India v England, fifth Test Day 1 as it happened - England hopeless, as India dominate the day with both bat and ball
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Updated 07/03/2024 at 11:42 GMT
Welcome to TNT Sports' live text coverage of Day 1 of the fifth Test between India and England at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. India have already clinched a series victory, but there remains a lot for Ben Stokes' tourists to play for as they seek to end on a high note. The series currently sits at 3-1 to India as it stands, but England want to respond.
'Brilliant watchable display of spin bowling' - Stokes goes for a duck as Kuldeep takes 5th wicket
Video credit: TNT Sports
'A real bad 45 minutes' - Cook on England's 'uphill battle' in fifth test against India
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'A real bad 45 minutes' - Cook on England's 'uphill battle' in fifth Test against India
Video credit: TNT Sports
As good as it got for England this afternoon
Stumps. India 135-1 (Gill 26 Rohit 52) Trail by 83 runs
Tom Hartley finishes the session with a solid enough over that doesn't produce the wicket England desperately need. To say that was India's day would be an understatement. Apart from the morning session, the home side absolutely dominated proceedings. Things can only get better eh?
Six!
Hartley pitches one short, inviting Shubman Gill to reach for it, and he does. Right over deep midwi.
India 127-1 (Gill 18 Rohit 52) Overs: 29
Gill looking to attack Bashir a la Jaiswal but to not quite the same effect. The bowler has also grown in confidence after taking that wicket, as much of a gift as it was. One over remaining of the day.
India 126-1 (Gill 17 Rohit 52) Overs: 28
Still Stokes sticks with spin. He must have his reasons, and there's nothing wrong with the way Hartley's bowling but he's not really causing these two any trouble either and the pitch is looking ever more lifeless. One each for the batters as we head towards close of play.
India 124-1 (Gill 16 Rohit 51) Overs: 27
Shoaib receives vocal support from his team-mates as he bowls a little faster, and pitches a bit closer to the batter for a second maiden of his afternoon. Three overs remain of the day.
India 124-1 (Gill 16 Rohit 51) Overs: 26
Gill is making this surface look better all the time, as India find themselves within 100 runs of England's score Stokes is sticking with spin, but is Anderson going to get another chance before close? He's only bowled four overs today and maybe he can make the ball move in the late afternoon air.
India 122-1 (Gill 15 Rohit 50) Overs: 25
He had to wait a few overs for it, but Rohit Sharma reaches the half century with a legside prod. That came off just 77 balls, including 6 fours and 2 sixes. Gill finishes the over with a flourish.
Six!
Shubman Gill gets a maximum of his own, right over the deep square leg boundary, Huge hit.
India 115-1 (Gill 9 Rohit 49) Overs: 24
India more than halfway to England's total. Make that 53%, as Gill pounces on a short ball from Tom Hartley, sending it to the deep midwicket boundary. One bounce, four. This is starting to look like a partnership.
India 111-1 (Gill 5 Rohit 49) Overs: 23
Bashir must be feeling a bit better for taking the wicket of Jaiswal, who'd be tearing lumps out of him. Can he double up before the day is out? He invites the single from Rohit to bring Shubman Gill to the strike. But Gill can bat, don't worry about that and he gets his innings going with four runs over Ben Foakes' head.
India 105-1 (Gill 0 Rohit 48) Overs: 22
Thirty minutes left in the day, nine overs. Rohit wants to see this out. Stokes for his part wants to get the new batter on strike and tempt a mistake from him. Clever batting from the captain, defending the over before pinching a single from the final ball.
India 104-1 (Gill 0 Rohit 47) Overs: 21
Jaiswal gets to 49 with a cut to point, then over the line with a boundary from the short ball, absolutely whacked to the fence. He sweeps another to the midwicket rope, before falling on his sword. A surge of adrenaline? Over-confidence? However you look at that it was an unforced error.
Wicket! Jaiswal st Foakes b Shoaib 57
A gift to England, as Jaiswal steams down the pitch and misses by a mile. The easiest of stumpings for Ben Foakes and an important wicket for Shoaib Bashir.
India 94-0 (Jaiswal 47 Rohit 47) Overs: 20
Shout for "catch it" from Ben Stokes and a moment when England think they have their man but the mis-timed big shot from Rohit Sharma is just too high for Jimmy Anderson, even at full leap. The ball continues on to the boundary andboth these batters are within sight of their 50s.
India 90-0 (Jaiswal 47 Rohit 43) Overs: 19
When Jaiswal steps out it's with such intent. He moves into the forties with the most elegant of shots past Shoaib Bashir, then a third four with a crunching swing through the gap at midwicket.
India 80-0 (Jaiswal 38 Rohit 42) Overs: 18
England fans at least seem to be enjoying the weather, even if their team isn't giving them much to smile about. It's a lovely late afternoon in the low Himalayas. If Hartley is frustrated, he's not showing it, continuing to bowl on the stumps and keeping the batters in their crease.
