Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Alfred: "The unsung hero - Foakes. Good to see him get some statistics for his effort." -- Yup. I've always thought Wriddhiman Saha is the best keeper against spin in Test cricket at this moment, but Foakes' display was as good as any of Saha's best.

Daniel Wesley: "India's first innings score is eerily similar to 2012 Mumbai Test between the 2 teams .. India scored 327 then .... Can Root play a KP like innings and get Eng past 400?"

Geetha: "Four ducks in a total of 329. What's the highest score to include four ducks, I wonder." -- India have fallen well short of West Indies' total of 467 at Georgetown in 2002.

This is, however, the highest Test-match total to not include any extras.

Ramc: "Ashwin will bowl first over.. what's yours thoughts guys?" -- It's quite possible.

Pravesh Jain: "Pant was furious at Siraj there and rightly so. He should be trying to survive and let Pant take care of scoring" -- I don't know how much you can expect from your No. 11. He has a method and he went with it.

10.08am Stone ends with excellent figures of 3 for 47, he's bowled very very well in his first outing in India. India end up with 329, which looks at the moment like a formidable total on this pitch. You only judge a pitch after both teams have batted and bowled on it, of course, but it's clear to see England have a big task ahead of them.

95.5
W
Stone to Mohammed Siraj, OUT, tries the same shot, but this time he fails to make the contact he wants. Short again, outside off, and the attempted uppercut ends up as a bottom-edge through to the keeper

Mohammed Siraj c †Foakes b Stone 4 (4m 2b 1x4 0x6) SR: 200.00

Two slips, gully, short leg, leg gully.

95.4
4
Stone to Mohammed Siraj, FOUR, short outside off, and Siraj makes a bit of extra room and uppercuts it crisply over the backward point region

In walks Mohammed Siraj. He likes to move around the crease and not offer fast bowlers a stationary target. Stone goes over the wicket.

Pankaj: "Why take a single on 1st ball? Don't they coach to farm strike?" -- He wanted two runs, but slightly overestimated how much power he had put on that shot.

95.3
W
Stone to Kuldeep Yadav, OUT, got him, excellent follow-up delivery. Back of a length close to off stump, straightens just a touch, and you can see Kuldeep was expecting the bouncer there. His feet go nowhere, and he gets squared up as he has a nibble at it, looking to run it down towards third man probably. Thin edge through to Foakes

Kuldeep Yadav c †Foakes b Stone 0 (27m 15b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Leg gully goes into position too.

95.2
0
Stone to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, bouncer, doesn't get up as high as Kuldeep expects, and hits him on the front shoulder as he ducks to try and evade it

Two slips and a short leg for Kuldeep.

95.1
1
Stone to Pant, 1 run, steps out to the length ball outside off, dabs gently into the cover point region and sprints across. He wanted two, but the keeper ran quickly to catch up with the ball and keep him down to one

New challenge for Pant now. Here's Olly Stone. Around the wicket, just the slip in place, plenty back on the boundary on either side. Struggling to spot a single fielder in the infield. Jeevan: "That's the beauty of Indian cricket, it gives you heroes to keep on clinging to this beautiful game. I had Kumble, Sachin and after Dhoni I thought who now whom I will be fan of in any situation and condition........Thanks Pant...."

Sid Monga informs me that Pant, with 31 sixes, is already the 12th-highest six-hitter for India in Tests. One more and he joins Rahane at No. 11.

END OF OVER:
95 | (maiden) | IND: 324/8

  • Kuldeep Yadav0 (13b)
  • Rishabh Pant57 (76b)
  • Joe Root11-3-23-1
  • Moeen Ali29-3-128-4
94.6
0
Root to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, nicely played. Flat one straightening towards off stump, and he gets a good stride forward to defend into the covers
94.5
0
Root to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, yorker close to off stump, jams his bat down and keeps it out comfortably
94.4
0
Root to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, quick slider angling in towards off stump, nice stride forward to block into the covers
94.3
0
Root to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, flat one on leg stump, quite full, defended into the on side
94.2
0
Root to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, tossed up fuller and closer to off stump, defended to short extra-cover
94.1
0
Root to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, quick offbreak outside off, left alone

Root now has Kuldeep on strike for potentially six balls. Slip, gully, short leg.

END OF OVER:
94 | 6 Runs | IND: 324/8

  • Rishabh Pant57 (76b)
  • Kuldeep Yadav0 (7b)
  • Moeen Ali29-3-128-4
  • Joe Root10-2-23-1
93.6
0
Ali to Pant, no run, flat, quick offbreak outside off, and Pant doesn't have any time to move his feet there. Looks to jab it square on the off side for a single, and it zips past his outside edge. Well bowled
93.5
0
Ali to Pant, no run, sharp turn and bounce outside off, beats the edge as Pant attempts to cut

Extra-cover now comes into a single-saving position.

93.4
6
Ali to Pant, SIX, sees some flight just outside off, and he steps out, skips slightly inside the line, and frees his arms to loft it straight of long-off and clear the boundary with ease
93.3
0
Ali to Pant, no run, short outside off, slapped to deep point. No single again

Three back on the leg-side boundary too. Only short fine leg is in a single-saving position, he's more there for the top-edged sweep.

93.2
0
Ali to Pant, no run, flat, shortish, wide of off, left alone
93.1
0
Ali to Pant, no run, down the track to the flighted ball outside off, driven firmly to long-off. Refuses the single

Moeen continues. Four men out on the off-side boundary. Just a slip in place.

END OF OVER:
93 | 1 Run | IND: 318/8

  • Kuldeep Yadav0 (7b)
  • Rishabh Pant51 (70b)
  • Joe Root10-2-23-1
  • Moeen Ali28-3-122-4
92.6
0
Root to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, tossed up full outside off, left alone

Just the one ball for Kuldeep to negotiate.

92.5
1
Root to Pant, 1 run, steps out and across to the off side to get close to this ball, meet it on the full, and open his face to steer to deep point

Two balls left in this over. How will Pant play it?

92.4
0
Root to Pant, no run, four leaves in a row. Again that extremely wide line outside off
92.3
0
Root to Pant, no run, fired in quick, wide outside off, and again Pant leaves it alone
92.2
0
Root to Pant, no run, and again, very wide of off stump and Pant isn't drawn into a shot
92.1
0
Root to Pant, no run, quick length ball wide of off stump, left alone. Too wide to play at it, really

Root continues from around the wicket.

END OF OVER:
92 | 9 Runs | IND: 317/8

  • Kuldeep Yadav0 (6b)
  • Rishabh Pant50 (65b)
  • Moeen Ali28-3-122-4
  • Joe Root9-2-22-1
91.6
0
Ali to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, soft hands, and the edge doesn't carry to first slip. Gets on the front foot again, but this one lands on a slightly shorter length and turns away. You'll have to say he played that well, didn't let his bat go too far from his body in defence

Slip and gully in place too, apart from silly point.

91.5
0
Ali to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, tossed up outside off, stretches out nicely and defends to silly point

Malli: "That's what dedicated wicket keepers can do, create opportunities out of nowhere. It could be a turning point in this match" -- Yup, Foakes has been absolutely magnificent. He's a pretty good batsman too.

England 4th innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st17RJ BurnsDP Sibley
2nd32RJ BurnsDW Lawrence
3rd1MJ LeachDW Lawrence
4th16JE RootDW Lawrence
5th24JE RootBA Stokes
6th20JE RootOJ Pope
7th6JE RootBT Foakes
8th0MM AliJE Root
9th10MM AliOP Stone
10th38MM AliSCJ Broad