England Summer 2021

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Stumps England 423 for 8 (Root 121, Hameed 68, Shami 3-87) lead India 78 (Anderson 3-6, Overton 3-14) by 345 runs
England just made too much ground in that middle session. Joe Root hit his third hundred of the series and sixth of the year. Dawid Malan struck a fifty. England went to tea 220 runs ahead with seven wickets in hand, and though they ended the day eight down, they scored briskly through session three as well, finishing 345 runs in front. India needed a dramatic collapse to force themselves back into the match on day two, and did their best to set one in motion during an attritional first session. But they were eventually foiled by Root in the form of his already exceptional cricketing life.
Once Root got going after lunch, India's strategy of bowling tightly and keeping the runs down - which had been somewhat successful in a morning session in which they removed the overnight batters - was essentially torn apart. It's not that Root's innings was necessarily a counterattack - he just went into ODI mode and found ways to score off even good balls, frequently deflecting balls in the arc between point and third man in particular. He was on 27 off his first 25 balls, 41 off 50, and reached triple figures off the 123rd ball he faced.
Growing in confidence as he batted in Root's slipstream, Malan grew in confidence as he hit 70 off 128 balls in his comeback Test innings. The pair's 139-run partnership was the best of the innings, just pipping Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns' opening stand, which was worth 135. Root also shared a 52-run association with Jonny Bairstow, and it is between these three stands that much of England's batting progress has been made. At stumps, they still had Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson at the crease. Both have been known to contribute handy runs at the county level.
India had a tough day, though perhaps the final session, in which they claimed five wickets, took the worst of the edge off. They are so far behind in the match that chances of victory appear remote. There are still three days left in the game, so a draw seems almost as unlikely. Still, the bowlers will be pleased that they can at least dream of wiping England's last two wickets out early on day three, when for much of Thursday, there was a strong possibility India would be made to bowl for substantial portions of Friday as well.
Mohammed Shami was the best of India's bowlers, nipping one back through the defences of Rory Burns early in the day, before having Bairstow caught at slip, and Jos Buttler out at catching midwicket after tea. Ravindra Jadeja picked up Haseeb Hameed and Moeen Ali. And although he was expensive, Mohammed Siraj took two wickets, while Bumrah claimed one. The severe disappointment in this bowling effort, however, was Ishant Sharma, who struggled for rhythm all day, rarely seemed menacing, and went at 4.18 across his 22 overs. That Kohli bowled him so much was something of a surprise.
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Joe Root brought up his third century of the series on Thursday Getty Images
But it was Root who really owned the day. He drove with confidence, particularly through mid-on, and through the covers, deflected no fewer than four boundaries through the third man region, and swept Jadeja against the turn without fuss, all the while picking up singles, running hard enough to squeeze out a second if the shot allows. It was a supremely busy, rather than explosive, innings.

He celebrated his 23rd hundred - drawing equal with Kevin Pietersen as the second-best England century-maker - to the adoring roar of his Yorkshire home crowd, and was out - eventually - on 121 off 165 balls, Bumrah getting him to play on. After this innings, Root has 1398 Test runs for the year, which is a monumental 688 runs more than the next-most prolific batter, Rohit Sharma. Incredibly, 875 of those runs have come against India.
Malan played England's next-best innings, scoring 51 of his 70 runs through the offside. He had had a somewhat nervy start, which was perhaps understandable for a batter playing his first Test innings in three years. But once Root got to the crease, and India's effort dipped following a tight first session, Malan was happier to free his arms, and join Root in his brisk accumulation through the middle session. Together, the batters consolidated the gains made by Hameed and Burns, and ensured that England's grip on the Test became even tighter.
Earlier in the day, India's bowlers had bowled a largely immaculate line-and-length to concede just 62 runs in the first session. They tied both Burns and Hameed down before dismissing them, and perhaps went to lunch feeling they were on the brink of breaking through the middle order as well. Root was always going to be the big wicket. He is in such form that his ruining of India's plan seemed effortless

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Third LV= Insurance Test, Emerald Headingley (day three of five)
India 78 (Anderson 3-6) & 215-2 (Pujara 91*, Rohit 59)
England 432 (Root 121)
India trail by 139 runs
Scorecard
England's push for victory in the third Test was met by stubborn resistance from India on day three at Headingley.