India 79-0 (Jaiswal 37 Rohit 42) Overs: 17
Shoaib Bashir seems to be bowling a little bit sloppily in this spell, letting the ball drift in towards the right hander, says Nick Knight. He says Foakes ought to be advising his bowler. It might not be too tidy and he might not be finding his way through, but nor is he leaving the big chances for the batters to score with. Five singles from that over.
India 74-0 (Jaiswal 34 Rohit 40) Overs: 16
What do England need to do? Can they do anything, or is it down to India? A breakthrough has to come before the close of play but the tourists seem reliant on a collapse of their own at this point. No signs of it from where I'm sitting. Still, good over from Tom Hartley there, limiting India to a couple.
India 72-0 (Jaiswal 33 Rohit 39) Overs: 15
A graceful pivot from Jaiswal adds four to his total, and brings up 1000 test runs for him. That makes him the second fastest Indian, fastest Indian opener to reach four figures. A seriously strong start to the home side's first innings, already more than a third of the way to England's total at drinks.
India 66-0 (Jaiswal 28 Rohit 38) Overs: 14
Tom Hartley has scored 165 runs and taken 20 wickets in this series so far. A really encouraging start to his test career, even with that nine-run over. India are singing from every part of the hymn sheet and the pitch is mute. There's not much they can do.
Six!
Rohit Sharma puts Tom Hartley away with a huge crack over long-on.
India 57-0 (Jaiswal 27 Rohit 30) Overs: 13
India are getting on with things, a run rate of close to 5, as England begin to appeal pretty much everything. At least they're not reviewing them all, though and Bashir has found his footing with a very tight over, that takes him back down to 6.33.
India 56-0 (Jaiswal 26 Rohit 30) Overs: 12
England take their first review after an appeal for caught behind is turned down. Foakes is confident enough to convince Root and Stokes, but Ultraedge shows a flat line as the ball passes the bat. Rohit responds to that closeish call with a swish of his bat sufficient to go all the way to the boundary, and another one over deep midwicket.
India 47-0 (Jaiswal 25 Rohit 21) Overs: 11
England bring Ollie Pope in close and while he claims a couple, no-one is remotely convinced they were off anything other than pad. Bashir seems to have found his spot a bit better now, or at least Rohit Sharma can't handle it quite as well, as the young bowler takes a maiden. That'll improve his average somewhat.
India 47-0 (Jaiswal 25 Rohit 21) Overs: 10
A modest over for this pair against Tom Hartley after all those fireworks. A nice tidy over takes India to 47 for no loss. So I think we can conclude that it's a good pitch then.
India 44-0 (Jaiswal 24 Rohit 20) Overs: 9
Forget what I was saying earlier about patience from Jaiswal. That was a killer over from the batter of the series by a mile.
Six!
And a third from Jaiswal, who treats Bashir's bowling with utter distain. Jaiswal stays in his crease and just eases it over mid-on. Brutal stuff.
Six!
Another one through the offiside!
Six!
A very big shot, very big, all the way down the ground from Jaiswal. It wasn't a bad ball from Bashir but it was met with the confidence of a player who can do it against spin.
India 26-0 (Jaiswal 6 Rohit 20) Overs: 8
Tom Hartley comes into bowl to the lefthander. He's been one of the (few) successes of the series for England, you'd say. He turns one beyond Jaiswal's outside edge and though it hits pad it's too high and there's no great enthusiasm to the appeal. A single from the last ball means Jaiswal will keep the strike, as Bashir comes in at the other end.
India 25-0 (Jaiswal 5 Rohit 20) Overs: 7
A big appeal for caught behind, and the finger goes up but Rohit Sharma reviews immediately with the smile of someone who knows he was nowhere near it. And so the replay shows, the noise being ball on glove. Just a single for India but still no breakthrough for England. I think we're about to see some spin.
India 24-0 (Jaiswal 4 Rohit 20) Overs: 6
Has the Dharamshala DJ gotten hold of one of my teenage mixtapes? The tunes coming over the PA, inclulding The Rembrandts 'I'll be there for you' would indicate that he has. Rohit Sharma is no 'Friend' of Mark Wood though, giving the bowler evils before driving him down the ground for four. Slightly overpitched but a lovely shot. And another nice drive off the back foot adds two. After six overs, the ball seems to have gotten out of shape, as the umpires have called for another one. How much difference do we think that will make?
India 18-0 (Jaiswal 4 Rohit 14) Overs: 5
Jaiswal happy to take his time here, showing he enjoys playing defensive, supporting cricket as much as crashing the boundary. And no sooner do I type that than he sends one through the covers for two. Not quite hard enough to reach the rope but it needed collecting.
