Player of the Match
Player of the Match

4.20pm Alrighty then. The series remains 0-0 heading into Lord's for the second Test. An intriguing first Test at Trent Bridge, shame it rained so much. Interesting thing from the captain's interviews was Kohli saying he was happy with the 4-1 template India went in with here. Anyway, we're expecting better weather at Lord's, where the second Test begins on Thursday. Let's hope that forecast is right. Until then, it's goodbye from myself, Miller, Thilak and the rest of the crew.

Joe Root is the Player of the Match. "It was a great Test match, the weather's robbed us of what would have been an entertaining final day. Even 40 overs could have given us something exciting. Hopefully we can take some of the good stuff we've done this week into the rest of the series. Felt like there were going to be nine opportunities, it was just about making the game go long enough and make sure we had our catchers in. It's a shame the weather sort of won today. There's certain areas we want to keep working on, we obviously want to score more runs at the top of the order, and taking the chances we create, but Test cricket is challenging. We need to keep working on our game, and also keep the fun element in there. We're going to have to deal with [the schedule, the shifts in format] as long as we have this schedule. It helps to have experience. It's a little harder for the younger guys, but none of us in the dressing room are using it as an excuse. There was a lot of enjoyment in how I batted, and a little bit of belief there too. India have a very good seam attack, and they tested our defences for long periods of time, and from my point of view it was about putting the pressure back on them."

Virat Kohli: "We were expecting rain on day 3 and 4, and it chooses to arrive on day 5 when we were looking to have a good crack at the target. We wanted to start strong, and heading into day five we felt we had the chance right in front of the ball. We certainly felt we were right on top, and it's a shame we couldn't complete day five. We got to 50 overnight, a real positive for us. It wasn't just about survival, it was about getting the boundaries when we got the chance. It's the hard work of three-odd weeks (the lower-order batting). They were in the nets regularly, and we got a lead of 95 purely from their efforts. I think they did a tremendous job with the bat. Most likely it will be a template going ahead [4-1 combination], but we've always been adaptable as well, to the conditions and pace of the wicket. It's going to be an exciting series to be a part of, as India-England always is."

3.49pm IT'S BEEN CALLED OFF! A terrible shame, given how intriguingly the Test match was poised, but we are merely humans and the weather is the weather, a force we cannot control. As the India head coach might say, two sides competed toe-to-toe, and in the end cricket nature won. India and England will take four WTC points each from this match. Four more Tests to go, so a lot of cricket left to be played.

Jamie: "Great work from Ronny in the last published comment "

Abhilash: "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO English Weather.BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...."

Manish : "Assuming match is abandoned, who can claim psycological victory and take moment to next test, if such things exists in cricket?" -- I doubt they do...

3.45pm The umpires are walking out in heavy rain to talk to the groundstaff, Nagraj says.

He's not very hopeful. "They are not goint to get the ground ready for at least an hour, and if the rain carries on for another 45 minutes i doubt there is enough time left."

3.32pm It's raining again.

Ronny: "Don't give up your hopes just yet people, radar shows no rain after 4pm it all depends how much time they need to do mopping. I'm confident we'll get some play today."

NileshBhala: " Dear Rain God, play was supposed to start at 3.30pm IST, not BST!!" -- That's not happening either, clearly.

3.26pm Nagraj: "Hello! Pujara heading with Rathour and throwdown specialists to indoor nets. Rain has stopped. Slightly brighter."

And tea has been taken now.

Arun: "Should we start a boundary count?"

3.14pm The word historic is used fairly loosely by journalists, but chronicling Neeraj Chopra's gold at the Olympics was an experience unlike anything before. Here's why.

Is it tea yet? Not yet.

Luqman: "@Naman: certainly not. Sun is just out. And yes, I'm only 2 miles from Trent Bridge!"

Naman: "Can't we just abandon hope, accept reality and go back into our bubbles?" -- We could, but we would potentially miss out on the most thrilling finish in Test history waiting out a few more hours.

3.00pm The square and run-ups are under covers, and it's still grey and drizzly.

