England's Winter of Cricket 2023/24

First topic message reminder :

After the disappointment of the World Cup, can England be the first away team in 11 years to win a test series in India?

Three ODIs v West Indies (3rd December-9th December)
Five T20s v West Indies (12th December-21st December)
Five Tests v India (25th January-11th March)

alfie wrote:

I don't know about there being " something in the pitch" : reckon it's been dead flat since the first hour or so.

there was turn and stoppaage in the pitch for spinners.....but first Rohit and now Sarfaraz went after the spinners
And the spinners are lacking any kind of X factor and not even bolwing tight.....too many long hops
Sarfaraz showing how medicore Ranji bowling would be treated

Oh dear...Jadeja has done his mate in then in his anxiety to get the hundredth run ! Nice work by Wood in the field

The break England were desperately seeking , eh ? Kuldeep the Night Hawk ?

Hundred anyway now for Jadeja

He owes Sarfaraz a drink or whatever is his fancy...

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

guildfordbat wrote:

alfie wrote:Always have a lot of time for Jadeja. He's really been set on making a big one today and seems to be enjoying himself now.  England appear to have now failed to review a plumb lbw ...I couldn't understand why there was so little interest in that one ?.  Seems they missed one before tea too - although that one was hard to pick as it hit the batsman's forearm. As I said earlier - their drs judgement is not getting any better.

The new ball better bring something or this is getting away from them rather too quickly.

Foakes did seem very keen but was ignored as he's almost zero credibility when it comes to reviews and even less forcefulness,

Guildford - was just about to post, maybe the best example to date of Foakes not imposing himself enough when it comes to reviews.

100%, Olly.

alfie wrote:Oh dear...Jadeja has done his mate in then in his anxiety to get the hundredth run !  Nice work by Wood in the field

The break England were desperately seeking , eh ?  Kuldeep the Night Hawk ?

Hundred anyway now for Jadeja

He owes Sarfaraz a drink or whatever is his fancy...

Given the narrowness of England's win in the first Test, it rather surprisingly went under the radar that Jadejia was then involved and far from blameless in two of India's run outs - Ashwin first dig and himself second.

Anyway, Jadeja has credit in the bank and still increased it further today.

Be really good for England if we can get Kuldeep tonight. Failing that, very early tomorrow.

Tough day for England after a big start. Suspect in the end they just don't have the horses without India offering some assistance, particularly when they lose the toss. Pressure now on a batting lineup that has yet to really deliver to keep England in this game/series

So 326/5 at the close...very much India's day , despite the extremely shaky start. Top knocks for Rohit and Jadeja and a lively cameo from the new lad Sarfaraz

England will be disappointed they couldn't build on that start . Only one missed chance - but a crucial one. And a couple of failures to review also costly...but their main problem was the spinners couldn't maintain control on a flat surface , too many loose balls relieving pressure. I'm afraid that Root , since the first match where he bowled well , hasn't been able to really fill that fifth bowler spot - and the two young fellows have perhaps understandably found it difficult to consistently match it with good experienced players in home conditions to their liking .

Not unlike the last match I suppose. So again , quick wickets in the morning could yet keep the score from getting out of control. But whatever India end up with , England will need to bat out of their skins because even if batting conditions remain fairly good tomorrow they are surely going to be nasty by the fourth innings...

alfie wrote:So 326/5 at the close...very much India's day , despite the extremely shaky start. Top knocks for Rohit and Jadeja and a lively cameo from the new lad Sarfaraz

England will be disappointed they couldn't build on that start . Only one missed chance - but a crucial one. And a couple of failures to review also costly...but their main problem was the spinners couldn't maintain control on a flat surface , too many loose balls relieving pressure. I'm afraid that Root , since the first match where he bowled well , hasn't been able to really fill that fifth bowler spot - and the two young fellows have perhaps understandably found it difficult to consistently match it with good experienced players in home conditions to their liking .

Not unlike the last match I suppose. So again , quick wickets in the morning could yet keep the score from getting out of control. But whatever India end up with , England will need to bat out of their skins because even if batting conditions remain fairly good tomorrow they are surely going to be nasty by the fourth innings...