India 16-0 (Jaiswal 2 Rohit 14) Overs: 4
More good length from Mark Wood but the ball isn't moving for him, and Rohit Sharma has no trouble getting the middle of his very straight bat in front of it. He follows hip his maximum with a four driven past point. Ten for him from that over.
Six!
Into the air and into the stands from Rohit Sharma. 150kph plus and somehow he seems to have all the time in the world to fling his bat at it. England's slip fielders can only watch, knowing it's going all the way over fine leg.
India 6-0 (Jaiswal 2 Rohit 4) Overs: 3
A very consistent over of line and length brings up a first maiden for Anderson, who comes as close as he has with the third ball of the over, catching Jaiswal on the inside edge as he looks to defend. It ricochets only into his pad, though. You'd think England will need an early wicket to prevent India from growing towards the kind of confidence they can use to such commanding effect.
India 6-0 (Jaiswal 2 Rohit 4) Overs: 2
Mark Wood attacking from the other end to make the most of the shiny ball in this final session. There's a minimum of 29 overs left of the day and England are going to want to make a sizeable dent in the India order by close of play. A nice punch from Rohit Sharma gets him off the mark with a perfectly placed shot that goes all the way to the boundary.
India 1-0 (Jaiswal 1 Rohit 0) Overs: 1
Jimmy Anderson with the new ball, looking to find the same kind of swing India's seamers managed early doors (only with even more success). Three slips and a gulley is a sign of purpose, if not possibility, as it's a lot brighter than it was first thing this morning. Anderson manages to find something against Rohit Sharma, as Jaiswal gets India off the mark with a nudge into the covers. That makes him the highest scoring Indian batter in a series against England.
'English middle order once again coming apart' - Root goes lbw in England collapse
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'English middle order once again coming apart' - Root goes LBW in England collapse
Video credit: TNT Sports
England 218 all out
What can you say? Ben Stokes seemed confident in the wicket when he won the toss, so the barmy army will be hoping he was as wrong as England's first-innings total suggests. They say don't judge a pitch until both sides have batted on it, but a lot is now surely going to be asked of Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir. Can they produce the same kind of magic as Kuldeep and Ashwin?
Wicket! Anderson c Padikkal b Ashwin 0
After surviving a first-ball review, Jimmy defends his second, then tries to sweep over midwicket but can't clear the fielder, who has two catches on his debut.
Wicket! Foakes b Ashwin 24
Foakes is completely foxed by the spin of Ashwin, which hits him pretty much everywhere before trickling onto the stumps.
England 218-8 (Bashir 11 Foakes 24) Overs: 57
Bumrah has the ball and he's got his eye on Shoaib Bashir. But he's a little too eager and delivers the first no-ball of the innings. A single from Bash gets Foakes back on strike who achieves another boundary thanks to a slightly wild pull at mid-on. A two-run no-ball and four this time for Bashir, a true batter's shot cut past slip. Twelve off that over, and a bit of respectability for England.
England 206-8 (Bashir 6 Foakes 19) Overs: 56
The batters return to face Ravichandran Ashwin and someone has clearly had a word with Ben Foakes in the break, because his first shot is full of intent, positive and perfectly timed. The shot, a drive past midwicket, is good for four runs. His next shot is similarly aggressive but less well picked so only a single. One more takes England to 200 and the recipients of a ripple of applause. The field closes in but Foakes finds the gap again for another boundary and 12 off that over.
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Hope for England? There's always hope...
And don't they say that's what kills you?
Tea. England 194-8 (Bashir 5 Foakes 8) Overs: 55
With tea looming, will England get to nine before the break? Not with Foakes defending like that they won't. He seems happier receiving balls from Jadeja than Kuldeep, but that's a relative concept. He's still spending a lot of time on his knees and stabbing at best.
What a ferocious session that was from India. England added 94 runs for 6 wickets but have added just 23 runs since the loss of Jonny Bairstow, as Kuldeep wreaked havoc.
England 193-8 (Bashir 5 Foakes 7) Overs: 54
Some free batting from these two, which is actually what we could have done with from the middle order. They might be able to salvage something but it's hard to see them sticking around for long. Balls coming thick and fast from India's spinners, as Ashwin sends some very tight ones up towards the stumps.
England 190-8 (Bashir 4 Foakes 5) Overs: 53
Damage limitation time from these tail-enders, as India look to clear England off the pitch and begin their chase.
England 189-8 (Bashir 4 Foakes 4) Overs: 52
Bashir gets away with a loose one that bounces all the way to the midwicket boundary, as it starts to look as if 200 would be a decent total for England. 45 minutes ago you'd bet on them to get close to double that. Cricket. Bloomin' hell.