Ben: "India have failed to chase their last 4 sub 250 scores in the fourth innings in England @Venkat. We England fans aren't too happy with the rain either."

KM: "Pant and Washi did manage rrr 5 in last 20 overs at Gabba. One the one hand, conditions were better for batting there, but otoh India have 7 batters intact as of now. "

Badar: "Hi Karthik, irrespective of the result, I believe Root has done enough to save his team from an embarrassing defeat with the help of rain. Take out his stay at the crease and India would've run away long time ago."

2.50pm Hello again. Everything sucks. But we already knew that. Persistent rain continues, and the covers are gleaming dully in the weak, grey light.

Venkat: "Already 3 hours of active play has gone. If it continues for further one more hour, no doubt the match will be drawn. More disappointment to Indian fans."

Manoj: "Assuming we get 35 overs of one session, hoping to see Rohit flexing his muscles in T20 style with Pujara blocking one end. Pant, Kohli and Jadeja to follow in that order. RR of 4.5 is tricky but not oulandish?"

2.42pm Paul Muchmore reports blue skies! Unfortunately they are at The Oval. But at least it means we might get some cricket this afternoon. Alan Gardner is about to fire up the engines on Invincibles women versus Trent Rockets

HuskyVoice: "I love Rihanna's Umbrella song, but even this song can't lift the mood of me in this gloomy overcast rainy day! Waiting for the rain to stop desperately to have some play!"

2.35pm Alas, our inspection has been and gone. Here's Nagraj. "The groundstaff have thrown their mops and are retreating to the shed. Shame. It is so bright now." Meh.

sravan: "This isn' how a Chennai Sunday should go, Waitin' for rain to stop elsewhere! This day should'n drizzle out sans ado,Oh better don' fizzle out, I swear!! "

2.21pm Here's Nagraj, summing up the day. "The groundstaff know something we don't: sleeves of the hover-cover have been rolled in, side covers on
 scratch that, drizzle's back." As you were!

Meanwhile, Sid Monga has an exclusive glimpse of Cricinfo High Command's inner bantz, over on the Live Report.

Inspection at 2.30pm "The umpires are back on with a purposeful stride. a mild drizzle on, but the light is pretty gloomy," says Nagraj. It's vaguely promising. Let's see what transpires!

Kiran Ramagiri: "Dear Rain god, where were you, when we needed you badly on last day of the WTC final?" She'd been hanging around all week, to be fair, and clearly got bored.

Manav: "This scoreboard is a rarity! How often do you see pujara batting at strike rate of 90 and rohit at 30. Taking the screenshot of it for my archives!" Come to think of it, that was clearly the first sign of the apocalypse. We've had this coming ever since


1.57pm Anything happening in the world? No? Not even at the Olympics (sob!), so let's reminisce about more recent glories. Bajrang Punia battled through pain and injuries to add an Olympic medal to his kitty. Here's his story.

And here's the latest on GB's Jason Kenny, whose seventh gold medal made him Britain's most decorated Olympian. Oh, and Mrs Kenny had an alright games too... they've got 12 golds and three silvers between them since 2008!

Anchal: "Any further news? Please provide updates every 10 mins. 20 mins or more is too much of time in these circumstances" Always at your service Anchal. Or when I can bother to be...

Stefan: "Any other big sports occasions this weekend? No, I don't think so. If only some 12-yearly rugby series concluded yesterday..." nope
 nothing comes to mind. If there'd been any spectators I'm sure we'd have heard something


1.45pm "The Super Soppers are out!" exclaims Nagraj, which rather implies the rain has eased. Twiddle twiddle...

Satish: "@Sudhakar Govind : But unlike IPL, in test matches you can post 9 fielders on the boundary line. If it comes down to losing or drawing England might take that route" Indeed. Lots of ways to lock a game down if it gets tight. But Rishabh Pant is unlikely to be daunted by boundary riders!

Vinay: "Now that the super soppers are out , I'm sure the rain will wait. Wait till they are about to bowl the first ball , of course." Of course. That's how we roll.

