England staring at defeat after losing three quick wickets

Joe Root shook his head and did not even bother to look back at his stumps as he walked off as England’s latest top-order failure.

He had been bowled for seven by a beauty from Akash Deep that angled in, pitched on middle, seamed away and hit off stump.

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The Indian kissed his badge, and, for some reason, his wrist-watch, after a dismissal that probably called time on England’s 1-0 lead in the series.

England had already lost both openers including Zak Crawley for the seventh duck of the Test, and a mammoth task lies ahead if they are to save the match at 72 for three.

More to follow…

07:04 PM BST

Sir Geoffrey’s verdict

06:39 PM BST

Chicken or egg?

India have bowled much better than England and have batted much better than England. But which comes first, superior batting or inferior bowling and vicki verka?

06:36 PM BST

Close: ENG 72/3 (Pope 24 Brook 15)

Deep hasn’t ended with two for 23. He has changed ends to bowl the last over of the day and almost bags Brook when the first-innings centurion flicks an inducker through midwicket at catchable height just wide of the diving fielder for four. Deep strays even more on to leg stump and Brook glances it finer for four. His line from the City End has been leggy so far and Brook works a two and a single behind square leg, leaving Pope to face the final ball.

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It’s also on leg stump and Pope gratefully flicks it square for two to end 536 behind with seven wickets left. India have 90 overs if we get a full day’s play to polish off seven wickets. India have never won in Birmingham.

06:30 PM BST

OVER 14: ENG 59/3 (Pope 22 Brook 4)

Siraj replaces Deep who ends the day with two for 23. Big appeal when Pope nicks into his front pad but that apart Pope defended well, playing only what he needed to play. \

Maiden.

06:29 PM BST

Legit

Suggestion is that the Root ball was NOT a back foot no-ball, because all that matters is the point of impact. So Deep’s foot landed within the lines, and it therefore doesn’t matter what happens to the rest of the foot thereafter.

06:27 PM BST

OVER 13: ENG 59/3 (Pope 22 Brook 4)

Pope props forward and his hands follow a Prasidh delivery on a fifth-stump line that keeps going. Temptation keeps coming but he manages to withstand its charms as a fine, probing over concludes with him jamming a single into the covers.

06:24 PM BST

OVER 12: ENG 58/3 (Pope 21 Brook 4)

Brook’s cover drive earns him two instead of one by virtue of a misfield but it means he retains the strike and is subjected to a fierce interrogation of his technique by Deep, angling in, using the crease to change trajectory, trying to persuade the ball to nip away.

06:20 PM BST

OVER 11: ENG 56/3 (Pope 21 Brook 2)

Pope survives by the skin of his teeth, inside-edging Prasidh, the ball whistling past off stump and down to fine leg for four. Prasidh, encouraged after every delivery by Siraj at mid-off, then nips one back to beat Pope on the inside-edge again and cannon into the pad. Did too much to warrant an appeal.

06:15 PM BST

OVER 10: ENG 52/3 (Pope 17 Brook 2)

Root was playing it on line, looking to worked it through midwicket but was squared up when it nibbled away and cleaned up. Wobble seam, says Stuart Broad, the movement coming when it hits the leather as well as the edge of the seam.

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Brook batting on off stump, gets off the mark by slapping two off the back foot through cover.

It’s a stunning ball from Akash Deep, no doubt. But Root is playing across the line, trying to score from it. It was a slightly more excusable version of Ollie Pope’s dismissal in the first innings. When Brook walked out to bat here, the Indian fielders were making a big song and dance about inspecting the part of the pitch it jagged back off.

06:08 PM BST

Wicket!

Root b Deep 6 Blimey! Why didn’t they pick him at Headingley? He goes wide on the crease again to angle it in then nip it away to clean bowl te world’s No1-ranked batsman. A true ripper. ‘Unplayable,’ says Stuart Broad. FOW 50/3

06:08 PM BST

OVER 9: ENG 50/2 (Pope 17 Root 6)

Pope shuffles back to clatter a single through point off a bat held more vertically than horizontally. Root runs a leg-bye when pinned outside the line. Pope chases a wide one that he tries to cut and seems to under edge it but Pant doesn’t claim the catch. The umpire’s send it upstairs but it bounced a god two inches in front of his gloves. The crowd boos but that was an umpire check not an India review.

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The thin ice Pope is skating on cannot bear his weight much longer.

Joe Root was never in the slightest bit worried about that India review. It was an odd one – always looked high and legside-ish. India have blown two reviews tonight. I’d say they can just be a bit more patient. As Crawley has already proved, England will gift them chances.

06:04 PM BST

NOT OUT

Missing by a couple of inches. India have burned two of their three reviews. That might bite them on the tuchas tomorrow.

06:03 PM BST

India review

Root lbw b Prasidh  Going down leg on first look.

06:01 PM BST

OVER 9: ENG 48/2 (Pope 16 Root 6)

Deep beats Root with one speared in from wide on the crease. It didn’t straighten enough and pinned him too high but Deep appeals with charming gusto. Pant points out that the angle is against him and India decide not to review it. This is a terrific new-ball spell. Half an hour to go for England. They’ve seen off Siraj, at least from the City End. Prasidh will replace him.

05:58 PM BST

OVER 8: ENG 47/2 (Pope 15 Root 6)

Siraj serves one up on Root’s pads now and he glances it fine for his first boundary. He leaves a couple, blocks a couple and cannot beat point with his favourite stroke, the back-foot open-faced punch.

05:52 PM BST

OVER 7: ENG 43/2 (Pope 15 Root 2)

Pope loses his bottom hand grip when driving through the covers, squirting it for two, then his bat comes down like a curtain rail from second slip and edges it wide of gully for four. His head is falling over to one side messing his perception of angles. He made a Test hundred 15 days ago but now looks all at sea.