Yes, Root, in particular, bowled poorly and unquestionably India's day. However, I don't feel we're totally out of it yet. 326/5 with the impressively positive Sarfaraz back in the hutch is considerably better for England than 326/4 with him and the wondrous Jadeja set to resume after a night's rest. Who have India now to accompany Jadeja? A night watchman, a debutant keeper, Ashwin (I won't try to give him a cheap category), a rabbit and a ferret. Ok, that's English spin for sure but I think at this stage we can aim to have them all out for under 400 which, if we bat decently first dig, should keep us in the game. Like you, Alfie, it's the fourth innings I most fear - however, plenty of work for the players and us posters before that.

India needs to bat atleast one more session to be in a good place.....and they should be able to do so easily.
Ind will use a light roller, and then Jadeja has Ashwin and Jurel to give him company and Jurel can bat , far better than Bharat , by all accounts-
and Bumrah & Siraj can hang in to add 30' to 40 runs for last 2 wickets.

If Ind can bat better part of two sessions than they would have closed doors for a miracle-scenario also from Eng.

Also that the pitch is not so benign will be evident when Kuldeep, Jadeja and Bumrah bowl on it

Tough day for England.

Key moment undoubtedly being the drop of Rohit, by Root, on 27. Cost 104 runs and the opportunity to have an earlier dart at Sarfaraz. Probably the key moment of the test and perhaps the series. Rohit then got a reprieve from DRS, which I thought was fortunate as bat/pad contact seemed to be almost simultaneous, and perhaps not enough to overturn the on field decision. But when it's your day...

That Rohit and Jadeja partnership was a killer for England. Reminded me of the Smith/Head partnership in the WTC final - 76/3 to 361/4 was the Australian's effort, that took the final from India. Today it was 33/3 to 237/4.

Jadeja really showed how invaluable he was today. It wasn't his most fluent innings, and he struggled at times, particularly against Jimmy, but he ground it out and saw it through to an unbeaten century. Superb.

Sarfaraz looked the real deal until his untimely runout. I remember when Fawad Alam was scoring mountains of runs in FC cricket and Pakistan didn't recall him for an age. We wondered why. His unorthodox technique showed us why. But nothing like that from Sarfaraz. Very fluent player, great use of the wrists to control shots and manipulate the field, and excellent use of the sweep. Punished anything too full. Looked so at ease out there that you'd think he was a seasoned veteran, not a debutant. Would have probably got a ton had it not been for the runout, but I think he'll have plenty more chances on this evidence. A fine player.

England got the selection right, but today showed the limitations of England's resources, and why India are right to pursue wickets such as these, and not rank turners from the off.

Wood was superb in his opening spell to get England off to a flyer. When he's got his radar sorted he is stupendous. It was also good use of the short stuff to get Rohit out, but he was overused as a bang it in merchant after that. Anderson bowled better than his figures of 0/51, he beat the bat quite a few times, and was unfortunate to not pick up Jadeja after besting him a few times. Excellent control as ever.

Hartley's 7-for was a freak and I doubt he'll get anywhere near that again. He was dominated today and doesn't possess the control or consistency necessary, yet, to be a test bowler.

Rehan, once more underused. It seems Stokes doesn't rate him and disagrees with his presence in the team. I think Rehan got to bowl one over (the token last one before lunch) in the first 45 overs of the day, and he bowled just one more over than Root all day. I think if Leach were fit, though it would mean doubling up, it would be Leach and Hartley in the XI, not Rehan.

Root was once more overbowled and got taken apart today. He's been massively overbowled all series and his role seems to be misunderstood in the team. The odd few overs here and there? Fine. Plenty of overs when it's ragging like Ahmedabad? Fine. But 13 overs in an 86 over day on this pitch is just asking for trouble.

England also showed more disclipline with the reviews today, bar one they threw away on a no-hoper of a shout, but this led to them missing one, possibly two, LBWs. Can't get the balance right!

Very strong position for India overall. They should be looking for 450+ from this platform, which should put England out of contention. England need a big first hour to keep them below 400.