Ashish Shukla: "@Andrew, please tell us what umpires chatted. We can't wait without skipping a few beats. " Fancy Vietnamese or Indian tonight? That's my best guess.

1.35pm The umpires are chatting with the groundsman, says Nagraj, in a frenzy of activity out in the middle. Don't get too excited too soon...

Mohit: "Untill what time can the match go today? I see some good forecast between 17-19. I reckon, we could have a game for 2 hours = 24 overs?" Yes, that's feasible. I imagine 7 is still the cut-off, but I honestly have no idea how they calculate such things, and I've been watching cricket for a fair few years now. I reckon I have a greater instinctive understanding of DLS than playing hours.

Sudhakar Govind: "Rain is probably the best thing that happened to this Indian chase. Give them 100 overs to score 208, they will fall short by 40 runs. Give them 20 overs, they will score it. After all, they're the kings of the IPL " Yep, there's something to be said for that. The loss of early wickets is less catastrophic when there are fewer overs. Risk and reward!

George: "So let's talk about The Hundred. Can a bowler bowl his 20 balls on the trot (10 balls from each end)? And is it counted as a hat trick of he has two wickets from one end and a wicket of the very next ball from the other end?" Nope, only 10 at a time from one end. But he could bowl 20 from 25, if he so wished. Clear as mud! In case you're really intrigued, the next match starts in just under two hours' time... although London has also been rather damp today!

1.30pm It's still raining. The umbrellas are still out in the crowd.

Kunal Jain: "At Trent bridge right now. I see a patch of blue sky not so far away. Hope the 6 am train from London doesn't go for waste!"

Vikas: "There was a four-ball bowled at the beginning of almost every spell that possibily added a good 30-40 runs to the England lead. Might come to haunt India today. (Must admit this was an aberration... Indian bowlers generally have been relentless in the last few years). "

12.45pm Hello, Miller here for a bit of rain-lurking. Guess what? It's raining. Blah.

Mayank Deb: "India need about 45 overs to finish this match. England would need more than that to take 9 wickets even with favorable bowling conditions. So I'd assume the chances of an English win are dropping with every over we lose now." I'd argue the other way, actually. Less time to score the runs means more risks may need to be taken if India are to seal the deal. But only up to a point of course. There's probably a happy medium. 45 to 60-odd overs would be a delicious scenario. 30-odd, and the odds probably revert towards India ... especially if Rishabh Pant is given licence to have a go in the knowledge that they can shut up shop if needs be.

S Vinay : ""Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun (Noel Coward 1931)", if only the sun would actually come out. Oh well, I'm sure we'll all gladly take the El Sol at 2 P.M. England can still make a solid fist of this match through Anderson, Robinson, Broad, et al., especially if the rain-freshened conditions aid some genuine swing bowling."

12.35pm Early lunch has been taken. Naga says it's raining heavily now. We'll be back soon, hopefully with happier news.

Utsav: "@Jake - Don't underestimate a swashbuckling attack from Pant at 2 down."

Sai Anoop : "At what time will umpires decide that's that for the day?" -- Long time left for that. The forecast suggests we should get play at some point after lunch.

12.28pm Is it still raining? "On and off," says Nagraj.

Jake L: "I think the longer this goes on the more likely England are to win. Anderson and Robinson will be borderline unplayable in the conditions, good luck to India if they need to go at over 3.5 runs an over!"

12.01pm It's raining again.

Hamid: "@Andy I think Ollie Robinson is more of a threat to Broad than Woakes "

Dr. Mohit Bishn: "Already told you it will rain till 12.30 and we will match after that! Victory is just delayed and not denied! Reduced overs will be better for India, then dont need to defend overs to save test (and loosing it) instead will focus on staying positive on this pitch (like Root). Again fingures crossed."

Vinoth: "I remember the 2004 chennai test. Had somehow got pavilion tickets on day 5, made up a fake fever at school and had bought autograph books to get signatures. There were no selfies then. And it rained!!! My dad refused to take me to the stadium in two Wheeler . I cried for 2 hours. Mind you I was in eleventh grade and it's amusing now!! "

Abhinav: "Just saw the Chennai test scorecard. YUVI OPENED THE BATTING WHAAAAT? Which parallel universe was this in ?" -- That was a time when India were trying to squeeze Yuvraj into the team because he was showing so much promise as an ODI batter, and there was no real room in the middle order. Tendulkar was injured, so Mohammad Kaif also played that game, and made a valuable half-century.