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But all at sea, or not, a full ball on middle and leg is manna from heaven and he flicks it fine for four.

England’s top three are seriously talented strokeplayers – and have seriously porous defences. It looks as though India’s analysts are working out those flaws…

05:47 PM BST

OVER 6: ENG 33/2 (Pope 5 Root 2)

Siraj twice has to abort his run-up when he loses his stride-pattern. There’s a cross-wind too buffeting him and the unstable non-striker’s stumps. Root opens the face to take a single to point’s left and Pope, after leaving two with good judgment, pinches the strike with a tap to cover.

Andy Zaltzman on TMS says this is the first time England have had seven different players get ducks in a match. One more duck, and it’s their all-time record for ducks in a match: eight.

05:43 PM BST

OVER 5: ENG 31/2 (Pope 4 Root 1)

Middle stump was broken, the top flying off when Duckett was out. Root has to hammer the replacement in with his bat handle and is therefore unamused when, after backing away late because of movement behind the bowler’s arm, Deep underams the ball and skittles the stumps. Root gets off the mark with a tuck off the pads and Pope puts a bat up the nightgown of every England cricket fan by groping outside off-stump when Deep nips one away. Good nut.

05:36 PM BST

Wicket!

Duckett b Deep 25 Inside-edge on to middle stump as Deep from round the wicket nips one back into the left-hander. A peach. England were unable to do anything with the new ball last night. Deep and Siraj are making it nibble around at will. FOW 30/2

05:35 PM BST

OVER 4: ENG 26/1 (Duckett 21 Pope 4)

Duckett cannot pierce the infield from the first three balls of Siraj’s second over so goes up and over it for four with a cut when given width then racks up another, opening the face to run it down through gully where Reddy makes no genuine effort to stop it. “He put his hand down like a wet dishcloth,” says Ian Ward. More daggers from Siraj.

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England are well over the required rate…

05:31 PM BST

OVER 3: ENG 16/1 (Duckett 12 Pope 4)

Well, well, well. Duckett and the umpire, unperturbed by India’s certainty, were adamant that the first delivery of Deep’s second over hit the back pad not the edge and were proved right. Duckett then tucks a single off his hip. His Holiness flirts with excommunication and replacement by Pope Jacob when he has a big waft outside off, the beans jumping, but gets away with it. My, he’s a jumpy starter.

When Deep errs too full, Pope whips him off his toes for two.

Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports shows that Crawley changed his guard from Headingley and had his right big toe on off stump as opposed to middle and he is struggling to understand why having batted so solidly in Leeds in his second innings.

05:24 PM BST

NOT OUT

No bat. Only pad. India lose a review.

05:24 PM BST

India review

Duckett c Pant b Deep  Off the pad?

05:23 PM BST

OVER 2: ENG 13/1 (Duckett 11 Pope 2)

Duckett, one of six England batsmen on a pair (Pope and Stokes are on a king pair) gets off  ’em by opening the face and running the ball through gully, under his dive, for four. Mohammed Siraj gives the fielder daggers. Siraj then should give himself a stern look by straying on to Duckett’s pads and he skelps it for four. He almost makes it a hatptrick by pressing the next ball off the front foot square with perfect timing but Sai, the sub fielder, chases it down and claw sit back from the rope. They run three.

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Crawley, perhaps trying to follow Duckett’s lead, squirts a cover drive to Sudharsan. He needed to get his foot closer to it and open the face. You can’t cover drive something that wide no matter how tall you are without a bigger stride.

Pope is off a king pair and then a pair second ball with a check-drive to cover for two.

05:21 PM BST

Wicket!

Crawley c sub b Siraj 0 A seventh English duck. Not so much Edgbaston as Aylesbury. Having restrained himself in the first over, he chases a wide on and chips it off the edge to backward point. FOW 11/1

05:16 PM BST

OVER 1: ENG 0/0 (Crawley 0 Duckett 0)

Akash Deep starts short and wide and Zak Crawley refuses the invitation to cut. He almost chases it before reining himself in with just the hint of the slightest twitch. The next ball swings gently away and Crawley shoulders arms then defends the next one. As Dinesh Karthik says, India’s decision to carry on batting can only be justified by victory. There’s far more at stake for the coaching of Gambhir and the captaincy of Gill than there is for England.

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Crawley leaves another that zips through on a nice tight line and is struck flush in the goolies by the nip-backer that ends the over. Yikes. Don’t massage ’em, count ’em.

05:11 PM BST

Right, here we go

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett are in the middle. Akash Deep to bowl the first over.

05:07 PM BST

The challenge

So India have left themselves 18 overs tonight, plus 90 – weather permitting – tomorrow. Clearly it’s very conservative, but they have batted the England win off the table, which they had to do after Headingley. England should really be able to bat out on a pitch this flat, but it’s a brilliant philosophical quandary for them. It would be embarrassing if they went down swinging in search of the impossible.

05:06 PM BST

England have batted more than 108 overs under Ben Stokes twice

Here are their longest innings since Messrs Key, McCullum and Stokes took over, making 823 off 150 in Multan last winter and 539 off 128.2 against New Zealand in the summer of 2022.

05:02 PM BST

IND 427/6 declared

England will have about 80 minutes tonight or 18 overs and will begin 607 behind. No carrots here. So, can you bat out 108 overs?

05:01 PM BST

OVER 83: IND 427/6 (Jadeja 68 Sundar 12)

Four singles and on come the drinks.

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No they don’t. India declare, 607 ahead. 

04:58 PM BST

OVER 82: IND 422/6 (Jadeja 67 Sundar 10)

Enter Sundar, given the bum’s rush on his way to the wicket, and he hits his second ball for six, arcing it over extra cover. He ends the over finding the same part of the boundary with a similar shot, this time for four.

Give me strength: Deep is padded up to come in next. India lead by 602. Do India not like winning Tests? Ravi Shastri is not impressed at all.

