I’m not sure even Kohli is enough of an arsehole to ostracise him just for that, but I may be wrong.

Ashwin himself has looked a sulky, petulant individual many times in the past too.

Perhaps it is basically a dick measuring thing between them.

I’ve also seen speculation it might relate to people being annoyed by him leaving the IPL halfway through then playing for Surrey. Who knows.

Excellent bowling this morning.

chaos

2 day test ?

Cripes. Need Root to bail us out yet again!

cock!

Yup it’s pretty evenly poised now I would say. Looking at what we have to come a collapse is very possible. Good match anyway!

2 more wickets gone already.

All aboard for what looks to be another rollercoaster day.

Also, it needs reiterating that the ball that Umesh dismissed Root with was a jaffa.

come on Moeen, a classy ton here will win this!

bloody muppet

come on Moeen, a classy ton here will win this!

nope

bloody muppet

yup

He was looking good as well

It’s only day two, lads, FFS.

Two recognised capable batsmen in. Play properly, accumulate with as little risk as possible. Just get as much of a lead as possible, time is not an issue.

Play properly. Play each ball on its merit. There is no need for heroics right now.

Play properly. Play each ball on its merit. There is no need for heroics right now.

the England team didn’t get your message unfortunately.

Why on earth hasn’t Woakes been in the team this year up until now? In home tests at least his bowling is great and his batting extremely useful.

Jimmy gets his 100th not out!

Scratch that, Zaltz got it wrong 😂

Why on earth hasn’t Woakes been in the team this year up until now?

He’s been injured.

He’s been injured.

I didn’t think he was injured the whole time but perhaps he hasn’t been fit also.

He was at the IPL so not available for NZ tests I think, injured for India

He was at the IPL so not available for NZ tests I think

😒

Well, India have halved the deficit for no loss and may well.be turning this into a one innings game with England batting last. At least the pitch won’t become a recent Oval sandpit judging by how much it was watered pre-match.

Morning everybody! Have England any hope? I don’t think so – the Indian lower order could have a bit of thrash and we know what England are like chasing even a moderate total/trying to bat for a day.

India strong favourites in my book.

But I’m 15 mins behind on Sky and really enjoying the discussion between Athers, Mark Butcher and Dean Wilson of the Daily Mirror talking about the decline of Afro Caribbean cricket in the UK. Also the documentary – part 3 today – being shown at lunchtimes, You Guys Are History

(that was a good day – I was on the way to an away game giving a lift to our SA overseas pro as Devon was ripping the Saffers a new one. Even on crackly LW radio version of TMS that was electric listening)

If England could keep the lead down to 250 or so we’d at least have a game but that’s not looking at all likely at the moment.

(that was a good day – I was on the way to an away game giving a lift to our SA overseas pro as Devon was ripping the Saffers a new one. Even on crackly LW radio version of TMS that was electric listening)

I was watching as an obsessed 16 year old. The first ball went past Gary Kirsten before he’d seen it and my Dad and I both sat up and said something to the effect of “Jesus CHRIST!”

I remember Craig Matthews walking in looking like a panicky draftee and leaving the field a couple of minutes later looking like a shell-shocked veteran. Cronje played what looked like a perfect forward defensive. Bat next to pad, bang on line and covering the stumps. The problem was that the ball had already gone through and shattered the wicket. To add insult to injury, Gooch and Hick then tonked Donald et al all over South London for an hour at the end of the day.

Devon Malcolm – the cricketing equivalent of a fragmentation bomb. The damage inflicted was usually significant but always random.

If England could keep the lead down to 250 or so we’d at least have a game but that’s not looking at all likely at the moment.

Whatever happens, England will HAVE to get through the new ball at a max of one wicket down. Do that and it could be ‘on’, but England have ended up in a one innings game and having to bat on a fifth day pitch. Being 60 odd for five in the second innings of match is the cause, again.

Rahane is out, and possibly out of Test cricket.

Now, Rishabh.

My bet is roll the first few back then tee off. Roll the dice, he could take this game away from England by lunch. I hope Kohli is telling him that.

excellent work there Grum

It’s setting up really badly. Final day, gettable but challenging run chase, weather set fair, £10 on the door tickets….and a 25 minute train ride and a walk up the Harleyford Road.

And I’ve got four must not miss meetings tomorrow.

Wife reckons call in sick and go dressed as Big Bird*, or Bungle off Rainbow, something with an all over head.

*sesame street, not Joel Garner. Going blackface in whites with a West Indian cap would almost certainly get me on TV and not in a good way.

Last time this happened I knocked off at 12 and hotfooted up there to see Sir Alastair’s last knock. Missed the overthrows to see the hundred but heard the roar from outside. But was there to see him walk off, which was memorable.

Devon Malcolm – fast, straight, control of length.

Pick any two…. except for one memorable day in South London

Pace, accuracy and movement. Good bowlers have two, great bowlers have all three.

Devon Malcolm had one, but when it clicked it was incredible.

If you look at Devon’s 9-57 I can think of three or four that were not ‘good’ balls, but the force was with him. The balls to dismiss Rhodes, Richardson and Matthews should not have got Test match players out. But to hell with that – it was a ‘moment’ and Big Dev was in that moment.

Carnage.

this is quite a nice read

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/sep/04/happy-crowd-drink-in-ovals-lovable-old-pub-atmosphere

Kohli gone. That forces Rishabh’s hand.

<optimistic>

If Burns and Hameed walk back out to the middle tomorrow morning then this really could be on.

<\optimistic>

Either way, this might last the full 5 days and give both sections of the crowd a crazy last session.

If Burns and Hameed walk back out to the middle tomorrow morning then this really could be on.

🤬

Deep breath everyone. Good batting so far.

Great start there from England. I still say they could go for the win if they don’t lose early wickets!

It’s brewing up for a (hopefully) brilliant fifth day…

Really hope they give it a go tomorrow, nothing fancy to begin with just keep the scoreboard ticking over, build pressure on the bowlers and fielders then go for it… I can dream