England 184-8 (Bashir 0 Foakes 3) Overs: 51
A shot of the balcony shows a disconsolate England leadership. It could be worse, as Bashir is dropped by Jurel in the last ball of the over. Foakes is breathing heavy, as well he might. There's no real pressure on him though, the damage is done.
England 183-8 (Bashir 0 Foakes 2) Overs: 50
A double wicket maiden for Ashwin, just as we were asking if he could get among the wickets. You can't blame Mark Wood for that one, when England, who have lost five wickets for eight runs in 37 balls, are truly capitulating.
Wicket! Wood c Sharma b Ashwin 0
The ball turned a little more than it might have as Mark Wood pushed at it, but didn't make clean enough contact and it came off the edge behind to Rohit Sharma.
Wicket! Hartley c Padikkal b Ashwin 6
Hartley goes for the slog sweep but it's higher than it is long. Not an easy catch just in front of the boundary for the debutant, but he takes it well. Ashwin gets among the wickets in his 100th test.
England 183-6 (Hartley 6 Foakes 2) Overs: 49
Jadeja looks to double his money, or at least continue with the stinginess. It's hard to judge Foakes' mindset but the pressure is surely on. He opts to defend as Ravindra Jadeja picks up another maiden.
England 183-6 (Hartley 6 Foakes 2) Overs: 48
Ashwin returns with the ball and Tom Hartley shows with a grubbly swipe that streams past his off stump, for every two or three beautiful shots he can play, there's the odd ugly one.
England 181-6 (Hartley 5 Foakes 1) Overs: 47
In Foakes we trust? He might be the more specialist batter but it looks like England need the more positive play of Tom Hartley to get them out of this hole. If that's at all possible against spin of this class.
England 179-6 (Hartley 4 Foakes 0) Overs: 46
Tom Hartley smashing his second ball to the boundary will be scant consolation to a middle order collapse. It's a good batting surface but it can't be bad for bowling either. Kuldeep is throwing the googly up to perfection and at the ripe old age of 46 overs, it's dancing to his tune.
Wicket! Stokes lbw b Kuldeep 0
You could say the England captain just wasn't quick enough to get his bat across to that one. The appeal was loud an comprehensive, the finger went up and though Stokes reviewed, it was impossible to see how he could get out of that one. It was in line, hit him on the back pad, and was clearly heading straight on. England in massive trouble now. That's five for Kuldeep.
England 175-5 (Stokes 0 Foakes 0) Overs: 45
Beautiful bowling from Jadeja who simply played the old one two, with the first one turning, the second one heading straight on. A wicket maiden for him, bowling spin at the highes level. Now what can England do in response? We're halfway through the day's allotted overs.
Wicket! Root lbw b Jadeja 26
First Bairstow now Root. Two key batters taking a review with them. England have gone from a great position at lunch to a worrying on an hour or so later. He didn't hit it, it looked to be going straight on, which is why the umpire's finger went up and DRS said it was hitting the stumps all day long. Rod Tucker repeats his finger lift and that's two wickets in four balls.
England 175-4 (Stokes 0 Root 26) Overs: 44
An eventful over, with eight runs added and Bairstow's impressive cameo rather briefer than anyone would have liked. England just losing wickets at crucial moments. Not to repeat myself but England really need this to be the partnership.
Wicket! Bairstow c Jurel b Kuldeep 29
He burned bright for half as long. Bairstow departs caught behind from Kuldeep. England reviewed the umpire's decision, presumably thinking the sound was bat on pad, but ultradedge shows it was the right call.
Six!
And another one from Jonny Bairstow! He's so clear in his mind what he wants to do and that slog over midwicket tells you he's here to dominate India.
England 167-3 (Bairstow 21 Root 26) Overs: 43
A beautiful, almost traditional four from Joe Root beyond backward point the only runs of that over, but that'll certainly do.
England 163-3 (Bairstow 21 Root 22) Overs: 42
Strong over from England but it almost ended with a caight and bowled. Bairstow hit it straight at Kuldeep but too hard for him to hold onto, as Bairstow gets away with it. He's come in with the bit between his teeth. No shrinking violet. Other cliches are available.
Six!
Well struck from Jonny Bairstow, showing what kind of mindset he's come in with. A really flat one, hit so hard over Kuldeep's head and just dropping across the boundary.
England 152-3 (Bairstow 12 Root 20) Overs: 41
Pressure building on Joe Root from Rohit Sharma who positions a tight field, telling him that there'll be no easy singles and rapid-fire rotation. If they want the scoreboard to tick over he'll need to play riskier shots like that one, a drive down to long off. Bairstow goes bigger, attacking the ball from Jadeja and completely fluffs his lines. He gets away with the mis-hit, though which though it's at a nice height is just out of reach of the fielder and runs on to the boundary.