04:54 PM BST

Wicket!

Reddy c Crawley b Root 1 Root pushes it wide and Reddy toes the drive to long off. Still no declaration. The new batsman, therefore, is booed to the crease.  FOW 412/6

04:53 PM BST

OVER 81: IND 412/5 (Jadeja 66 Reddy 1)

And India bat on.

04:51 PM BST

Wicket!

Gill c&b Bashir 161 Sticks in the pitch and takes the splice, popping straight up the chimney. Bashir runs to his left to snaffle it. Still no declaration and Gill departs to applause and more cries of ‘Boring, boring India’. FOW 411/5

04:50 PM BST

OVER 80.4: IND 411/4 (Gill 161 Jadeja 66)

Gill returns to the dance floor to waltz down to Bashir and plonk him into the long pasture at cow corner for six.

Ollie Pope lost that in the sun – whilst he had a pair of sunglasses on his head! England have been pretty ragged since tea, and we must be very close to a declaration now…

04:47 PM BST

OVER 80: IND 403/4 (Gill 154 Jadeja 65)

And on we go. Jadeja retreats to leg to spank Root over mid-off for a one-bounce four then tickles a single fine. Gill slogh sweeps him for six to become the first player to make a double and a 150, two daddies in the same match.

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He then top edges another sweep and Pope loses it in the sun. Very catchable but he throws up his hands as the ball swirls at fine leg and it bounces over the boundary for four.

Root fires a wide down the legside, so wide they have time to run as well.

The lead is 583.

The crowd is booing and chanting ‘Boring, boring India.’

04:43 PM BST

OVER 79: IND 386/4 (Gill 144 Jadeja 61)

Three singles bring up the 150 partnership.

04:41 PM BST

OVER 78: IND 383/4 (Gill 143 Jadeja 59)

After a drink for Gill, he launches an assault on Root, slog sweeping him for six over midwicket and mowing him over deep backward square for another next ball. Gill cuffing a shorter ball into the legside for a single puts Jadeja on strike and he pastes an off drive down to long-off for a single.

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Kumar Sangakkara is explaining that India are not looking at their lead only the number of overs remaining, wanting England to have no more than 110 or so.

04:38 PM BST

OVER 77: IND 369/4 (Gill 130 Jadeja 58)

No drama in the over apart from Jadeja querying why one Bashir fired down the legside was not called wide. I guess it was because it’s a first-class match and wasn’t that wide.

04:34 PM BST

OVER 76: IND 367/4 (Gill 130 Jadeja 57)

Jadeja brings up his second half-century of the match, a 24th of his career, with a late cut for four off Root. Root slings the next one side-arm down the legside and Jadeja pulls it fine for four before driving for a single down to long-off.

04:31 PM BST

OVER 75: IND 358/4 (Gill 130 Jadeja 48)

Jadeja plays a lovely late cut, deliberately using the edge, to slice it for four. India lead by 538? How many do they want?

04:27 PM BST

OVER 74: IND 347/4 (Gill 129 Jadeja 42)

England take Will’s warning words on board and curtail Woakes’ spell after two overs. Root replaces him, bowling wide and they lean over to work him away for four singles.

04:26 PM BST

OVER 73: IND 347/4 (Gill 127 Jadeja 40)

Bashir has been experimenting with his carrom ball all match and it can only benefit him in the long-term. Five runs off the bat and a bye for the aforementioned mystery ball that started off too wide and crept under Gill’s attempted reverse sweep.

04:23 PM BST

Must be some grit in my eye?

04:20 PM BST

OVER 72: IND 341/4 (Gill 126 Jadeja 36)

The India players in the dressing room are in their whites and Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant are advising Mohammed Siraj over which Dukes ball to select.

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Less punishment for Woakes this over, taking him for four singles.

The idea of Chris Woakes bowling at this point seems pretty futile to me. Tongue would actually make more sense, as there seems next to no prospect of him playing at Lord’s on Thursday. But Woakes has a brilliant record there with bat and ball, and will probably need to be the steady hand alongside two returning players, Archer and Atkinson.

04:18 PM BST

OVER 71: IND 337/4 (Gill 124 Jadeja 34)

As per the post at 16.03 courtesy of the ACS, India now have their highest aggregate score in Test history.

Bashir, starting his 65th over of the match, is tiring, loses his length, serves up a pie with extra gravy and Gill pulls the long hop hard and mercilessly for four through square leg. He sweeps a single in front of square and the groundstaff are gathered with brooms and roller at the ready as if knowing a declaration is imminent.

India lead by 517.

04:12 PM BST

OVER 70: IND 329/4 (Gill 119 Jadeja 33)

Nice, wry line from Michael Atheron over shots of Ollie Pope playing keepy-uppy with the red ball. ‘Wonderfully talented lads these. Hit it miles off the tee, wonderful football skills… they just can’t take any wickets.’

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Gill chassés down to Woakes and lofts him for a straight six. The next delivery is angled into his body and he short-arm pulls it for four as if the cramping had no impact on his power or timing. Woakes tries the slower ball, Gill picks it, waits for it and flays it with a scything cut for four.

The lead is 509.

This is ace:

04:06 PM BST

OVER 69: IND 313/4 (Gill 102 Jadeja 32)

Jadeja has had beans for tea, strides down to Bashir and pumps him over long on for six. When Bashir drops short, Jadeja steps back to cuff a single round the corner. Gill reverse-sweeps the off-spinner for a single and Jadeja ends the over defending on one knee.

04:03 PM BST

Another record to fall?

03:47 PM BST

Tea verdict

Magisterial Shubman Gill strode towards his third hundred in four innings to put the England win out of the picture, no matter what the Bazballers will come out with later. India are 484 ahead at tea, thanks to Gill’s hunger for runs and Rishabh Pant’s audacity. But the passive batting from Ravindra Jadeja has been curious, a sign perhaps of how this England team spook opponents.

