Well that's ticking away nicely.
Take the lead for 1?
Looks like KP might be waiting a while...
Cook to declare with kp on 99?
That would shake up the dressing room nicely! I'd like to see Trott tuck in, with Cook and KP in seemingly great form that would create a frighteningly confident top 4 to take on the world...
KP can now show his worth (& try not to get Cookie out on 199) & get a score to declare on.
<please,Santa>
Well at least it wasn't 199 still a long way to go but looking good
Cook is bloody amazing isn't he, despite the daft runout. Overtaking where Sachin Tendulkar was at his age is pretty special.
I have mixed feelings about England potentially winning this game/the series. The grounds are half empty anyway and I just think it might switch the Indian public off test cricket even further.
Next Ashes is shaping up to be a good contest.
Ashes should be fun local media here keep going on about needing a Warne etc. Just hope they declare early enough to go for the win.
Shame it's empty out there mid week really and it's starting at 9am.
Bell never really got going did he. Lets hope there's not a collapse now - tail is looking a bit long.
The crowds are bigger than the capacities at most UK test grounds, 25,000 odd were there yesterday, they look small because the grounds are huge.
considering they were at 338-1 its a bit of collapse as always
At least their is captain marvel to have set a massive total prior to the collapse.
England always seem to have one good performance from a batsman rather than a team performance and surely that is a bit of a worry
KP out now as well
Fair enough mefty. I still think they should try day-night tests as Boycott has been suggesting.
Think that's a bit harsh JY. Apart from Bell no-one has completely failed have they? And Trott, Peterson and Compton all made useful fifties.
From 300 odd for 1 you would expect a massive total and a declaration
That said 500 odd for 6 is hardly a failure so fair point though
Should win from here
Most big scores have 1 stand out innings, and plenty of backup. One Daddy Ton, and 3 (hopefully 4) fifties is a pretty good effort really
By lunch tomorrow, the pitch will be wearing. Even if India bat really well, and get 350 we should still have time.
Almost 200 ahead with 4 wickets remaining, pretty decent.
As a model of humility and modesty, its hard to beat our Geoffrey:
Headline:
"Alastair Cook is a natural opener who loves batting – [b]just like me[/b]"
😉
England going well now after a poor start. The Gambhir 'DRS' decision is an interesting one. You can't just use it when it suits you. Didn't really matter in the end luckily as he was out soon after.
Tidy start to the morning! 🙂
I woke up a hour ago to find we'd had a bad morning. Snoozed for a while, checked again to find that we've taken 4 😛
Getting through them there. Hopefully make the next test exciting
Wickets are falling like rain 😀
Anyone else chuckle at Aggers saying the batsman was tugged off?
This will be over very shortly, I feel!
I believe that to be factual statement Captain.
Hadn't meant to get up to watch but couldn't sleep with a head full of snot. Tuned in at the start of the session, proper demolition job!
nice way to wake up.
Chugginton on the box and a test annihilation on the BBC. 🙂
Anyone opening a book on innings and x runs?
I go Innings and 54
This will be an amazing win for England - legendary stuff.
That trumpeter can STFU though.
Pitch is an odd one. One minute deliveries are keeping low, the next rearing up. The spinners are getting so much grip it's silly and then....it goes docile for an hour. That said I reckon we'll need to bat again, probably to chase around 40.
Billy (the trumpeter) was interviewed at lunch by TMS
And another! 🙂
Finn having some fun too. Can Monty get one?
Oops jinxed him on that stumping. I'll shut up. 😀
FINISH THEM
monty monty monty
The crowd celebrated avoiding an innings defeat (and Ashwin's fifty) as if they've just won the match! 🙂
The longer this goes on the more embarrassing it is for India's top order.
2-1 job done
A very, very satisfying series win.
Lovely to see 2 world class england spinners doing the business on the subcontinent.
Yup. Shame the last game was pretty poor but a superb result for England.
On the basis that Dhoni asked for raging bunsens for the second and third tests, only to get his arse handed back to him by Swann and Monty, the lord alone knows what he asked for for the fourth test! But i sure as hell hope that wasn't what he'd wanted, and that we don't see many surfaces like that again. I can't remember a more turgid test match.
I know we've been spoilt in recent years by great games and run rates in excess of 4, but 1008 runs for 23 wickets (several of which were wrong umpiring decisions) at an overall rate of 2.3 rpo. As David Lloyd said yesterday on the TV - if that was taking place outside my front window I'd draw the curtains.
Still - great recovery from one down, great series win, and made the Indians that suggested 4-0 in england was a fluke and we'd get done the same in india look very sheepish now.