Needing 354 to make England bat again, India rebounded from being bowled out for 78 in the first innings by working to 215-2.

They were led by Cheteshwar Pujara's stoic 91 not out, while Rohit Sharma made a stylish 59.

After their second-wicket stand of 82 was ended, captain Virat Kohli looked in good order for his unbeaten 45.

England, who lost their last two wickets for nine runs in the morning to be dismissed for 432, largely bowled well without rewards.

Ollie Robinson and Craig Overton were particularly impressive on an unresponsive pitch, claiming a wicket apiece.

While England are not yet in serious danger of being on the wrong end of another famous Headingley comeback, they are being made to battle hard to level the series at 1-1.

'History tells you India aren't going to win' - Vaughan urges England patience
TMS podcast: Pujara digs in for India

'Time's out, you can't have it!' - Root too late for crucial review
No thoughts of another Headingley miracle - yet
While this storied ground has given England some of their most remarkable victories - Ian Botham in 1981 and Ben Stokes in 2019 - it has also dished out its share of unlikely defeats. Sri Lanka in 2014 and West Indies in 2017 both won from pretty hopeless positions.

India joining those ranks still seems highly fanciful, especially when it is considered that no team has ever overturned such a large first-innings deficit to win a Test.

However, the fight they have shown - a complete contrast to the soft way their batting folded on Wednesday - has at least added intrigue to a weekend that might not otherwise have seen any play.

The action on Friday was slower than the opening two days, but it was no less intriguing. Rarely did it feel like the India batsmen had control of the threat posed by England's attack.

There were also some bizarre moments. A plane flew overhead trailing a banner saying 'Sack the ECB and save Test cricket', while pitch invader 'Jarvo', who appeared during the second Test Lord's, made another idiotic entry to the field, this time padded up.

There was also the charade of England having to bowl their spinners in the late gloom, allowing India to score more freely than at any other point, only for play to be called off four overs early when Joe Root wanted his pace bowlers to take the new ball.

Pujara leads India resistance
Pujara had gone 12 Test innings without a Test half-century, but made 45 on the fourth day of the second Test to lay the foundations for India's sensational win.

Here, on the ground he graced as Yorkshire's overseas player, he typified India's approach - patient, determined and watchful - for his highest Test score since January 2019.

Pujara arrived after KL Rahul was stunningly taken one-handed at second slip by Jonny Bairstow off Overton. He left with sound judgement and scored with sweet tucks through mid-wicket.


'A stunner of a catch!' - Bairstow's diving effort gives England breakthrough
Rohit played wonderful drives, but could have been lbw to Robinson on 39 had England not delayed the review. By the time Root called for it, the allotted 15 seconds were up.

When Rohit played across one from Robinson, the review could not save him, the ball shown to be clipping the leg stump.

Kohli himself is without a half-century in eight innings and a hundred in 18, but looked ominous in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 99.

England forced to work hard
It was unrealistic for England to expect the third day to be as one-sided as the previous two, yet, although they did not get the wickets they desired, it was not for a lack of effort. Time and again the home side went past the outside edge.

Overton was the pick of the bowlers, at one point delivering a 10-over spell either side of lunch that was rewarded by the wicket of Rahul.

Sam Curran was the only disappointment. Root used him for only one of the first 37 overs and, when he was given a prolonged spell, it was expensive.

Given the cloudy conditions, it was understandable that Moeen Ali's off-spin was often ignored, but he and Root were forced to bowl 12 overs in tandem at the end of the day.

At one point, Root got one to rip through Kohli, suggesting that spin may become a factor on Saturday and Sunday.

When play does resume, England will have the boost of the second new ball being available.

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Third LV= Insurance Test, Emerald Headingley (day four of five)
India 78 (Anderson 3-6) & 278 (Pujara 91, Kohli 55, Robinson 5-65)
England 432 (Root 121)
England won by an innings and 76 runs
Scorecard
England broke India's resistance to surge to victory by an innings and 76 runs in the third Test at Headingley and level the series at 1-1.

Ollie Robinson expertly utilised the second new ball on the fourth morning to claim 5-65 and hasten India to 278 all out.