From the depths of trouble at 33-3, India ended the day strongly at 326-5.
The skipper at last turned up, struggled, got lucky, fought through and then dominated to registered his 11th test ton, before throwing it away for a still fine 131.
The returning Ravindra Jadeja, India's 2nd best test batter of the last 3 years, yet again showed his value, coming in at that precarious point, he played with assurance through the tough early period, played very solidly, then struggled a little bit, but brought up an excellent hundred before his home crowd. He ran young Sarfaraz out on debut when the lad was in the middle of a very impressive innings though.
And Sarfaraz! A very impressive first innings, a very refreshing entry to test cricket. Played spin like what we were used once upon a time. Didn't face a lot of Anderson and Wood, but seemed in control when he did. There have been lots of talk about his abilities against pace, so I would want to see a bit more before judging... But he can play in these conditions, and can fill the Shreyas Iyer role better, by the look of things.

As for the match direction, India are ahead, but not by much. With the nightwatchman out there, England should be hoping for an early wicket. The ball is new and Anderson will be keen to have his say... Young Jurel, with limited First Class experience unlike Sarfaraz, is on debut. And Ravindra Jadeja, for all his achievements with the bat in the last few years, hasn't been the best when it comes to resuming overnight. Many of his excellent innings have ended in early morning tentativeness. Did that in the first test, did the same against Australia last year, and then there was one early morning dismissal to Tim Southee who went on to then engineer a big collapse. The one time he went on, finished with a 175 against his name. Hopefully, it'll be more of the latter tomorrow and not the former.
India would be hoping for 450 and beyond, will be happy with 425... England would be hoping to rap it up for 380 400. Jadeja will remain the key for India with support from Jurel and Ashwin. Anderson and Wood will be key for England, don't see Hartley and Rehan bringing about a big collapse.

Root the slightly surprising choice to start the day. Two left handers , I suppose ? Anderson at the other end with this still new ball...

No dramas in those first couple of overs.

Night watchman gone just 96 short of his century

Jimmy draws a regulation edge very simple take for Foakes and it's 331/6.

And 696 for the Old Man...

Wonder if we will see Wood on at the new batsman ? Not yet anyway as Root continues...

Kuldeep didn't waste either teams time
He didn't look like scoring runs...and has to bowl well enuf to pick 5 wkts in the game to justify replacing axar

Jadeja c&b and fantastic start.for Eng

...and a good decision to keep Root on ! He's bowled rather well this morning...and has induced Jadeja into chipping one back to him for an important strike

End of a terrific if rather up and down innings - highlighted by some weird running : he nearly caused another run out this morning ...but priceless for his team.

331/7 and Jurel and Ashwin both on nought with not much to follow. That 450 looking a bit further away now...

Root off as the right handers are in at both ends. Time for Mark Wood. Think I might have given Joe one more on the strength of that wicket but hardly surprising he's on with the ball still hard...they won't want to let Ashwin get comfortable.

Cheeky from Jurel ! Ramp shot for six off Wood...after a nervy ten balls to get off the mark he looks a bit more assured now.

Stokes' use of his bowlers now will be interesting as Jimmy won't be able to bowl too long a spell. Will he trust Rehan a bit earlier today ?

Sensible batting by these two to steady the ship after those early wickets. 350 up now after runs slowed to a trickle in the first ten overs this morning. All due respect to Bumrah but this pairing really does hold the key to India getting the sort of total they'd have been eyeing overnight .Hartley has started quite tidily today after bowling a few too many loose balls yesterday - though I reckon a lot of that was down to Rohit's aggression spooking him somewhat.
Rehan coming on now too so spin both ends. Ashwin playing him cautiously.

And that's the first hour done . 13 overs , 27/2.

Bit cat and mouse at the moment. Rehan and Hartley wheeling away with fairly conservative fields , not a lot happening for them though there is some spin ; and Ashwin in particular content to wait for a loose delivery. Partnership worth 33 now - valuable runs. India have no reason to hurry , of course : the longer they bat the more chance the pitch will start to aid the bowlers a bit more. Even if that doesn't make batting unduly fraught over the next day or do , it will certainly do so later in the match.

Stokes agrees with me something needs to change...Wood called on again.

India should be looking to get a minimum of 430 here now. Slow and steady but that also adds time pressure to the runs on board pressure for England. Once England eventually get India out, they could try to force things a bit too much and get skittled for 200...

Hi eirebilly...

Yes always the risk with England that they can collapse through a bit of over exuberance... The scoreboard pressure is going to be there even if the pitch doesn't get too tricky just yet - and of course Bumrah will be hoping to emulate his magic spell from day two in the last game,
This stand a very handy 42 now and threatening to push on further. Of course one wicket now might bring three but they need the one first...