England 145-3 (Bairstow 7 Root 19) Overs: 40
Kuldeep looks to continue mining this rich seam that has delivered him three wickets from 11 overs so far. Root and Bairstow for their part need to frustrate him and what it would mean to Jonny Bairstow to put England in a commanding position going into day two. That over shows that he's prepared to bide his time though.
England 145-3 (Bairstow 7 Root 18) Overs: 39
Can Root and Bairstow drag England towards a solid score? This pair aren't short of experience, that's for sure and they've shared a few partnerships in their time. Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum need them to do what they do best this afternoon.
England 143-3 (Bairstow 6 Root 17) Overs: 38
Jonny Bairstow gets off the mark in his 100th test match with a couple and then a boundary eased to the rope at fine leg. He might have preferred to begin facing the pace of Bumrah than this perplexing turn from Kuldeep, but that's a solid start.
Wicket! Crawley b Kuldeep 79
An absolute stunner from Kuldeep for his third of the day. He drew Crawley into the drive and the ball turned so sweetly between bat and pad, into leg stump. Bairstow up next.
'That's in the air...' Duckett goes for 27 after magnificent catch from Gill
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'That's in the air...' - Duckett goes for 27 after magnificent catch from Gill
Video credit: TNT Sports
England 136-2 (Crawley 78 Root 17) Overs: 37
So close to a caught and bowled from Jadeja off only his second ball. Crawley hits it over his left shoulder and though the bowler can get a few fingers on the ball, it's not quite enough.
England 136-2 (Crawley 78 Root 17) Overs: 36
Runs! For Crawley, who gets a couple with a thick edge past where third man would be, while Root closes the over with a slasher of a square sweep that glides all the way to the boundary.
England 129-2 (Crawley 75 Root 13) Overs: 35
Joe Root playing like he isn't facing his nemesis, which is the only way he'll get to to runs against Bumrah. There's only one way of getting over a jinx, and it's by not believing it exists. Still,Bumrah keeps him guessing with a range of balls and India pick up a second maiden on the bounce. Literally.
England 129-2 (Crawley 75 Root 13) Overs: 34
A maiden for Kuldeep from six balls he spent forcing Crawley forward to defend on the front foot. Really accurate bowling from him, offering no easy balls, even to a batter finding it as easy as Crawley is.
England 129-2 (Crawley 75 Root 13) Overs: 33
Bumrah continuing his spell and the over opens with a very big appeal for caught behind. Jurel is up straight away, convinced there was a nick, but Sarfaraz doesn't know, and ultraedge says it clipped the top of Crawley's pad. Sharma right not to appeal because Sarfaraz knows. Another boundary for Crawley brings up 400 for the series for him. Good running off the last ball of the over allows him to keep the strike. He should want it.
England 124-2 (Crawley 70 Root 13) Overs: 32
Perhaps following the example of Root, Crawley is beginning to play a bit more off his back foot, rather than getting down early as he has been. One a-piece off that over as Kuldeep bowls well but not troubling the men at the crease.
England 122-2 (Crawley 69 Root 12) Overs: 31
Brilliant bowling from Bumrah, having been playing the inswinger to Joe Root, he switches it to the outswinger, just evading the edge. I asked how much Crawley is in his own head, the other question is the extent Bumrah is in Root's. Crawley on strike seees a couple of byes added to England's total as Bumrah sends a wild inswinger past his keeper's diving gloves.
England 119-2 (Crawley 69 Root 11) Overs: 30
Crawley drives a full toss to deep midwicket for two at the start of the over, ending it collecting a tenth four of his innings with a simple half volley drive that skips along the ground past mid-off. There's a lightish appeal as Crawley sweeps and misses to Kuldeep but nothing doing. You'd think Sharma owes Sarfaraz one now.
England 113-2 (Crawley 63, Root 11) Overs: 29
A first boundary for Joe Root is a textbook shot, left late and flicked beyond square leg. And another one swept beyond wicketkeeper Jurel. How much is Zak Crawley thinking about how far he can go? He's never reached a century against India.
England 102-2 (Crawley 63, Root 3) Overs: 28
Kuldeep in at the other end really revving it, and making Root and Crawley play with their feet as much as the bat. They're the equal to the bowling, though, defending most and with Crawley punching a couple of runs off a wider ball.
England 102-2 (Crawley 60, Root 2) Overs: 27
Jasprit Bumrah back in after a break, looking to relieve Joe Root of his wicket for the umpteenth time. The spectators have just seen the ultraedge graphic and they are as disappointed as Sarfaraz Khan. For his part Rohit Sharma is looking a little sheepish. A wicket straight after lunch, especially Crawley's, would have been huge for India. Crawley must be thanking his lucky stars India didn't go upstairs.