After India had threatened to make things difficult for England by moving to 215-2 on day three, Robinson removed both overnight batsmen.

Cheteshwar Pujara was lbw not playing a stroke for 91 before Virat Kohli, who had already overturned being given out caught behind, edged to first slip for 55.

It was the beginning of India losing their last eight wickets for 63 runs - at one stage they lost three for two - as the game was over 15 minutes before lunch.

It gave Joe Root an England record 27th Test win as captain, in front of his home crowd.

The fourth Test at The Oval begins on Thursday, with the series concluding at Old Trafford from 10 September.

Root 'proud' to set England Test wins record as captain
India's players are hurting - Kohli
TMS podcast: Rampant Robinson blows India away
Series poised after England fightback

England v India: 'A near 10 out of 10 performance' from Joe Root's side - Michael Vaughan
This result leaves the series tantalisingly poised, not only in the scoreline, but because of how the fortunes of these sides have been reversed.

England were largely saved by the rain in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge, then suffered a devastating final-day defeat in the second game at Lord's.

Yet here they hustled India out for 78 after losing the toss and piled up 432 to move towards what was their first win in eight Tests.

And although India hinted towards mounting another famous Headingley comeback on Friday, it was always fanciful - no side has overturned such a large first-innings deficit to win a Test.

All of England's selection decisions were correct. Haseeb Hameed and Dawid Malan made runs, while Craig Overton impressed with the ball. The hosts may also have Mark Wood and Chris Woakes available for The Oval.

For the first time in this series, the problems belong to India.

Robinson roars on Headingley return

Pujura lbw off the bowling of Robinson
Sussex seamer Robinson is playing only his fourth Test, but has become a key component of the England attack despite the controversy over offensive historical tweets that dogged his debut in June.

He has history at Headingley, too. He played 10 games for Yorkshire in 2013 and 2014, only to be sacked for a "number of unprofessional actions", which he put down to missing being at home in Kent.

Here, on his return as an international bowler, Robinson was superb in his use of the crucial new ball, delighting a boisterous crowd that was aware of the importance of the opening hour.

Pujara's judgement failed him in the fourth over of the day when he left a hooping inswinger that was shown to be hitting off stump.

England thought they had the vital wicket of Kohli when he was given out off James Anderson - the India captain even started to walk off - only for the review to show he had clipped his pad with his bat.

Still, Robinson, with bounce and seam movement, had him fence to Root, then the frenetic Rishabh Pant steered to third slip. Robinson completed his second Test five-for when Ishant Sharma was caught behind.

In between, Anderson took the edge of Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali bowled Mohammed Shami, and Overton took the final two wickets to end with 3-47.

They've come back doubly strong' - what they said

Root praises 'outstanding' England after India swept aside
England captain Joe Root on TMS: "To bounce back in the fashion we have done is the most impressive thing. The bowling on the first day was amazing, then the way the openers played and the substantial partnerships we had.

"India played exceptionally well yesterday and made it hard work for us, but those wickets were a product of the hard work we put in yesterday. We were good at squeezing the control of the game."

England bowler James Anderson on Sky Sports: "We're missing quite a few bowlers which shows what depth we do have. We're missing the likes of Broad, Archer and Woakes - guys who have done fantastic job for us over the last few years - so to have guys come in and keep performing shows the depth we have."

India captain Virat Kohli on TMS: "We were always up against it from the first innings, not enough runs on the board and it's very difficult to get back into the game. Their consistency with the ball this morning put us under a lot of pressure. Robinson has bowled a lot in England and swings the ball both ways, so in these conditions he was a real find for them."

Ex-England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent on TMS: "The main thing is how England bounced back. You saw the loss at Lord's and wonder if it would mentally leave a dent but they've come back doubly strong."

