Live Report: Ind vs Eng, 3rd Test, 1st day

2h ago

That late run-out will surely have frustrated India but if you had offered them 326 for 5 at the start of the day, they would have taken it. If you had made the same offer at 33 for 3, they would have bitten your hand off. Ravindra Jadeja will now be expected to make up for that run-out with more runs tomorrow, but don't forget he has scored a brilliant hundred and is unbeaten. We leave you with a teaser from my end-of-the-day report.

On the first day of the third Test, India’s batting finally came together but not without an early alarm. Down at 33 for 3, on a pitch that was full of runs, with two debutants to follow, India were looking at possible trouble when Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja added 204, India’s first century stand of the series. Rohit and Jadeja got centuries before Sarfaraz Khan made a sparkling debut, 62 off 66, to take India to 326 for 5 at stumps.

The early-morning moisture that had helped Wood possibly helped Tom Hartley grip one in his ninth over, which took the front edge from Rajat Patidar. A day before the Test, Jadeja had said England were not a difficult side to beat. The team management asked him to go out and demonstrate it, the second-earliest he has walked in to bat in a Test innings, and the earliest in the first innings.

2h ago

He had to start his Test cricket ducking and weaving against Mark Wood, but against spin Sarfaraz Khan has been emphatically good. Ben Stokes has helped him out by keeping the field up, and Sarfaraz has been flawless with his aerial hits. Seven fours and a lovely straight six in his fifty. This is the second-quickest Test fifty on debut for India, behind Yuvraj of Patiala, and level with Hardik Pandya. India reach 300 for the loss of four wickets.

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2 Number of double-century partnerships for India in Tests since 2019. Both have featured Rohit Sharma. With Jaiswal against West Indies last year, and now with Jadeja. India 237 for 3.

4h ago

With two easy couples in the first over after tea, Rohit Sharma has steered himself to his 11th Test hundred. This has been an innings of great responsibility after a young India line-up was reduced to 33 for 3 on a pitch expected to flatten out. Rohit had to weather the early storm, which he did in his unique manner - stepping out to Anderson, taking risks against Hartley - but has been solid after getting there. India 193 for 3.

1 Number of wicketless sessions this series. This is the only one. India added 92 runs without losing a wicket. Rohit Sharma is a shot away from a hundred, and Ravindra Jadeja is in his 70s. After that first hour of help from the early-morning moisture, this pitch has revealed itself as a batting beauty. India 185 for 3 at tea.

Towards the end of the middle session, England finally get to spin on both ends. Rohit Sharma sees Joe Root nis starting with both mid-on and mid-off up, and as soon as he sees close enough to himself, he lofts him over mid-on.

79 Number of sixes Rohit has hit in Tests, now past MS Dhoni's 78. Virender Sehwag has 91.

6h ago

1 This is the first 100-run partnership for India this series. That number should tell you enough about India's batting worries.

6h ago

Off the last ball of the first hour of the middle session, Rohit Sharma picked a couple past midwicket to bring up a century stand with Ravindra Jadeha for the fourth wicket. This hour has mostly been about being watchful and taking anyruns on offer. And still they have got 40 in 14 overs. James Anderson has got some reverse, the odd ball has turned, but there hasn't been much to test these batters. Expect more intent in the hour leading up to tea. England need a wicket to prevent that. India 133 for 3.

6h ago

1 Number of sixes Rohit Sharma has hit this series. It came in the 33rd over of the third Test. He is the 14th man to hit a six this series. It is a significant number because Rohit likes hitting sixes. He is now level with MS Dhoni with 78 sixes. Among Indians, only Virender Sehwag has hit more. Only 15 men world over have hit more sixes. India 121 for 3. The ball is just beginning to reverse.

7h ago

Shiva Jayaraman has written this, which is well worth your time.

Tom Hartley came into this Test series with just 20 first-class matches under his belt, and his inexperience at this level has been apparent. There have been quite a few freebies for the India batters to cash in on with Hartley erring on length frequently, either pitching the ball too short or going too full. He has bowled 10 full tosses according to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data.

In between those freebies, though, Hartley has bowled well, using his height to good effect to trouble batters. He is the leading wicket-taker among spinners in the series, and has managed to out-bowl his India counterparts comfortably. His 15 wickets have come at a shade under 25 runs apiece (data till lunch on the first day of the third Test). In comparison, the veteran R Ashwin has nine wickets at 36.33. Ravindra Jadeja has five wickets at 43.80.

However, Hartley has also benefitted from the India batters’ approach to facing him, which has been much like England batters’ approach to playing his India counterparts, albeit with a wider range of shots. That approach hasn’t worked for the India spinners as much as it has done for Hartley.

