08/11Result
1st Test, England tour of India at Rajkot, Nov 9-13 2016
Match drawn
Player of the Match
Moeen Ali
Moeen AliEngland
08/11Result
1st Test, England tour of India at Rajkot, Nov 9-13 2016
Match drawn
Player of the Match
Moeen Ali
Moeen AliEngland

END OF OVER:
162 | (wicket maiden) | IND: 488/10

  • Mohammed Shami8 (7b)
  • Moeen Ali31-7-85-2
  • Ben Stokes17-2-52-1

Alright, folks. I'm going to take a little break. Alan will bring you the start of England's innings. They're 49 runs ahead, and we have an exciting finish in prospect over the next four sessions.

Jiten Chandaran: "Ashwin has to open the bowling, India have to strike quickly and keep the runs down as much as possible" -- I'm pretty sure Ashwin will take the new ball here.

Tauseef Tufail: "Inzamam was right at the top when it comes to bat with tail.." -- Oh yes. Multan. Karachi against Australia.

2.12pm Excellent innings from Ashwin, and useful contributions around him in the lower order. India have shrunk England's lead to 49. It's time for tea, and it's also time for Match Day. Don't forget to refresh your scorecards, everyone!

161.6
W
Ali to Ashwin, OUT, tossed up on leg stump, there's a man at deep midwicket, and Ashwin has picked him out. That's a good bit of field placement from England, and I guess Ashwin intended to hit it a little to his left

R Ashwin c Ansari b Ali 70 (199m 139b 7x4 0x6) SR: 50.35

161.5
0
Ali to Ashwin, no run, well bowled. May have seen Ashwin shaping to reverse-sweep, bowls it down the leg side. Turns even further down leg and Ashwin can't put bat to ball, has to really reach for it
161.4
0
Ali to Ashwin, no run, back of a length on off stump, blocked into the cover region
161.3
0
Ali to Ashwin, no run,
161.2
0
Ali to Ashwin, no run, a bit of extra bounce from back of a length, Ashwin gets back and across and defends calmly into the leg side, getting his hands over the ball and dropping his bottom hand
161.1
0
Ali to Ashwin, no run,

Moeen, from around the wicket.

"I don't think Steve Waugh was as elegant and wristy as Laxman. Hashim Amla? " -- I think we're referring to their ability to bat with the tail, Nick. Understandable you'd be con

END OF OVER:
161 | 1 Run | IND: 488/9

  • Ravichandran Ashwin70 (133b)
  • Mohammed Shami8 (7b)
  • Ben Stokes17-2-52-1
  • Adil Rashid31-1-114-4
160.6
1
Stokes to Ashwin, 1 run, full outside off, and that's a nice shot, makes a bit of room and slices it up and over backward point. Third man has quite a distance to move to his right to stop it, but Ashwin is content with the single to keep the strike
160.5
0
Stokes to Ashwin, no run, full, angling down leg. Too far from the body for Ashwin to flick it
160.4
0
Stokes to Ashwin, no run, length ball close to off, punched to mid-off
160.3
0
Stokes to Ashwin, no run, full on off stump, looks to drive to mid-off, the inward angle forces him to play it straighter than he'd like, back to the bowler
160.2
0
Stokes to Ashwin, no run, length ball on middle stump, blocked back to the bowler
160.1
0
Stokes to Ashwin, no run,