03:47 PM BST

TEA: IND 304/4 (Gill 100 Jadeja 25)

India extended their lead by 127 for the loss of one wicket in that session but most of the air came out of the balloon once Rishabh Pant departed. I suppose they would argue that they are grinding England into the dust. I would counter that by saying that they have IPL dashers Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar at their disposal and would put more miles in England’s legs and dread in their souls and hence grind them further down with half an hour of tonk than this blocking.

03:42 PM BST

OVER 68: IND 304/4 (Gill 100 Jadeja 25)

Root wheels away for a maiden and off they trot for tea. India lead by 484.

03:39 PM BST

OVER 67: IND 304/4 (Gill 100 Jadeja 25)

Stokes brings up the field with Gill on 99 but he continues to play patiently for two dot balls before patting a shorter ball wide of mid-on to bring up his hundred.

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He has a double hundred and a century in the same match. Here are his fellow members of that elite club.

Will that clear the blockage? Not yet. Forward defensive follow.

03:36 PM BST

OVER 66: IND 302/4 (Gill 99 Jadeja 24)

Gill and Jadeja each add a single to the total off Root.

03:35 PM BST

OVER 65: IND 300/4 (Gill 98 Jadeja 23)

At the end of his over, Root went off the field. Perhaps for a double espresso to keep him awake. After blocking four balls of Bashir’s 17th over, Jadeja clips a single off his toes to bring up India’s 300. The lead is 480.

Why isn’t Gautam Gambhir intervening here to inject some urgency? It’s as if they’re putting Gill’s place in the record book for a double century and a century in the same match before the team. They are still likely to win but this is so dull.

03:35 PM BST

OVER 65: IND 300/4 (Gill 98 Jadeja 23)

At the end of his over, Root went off the field. Perhaps for a double espresso to keep him awake. After blocking four balls of Bashir’s 17th over, Jadeja clips a single off his toes to bring up India’s 300. The lead is 480.

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Why isn’t Gautam Gambhir intervening here to inject some urgency? It’s as if they’re putting Gill’s place in the record book for a double century and a century in the same match before the team. They are still likely to win but this is so dull.

03:31 PM BST

OVER 64: IND 299/4 (Gill 98 Jadeja 22)

India carry on crawling, milking Root for three singles, pushing and prodding, nudging and nurdling. “Siri, define ‘phoney war’ in a cricket context.”

03:28 PM BST

OVER 63: IND 296/4 (Gill 97 Jadeja 20)

The whole crowd cheers ironically when Jadeja finally accepts the invitation of a long hop and craves it for four through point. He also fiddles off his pads for two round the corner and steals the strike with another glance, this time for a single.

03:24 PM BST

OVER 62: IND 289/4 (Gill 97 Jadeja 13)

Gill sweeps Root hard and in front of square for four. Unusually Root is bowling over the wicket to the right-hander. Gill pushes a single to cover, Jadeja lamps a drive to mid-off for another then Gill tests Crawley’s arm at backward point to barely make it home for two from his scything cut. A direct hit and it would have been curtains.

Not sure Jadeja patting the ball back is what India need right now. Clearly they are worried about the target and leaving England a gettable runs per over target. But India are going nowhere with Jadeja blocking it, just taking away the time his attack may need to bowl England out on a flat pitch.

03:20 PM BST

OVER 61: IND 281/4 (Gill 90 Jadeja 12)

In the words of Frederick Sewards Trueman, ‘I don’t know what’s going off down there.’ Jadeja pats back a maiden to Bashir. India are 461 ahead. Is he trying to shepherd Gill to a century before chancing his arm?

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Stokes turns to the golden arm charm of JE Root.

03:18 PM BST

OVER 60: IND 281/4 (Gill 90 Jadeja 12)

Gill charges Stokes and cloths a lofted off-drive safe, halfway between mid-off and long-off, running two. A cover drive earns him two more and a blocking biff a single. Brook sets himself to do a handstand but abandons it when Stokes turns quickly to run in to bowl.

03:13 PM BST

OVER 59: IND 274/4 (Gill 85 Jadeja 10)

A rare glimpse of urgency from Jadeja who strides down to Bashir and hoicks across the line to claw two to deep midwicket. A single apiece are taken into the legside as India let the game drift, too afraid of losing to press for victory, oddly so given they have outbowled and outbatted England so far. It’s perplexing.

03:08 PM BST

OVER 58: IND 270/4 (Gill 84 Jadeja 7)

Stokes shouts ‘Oh, f—!’ when something flies into his eye as he winds up into his action. Root turns a cartwheel, a rickety one. Brook shows him how it’s done. Jadeja sways out of the road of a real effort bouncer from Stokes.

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The lead hits 450.

03:04 PM BST

OVER 57: IND 269/4 (Gill 83 Jadeja 7)

Jadeja and Gill delay the over with a conference, suggesting that they are going to push on with time ticking on. But nothing of the the sort. They take Bashir for two singles and Jadeja blocks the rest. Perhaps they agreed to keep coasting for a while, putting more metres into England’s legs, more frustration in their minds.

03:01 PM BST

OVER 56: IND 267/4 (Gill 82 Jadeja 6)

Gill plays nothing more than a meaty defensive off Stokes, playing him off the back foot square and sprinting back for two. These bats are something else.

500 runs in the series already for Shubman Gill – an incredible start to his career as captain. Don Bradman’s all-time record for most runs in a series – 974 runs – is not completely impossible with three Tests to come.

His career average has gone up by five since the start of the series. And he has not been the lone shining start: Rishabh Pant has 342 runs.

02:57 PM BST

OVER 55: IND 264/4 (Gill 80 Jadeja 5)

Jadeja and Gill take no notice and keep pootling along, Jadeja whipping a single off Bashir through midwicket and a strange, slung off-break that balloons wide are the only additions to the score.