Eng has bowled tight and Ind having lost 2 wickets weren't gonna playing aerially
Jurel straight bat , behind line of ball, head on top of the ball very tight technique
He needs to not give it away now...this is not attractive but is still a good way to play test cricket....wait for bad balls and solidly defend good ones

Not liking these fields . Bit against the usual Stokes plan isn't it : waiting for an error . ( and yes they're shuffling the field around ; but still very defensive) Not much doing for the bowlers it's true but with time at their disposal I don't think these two are going to throw their wickets away. Fifty stand now ...important stand for India

Morning alfie,

This is indeed proper test match batting from these two, really turning the screw on England by not taking any risks and just keeping the scoreboard ticking over. To be like our missing friend trebs, this game has only two outcomes now. A draw (highly unlikely) or an India win.

Nick Knight is sounding like Healy in commentary box.
Exaggerating the brilliance of every trivial action of "his" side
And tone like "his" side is on the verge of a crushing win.

Jurel has not set the pitch on fire, but not put one foot wrong.
I would say even session ....Eng could not dislodge or even discomfort india's nos.8 &9
But did not let them get away either

Disagree that the session is even KP_fan, I very much think that was India's session. The numbers may say even but in reality, the scoreboard pressure and time out in the middle in this session has pretty much taken the game away from England.

Oh India certainly edged the session thanks to that stubborn partnership. Didn't race away , mind ... but time is on their side so that matters little. England needed to wrap this up and doubtless fancied doing so after the two early wickets but once the ball started to age batting looked pretty easy.

Not able to watch right now but I note from texts that Pope has put down a sitter off poor Hartley ... and now Stokes of all people put one down too ! Heat and long time in field starting to tell ?

India right on top now...

At last....Jimmy had to juggle that catch but he's held on and Ashwin departs for an important 37. Rehan with the break as I've got the TV back at a good time

408/8. How will Jurel try to play now ?

Rehan strikes again...Jurel dabs at one and Foakes is alert to snaffle it straight off the bat

A good innings on debut , albeit had his share of luck ! Handy 46 runs...

415/9

Really is one of his great strengths , Foakes : taking those low catches standing up to the spinners. Not easy when there is a late deflection ; but he had his hands in such a good position the ball went straight in...and he took it beautifully

Bumrah on the charge now...good old tail ender six over mid on...

This is good from Bumrah, picking the ball to go after. Six last over , now two fours off Rehan. Might be time for a pace bowler ?

Indeed Wood back into the attack . But the two rabbits hold firm and it's 436/9 ...very frustrating for England , though it shows the pitch is still good enough for batting - at least for now.

Think this might be it ? Siraj misses an ambitious reverse sweep and unless he's hit it ....but he has got an underedge so survives... Hartley not having much luck today.

Good tail end stand here adding valuable runs for India ...but Siraj might have crocked himself here ? Doesn't look good and the physios are rushing on...

Its always very ominous when a bowler can simply swing the bat and get runs. It gives them loads of confidence going in to bowl. Stuart Broad nearly always had great bowling stats after a good hit with the bat.

Burned a review then but why not with two left ? And think Wood has pinned him next ball anyway ? Yes that's all at 445...

India will be happy with that. Probably what they'd have been looking for once they won the toss on this ; but at 33/3 and again at 331/7 it didn't look too likely. Even that last pair added a handy 30 runs.

England might rue missing a few chances . They aren't necessarily out of it as I reckon the pitch is still good for batting (yes there is spin , and the odd ball surprises : but mostly you can trust the bounce and it's no minefield yet) . But they haven't nailed a first innings yet in this series so now would be a good time to start ! Need to be up around that Indian score or they're in big trouble batting last.

Twice Eng had early morning wickets and both times India got away.
Single biggest Reason...Eng's spinners did not have skills to prise out wickets or sustain pressure.

Eng should look at playing a 3rd seamer....because their 2 seamers were the only two bowlers who troubled / beat batsmen and inspite of pitches being friendly to spinners....you play  your bowlers who are most likely to take wickets.

Foakes plucks a 3rd catch that will be in the category of half / quarter chance in 2 and  half tests so far.

Jurel is no Pant or Ishan or Srafraz...but he is a proper solid batsman.....almost perfect defensive technique and puts away the bad ball........very promising.