Arun: "I watched the fourth day of the 2004 Chennai Test at the Chidambaram. Aus were 4 down overnight, and we thought they would roll over to Kumble and Harbhajan. Instead, Jason Gillespie made us want to tear our hair out in his partnership with Martyn." --- Here's the scorecard of that Test match.

Raja: "That innings by Gillespie was the best innings I had seen from an Aussie lower order batsman in Asia until he went one better and scored that 201."

Harshdeep: ""12:01pm It's raining again!" That's it. Are you also as desolate as I am right now!?" -- Yes.

Sid R: "I saw someone mention the Day 5 rained off in the Chennai Test match against Australia. The last ball of Day 4 was smacked by Viru to a boundary against McGrath. Was Pujara's boundary a bad omen!!??" -- Another parallel is that India dominated both Tests before a classy third-innings hundred (Martyn in Chennai, Root here) restored parity. And, as Sampath from the stats team notes, Warne went past Murali in Chennai to (briefly) become Test cricket's highest wicket-taker, and Anderson went past Kumble here to go to third place.

Andy: "Whatever happens in this game from here, it has been hugely important for Ollie Robinson. Great comeback for him. Fantastic competition for the Chris Woakes spot."

Anubhab Mukherj: "The WTC is still deeply flawed IMO. You just can't have a competition where one team plays 23 tests and the 5 others play 13 or less. Also, semifinals should be added, as the present structure gives zero hopes to the lower ranked teams. Finally, the 3 KO games should all be timeless tests. No shared trophy business." -- Flawed it is, but working within the confines of the international calendar as it is, and with the economy of the game being what it is, it's not a bad thing.

Bhargav: "@Talha - Living the UK, I would call it "our usual weather" rather than life"

Subbu: "Don't you post comments of guys called Subbu. Have never seen one in so many years. Trying my luck here. Just wanted to check as to how they decide on the venue for the Test Final. Don't want to play in England again if India have to face NZ again. Better option would that the top ranked team gets to decide the venue other than home venues. For eg, if India tops the playoffs, they can have SL as the venue, NZ can think of Eng or SA as the venue and so on. What do you guys think " -- I think this cycle will also end with a final in England. Ideally I'd have the top-ranked team host it. Finishing first on the table has to count for something!

11.50am "I see no rain now," Nagraj says. "Much brighter."

Talha: "11:34 - heavy rain. 11:50 - bright. What's that? " -- Life.

David : "I'm a bit further south than Sameer in Sheffield- Chesterfield or Ches-Vegas as the locals call it. Bucketing down here and heading your way."

Prakash: "Do you think that more wet the pitch becomes it gets better for batting? In the Brisbane Ind v Aus Test, there was a lot of uneven bounce at Day 4 Tea. But after the session was lost due to rain, batting in the first hour on Day 5 looked comparatively easier for the Indian Team. The ball started jumping again after an hour and that's when Pujara started getting hit!!" -- The pitch was covered, and the only moisture there may have been may have been sweating under the covers. More than that, I think it was the rolling before play that settled it down, before, as you noted, the bounce became uneven again.

Hamza: "Let's suppose it's a draw then who will be the man of the match "Root" or "Bumrah"? Waiting for a long time to see my comment got published. It's my birthday too can't you give me bday gift ? " -- Happy birthday, Hamza! I'd go with Bumrah. And if Anderson takes a lot of wickets and bowls England to victory, I'd give it to him. Bowlers win Test matches!

Umar: "Under new WTC points system - teams get points per game vs per series. Isn't that obviously unfair to teams playing less test cricket?!" -- No, because at the end of the cycle, the ranking is determined on the basis of points per Test.

11.34am It's become heavier now, the rain.