02:55 PM BST

OVER 54: IND 262/4 (Gill 80 Jadeja 4)

Maiden for Stokes to Gill. The England captain is bounding in but there are weary legs and minds among his cohort.

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Should Gill make it to three figures he will be the ninth member of an exclusive club.

Brook tries to hurry the declaration by saying, ‘It’s going to rain tomorrow, you know.’  Currently ther forecast is for morning showers but pretty clear from 1pm onwards.

02:49 PM BST

OVER 53: IND 262/4 (Gill 80 Jadeja 4)

With a lead of 429 before drinks, Gill, who has been becalmed recently, now hammers Bashir through mid-off for four then swipes him high to cow corner for six even if the spinner beat him in the flight, forcing him to adjust his feet late. Opening the face he late cuts for two then leans into a drive to stroke a single to long-on.

02:42 PM BST

OVER 52: IND 249/4 (Gill 67 Jadeja 4)

The England captain has only one slip at the start of the over but shifts him to leg slip for Gill after going for a couple of singles. Two men go out on the hook but his short ball doesn’t get up and the India captain tucks it off his hip for a single.

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The umpires call the drinks on which, as Will noted yesterday, is now the cue for the players to sprint off to the lav. All that rehydration.

Chris Woakes bowled seven overs with the new ball but hasn’t played since. England have managed him carefully this match, after the opening day. Expect him to play at Lord’s next week. But there’s every chance that England change their other two seamers.

02:38 PM BST

OVER 51: IND 246/4 (Gill 65 Jadeja 3)

Gentle turn but turn nonetheless for Bashir. Gill uses the spin to stroke a single down to long-on. Ben Stokes is going to have a spell.

02:34 PM BST

OVER 50: IND 245/4 (Gill 64 Jadeja 3)

Jadeja clips Tongue off his toes square for a single, Gill does the same. No Pant, no party.

02:31 PM BST

OVER 49: IND 243/4 (Gill 63 Jadeja 2)

Gill works a pair of turning off-breaks with the spin down to fine leg for a pair of deuces then stings Pope’s fingers at cover with a spiffing drive, running a single. Jadeja shuffles back to Bashir to work a single through midwicket.

Jofra Archer is in front of the Hollies Stand and getting a big reception. Joe Root is fielding on the boundary and giving plenty of encouragement.

02:28 PM BST

OVER 48: IND 237/4 (Gill 58 Jadeja 1)

Maiden for Tongue to Jadeja which makes a nice change after figures of 13-1-91-2 before his 14th.

So far – and there will be plenty of mayhem to come in India’s second innings – Shoaib Bashir in this series has bowled better than India’s two spinners. Don’t know why some people say that boundary catches don’t really count for a spinner. It is known as deception. When a pace bowler has a batsman hooking to a deep square fielder doesn’t that count?

02:24 PM BST

OVER 47: IND 237/4 (Gill 58 Jadeja 1)

Pant is always entertaining. Does he suffer from hyperhidrosis or is his grip so loose and his swing so hard that the bat won’t stick in his gloves?

02:18 PM BST

Wicket!

Pant c Duckett b Bashir 65 A tonic in human form, Pant holes out to long off having heaved so hard at the ball that the bat shot out of his grip (unless he has unusually sweaty hands) and flew to midwicket. Amazing. FOW 236/4

02:17 PM BST

OVER 46: IND 232/3 (Gill 58 Pant 61)

Kumar Sangakkara, a fine commentator, says England look ‘scratchy’. They have indeed been ragged since Crawley dropped Pant. Tongue has changed tack after taking plenty of tap when bowling short but Gill continues to rattle on, charging the big Worcestershire quick when he does bang one in and cleaving a cut stroke for four.

02:14 PM BST

OVER 45: IND 228/3 (Gill 54 Pant 61)

Bashir serves up a low full toss and Pant is on it in a flash to sweep it hard just in front of square for four. The next ball turns and spits up a little in the rough under Pant’s nose so he lets the next few go and they turn gently towards slip. Not enough to encourage Washington Sundar’s chances against England’s left-handers yet.

02:09 PM BST

OVER 44: IND 224/3 (Gill 54 Pant 57)

Rishabh Pant brings up his 16th Test half-century by tucking Tongue off his hip as the England quick opts for back of a length rather than half-trackers. Gill glides a single off a horizontal bat down to third man and then Pant extends the lead beyond 400 when Tongue pitches up and he mows it over wide long-on for six!

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England have lost all control of the rate from that end.

02:05 PM BST

OVER 43: IND 214/3 (Gill 51 Pant 48)

Turn for Bashir as Pant listens to the angel on his shoulder, taking only a single, Gill too, as he defends studiously.

02:02 PM BST

OVER 42: IND 212/3 (Gill 51 Pant 48)

Tongue is not backing down, and neither is Gill who hooks his bouncer fine for another six. It encourages Tongue to go even shorter but the ball balloons over his head and is rightly called wide. Another pull earns him a single to Stokes on the cow corner boundary. Hard to elicit anything menacing off this pitch with an old ball, which always brings to mind a line of Brian Johnston’s when recalling how MC Cowdrey’s mother used to bowl to him when the future England captain was a child, a line that made him laugh even more than his audience: “How did Colin Cowdrey’s mother’s bouncers fare on a feather bed?”

One can imagine the roguish twinkle in his eye.

Gill moves past 50 with another punishing pull, slapped through mid-on for four.

01:53 PM BST

OVER 41: IND 199/3 (Gill 40 Pant 47)

Bashir continues and they take him for a couple of singles as he continues to give the ball plenty of flight.

01:51 PM BST

OVER 40: IND 197/3 (Gill 39 Pant 46)

Tongue is given the mission of bouncing these two from the other ones. Gill attacks it head on, swatting two to the infield, then hooks the third off his shoulder for six. The next short one doesn’t get up and Gill heaves it with a front foot pull through midwicket with scorching power for four. Stokes tries to make a lunging stop and seems to hurt his finger in the process.