England 101-2 (Crawley 60, Root 1) Overs: 26
Joe Root gets off the mark from his first ball faced, immediately after lunch. India appeal big for caught off Crawley's glove from the next one but it's a shake of the head from Joel Wilson and Sarfaraz can't convince his captain to review. Ultraedge suggests it would have been successful - a nick off bat rather than glove. Sarfaraz vindicated but ouch.
06.35 - Sir Ally Cook: A "brain fade" from Ollie Pope
The great England batter suggests Ollie Pope has been a bit "frenetic" at number 3, not striking fear into the opponents as someone like Joe Root would. Does he feel "he belongs" at this level? asks Sir Ally. Steve Finn thinks it's a case of surviving the jitters, after which he has shown he can go onto get a big score. The problem is it doesn't happen often enough.
06.23 - A good morning for England?
The wicket of Ollie Pope, right before lunch and just as he was getting settled, will surely smart but considering how much luck the tourists had early on, they can't have too many complaints over the scoreline. Crawley and Duckett survived as the new ball swung all over the place in the opening spells from Bumrah principally but also Siraj. By the end of that session Crawley was into his groove, exemplified by that maximum in the penultimate over before the break. Can he maintain that rhythm and on to a really big score this afternoon?
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Disaster for England on the stroke of lunch as Ollie Pope is gone for 11 😖
Lunch: England 100-2 (Crawley 61) Overs: 25.3
A round of applause as Crawley steers a single through the covers and the 100 comes up for England. If these two could have survived that over England could have considered themselves very satisfied with their morning, but Ollie Pope again found himself all adrift. Still, considering the damage that might have been done by India's opening seamers, the visitors are probably still about par.
Wicket! Pope st Jurel b Kuldeep 11
Just as he seemed to be settling, Ollie Pope gets one very wrong. On the stroke of lunch he danced down the pitch and missed Kuldeep's googly completely. An easy stumping for Jurel and Pope had no chance.
England 99-1 (Crawley 60, Pope 11) Overs: 25
Ashwin bowling over the wicket to Zak Crawley, which should open up the possibilty of the lbw a bit more, but Pope and Crawley especially are playing some graceful shots and are content to take singles from them if that's all that's on offer. But that doesn't mean they won't take a big bite when they can. Really free foot and batwork from England.
Six!
Zak Crawley strides down the track and sends it all the way into the crowd where it's nicely caught! There's your bazball. It's about a free mind, not free shooting.
Breakthrough for India!
England 90-1 (Crawley 52, Pope 10) Overs: 24
Can Crawley press on and turn this into a really big score? He's made as strong and steady a start as you can ask for. A better over from Ollie Pope was well, who moves to double figures.
50 for Zak Crawley!
Crawley's fourth half century of the series comes from a strong straight drive all the way to the boundary.
England 84-1 (Crawley 47, Pope 9) Overs: 23
A profitable over for England even as they make a few mistakes, with a mis-hit that goes to the boundary from Crawley and some confused running which sees Pope let-off by a dodgy Jaiswal pick up.
England 75-1 (Crawley 42, Pope 5) Overs: 22
A very volumous appeal for lbw from Kuldeep but umpire Wilson shakes his head, in the manner of a man who looked pretty confident that if the ball hits Crawley that far up his pads it's going over the stumps. So the review proved. Did you know Zak Crawley is a very tall man. Kuldeep sends up a lower one that Crawley sweeps but they don't believe in that one quite as much. After a bit of an interlude and some nervous moments in that over Crawley sends one to the boundary, out pacing the dive of Jadeja for four.
England 70-1 (Crawley 38, Pope 4) Overs: 21
Wondering where Bazball has gone? It's still very much there, but England know they need to put themselves in a position first. Some good jabs from Crawley and Pope to Ashwin keep the score ticking upwards in that over.
England 67-1 (Crawley 37, Pope 2) Overs: 20
An inevitable reset as the Surrey batter looks to find his feet up against the poison coming at him from Kuldeep. He looks a bit unsure of himself but flicks one to backward square for a single.
England 66-1 (Crawley 37, Pope 1) Overs: 19
Another chance for India but Ollie Pope survives his first ball and gets off the mark. Gill it was who nearly grabbed it at short leg. A sweep from Crawley gets gloved and lands safely.
England 64-1 (Crawley 36) Overs: 18
Kuldeep Yadav is brought into the India attack, and it's not the easiest start for him, as Duckett and Crawley nab themselves a boundary a-piece. Duckett picks out the googly and punches it down the ground before getting it only too wrong with the next one. After all that work from the seamers, it's spin that comes good for India.
Wicket! Duckett c Shubman Gill b Kuldeep 27
India make the breakthrough and it comes thanks to a superb diving catch from Shubman Gill. Duckett heads back to the shed having tried to play a big one beyond cover, but it doesn't go anywhere like as far as he'd hoped.