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ESPN VIEW

England 53 for 3 (Malan 26*, Bumrah 2-15) trail India 191 (Thakur 57, Kohli 50, Woakes 4-55, Robinson 3-38) by 138 runs
India were bowled out cheaply on the first day for the second Test in a row but retained a foothold after taking three England wickets in the late-afternoon sunshine at The Oval.
Chris Woakes - playing a first-class game for the first time since August 2020 after missing 11 Tests through isolation, rotation and injury - took four wickets and Ollie Robinson continued his fine summer with three, with England's seamers relentless in reducing India to 127 for 7.
Most of India's batters had made starts before being dismissed - Virat Kohli played fluently for 50 before falling to Robinson for the third consecutive Test - but Shardul Thakur's 57 off 36 balls changed the complexion of their innings. He teed off from No. 8 after being recalled to the side, and his half-century - the fastest recorded in a Test in England - gave India something to bowl at.
England had chosen to bowl after winning the toss in overcast conditions but were basking in hazy sunshine by the time their openers headed out midway through the final session. But three late wickets - both openers falling to Jasprit Bumrah and Joe Root castled by Umesh Yadav - left them teetering at 53 for 3 by the close.
Much of England's early success came from bowling dry. They had initially struggled to find swing with the lacquer still on the new ball - James Anderson conceded 20 in his first four overs and was punished for overpitching - but Robinson and Woakes rarely erred from a good length and strung together seven consecutive maidens with the score on 28.
2:20
Ian Bell: An outstanding, all-round effort from the England bowlers
Ian Bell: An outstanding, all-round effort from the England bowlers
Those maidens included the dismissals of both openers. Woakes, back to fitness after a freak heel injury suffering slipping down a flight of stairs, had the ball swinging immediately and induced an outside edge; Rohit Sharma had been leaving fuller balls, but Woakes dragged his length back and had him caught behind by Jonny Bairstow, keeping wicket with Jos Buttler absent on paternity leave.
And after an immaculate new-ball spell, Robinson had KL Rahul trapped lbw with a nip-backer. The decision was upheld via the DRS but only thanks to Richard Illingworth's earlier on-field call; Rahul was nearly outside the line as he was hit on the back pad, but ball-tracking said umpire's call.
Anderson's second spell was a significant improvement, and he had Cheteshwar Pujara feathering an edge behind to Bairstow. Kohli looked in fine touch earlier on, but the main talking point over the lunch interval was the promotion of Ravindra Jadeja to No. 5 - seemingly to break up the run of right-hand batters in India's middle order.
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Kohli was given a life on 22 by Root, who put down a chance at first slip off Woakes - though arguably Rory Burns, at second, should have gone for the catch to his left, since Root saw it late and had to move a long way to his right. Root made amends of sorts in Woakes' next over, hanging onto another tough chance off Jadeja's outside edge, but Kohli's fluency was ominous for England.
Following on from a second-innings half-century in Leeds, Kohli adjusted his stance slightly, shuffling across towards his off stump, and drove with authority and timing. The pick of his shots, a drive on the up through extra cover off Anderson, brought him to 45, and he reached a second consecutive fifty off only 85 balls, but Robinson - his nemesis throughout this series - tied him down.
After soaking up 10 consecutive dot balls, Kohli was anxious to score and shaped to turn a length ball into the leg side, but Robinson's unerring line and length did not allow him to do so. Instead, he found a hint of nip away off the seam, taking Kohli's outside edge and leaving India reeling at 105 for 5.
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Umesh Yadav came into the XI for India, and got the big wicket of Joe Root AFP/Getty Images
Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant, both under pressure after poor tours, fell after contrasting innings: Rahane tentative throughout, steering Overton to third slip where Moeen Ali clung onto a low chance; Pant frenetic, skipping down to hack Woakes' slower ball to mid-off, three balls after Overton had put him down in the slips.
That left Thakur - brought back into the side with Mohammed Shami ruled out with a niggle, Ishant Sharma dropped and R Ashwin overlooked yet again - as the last batter of any note and he decided the only way to go was to attack. He swung hard, thumping Overton for six over mid-off and tucking into Woakes, smiting him for six fours and a six.