01:45 PM BST

OVER 39: IND 183/3 (Gill 25 Pant 46)

England start the afternoon with Bashir who seems OK after taking that blow to the side of the head yesterday. Even so he starts with a greasy pie, wide and short and Pant slices a cut behind point for four then drives a single to mid-on.

Bashir tries to tempt Gill with flight but he pats and pushes three away until given some width and he drives for a single to take a sharp single to cover.

01:39 PM BST

What were you doing at 14?

01:22 PM BST

Lunch verdict: Bazball’s reckoning

England bowled well but the session hinged on Zak Crawley’s dropped catch off Rishabh Pant on 10. Crawley fluffed a simple chance driven hard at him by India’s Mr Destructive off Stokes when India were 321 ahead and England still had an outside chance of restricting their run chase to something gettable.

Josh Tongue bowled KL Rahul with a beauty and Brydon Carse was rewarded for an excellent spell when Nair was caught behind.

But Pant and Shubman Gill continue to pile on the runs and will Bazball now face a philosophical reckoning? Can they bat for a draw.

01:05 PM BST

Watch: Rishabh Pant loses his bat

01:03 PM BST

OVER 38: IND 177/3 (Gill 24 Pant 41)

Lunch. Despite a fine opening spell from Brydon Carse in particular, that was a good session for India, who scored 114/2 in 25 overs. They got away in the second hour, scoring 68 from the last 11 overs of the session. Forty of those runs were blasted by Rishabh Pant, who was at his laughable best. India lead by 357.

12:58 PM BST

OVER 37: IND 173/3 (Gill 22 Pant 39)

A short ball from Bashir is mauled for four by Pant. Pope was on the midwicket boundary but didn’t pick it up; not sure he’d have stopped it anyway.

India lead by 353. 

12:55 PM BST

OVER 36: IND 169/3 (Gill 22 Pant 35)

A quiet over from Tongue includes four dot balls to Gill. Stuart Broad, on commentary, points out the absurd fact that Gill is approaching 300 runs in the match, yet England are desperate to bowl to him right now.

12:52 PM BST

Watch: Tongue sends Rahul’s middle stump flying

12:51 PM BST

OVER 35: IND 168/3 (Gill 22 Pant 34)

An over from Bashir passes without Pant trying to hit a single ball for six. I just don’t know what’s going off out there.

12:46 PM BST

OVER 34: IND 165/3 (Gill 21 Pant 32)

Josh Tongue bowls a dot ball to Rishabh Pant. Or, to put it another way, Pant tries to launch Tongue into a new postcode, misses completely and throws his bat high in the air towards square leg. Wonderful stuff. This man is redefining the concept of ‘laughable cricket’.

After drops his bat, Woakes drops Pant next ball. It was a really tough chance, diving forward as he ran towards mid-on.

12:42 PM BST

OVER 33: IND 162/3 (Gill 20 Pant 30)

Ben Stokes gambles by bringing on Shoaib Bashir. He dismissed Pant in the first innings but this feels different, with Pant hitting the ball where he wants. He whacks two boundaries on the leg side – one in front of square, one behind – to move to 30 from 18 balls.

The fastest Test century is 54 balls, by Brendon McCullum in his final Test. Come on, I can’t be the only one thinking it.

India lead by 342.

12:38 PM BST

OVER 32: IND 152/3 (Gill 19 Pant 21)

This is a pretty ordinary performance from Rishabh Pant, who is 21 not out from 14 balls after cutting Tongue for four and sweeping a huge six over backward square leg. He’s the ultimate entertainer. More importantly for India, he is putting time back into the game and increasing the number of overs they will have to take ten wickets in the fourth innings.

12:33 PM BST

OVER 31: IND 142/3 (Gill 19 Pant 11)

Pant is dropped by Crawley, a fairly straightforward chance at mid-off. He hit it very hard on the run but it was straight at Crawley, who is usually such a reliable character. Not this time.

Earlier in the over, Gill guided Stokes classily to third man for four. The runs are starting to flow; since the double bowling change India have scored 334 in four overs.

Incidentally, replays show that Rahul was undone by by seam movement when he was cleaned up by Tongue. It was a really good delivery.

12:25 PM BST

OVER 30: IND 136/3 (Gill 14 Pant 10)

Hahaha. Pant runs down the pitch first ball, of course he does, and it hit on the pad by a low full toss.

Pant gets off the mark by pulling his third ball round the corner for four – and then swats the next ball over long-off for six. Hahaha, that is wonderful. “I’ve got no words,” chuckles Kumar Sangakkara on commentary.

12:21 PM BST

Wicket!

Rahul b Tongue 55 Yeeha, Josh Tongue has sent KL Rahul’s middle stump flying. Rahul pushed down the wrong line at a full delivery that rammed into middle stump. Maybe Tongue deceived him by going slightly wider on the crease. Either way, that’s a handy wicket for England, albeit in some ways a mixed blessing. Here comes Rishabh Pant. FOW: 126/3

12:19 PM BST

OVER 29: IND 126/2 (Rahul 55 Gill 14)

The ball is swinging so it’s a good time for Ben Stokes to bowl. He replaces Carse and almost strikes first ball when Rahul edges wide of second slip for four. England have no third slip, a decision Stokes the bowler is unable to bemoan given it was made by Stokes the captain.

12:14 PM BST

OVER 28: IND 119/2 (Rahul 50 Gill 13)

The first bowling change comes at the other end: Tongue for Woakes, and a full ball is driven stylishly for three by KL Rahul to bring up another exemplary half-century.

Gill sees that stroke and raises it with a gorgeous push-drive for four through the covers. He could time a paperweight to the boundary.