England 55-0 (Crawley 31, Duckett 23) Overs: 17
Ashwin positions a slip and a short leg but otherwise a fairly expansive field designed to keep the sweeps to a minimum. You can play them, Ashwin says, but you won't get to the boundary. Just one more each from the batters in that over.
England 53-0 (Crawley 30, Duckett 22) Overs: 16
As the ball quietens England find themselves with a solid platform but Siraj is still able to find something from it every so often. A probing over from him keeps the tourists to two more.
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England 51-0 (Crawley 29, Duckett 21) Overs: 15
Fresh from a five-fer Ravichandran Ashwin receives a warm welcome from the crowd as he joins the attack in his 100th test. He lands his first ball right on the spot, but Duckett scoops his second to the boundary to take England past 50. That's the fifth time he and Crawley have reached that total.
England 47-0 (Crawley 29, Duckett 17) Overs: 14
Into the second hour of play and the first over after drink sees Mohammed Siraj continuing his spell with a maiden. Some oohs and aahs from the stands as the ball goes past Crawley's outside edge a few times and a wild swing catches him on the shoulder. The cherry is moving in the air but England's openers are reading it well, by and large. The ground is starting to fill up.
England 47-0 (Crawley 29, Duckett 17) Overs: 13
A wee grimace from Ben Duckett who seems to feel he's ridden his luck there, even as he's added another boundary to his tally, with an edge through third slip and gully. Bumrah invites a few more swings and misses from Duckett. How many is that now?
England 43-0 (Crawley 29, Duckett 13) Overs: 12
Another excellent front foot drive from Crawley from the fourth ball of the over finds the boundary with the middle of the bat. The next ball brings up the first big appeal of the day which India think was very close to lbw. The umpire wasn't convinced it was crashing into the stumps and upon Sharma's review, ball tracking shows it was far enough out to stay with ump's call. Crawley stays in place.
How many more balls can the seamers continue for? They must be tiring. Also the ball is now almost an hour old and is not moving quite as much as it was in the early overs, even as Siraj is able to find something special every now and again.
England 37-0 (Crawley 24, Duckett 12) Overs: 11
Should India be worried? They've got three spinners coming on shortly, and conditions are only going to better favour the batters as it warms up. They've run their luck a bit in this hour but that's what it takes sometimes. Duckett might be itching to bring out the aggression, but his patience has been impressive and it should yet be rewarded.
England 35-0 (Crawley 23, Duckett 11) Overs: 10
The bowling partnership continues with Siraj taking his fifth over of the day, looking to force the error and make the breakthrough. Not that they should have any complaints - it's been a slow, simmery start from Duckett especially, who has only picked up a single in that over and finding himself on an uncharacteristic 11 from 30 balls faced. Crawley is looking more at ease and fetches his fourth boundary with a very solid drive past mid-on.
England 30-0 (Crawley 19, Duckett 10) Overs: 9
Highest scoring over of the day so far starts with a delightful cover drive from Crawley finds the boundary, as Bumrah is looking a little more frustrated than they were early on. England have very much survived the first spell and are starting to play shots even if Crawley especially is committing a little early to his shots. Mis-timing a couple but the scoreboard is moving upwards.
England 22-0 (Crawley 11, Duckett 10) Overs: 8
This track is really starting to talk to the bowlers, but Duckett and Crawley are able to chat back at least a bit with the former picking up a couple of runs with a nod towards the leg side boundary. Good running stops it going further.
England 20-0 (Crawley 11, Duckett 8) Overs: 7
Rohit Sharma allowing Bumrah three slips and a gulley, as the bowler looks to invite Crawley to bring anything other than a straight bat to the ball. After several wide balls though, Bumrah sends one straight towards the stumps and although it goes right through it somehow bounces over the stumps. The rub of the green falling more England's way, as Crawley edges just past the diving gulley fielder for four. Heart in mouth stuff.
England 16-0 (Crawley 7, Duckett 8) Overs: 6
Duckett's patience is rewarded, as he shows what he can do with the second ball of the over, a sweet drive through the covers for the first boundary of the session. These ball continues to swing but England's openers are beginning to get the measure of it, looking a bit more comfortable than they did in the first few overs.
It's a cool morning up here in the Himalayas, with sub-10 degree temperatures meaning jumpers are needed for anyone not doing a lot of running. What a backdrop as well.
England 12-0 (Crawley 7, Duckett 4) Overs: 5
A play and a miss from Duckett and Bumrah is delighted. So's his captain. That one couldn't have been much closer to the edge of Duckett's bat. Finally Duckett finds the middle of the bat with the fourth ball of the over, a three-run drive to mid-on.