Thakur rode his luck throughout, dropped on 43 after gloving a pull to Bairstow and with several shots falling just short of fielders, but flat-batted Robinson back over his head for four then pulled his next ball for six to reach a 31-ball fifty - the second-fastest by an India batter - which he greeted with a triumphant roar. He was pinned by Woakes, out lbw on review, shortly after, before Bumrah was run out and Umesh Yadav edged behind as India lost their last three wickets in the space of four balls.
Bumrah blew the game back open by removing both England openers in the space of five balls, finding extra bounce from just short of a length. Rory Burns looked to play late but inside-edged onto his own stumps, and Haseeb Hameed's attempted back-cut only managed to divert a short ball into Pant's gloves.
Root and Dawid Malan rebuilt with some fluency from 6 for 2, punishing any width on either side of the wicket in a stand of 46 in 11.3 overs, but Root's dismissal late in the day - bowled by an inch-perfect nip-backer from Umesh, which beat his inside edge and kissed the top of his off stump - could yet prove to be a significant moment, keeping India in the game. Overton was sent in as nightwatchman and Ollie Pope, recalled in Buttler's place on his home ground, will be due in at No. 6.

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ESPN VIEW

India 191 and 270 for 3 (Rohit 127, Pujara 61) lead England 290 by 171 runs
It was worth the wait. Rohit Sharma's first Test hundred away from home took India into a dominant position against England at The Oval, leaving them well-placed to push for a 2-1 lead in the series.
Rohit shared partnerships of 83 and 153 for the first and second wicket with KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara, pressing on through the third morning after seeing out 16 overs on the second evening. He batted within himself for most of the day in gloomy, overcast conditions but moved from 94 to his hundred by swinging Moeen Ali for six over long-on.
He was eventually dismissed in bizarre fashion, heaving a pull straight to long leg when Ollie Robinson dug the second new ball into the pitch, and when Robinson had Pujara caught in the slips via an inside edge into his back thigh five balls later, England were back in the game. But Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja - retaining his spot at No. 5 - battled through before bad light brought an early close shortly before 5.45pm local time.
Rohit rode his luck at times, offering two chances to Rory Burns at second slip, but neither was taken. The first came on the second evening when he had made only six: he edged James Anderson into the cordon, but Burns appeared not to pick the ball up against the backdrop of the crowd and only realised it had come in his direction once it had brushed his foot on its way to the boundary.
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Rohit Sharma deposited one in the stands at long-on to get to his century Getty Images
The second came on 31, when Ollie Robinson had him poking defensively at a wide-ish ball on a good length. Third slip had been moved into the covers shortly before, meaning Burns had to fling himself to his right; he could only get a fingertip to it, pushing it down towards third man.
Anderson made the breakthrough shortly after Burns' second drop, inducing an outside edge from Rahul. Rahul had started brightly, driving Chris Woakes down the ground for four and pulling him for six, but England bowled dry to stem the flow of runs. Anderson found a hint of movement away off the seam as Rahul came forward to defend; the on-field decision was not out, but the DRS showed a healthy outside edge.
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Rahul gestured to the umpires that he had flicked his back pad with his bat on the way through, but replays confirmed the ball had hit the bat after that. England reviewed an lbw appeal shortly before lunch with Rohit on 42, but DRS confirmed it was an optimistic shout.
Pujara started his innings brightly, admittedly helped by some loose bowling from England's change bowlers, but had to overcome an injury scare shortly after lunch. He rolled his ankle turning at the non-striker's end and underwent seven minutes of treatment from the physio with heavy strapping before resuming.
Rohit punched Craig Overton off the back foot for two to bring up his fifty and Pujara continued to bat fluently, cutting two boundaries in the space of three balls off Overton - the second a deft, late upper-cut over the vacant gully region. Rohit cruised through the 90s, pulling Anderson for four and then bringing up his hundred with a straight six, celebrating in restrained style.
Rohit's comparative struggles overseas compared to in India have often been used as a stick to beat him with but this was further proof that he is still one of the best all-format players in the world. This was his third 50+ score in the series and his eighth Test hundred in all - three of them brought up with a six.
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Cheteshwar Pujara brings out the upper cut during his knock of 61 Getty Images

Pujara brought up his own half-century - his second in three innings - by steering Overton away behind square after tea, as England tried out a short-ball strategy with the second new ball looming to no great effect. The crowd were subdued, with the partnership extending past 150 as Moeen and Root's offbreaks were milked.
But Robinson struck twice in the first over bowled with the new ball to change the complexion of the day and enliven the crowd. The first was an innocuous ball, a back-of-a-length loosener which hardly got up above waist-height, which Rohit inexplicably pulled straight to long leg; five balls later, Pujara was cramped for room playing off the back foot and inside-edged to third slip via the back thigh, given out on review.
Jadeja walked out to join Kohli, keeping his position at No. 5 after his surprise promotion in the first innings, and the pair saw India through to the close with Kohli again looking in superb form, creaming two cover drives away for four. They will resume with a lead of 171 on the fourth morning and while the pitch appears to have flattened out, India will be much the happier side overnight.