12:10 PM BST

OVER 27: IND 109/2 (Rahul 46 Gill 7)

Carse continues after the drinks break with a challenging maiden to Rahul, including a lovely outswinger past the edge. That might be it for Carse, who has bowled beautifully all morning.

12:03 PM BST

OVER 26: IND 109/2 (Rahul 46 Gill 7)

Jamie Smith is coming up to the stumps, a response to Gill batting outside his crease against Woakes. Gill edges for four, well wide of the solitary slip, and is beaten by a seductive outswinger.

That’s the end of the first hour, and time for drinks. England have bowled well but only manage to pick up the wicket of Karun Nair. India, who lead by 289, have laid the perfect platform for some afternoon bish-bosh.

11:58 AM BST

OVER 25: IND 105/2 (Rahul 46 Gill 3)

A bit of uneven bounce in that Carse over. One ball kicks at Rahul, who adjusts well to flash it wide of the slips for four; the next delivery stays down as Rahul pads up outside off stump. India lead by 285.

11:54 AM BST

OVER 24: IND 101/2 (Rahul 42 Gill 3)

A maiden from Woakes to Gill, who has started cautiously with a few to seeing off England’s opening pair. As we’ve said a few times, batting will be a whole lot easier this afternoon. Every solid defensive shot increases Rishabh Pant’s chances of running riot.

11:52 AM BST

Carse becoming a more rounded bowler

On the subject of Brydon Carse’s growth, given that he was not playing any cricket a year ago because of his ban, and when he did play ODIs for England he was a bang-it-in back-of-a-length type, like his father James: I suspect Durham’s bowling coach Graham Onions has had a bit to do with Carse becoming a far more rounded bowler. He still charges in like a bull at a gate but he uses his wrist, fingers and brains.

11:49 AM BST

OVER 23: IND 101/2 (Rahul 42 Gill 3)

Rahul defends a ball from Carse towards Stokes at mid-off. He flings the ball towards the slips and it almost runs away for four. Instead Root retrieves it inside the boundary. India could have run a single but decided not to; maybe they didn’t realise what had happened.

Carse implores the umpire to give Gill LBW when he plants his front leg and pushes around his front pad. Stokes signals that he thinks Gill has hit it – but he’s persuaded to go for an LBW review.

The technology shows that Stokes was right all along so England lose a review.

11:43 AM BST

OVER 22: IND 98/2 (Rahul 41 Gill 1)

England would love to get Rishabh Pant to the crease while the ball is still fairly new. First they need to get past either of Test cricket’s best forward defensives, as demonstrated in that Woakes over.

11:39 AM BST

OVER 21: IND 96/2 (Rahul 40 Gill 0)

Brydon Carse really deserves that. He hit Nair hard on the head, and found two edges that flew through the cordon. Nair gone for 26, with his 303 against England in 2016 looking ever more like an outrageous outlier.

11:38 AM BST

Wicket!

Nair c Smith b Carse 26 Every now and then, you get what you deserve in life. Nair started the over with successive boundaries but Carse has troubled him all morning and struck with a very full delivery that Nair snicked to the diving Jamie Smith. Excellent stuff from England this morning, and more proof that, when his rhythm is good, Brydon Carse is a world-class bowler. FOW: 96/2

11:34 AM BST

OVER 20: IND 88/1 (Rahul 40 Nair 18)

Woakes has a big LBW appeal turned down when Rahul pads up to a nipbacker; it hit the flap of the pad and didn’t quite come back enough. The next ball swerves the other way from back of al length to beat Rahul’s windy waft.

England are all over India – well, as much as you can be when the opposition is effectively 268/1 – and could easily have taken two wickets in the first half hour.

11:31 AM BST

England despite for a breakthrough

A fine, hostile spell of fast bowling from Brydon Carse, who has regained his nip after looking totally cooked at the end of the India innings. Need to break through quickly though because once the ball goes soft, batting becomes a dream.

11:28 AM BST

OVER 19: IND 86/1 (Rahul 38 Nair 17)

A back-of-a-length delivery from Carse straightens to beat Rahul’s defensive poke. This is a fine, hostile spell of bowling. Rahul decides to watch it from the non-striker’s end, taking a quick single on the leg side.

Another seaming lifter from Carse roars past Nair’s outside edge. Nair thick edges for four, a semi-deliberate shot, and edges the last ball short of slip. What an outstanding over from Carse.

11:23 AM BST

OVER 18: IND 81/1 (Rahul 38 Nair 13)

Another edge from Nair, this time off Woakes, bounces short of slip and is well fielded by Brook diving to his right. England have made a good start, particularly to Nair. At the other end KL Rahul is pottering along quite serenely.

11:19 AM BST

OVER 17: IND 81/1 (Rahul 38 Nair 13)

A nasty delivery from Carse jags back to hit Nair straight in the grille as he tries to take evasive action.

After a quick concussion check, Nair resumes his innings – and edges the next ball straight between Root and Brook in the slips! They’ve standing quite far apart, with England hedging their bets, and neither man went for it.

That’s the second edge for four off Carse in as many overs this morning. India lead by 261.

11:15 AM BST

OVER 16: IND 76/1 (Rahul 38 Nair 8)

A good second over from Woakes, tight line, with a soupçon of seam movement and a strangled LBW shout against Nair. It was going down.

11:11 AM BST

Mind the windows (of opportunity for England)

India’s gameplan? Double their lead, or slightly more, and set England 520 – declaring with say just over an hour of play left tonight. The gloomy conditions will give England hope they can bowl out India long before. But the attack looked fatigued last night, after delivering 151 overs in the first innings.

11:10 AM BST

OVER 15: IND 75/1 (Rahul 38 Nair 8)

Brydon Carse starts at the Birmingham End and is a bit unfortunate not to take a wicket. After Rahul drives sweetly for four, Carse finds both edges of the bat. The inside edge deflects onto the pad, invalidating a bit LBW appeal; the outside edge flies past Brook at slip and away for another boundary.