England 9-0 (Crawley 7, Duckett 1) Overs: 4
Siraj's record against lefthanders isn't too bad, and he almost gets Duckett straight away when Duckett pushes hard but it doesn't quite carry to the well-positioned fielder at midwicket. Eight balls without a run, he's going to play at something soon, but Siraj is mixing it up, and not giving him the freedom he needs. Your man is finally off the mark with a single to square leg, but India's bowlers have done a fine job of pegging England's openers back so far.
England 8-0 (Crawley 7, Duckett 0) Overs: 3
Ben Duckett faces his first Bumrah ball and it's a play and a miss from the lefthander. Duckett has fallen victim to India's Mr 100 a few times in this series, including in Hyderabad, and he's already getting up to him. Bumrah comes even closer with his third ball of the over, an absolute beauty that just evades contact with the bat. I'm frightened, don't know about Duckett. England sneak a single with the final ball, off the pad.
England 7-0 (Crawley 7, Duckett 0) Overs: 2
Mohammed Siraj handed the ball for the second over of the day with Crawley still on strike and Duckett yet to face. Crawley reaches out to the outswinger and misses, to the delight of Bumrah behind the stumps. That was close, but a great response from Crawley with the next ball, played in the exact same way and driven through the covers for the first boundary of the day. A few testing early balls from Siraj.
England 3-0 (Crawley 3, Duckett 0) Overs: 1
Bumrah delivers the first ball of the final test to Crawley who leaves it as it pitches just outside off stump. The next three are much the same, showing there's not much in this surface as the pace comes out of it straight away - it barely carries to the wicketkeeper. Crawley gets off the mark with the final ball of the over, clipping the inswinger beyond square leg for a good three runs. The Barmy Army let loose with a rendition of Jerusalem.
03.55 England and India XIs
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes †, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel †, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
Just the two changes for India, Jasprit Bumrah in for Akash Deep, Devdutt Padikall in for Rajat Patida. Mark Wood come in for England in place of Ollie Robinson.
03.53 - 100 tests up for Jonny Bairstow
The gloveman (though not today) and batter becomes only the 16th Englishman to reach that number of caps. His family are there, his mum Janet and sister Becky, and it's an emotional moment. He's come a long way from Scarborough.
03.45 - England win the toss, Ben Stokes chooses to bat
A good toss to win, you'd wager. The pitch looks good, but how's this for a sporting theatre.
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A general view of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium shows England's players taking part in a practice session on the eve of the fifth and final Test cricket match between India and England, in Dharamsala
Image credit: TNT Sports
03.40 - Hello, good morning and welcome
If you’ve just got in, I won’t ask from where. If you’re struggling to sleep, I’ll be pleased to keep you company through the wee hours and for your sake hopefully this first session isn’t so exciting you can’t catch at least a few zzzzzs. If you’ve woken up because, for some unwelcome reason, you have to, I share your pain.
Not that I don’t feel very privileged to be here in front of what promises to be a thrilling final test, as England seek to bookend the series the way they began it all those weeks ago back in January.
Back then the whole winter and great possibility lay in front of us, and while it hasn’t gone the way the barmy army would have wanted, we haven’t exactly been bored, have we?
Mumbai cricket has certainly had the better of Bazball, of which questions have been asked by Chennai spinners, as well as pitches from Rajkot to Ranchi.
It looks like the slow bowlers are going to enjoy a little less time around the wicket in this final test in the stunning location of Dharamsala, but it's still a little less green a pitch than the captains were expecting.
"3-2 sounds better than 3-1 or 4-1" said Ben Stokes yesterday. In three, four or maybe even five days time, we’ll find out which it’s going to be.
It all starts at 4am UK time, 9.30am.
Team news
England have made one change for the fifth Test match against India in Dharamsala, as Mark Wood replaces Ollie Robinson.
Robinson has been struggling with a back problem and did not bowl in India’s second innings, as Wood comes in for the final match that takes place in the Himalayan foothills.
It will be a special occasion for Jonny Bairstow, who becomes only the 17th men’s player to feature in 100 Tests for England.
Spinners Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir both remain in the side despite the cool conditions seemingly favouring the fast bowlers.
England captain Ben Stokes said: "Before we even got here, we thought it was probably going to be a three seam and one spin but turning up yesterday and seeing the wicket and again today, going with two seamers and two spinners is probably the right call.
"We thought there would be a bit more grass on the wicket just because of where we are but overall I think the wicket looks an absolute belter.
"If I was the captain of the one-day team here, I wouldn't want to win the toss because I wouldn’t know what to do, just because of how good the wicket looks [for batting].
"Playing with two seamers and still having two spinners gives us a good mixture. When you're a little bit unsure about what it could do as the Test match goes on, I'm confident with the team we've gone for."
Bashir was absent from training on Wednesday due to a stomach issue, but this will not prevent him from taking part in the fifth Test.
The full England team is as follows: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (capt), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir.
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