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Bubbling nicely

ESPN REPORT

England 290 and 77 for 0 (Hameed 43*, Burns 31*) need 291 more runs to beat India 191 and 466 (Rohit 127, Pujara 61, Thakur 60, Pant 50, Woakes 3-83)
Shardul Thakur and Rishabh Pant's half-centuries frustrated England and left them needing to complete their highest-ever run chase to take a 2-1 lead in the series, but an unbroken 77-run opening stand between Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed kept them in with a chance of pulling it off.
India resumed three wickets down with a lead of 171 on the fourth morning, and pressed on towards a significant third-innings total thanks primarily to Thakur and Pant's 100-run stand for the seventh wicket. They lost wickets in clusters but England's bowlers struggled to create regular chances on a flat Oval pitch and India's total of 466 was their highest in the second innings of a Test since 2009.
England's openers were tasked with seeing out 32 overs in the evening session and managed to do so with few concerns. Virat Kohli quickly turned to Ravindra Jadeja, who bowled 13 overs on the trot as he searched for the rough created by the seamers' footholes, but he struggled for consistency in his length. Burns was gritty and defensive but Hameed found some fluency, clipping boundaries off his pads and driving forcefully through the covers to leave England eyeing an improbable win.
Kohli and Jadeja - retaining his new role at No. 5 - resumed after seeing off the second new ball on the third evening and saw off James Anderson and Ollie Robinson's first spells with ease, Kohli pounding Anderson for four through the covers and punching Robinson through mid-off with a strong bottom hand to move into the 40s.
But Chris Woakes' first spell of the day brought two breakthroughs. His second ball was angled across Jadeja and defended into the off side, but both England and umpire Alex Wharf recognised that it had hit the knee roll of his pad first. Jadeja reviewed the decision, but the on-field call was upheld.
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Shardul Thakur made twin fifties at The Oval PA Photos/Getty Images
Three balls later, the out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane was pinned on the pad while shouldering arms to a nip-backer, but successfully reviewed Wharf's decision, with the DRS showing that it would have bounced over the top of the stumps.
Rahane had no such luck in Woakes' following over: he was set up perfectly, with Woakes gradually pushing his release point wider until Rahane played around another nip-backer that would have crashed into the top of his leg stump. His duck meant his Test average dipped below 40 for the first time in six years and his place will be under severe pressure in Manchester.
Kohli struggled to score as fluently in the second hour of the morning session, tied down by Woakes in particularly, and fell six runs short of his half-century as another England bowling change worked perfectly: Moeen Ali's sixth ball of the day drifted away, spun in and took the outside edge to give Craig Overton a straightforward catch at slip.
That left India leading by 211 runs with four second-innings wickets in hand and with their last two recognised batters at the crease in Pant and Thakur. Both men would have been tempted to play in their usual counter-attacking style but instead batted through to lunch with composure, as England burned their final review on a hopeful appeal for a bat-pad catch.
England toiled after lunch with little success. Moeen struggled for consistency, dropping short with regularity, and while Pant stayed within his shell, Thakur was more than happy to wait for the bad ball and pick off runs with controlled aggression.
Anderson and Robinson were both asked to bowl more than 30 overs in the innings and Thakur treated them with disdain, a straight six off Robinson's offcutter the pick of his shots before he brought up his second half-century of the match. There were occasional chances, with Moeen making a mess of a run-out opportunity and Pant surviving a tight lbw shout when attempting to reverse-sweep Anderson, but they brought up a 100-run stand after taking the lead beyond 350

They fell within six balls of each other. Thakur was suckered into a drive outside off when Root brought himself on, and after bringing up a measured half-century, Pant skipped down the pitch to try and thump Moeen back over his head but only managed to offer a return catch. His reaction was one of self-flagellation, despondently dragging himself off after smacking his pad with his bat.
Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah had some fun either side of tea while keeping England's bowlers out in the dirt, hitting 25 and 24 respectively in quick time, but both were caught in the infield by Moeen as Woakes and Overton boosted their figures with late wickets. It left England with two hours to bat in the sunshine and facing a record chase.
But aside from one hopeful lbw appeal from Mohammed Siraj against Hameed, which was turned down both on the field and by the DRS, they struggled to create chances in the evening session. With four members of support staff self-isolating and two senior players in Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara off the field nursing niggles, Kohli will need to step up as captain on the final day.

