair reflection of things. We’re happy with how things have gone. Refreshed after the break. There was no cricket, we got the families out in Dubai. Cricket can be physically and mentally demanding, so it was nice to get the feet up. The great thing about Test is there are so many moments and India came out on top. One change: Mark Wood comes back for Shoaib Bashir.
Rohit Sharma after the toss
We’ve made four changes. Some injuries, some guys coming back. Two debutants. Siraj and Jadeja are back. Axar and Mukesh miss out. Good pitch, better than the last two ones. We know Rajkot is supposed to be a good pitch, will behave differently as time goes on. We played well as a group. Guys stood up when they had to last game. The next three games will be as exciting as the first two. We’ll have to keep focus on what we can do here and come out on top.
Toss Update
India wins the toss and elects to bat first. Siraj and Jadeja are back for India in place of Axar and Mukesh.
Debut day
Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel look set to make their debut today.
Ashwin on 499*
For over a decade, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been two sides of India’s spin coin that have tossed a majority of the opposition batting line-ups around, especially while playing at home. It will thus be fitting to witness that Ashwin – who was left agonisingly close to crossing the 500-wicket mark in Test cricket in Visakhapatnam – is set to make history with Jadeja at home and possibly bowling from the other end.
“He will definitely complete his 500 wickets on this ground. I am very excited because I have been playing with him for 12-13 years and to achieve this milestone of completing 500 Test wickets is really huge,” Jadeja said here on Wednesday ahead of India’s third Test against England.
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The attack plan!
In a series that was touted to be dominated by spin, Jasprit Bumrah has emerged as the leading wicket-taker. The pace ace has left the best of England batters, including captain Ben Stokes, dumbfounded in the first two Tests.
What do we have on offer today?
Live Streaming Info
Where can we watch the third Test between India and England?
The third Test between India and England in Rajkot will be telecast on the Sports18 network. The match can also be live streamed via the Jio Cinema app and website.
Preview
If England is deemed the epitome of new-age Test cricket under Ben Stokes, who will play his 100th Test here, India is a concoction of new and moving parts, a team in transition. This fascinating rivalry, a clash of cultures and philosophies, between England’s rock ‘n’ roll revelry and the timeless truths of Test cricket, the Indian way, is ready to rip itself a new chapter when the third Test gets underway at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Thursday.
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