END OF OVER:
160 | 11 Runs | IND: 487/9

  • Mohammed Shami8 (7b)
  • Ravichandran Ashwin69 (127b)
  • Adil Rashid31-1-114-4
  • Stuart Broad29-9-78-1
159.6
6
Rashid to Mohammed Shami, SIX, tossed up outside off, picked the googly just like Umesh did earlier, but hits it even farther. Spanks this over wide long-on, that's just a super-clean strike
159.5
1
Rashid to Ashwin, 1 run, down the track to the flighted leg-stump ball, and pushes gently to mid-on. Just met it with the full face with barely any follow-through. This is excellent batting from Ashwin
159.4
0
Rashid to Ashwin, no run, not as much width this time, looks for the cut, doesn't quite come on and he inside-edges it into the pitch, not too far from his stumps again
159.3
4
Rashid to Ashwin, FOUR, Oh, super shot. Rashid drops short again, on off stump, and Ashwin goes on the back foot and slaps it with a horizontal bat and splits deep point and long-off
159.2
0
Rashid to Ashwin, no run, length ball pitching on middle and spinning away. Ashwin waits and looks to dab it fine. Manages to place it alright, but doesn't get enough power to get more than a single to the man running left from backward point. Refuses the single
159.1
0
Rashid to Ashwin, no run, tossed up slow outside off, Ashwin has to reach for the ball a little, plays with an open face towards point

"Laxman was a "lower" middle order batsman? #EyesPoppedOut !! By that logic: maybe we should compare Ashwin's bowling figures with VVS's as well! Geez!! can't believe Laxman and Ashwin are being compared" -- It's just their batting styles, Amogh.

END OF OVER:
159 | 5 Runs | IND: 476/9

  • Mohammed Shami2 (6b)
  • Ravichandran Ashwin64 (122b)
  • Stuart Broad29-9-78-1
  • Adil Rashid30-1-103-4
158.6
0
Broad to Mohammed Shami, no run, back of a length, angling down leg. Shami steps a long way across with his back foot, looks to tuck it off his hip through the leg side. Can't put bat to ball

One ball for Shami to face.

158.5
1
Broad to Ashwin, 1 run, allows Ashwin to take the single easily. Angles this into the pads, clipped to the left of long leg

Sarvesh: "The pleasure of last wicket pecking away at opponents leads is amazing! Sadistic almost !" -- Depends on which side the pair belongs to, I suppose.

158.4
0
Broad to Ashwin, no run, full on off stump, stroked elegantly to short cover
158.3
0
Broad to Ashwin, no run, length ball close to off, opens his bat face to push to deep point. This time he doesn't take the single
158.2
4
Broad to Ashwin, FOUR, short, rising ball, angling into Ashwin's body. He leaned back, looking to ramp it towards third man. He doesn't middle it, but gets enough of a touch on it to beat the vertically leaping, outstretched Bairstow

A draw

2012

Last time a completed Test ended in a draw in Ind - Nagpur, also involving Eng. Ind had won 12 consecutive completed Tests since then excluding v SA, Bangalore (rain).

The chaser

60.81

Kohli's average in the fourth inns of Tests, before this. He has made two centuries and four fifties in 14 innings.

Possible?

6.32

Run rate required for India to win this Test - 310 in 49 overs.

Cook's den

5

No. of Test centuries for Cook in India - most by any visiting batsman in the country. Weekes, Lloyd and Amla made 4 100s here.

Cracking teenager

3

No. of England players to make a 50-plus score before the age of 20, including Haseeb Hameed. Others: Jack Crawford (1906) and Dennis Compton (1937)

Lead for visitors

2012

Last time an overseas team managed to get the first-inns lead in a Test in India, before this - Eng in Nagpur. In 13 Tests since then, Ind gained average lead of 155 runs.

Ashwin v England

5

No. of scores of 40 or more for Ashwin against England, including this - most for him against any team. He has 4 40+ scores against WI.

Rare dismissal

2002

Last time an Ind batsman was out hit wicket in Tests, before Kohli - VVS Laxman in Antigua. Kohli is the second Ind captain after L Amarnath to be out in this fashion.

Task to improve

20.12

Kohli's ave vs Eng, before this - his lowest against any team playing more than one Test. He had made 188 at 31.33 vs Eng in 2012-13 and 134 at 13.40 in Eng 2014.

Vijay gets going

16

No. of consecutive innings without a century for Vijay, before this. His last hundred was 150 against Bangladesh in Fatullah.

Pujara's third

3

No. of Test centuries for Pujara vs Eng - the most for him against any opposition. He had hit 206* and 135 in the 2012-13 series before making another in this inns.