Ind has runs on the board scampered to the 450ish mark.....and the pitch ain't gonna be as easy as it appeared when Eng's spinner bowled.

Ind should not give easy runs with 2 seamers...but rather open with Ashwin

With Bumrah overstepping first ball , we have the amusing sight of England being 6/0 on the board before a legal delivery has been bowled

For those who missed it , Ashwin earlier on earned a five run penalty for running on the forbidden area of the pitch when batting. He didn't half grumble about it too !

Couple of "real" runs in the over. And Siraj seems to have recovered...

Think you are being a bit harsh on the England spinners , KP_fan. I agree they didn't have a great day yesterday ; but they've actually done rather better than India's much more experienced spinners over the series so far. There was very little in the pitch for them yesterday once the initial dampness wore off , so it was always going to be patience and control - and Rohit , after an early escape or two , took them on successfully. Too expensive, indeed. But they're learning on the job.
Will India's spinners be more threatening ? They ought to be : tons more experience, especially in the conditions. They will surely test England's batsmen. Question will probably be whether or not Root can find his mojo because he's surely best equipped to bat big in these conditions...

Rapid fifty for Duckett ! Thirty nine balls ...even by his standards , that's lively. England 67/0 off ten overs is the sort of start they like - though obviously there is a long way to go.

Think this is the correct approach for these two. Following bats may need to be a bit more circumspect, depending on the situation.

So we have Crawley playing Test cricket, with 11 off 22 and Duckett Bazballing with 54 off 41.

Intersteing and encouraging start from England, but they need someone to go really big if they are to establish the required lead on first innings to compensate for the deterioration of the wicket later in the match.

Ashwin into the attack...not before time , I think. He's removed Duckett more than once so odd that he's not bowled yet. Though I guess it has only been 11 overs ...

79/0

The Crawley wicket was coming in all fairness. He looked a bit scratchy out there.

Yes unusual to see Crawley playing the " steady " role...though I guess he hasn't had a lot of the strike so far. Have to say these two just seem to enjoy batting together ; and they've already established a pretty good record as an opening pair. OK , not been to Australia yet - or indeed SA . But without looking at the stats , I think they are way ahead of any pairing since Strauss/Cook.

Ah drat...Crawley fails to nail a sweep and gives Ashwin his 500th ... Bit careless , that one , didn't hit it out of the middle so it's 89/1

Changes the game again...

Pope starting in the rather frenetic manner that has become his trademark - at least in Asia. Nice six

Things a bit quieter since Crawley went but 104/1 from 18 ain't bad. Couple of shots not nailed lately as Ashwin has proved more difficult to get away.

Here's Bumrah to see if he can reprise his efforts from the last game...

Hasn't been just whacking it , from Duckett. Placing it very well for many of those boundaries. At times you think he's verging on being reckless ; but with rare exceptions today he's been in exactly the right foot position for his shots , and apart from a couple of play and misses in the early overs , most of them have come out of the middle.

Bumrah v Pope is a good battle at the moment.

What a hundred that is by Ben Duckett

Not reversing yet ? 137/1 at Drinks. Surviving this Bumrah spell an important aim...only two more overs , maybe ?

Jadeja on now for Ashwin. Fifty stand up in 66 balls

Duckett can't get near Jessop - 98 now off 83. India taking their time , perhaps tactically as he nears the milestone ? And Siraj back after just one Jadeja over...

That'll do

102 from 88 balls and a stylish drive to bring up the hundred ...

So after all that excitement... Jadeja's changed ends. Pope plays a rather strange scoop ...gets him four . 156/1 looks good.

But I am a little nervous as this situation is so like the latest Lord's Test Suppose as long as Ashwin doesn't collapse and get carried off the parallels aren't exact...but I hope England don't go gifting wickets too generously as the session continues...

so far Eng have made a terric contest
aided by India's cliched template

Of trying to justify inclusion of Siraj and handing him out too many impactless overs.

and not simply plugging sweeps for Duckett and Pope.

Bumrah has not had the rythm today.

A terrific fight back from Eng...lets see how long they keep going

Yes , here comes the short ball barrage...keep it on the ground lads , OK ? Singles will do.

Must be why India have picked Siraj , eh , KP_fan ?