Tears? No, that's rain falling on my face! Lionel Messi could have said that if he were leaving Nottinghamshire rather than Barcelona, I suppose. An emotional farewell from the world's greatest footballer to the only club he's ever known.

Jishnu M: ""@Arvind K, Moisture is extremely bad for cricket bats. When a cricket bat exposed to excess moisture the compressed willow fiber expand. The willow acts like a sponge, as the surface of the bat is incredibly porous. As bats expand the protective harder surface is lost. Bats without the hard facing will be much more likely to crack or split."

Helena: "I'm directly downwind from the ground in Beeston and it's stopped raining here..."

Avinash: "I can see from google weather search that, the rains in Nottingham should clear after 3pm local time. Which we would get 50 overs of play till 7pm. India losing 9 wickets in 50 overs is only a glimmer of a chance. So with target in mind to win or draw the match, India can easily plan and phase their innings. First 20 overs 30 runs 0 wickets, next 30 overs around 130 runs to get with 9 wickets in hand. India's game it is!! " -- If only an opposition didn't exist to foil those infallible plans!

Sameer: "I'm an hour away from Trent Bridge in Sheffield. This seems like nagging sort of rain that persists for long periods. Keeping my fingers crossed. This match deserves a result, whoever wins..."

Malli: "I understand the coverage by broadcaster in terms of keeping crowd engaged. Does it make sense to interview a captain before the match ends?" --Why not. It wasn't like Root was giving away detailed gameplans.

11.28am "To be able to enjoy it with a crowd again was really special," Joe Root says of the moment he brought up his hundred. "There was a lot of relief in it, I had had a hairy 5-10 minutes before that. It was special in the context of the game, and hopefully we can make these 150-odd runs last as long as possible and pick up these remaining nine wickets.

"I felt in good rhythm, felt like I was somewhere back near my best. It's been a challenging time for us as a batting group, we've seen some signs of promise in that second innings, guys getting starts. On this surface, there's only been a couple of guys who've managed to get in. It's really important we remember that when we go in to bowl today.

"I felt like I got my feet moving well. I had a proactive mindset from the start of the game, knowing there were going to be balls with your name on it. It wasn't about taking too many risks, but putting the pressure back on the bowlers and capitalising on the loose deliveries, not letting that one ball with your name on it worry you too much. I think [KL Rahul]'s approach was different to mine, he left the ball a lot more. I tried to use the balls in the channel to score off.

"We've just got to make those runs seem as far away as possible for a long period of time, but we've got to make sure we have catchers in. You can easily get 2-3 wickets in no time. It's important we start well, we're relentless in good areas, and when those chances come, that we're ready for them and we take them."

Jack: "Losing a session would probably be in India's favour - enough time to score the runs at a leisurely pace, but if all goes to pot then they still can try for the draw - but losing two would be in England's - as it's easier to get 10 wickets in 30-40 overs than 150 runs on a day five pitch - right?" -- Not sure losing two would suit England at all. They'd need to take nine wickets in one session.

11.12am It's still raining. Nagraj is beginning to suspect we may not have a first session at all.

Not too much to see there just yet, but Sid Monga's Live Report is now live.

Arvind K: "Wanted to know why batsmen hide their bats in t shirts when it rains?" -- You don't want to expose willow to moisture!

Vivaan : "Which team will be more unhappy due to the rain ?" -- It feels like both teams will fancy their chances of forcing a win, with the match poised the way it is, so I don't think either team will be happy. Four points for a draw under the new WTC scoring system, and 12 for a win. Six points apiece if there's a tie.

Sam: "Sibley can probably still be persisted with, but Zak Crawley's FC average is struggling to equal the test average of John Crawley. Guess, Hameed can open and Sibley can go at 3."

RainGodIsHere: "Is it looking like a passing shower or gathering of dark clouds?Mike's away, here in the north, in Edinburgh,Scotland, it's cloudy with a gentle breeze. Can we have it shifted here for the day please?"

Tushar: "Perhaps, early lunch?" -- I'm having one, but it's a little too early for that in the Test match.