Hartley has produced 15.3% false shots from the India batters in the series. All the Indian spinners have induced a higher percentage of false shots from the England batters. But Hartley has taken a wicket for every 6.5 false shot in the series to Ashwin’s one every 12 false shots and Jadeja’s 15.2. Among overseas spinners to induce at least 30 mistakes from India batters in a Test series in the last 10 years, no spinner has struck as frequently as Hartley in this series. With a 60-ball cut-off, only Ashwin has produced more wickets per false shots in any series in India in the last 10 years: twice, against SA in 2015/16 and against New Zealand in 2016/17.

8h ago

Generally when India win the toss in India on what everyone says is a flat pitch, you expect no contest on day one. Here, though, there was something in the pitch. Not sure if everyone misread the pitch or if the early moisture was up to tricks, there was uneven bounce available. Mark Wood and James Anderson were excellent. Wood took two early wickets. One ball from Tom Hartley gripped the surface and stood up on Rajat Patidar, making it 33 for 3.

The pitch kept doing something for a bit before seemingly settling down towards the end of the session. The fourth-wicket stand between Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja is 59. India 92 for 3.

Reduced to 33 for 3, no experience behind him, good batting conditions going waste, Rohit Sharma has managed to firefight a little with his first fifty in eight Test innings. It has been a remarkable innings. He started off looking extremely comfortable, then wickets fell and then there was a spell of play where he looked unsettled. He slogged Hartley and was reprieved. He was hit in the helmet grille by Mark Wood. He charged at James Anderson, survived a close lbw shout. But in between there have been some glorious shots. He has got to his fifty in 71 balls. He and Ravindra Jadeja have added fifty for the fourth wicket. India 85 for 3 as lunch approaches.

8h ago

A strange over of batting from Rohit Sharma immediately after drinks. So it seems like he doesn't want Tom Hartley to settle into a rhythm. After a cut four, he flicks against the turn and in the air for four. A risky shot but middled. And to the last ball of the over, he tries a proper slog, gets an edge and is reprieved at first slip. The stroke of luck he needs?

India 49 for 3.

Mark Wood ends the first hour bowling with four slips and a gully. India are 39 for 3 having won the toss and decided to at first. Ravindra Jadeja came in to bat in the ninth, his second-earliest point of entry in Test cricket, and the earliest in the first innings. Rohit Sharma is unsure how to play the short ball probably for the first time in his life. With three wickets gone, he shelved the hook and got clocked on the helmet grille. Then he went baxck to hooking and kept it down. India 39 for 3.

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6 This is only the sixth time that Mark Wood has opened the bowling in a Test, three of those in this series

10h ago

It is beginning to look a little bit like the second half of India's greatest series triumph, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in 2020-21. At that time India were missing bowlers, this time batters.

How inexperienced are India? The last time India had three batters in the top 7 with a personal experience of fewer than two Tests, it was when Devang Gandhi, Vijay Bharadwaj and MSK Prasad played together against New Zealand in 1999. It was so long ago that Gandhi is a current national selector, and Prasad has already served as chairman of selectors.

Thanks to Shiva Jayaraman for this stats.

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Anil Kumble hands out Test cap No. 311 to Sarfaraz Khan, who has scored a mountain of runs in Ranji Trophy and has finally broken into the Test side. A nice touch from the team that his family is on the sidelines as it happens. His father, his coach, Naushad Khan, has tears in his eyes. It is a lovely moment.

No. 312 goes to Dhruv Jurel, the wicketkeeper-batter. Dinesh Karthik hands over the cap. KS Bharat, the incumbent wicketkeeper, won't be really pleased with himself. There were noticeable mistakes behind the wicket, and he failed to convert his starts into a sizeable knock. Jurel is the fourth wicketkeeper India have tried in the absence of Rishabh Pant.

In about 15 minutes, when he comes out for the toss, Ben Stokes will join an elite club of Test cricketers with 100 caps to their name. It is a remarkable feat even if you keep in mind that England probably play more Test cricket than any other team. Stokes himself said on the eve of the Test that it is just a number, but Andrew Miller says here that if there is one man who can rebuff the cliche, it is Stokes.

Stokes is indeed a man made for highlights reel. We have shortlisted some of them, and you, yes you, need to go vote for his best performance, the highest of his highlights.

Test cricket is back after a break after two engrossing Tests between India and England. The series is tied 1-1, and the caravan has moved to Rajkot. Between Tests, India have regained Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj, but have dropped Shreyas Iyer. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul continue to be unavailable. Sarfaraz Khan might be in line for a debut here.

England have finaly decided to go with their four best bowlers as opposed to three spinners just for the sake of it. Shoaib Bashir has made way for Mark Wood, who joins James Anderson in a two-man pace attack.

India are yet to decide their XI. The main question is, whose place does Jadeja take? Kuldeep Yadav or Axar Patel. On pure bowling form, Kuldeep should play, but do India feel worried about their inexperienced batting and want to beef it up with Axar? Not that the depth made any difference to their outlook when they chased unsuccessfully in Hyderabad.

We welcome you all to the third Test.