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Oops

ESPN VIEW

ndia 191 (Thakur 57, Kohli 50, Woakes 4-55) and 466 (Rohit 127, Pujara 61, Thakur 60, Pant 50, Woakes 3-83) beat England 290 (Pope 81, Woakes 50, Umesh 3-76) and 210 (Hameed 63, Burns 50, Umesh 3-60) by 157 runs
Jasprit Bumrah's devastating reverse-swing, Ravindra Jadeja's miserly spell into the rough and crucial breakthroughs from Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur took India into a 2-1 series lead against England, sealing a 157-run win that had seemed improbable for much of the fourth Test at The Oval.
India were 127 for 7 on the first afternoon, conceded a 99-run first-innings lead, and watched England's openers pile up an unbroken 100-run partnership on the final morning on a flat pitch offering almost nothing for their bowlers. But, after fine individual performances from Thakur and Rohit Sharma had forced them back into the game after the early obstacles, their attack split six wickets in 22.4 dramatic overs to turn the game decisively on the final afternoon, led by Bumrah's remarkable spell with the old ball.
India's task on the final day - take 10 wickets in 90 overs - was plain but hardly straightforward. They had opted to leave out their best spinner, R Ashwin, and the pitch had offered nothing for England's seamers in the second innings. But they succeeded where England had failed, rotating their attack with great effect, using Jadeja to rough up the old ball, and giving their seamers the opportunity to rip through the middle order with reverse-swing. Bumrah's high-class spell after lunch - 2 for 6 in six overs - was particularly crucial as he spearheaded a collapse of four wickets for six runs, and Umesh finished things off with the final two wickets after tea.
England started the day hopeful of pulling off an improbable fourth-innings run chase for the third summer in a row after wins against Australia and Pakistan in the last two years. Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed had both batted fluently on the fourth evening and brought up half-centuries and a 100-run opening partnership but Burns fell immediately after.
2:47
Laxman, Harmison pick the defining moments of India's win
Laxman, Harmison pick the defining moments of India's win
It was Thakur who made the first breakthrough. He had spoken to Sky Sports in their build-up to the final day, revealing India's optimism about the prospect of getting the ball to reverse thanks to Jadeja scuffing up one side bowling into the rough, and now he managed to move the old ball away from Burns' outside edge after angling it in from around the wicket. Rishabh Pant took a straightforward chance after a thin nick.
With Jadeja finding turn and bite from the rough outside Dawid Malan's off stump, England were bogged down. Hameed struggled to score against the seamers - he added only 19 runs to his overnight 43 while batting through the morning session - and with the prospect of victory still at the back of their minds, the pressure to score paid. Hameed nudged Jadeja into the covers and called Malan through for a single, but Mayank Agarwal - on as a sub fielder for Rohit - threw quickly and cleanly to Pant in time to beat Malan's dive.