11.00am Thanks, Miller. The rain had just begun to relent, but Naga informs us a "faint shower" is now back.

Finn: "Paarth - I love SIbley's style and was crying out for a 'proper' opening batsman, but that doesn't mean that an average of 30 is acceptable and scores of 18 and 28 should be celebrated. If anything it shows how low our standards have become."

Mohd Tariq Ansa: "K for Karthik , K for Kloud ...well almost !"

Vishal Kalwani: "So who will open in next match if Mayank is fit and ready to play! Clearly they can't replace KL Rahul since he made a strong case for himself! " -- I would guess the top six will remain the same, unless there's a double-failure for Pujara and/or Rahane, and the team management thinks there's a technical issue that's crept into their game and needs to be sorted out in the nets.

Paarth : "I think critiscm of Sibley is unfair, people complained under Bayliss that rightly English batsmen can't play for long periods. Now there is one and the complaint is that he doesn't score quick enough, he has done well IMO helps blunt the new ball. Some help needed to eradicate silly shots but Sibley is a good player."

10.58am Right, I'm done with counting drips ... here's KK to take over the weather-watch.

10.51am We are all rather twiddling our thumbs for now. So how about more javelin glory reminiscence, from the incomparable Lady Chinnaswamy herself, Sharda Ugra. You know you can't get enough of it. (It was one hell of a yeet to be fair, Neeraj would have many a handy fast bowler had it not been for his athletics calling...)

10.44am Nagraj has good news for the rest of the tour, if not for the immediate prospects. " Mayank Agarwal seems to have recovered from concussion - heading to indoor nets along with Vikram Rathour, batting coach." I haven't bothered to ask if it's still raining because... you know... it's still gloomy, wet and depressing.

10.34am Still raining? Still raining. Meh. Oh well, let's keep ourselves busy with some required reading.

Nagraj Gollapudi hails the mighty Jasprit Bumrah, India's nine-wicket hero and the single biggest reason why they are in the position to push for victory.

George Dobell, meanwhile, takes a pretty dim view of England's slip catching - a symptom, he suggests, of the team's lack of meaningful practice in the midst of a mad schedule.

But George also is full of praise for England's captain Joe Root, whose 21st Test century was indisputably one of his finest.

In the Match Day studio, VVS Laxman still backs India for victory, while Ian Bell adds his own words of praise for Root's heroics.

John: "Much talks on Root, Anderson, Rahul and Bumrah. How about the wicket keeping of Pant and I personaly feel that he has been excellent behind the stumps!!" Sure, he's done just fine! But then is that a surprise? He was outstanding in the home series against England too.

Stefan: "Joe Root smiling under a helmet has always reminded me of someone, but I could never figure out who... Then it finally struck me whilst watching yesterday's highlights - it's Wallace from Wallace and Gromit! Amiright? " Umm... if you say so! Both proud Yorkshiremen at any rate. And who doesn't love a bit of Wensleydale?

10.26am "Still raining," says Nagraj. Which about sums things up for the moment. No-one is in much of a hurry to predict any start-times this morning!

Gagan: "If there is rain and a persistent cloud cover, wouldnt it make the ball swing more then it is already doing already and make batting even more difficult?" Pretty much. And if we lose sessions, as it seems might happen, it'll make that remaining 157 runs feel more distant too. I reiterate, if we get any play, it could still be a classic finish.

Vinay : "India is loosing for sure.. big names in the squad but lack of application in WC and 1st innings shows how EDGY they are.." I think that's completely the wrong takeaway from the first four days! India's dominance has been interrupted by two world-class players in James Anderson and Joe Root, which is how you expect such players to perform. All things being equal, I still reckon they are in control of this match.

Sagar Sambrani: "Picturesque grounds, lush outfields, variable weather, sunny evenings, the shiny Duke ball and insightful commentary with satirical British humour. Test cricket in England is incomparable! " And massive soggy anticlimaxes at the end of it all! Yep, sounds about right. More tea?

Mohit : "I have seen minute by minute weather forecast on accuweather. It shows light rain till 12.30pm and then partly cloudy throughout. Fingers crossed. " Everything is crossed. Including the dog.