11:05 AM BST

OVER 14: IND 67/1 (Rahul 30 Nair 8)

A muted start from Woakes, with no sideways movement whatsoever. Three singles increase India’s lead to 247.

11:02 AM BST

Blustery conditions at Edgbaston

Jamie Smith said on Sky this morning that England were hunting for wickets last night because they don’t want to wait for a declaration from India. You’d think that even if India bat well today, Shubman Gill will be very conservative, not wanting to give England a sniff.

Another thing worth noting about conditions: it’s very windy.

11:01 AM BST

Chris Woakes will open the bowling

It’s a cool, gloomy morning in Birmingham. The ball is only 13 overs old and the lights are on, so it’s vital England start well.

10:48 AM BST

A busy day in Birmingham

Good morning from Edgbaston. It’s a grey day but fears over rain have abated so we should get a full day. I’d be stunned if it’s as exciting and dramatic as yesterday, but I refuse to rule anything at all out with this lot.

Birmingham is even more rammed than usual with heavy metal fans because local heroes Black Sabbath are playing their farewell gig at Villa Park. Team Tel are lucky enough to be staying in the same hotel as the Indian team and their hefty entourage, support act Metallica, and it seems a good deal of the bands’ crews. It’s a real melting pot!

10:28 AM BST

Jamie Smith talks to Sky Sports

It’s been a strange Test match, I guess. There’s been some big scores and some low scores. It shows that the new ball is the key battle, that’s where most of the wickets have been lost. When the ball gets soft it’s pretty nice to bat on.

[Did India get away from England last night?] Yeah they did. I think it’s one of those things, at the end of a long day you’re almost hunting for wickets. We know the new ball is crucial. We don’t want to wait for a declaration from them, we want to take wickets to stem the flow of runs, and bowl them out ultimately.

[On breaking Alec Stewart’s record for the highest score by an England wicketkeeper] Yeah I saw him last night, I let him know!

Everything happened so quickly that I didn’t really have time to think when I came out to bat. I actually said to Brooky, ‘Is it a hat-trick ball?’ I didn’t even know Ben had got out first ball.

I was pretty clear in the way I wanted to play. It was a good wicket, I know that from standing behind the stumps for 150 overs, and I wanted to put them under pressure. In that situation you can prod and poke and maybe get bowled out for 200. I didn’t think that was the way to go about things. It was to put my foot down and show that, no matter what situation we’re in, we can still fight back.

[Was it a case of ‘see ball, hit ball?] Yeah absolutely. You have very few days like that in a season: everything seems to hit the middle, and when it doesn’t the edges go into the gap. While you’re playing like that you have to ride it and keep things simple.

[On attacking the short ball] For me it’s about being in a stable position and being clear about whether I’m going up or down. It helps that Krishna gets natural bounce and you know where he’s going to bowl. Swing hard and hope for the best!

10:06 AM BST

Geoffrey Boycott’s verdict

09:53 AM BST

Stokes’ batting has gone from a worry to a problem

“Need you now, skipper,” tweeted the Barmy Army, with a praying emoji for good measure, capturing the mood of every watching England fan.

Ben Stokes was striding to the crease in the second over of the third day of a Test match that had gone badly wrong for his team. Walking in the other direction was a disbelieving Joe Root, who had contrived to feather a filthy Mohammed Siraj delivery down the leg side to leave England 84 for four, still 503 behind. The stage felt set for Stokes, English cricket’s patron saint of lost causes.

It is some time since England have needed a performance more from Stokes. And some time since he has provided one. This week marked two years since the last of his 13 Test centuries, a magical 155 in the Ashes at Lord’s, fuelled by righteous fury of the Australians’ stumping of Jonny Bairstow. Since then, he averages 28, which was also his average last year. This year, his three innings had brought scores of nine, 20 and 33.

09:51 AM BST

Jamie Smith: the future of England’s batting

The upturned collar was the clue. Jamie Smith walked out to bat on a hat-trick with the intent of a man ready to make a difference and coolly put away his first ball to spark a performance that nobody at Edgbaston will ever forget.

One of those watching was Alec Stewart, who witnessed his record score by an England wicket-keeper broken by a player he has known at Surrey since he was a child.

Smith stroked a hundred before lunch, compiled an unbeaten 184, surpassing Stewart’s 173 against New Zealand in 1997.

There was more. He also beat the 128-year-old record for the highest score by an England No 7, surpassing Ranjitsinhji’s 180 in Sydney in 1897. Ranji, Stewart and Smith. They make a stylish trio.

Read more…

09:42 AM BST

Good morning

Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, over-by-over coverage of the fourth day of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston. Despite an historic innings from Jamie Smith yesterday, England are so far behind the game that they may have to think the unthinkable: batting for a draw.

All things being equal, India will set England an impossible target at some stage after tea. A lot has been said about the increased maturity of England’s batsmen. The challenge of batting for a draw – a result Ben Stokes disowned when he took over as captain – will tell us whether they really have embraced pragmatism.

India resume on 64 for 1, a lead of 244 on a pitch that only really offers anything to the bowlers when the ball is new. There’s a chance of rain in Birmingham, though interruptions are more likely on the final day. You’d imagine that India – twice bitten, thrice shy after the events of Edgbaston 2022 and Headingley 2025 – will want to set England a target beyond even their ambition. It could be as extreme as 500 in 110 overs.

The England perspective is different. Their glass is half full and last night Harry Brook, who supported Smith with a masterful 158, spoke cheerily about the chances of forcing another India collapse.

“We’ve obviously got a big task at hand tomorrow morning and we’ll try and get a couple of wickets early on and try and put them under pressure,” he said. “Obviously, they are in front at the minute, but if we get a couple of early wickets in the morning… We got 7 for 40 runs and then 6 for 30 runs at Headingley and then they’ve done the same to us today. Everything happened so quickly and you never know how the game can go.”