Joe Root came out firing after lunch, reverse-sweeping the first ball of the afternoon session for four as if to warn Jadeja that landing the ball in the rough outside the right-handers' leg stump would not be enough. But Jadeja stuck to his guns, spinning one past Hameed's outside edge to peg his off stump back as he looked to guide a single to cover with an open face, and England never recovered.
Bumrah sensed an opening and began to reverse the ball prodigiously, moving it late, hitting speeds of 88mph/142kph and targeting the stumps. His full length and late tail was enough to burst through Ollie Pope's defence, angling in from wide on the crease and beating him on the inside edge. It was a fitting dismissal for his 100th in Tests, brought up in his 24th appearance to break Kapil Dev's record for fastest to the landmark by an Indian fast bowler.
Root survived a tight lbw appeal on review in the following over, DRS confirming Jadeja had pitched the ball outside leg stump, but Bumrah was purring and struck moments later. He beat Jonny Bairstow with the first ball of his over, full and reversing away, before turning it around on its axis and zipping it through him with a fast, in-ducking yorker two balls later. India were ecstatic, Kohli geeing the crowd up in celebration, and England's hopes were in tatters.
Kohli's explanation at the toss for Ashwin's continued omission was that Jadeja would provide him with a good match-up against England's left-handers, which prompted some confusion given Ashwin's record against them. But Jadeja's success vindicated his selection: he struck with the first ball he bowled to Moeen Ali, turning one sharply out of the rough created by the right-arm seamers and inducing a hard-handed poke away from the body, which gave Suryakumar Yadav - the other sub fielder - a simple catch at short leg. The slide was four wickets for six runs, enough to turn the game on its head.
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Virat Kohli leaps in celebration as the DRS confirms last-man James Anderson is out Getty Images
India had time to take two more wickets before tea, including the crucial scalp of Root. Kohli opted to delay the second new ball, bringing Thakur back to bowl the 81st with the reversing old one, and an innocuous, back-of-a-length ball proved deadly: Root looked to run it down to third man, but inside-edged onto his stumps.

Craig Overton survived two tight calls, first dropped at third slip by Ajinkya Rahane, then successfully overturning an lbw decision given against him as Bumrah thudded one into his pad. But Woakes, who had looked solid for his 18, offered a low chance to KL Rahul at short midwicket to give Umesh Yadav his first wicket, and England were eight down at the interval.
India belatedly took the new ball shortly after tea and Umesh struck again, finding extra bounce from a length as Overton played on via the elbow, wincing in pain as he trudged off. James Anderson was the last man out, fending a catch behind to give Umesh a third that was given out on-field and upheld on review.
Kohli and India celebrated a fine win that had looked unlikely for large swathes of the match, completed despite the absence of their head coach, Ravi Shastri, and two injured senior players in Rohit and Cheteshwar Pujara being off the field through the final innings. England, by contrast, were left facing up to the prospect of consecutive series losses at home - unless they can square this one in Manchester - leading into an away Ashes this winter.

[Admin]

May not be a game at OT COVID-19 issue

[Admin]

No play today

[Admin]

Game off Indians don’t want Covid as IPL starts in 2 weeks

[chris]

Sept 10, 2021 7:39:11 GMT Admin said:

Game off Indians don’t want Covid as IPL starts in 2 weeks

9 days time on the 19th Sept.

Test cancelled due only to the "fear" that there may be more cases, doubt there will be.  All will be present and correct in Dubai next week.

[Skimmer]

Sept 10, 2021 7:39:11 GMT Admin said:

Game off Indians don’t want Covid as IPL starts in 2 weeks

Ridiculous, irresponsible of the BCCI, the ECB have caved in. Think of the fans travelling and staying overnight last night, the food vendors, security staff, Lancs staff. The huge cost as well as the enormous inconvenience to thousands. 
Beggars belief that the ECB should have been so compliant in a decision to place the IPL ahead of a test match. Another reason, and the list is long, to kick into touch competitions like the Hundred.
I am due to go today and tomorrow, but I only live in Stockport.
That 'trusted' organisation, the BBC made an announcement about 30 mins ago to stating that the match at the OVAL was cancelled. the fools can't get much right!

[werneth]

Quite disgraceful. The IPL rules everything.

But I hardly think you can criticise the ECB – they stand to lose £20million and what were they supposed to do if the Indians refused to turn up?

[sillypoint]

Shows that the IPL is way more important to the BCCI than Test match cricket. Not sure if their players agree with them or not as they've seemed very committed during this series.

The ECB initially announced that India had conceded the match and the series ended 2-2, but retracted it within a few minutes. Given that all the players have tested negative they absolutely should have to concede the match. What's the odds the BCCI are offering the ECB a lot of money, or perhaps allowing the Indian players to play in the Hundred, for a 'mutually agreed cancellation' and a 2-1 India win. Wouldn't be like the ECB to put money before integrity, though, would it?
 

[Skimmer]

If the ECB have any integrity at all they should uninvite India for 2022 at least. Or that should have been the threat sent last night to the BCCI.