9.45am Morning all, and welcome to the fifth and final day at Trent Bridge, which has all the makings of being a humdinger ... except for one annoying detail. Unfortunately the weather does not look too promising at this early stage. But there's still more than an hour to go until the scheduled start, so fingers crossed!

Nagraj is at Trent Bridge, and reports heavy grey skies and a whole load of gloom. Although, he does add, the rain has stopped for the moment.

Sampath, meanwhile, has had a flashback. "Reminds me of Chennai 2004. Last day was a washout when India ended day 4 at 19/0 chasing 229."

Richard: "The weather adds a great dimension to the test, as it means that all four results are possible (rather than three). If the match is going one way each side has the option to press for victory or try to shut it down. Or it might stay finely balanced to the end." Fair point. Fascinating prospects!

Dipanjan Show: "Here's my early predictions. India goes to 90/1 then rain starts, India disappointed by the rain, rain goes away, India reduced to 125/6, rain comes back. Match ends in draw, with both teams a bit disappointed."

Mark: "Sunny, warm and dry helps India. Unsettled weather could just help England??? India should win with maybe 3 or 4 wickets to spare, but you never know... lose 2 or 3 quickly in bowling conditions and nerves could set in."

Matthew: "Alright, who did the rain dance?! Fess up! "

5.24pm Quite remarkable. England were solid with a minute to go until tea... on 138 for 3 with Root and Bairstow well entrenched. But then Bairstow was extracted by Shami, and India's seamers got busy, ripping through a fallow batting line-up that can barely remember what a Dukes ball looks like. Root's 64 was the only score of note, though Sam Curran's late tonking massaged the score. 4,3,2,1 wickets for the quicks. Jadeja lurking in case of spin in the second innings. Fair to say India have stolen a march. Though Anderson and Broad will have noted those conditions with interest. Back shortly!

Virat Mishra: "That satisfying feeling when we watch our best bowler firing those unplayable yorkers to dismiss a tailender. It was missing in Indian team since quite a time. "

sravan: "183 - the magic number that's a favorite for millions of Indians - the highest ODI score of Ganguly, MSD and Virat. Hope the Indian batsmen cash in. Just one piece of advice - "Mind the Gap"."

65.4
W
Bumrah to Anderson, OUT, ping! Savage off-stump seeking inswinging yorker. Absolutely no chance of keeping that out! Reminiscent of Mitchell Starc to Ben Stokes in the World Cup group match at Lord's. Bending in wickedly to the left-hander, thumping the stump flush... and if Stokes couldn't combat it, Jimmy had no chance!

JM Anderson b Bumrah 1 (33m 11b 0x4 0x6) SR: 9.09

65.3
0
Bumrah to Anderson, no run, howling inswinging yorker, and Anderson is given out! An absolute tangle of everything. He's pinned on the boot, the ball ricochets into the bat, up into the helmet... chaos! He has reviewed, and there's a chance that was doing too much ... but all will be revealed. Indeed, missing leg!
65.2
0
Bumrah to Anderson, no run, flicked to the on-side

Turns out that wasn't drinks after all. But no matter. I suspect we'll all have time for a cuppa shortly!

65.1
0
Bumrah to Anderson, no run, turned inside out! Can't really play those as a No.11... shaping in, nipping away. Beaten all ends up!

END OF OVER:
65 | 5 Runs | ENG: 183/9

  • Sam Curran27 (37b)
  • James Anderson1 (7b)
  • Mohammed Shami17-2-28-3
  • Jasprit Bumrah20-4-46-3

And that will be drinks. Will Andrew Miller extend this partnership to epic proportions, or will he break it?

64.6
4
Mohammed Shami to Curran, FOUR, four off the last ball again. Precious runs for England. Length ball on off stump, and that's cleverly done, backs away to make room, and carves it up and over the point region. Terrific batting

Can India deny Curran the single here. Not sure why England took that last one.

64.5
1
Mohammed Shami to Anderson, 1 run, fullish, angling into middle stump, clipped to the left of mid-on, and he hurries through for the single
64.4
0
Mohammed Shami to Anderson, no run, past the edge again. Full, angling into the fourth-stump channel and straightening off the pitch. Looks to drive through the covers with no footwork, and fails to connect
64.3
0
Mohammed Shami to Anderson, no run, attempted bouncer, too wide outside off stump for Anderson to bother with
64.2
0
Mohammed Shami to Anderson, no run, full, angling in towards middle stump, clipped to mid-on
64.1
0
Mohammed Shami to Anderson, no run, fullish outside off, straightens to beat Anderson's attempted square drive

Right then, Anderson on strike at the start of the new over. Shami returns. Around the wicket

END OF OVER:
64 | 4 Runs | ENG: 178/9

  • Sam Curran23 (36b)
  • James Anderson0 (2b)
  • Jasprit Bumrah20-4-46-3
  • Shardul Thakur13-3-41-2
63.6
4
Bumrah to Curran, FOUR, length ball close to off stump, stays leg side of the ball and carves it away crisply through the gap at cover point. India have brought the field in for this ball, so there's no one back to stop that. Curran won't retain the strike, though
63.5
0
Bumrah to Curran, no run, full-toss, swinging in towards leg stump. Stays leg-side of the ball and punches it firmly to Rahane, who dives left to stop it at extra-cover
63.4
0
Bumrah to Curran, no run, back of a length, swinging away in the corridor, looks to leave, and the ball hits his bat face without him intending it, and rolls past slip down to the fielder at fine third man. Doesn't take the single
63.3
0
Bumrah to Curran, no run, length ball angling down leg. Can't put bat to ball with the flick, but the ball brushes his pad and forces Pant into a diving save to his right

Anthony: "Sam Curran with a helmet on reminds me of Tom Latham with a helmet on" -- There is a resemblance, yes.

63.2
0
Bumrah to Curran, no run, length ball on middle stump, stays on the back foot and blocks it back to Bumrah
63.1
0
Bumrah to Curran, no run, full, swinging in towards the base of leg stump, cramping Curran for swinging room as he steps out of his crease. Goes hard at the drive and squeezes it down to mid-on

Bumrah's bowled nine overs on the trot, but he'll keep bowling. Around the wicket to Curran once more.

END OF OVER:
63 | 5 Runs | ENG: 174/9

  • James Anderson0 (2b)
  • Sam Curran19 (30b)
  • Shardul Thakur13-3-41-2
  • Jasprit Bumrah19-4-42-3
62.6
0
Thakur to Anderson, no run, shortish, finishing over off stump, gets back and across to block into the covers

Stays over the wicket to Anderson. Two slips, gully, and a leg gully.

62.5
1
Thakur to Curran, 1 run, slice of luck. Full, slanting away towards off stump, and Curran clears his front leg and looks to slog over midwicket. Slices it high towards third man, but it doesn't quite carry to Vihari, the substitute fielder on the boundary
62.4
0
Thakur to Curran, no run, low full-toss, slung across to off stump, flat-batted to mid-off
62.3
4
Thakur to Curran, FOUR, shot. Full on leg stump, and he clears his front leg and hoicks it away, on the bounce, into the gap to the right of deep square leg. Looked like the slower offcutter, and he didn't quite middle it, but he won't mind
62.2
0
Thakur to Curran, no run, length ball, pitching leg and nipping away towards off. Stays leg side of the ball to steer it to third man, doesn't take the single
62.1
0
Thakur to Curran, no run, length ball slanting away from off stump, driven firmly and Rahane dives right to stop it at extra-cover

Thakur continues. Stays over the wicket to Curran.

END OF OVER:
62 | 2 Runs | ENG: 169/9

  • James Anderson0 (1b)
  • Sam Curran14 (25b)
  • Jasprit Bumrah19-4-42-3
  • Shardul Thakur12-3-36-2
61.6
0
Bumrah to Anderson, no run, full, swinging a long way away after angling in towards off stump. Left alone

Foirtuitously, Bumrah's no-ball gives him one shot at Anderson. Stays around the wicket.