Updates from day three of the fifth Test in Chennai
Eoin Morgan: everyone I trust backed decision to miss tour
Email daniel.harris.casual@theguardian.com or tweet @DanielHarris
9.13am GMT
76th over: India 260-3 (Rahul 135, Nair 19) Dawson, who’s bowled pretty well, has the ball, and Nair and Rahul take a single each - their partnership is now 49 off 88.
9.10am GMT
75th over: India 258-3 (Rahul 135, Nair 19) Stokes gets us going - can he find any reverse? He begins with a bouncer, of course he does, and the over cedes two when Rahul drives into the off side. Decent start, but not a menacing one.
9.05am GMT
So, off we go again.
9.00am GMT
P.S. I hated the Matrix.
8.57am GMT
“Daniel, Daniel,” begins Robert Wilson. “Get back to the cricket, old thing. Trainspotting is literature for people who think The Matrix is philosophy. Choose McIlvanney, choose Alisdair Gray, even choose Kelman. But don’t choose this dunder-headed, faintly right-wing, tin-eared geek’s fantasy of a drug-habit (junkies are actually amongst the most civic-minded and aspirational types you could meet).
That was also the most hyphens I could find in the drawer.”
Alasdair. Sorry! But, in my defence, you did ask for it. I’m actually in the middle of How Late It Was, How Late - and have been for a long time. I don’t get the fuss, I’m afraid. Trainspotting has a phenomenal energy that I didn’t find in Lanark either, and it’s a lot funnier. Oh, and you can tell Irvine Welsh that he’s right-wing.
8.44am GMT
So, there we go. England remain in the ascendancy, but can they find the edge to rustle India? Er, probably not, and while we’re here, hasn’t KL Rahul batted well? That’a a rhetorical question, but yes he has.
8.44am GMT
74th over: India 256-3 (Rahul 133, Nair 19) Last over before tea, and it’s been a decent session for your Englands, Pujara and Kohli hutched and only 76 scored; make that 80 when Cook brings close fielders in, to short-leg and gully, then Rashid drops short and Nair carts him from outside off to the midwicket fence. And then Nair picks the googly from the hand, nipping to leg and glancing two more to fine leg.
8.40am GMT
73rd over: India 249-3 (Rahul 132, Nair 13) Moeen replaces Ball as we see a collection of nasty-arse throws that Bairsterr has been forced to field, some on the bounce and some clattering into palm and fingers. Three from the over and bit of turn, but not much else.
8.36am GMT
72nd over: India 246-3 (Rahul 130, Nair 12) Rashid finds some dip but Rahul gets down so quickly that he turns it into a half-volley and punishes it through extra cover for four. That was a decent ball, made to look rubbish, and a two and a one follow.
8.32am GMT
71st over: India 239-3 (Rahul 123, Nair 12) Ball tries a slower one but Nair plays it well, waiting to open the face and guide it behind. Then another, which prompts a hurried single - had Dawson hit with his shy, Rahul was gone - so three from the over. England have bowled really well this session, but need to convert parsimony to wickets pretty quickly.
8.28am GMT
70th over: India 236-3 (Rahul 121, Nair 11) Rahul takes some treatment between overs, then nabs a single, and Rashid pushes a quicker one out of the front of the hand that rushes Nair into a hasty block. And then he finagles a pull for one, but doesn’t look at all comfy, let alone elegant.
8.24am GMT
69th over: India 233-3 (Rahul 120, Nair 9) Ball barrels in and catches Rahul just below the ribs when one skips off the pitch and catches a bit of bat on the way through - “a right sair yin,” as Mark Renton would say, though he was talking about Begbie’s friendly dig hello.
And what a little bit this is - feel free to send in your favourites.
8.20am GMT
68th over: India 232-3 (Rahul 119, Nair 9) Seems to me that Rashid is bowling more googlies than earlier in the series, and Rahul misjudges one but gets a single nonetheless. For a bloke on 119 not out, he’s not entirely at ease.
Here's @blowersh displaying sartorial elegance in Chennai today #INDvENG #bbccricket pic.twitter.com/GmgvqE7v9B
Hang on just a minute?! #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/I4I6ukAqhF
8.16am GMT
67th over: India 229-3 (Rahul 116, Nair 9) An excellent spell of 5-2-7-1 comes to and end as Ball takes the ... the ... ooh hoo hoo ... ball from Broad. Will he “run his fingers down the side of ” himself? I can hardly take this coincidence; why, it’s almost ironic. And a maiden.
8.11am GMT
66th over: India 229-3 (Rahul 116, Nair 9) England are back grousing about the ball, but Umpire Erasmus sends them packing - and anyway, it seemed to work well for Rashid, who has it in his fingers. And he bowls a quicker one that Nair, who can’t pick the wrongun so isn’t having fun the the leg-spinner either, edges by slip for three. It’s a whole lot of time away, but Rashid has done well enough this winter to be England’s number 1 spinner for South Africa in the summer. But as I type that, a short one is carted to midwicket by Rahul, where Buttler, on the fence, does a great job of saving the boundary.
8.07am GMT
65th over: India 223-3 (Rahul 113, Nair 6) I wonder how much more of a contest this would’ve been had Broad stayed fit. A bit, is probably the answer. But he overpitches here, and Nair smacks four down the ground, breaking his wrists to keep control. He could use a score here, and England stick in silly mid-on to remind him.
8.03am GMT
64th over: India 219-3 (Rahul 113, Nair 2) On comes Rashid for Dawson, and Rahul gets one to grip off a scrambled seam, Rahul hitting inside-out but without any control and doing well to get two. Well bowled, or well-bowled as the current trend for inexplicable hyphens would have it. This is a really good over, Rashid chucking his next delivery over the eyeline to disconcert his man, then finding bounce and turn, then deceiving by finding less.
7.57am GMT
63rd over: India 215-3 (Rahul 110, Nair 1) Broad around the wicket is giving the batsmen a different problem from around the wicket, almost creating a left-armer’s angle. He entices Rahul to drive away from his body and India add a single - but that’s exactly what England want him to do.
“England have been really, really stubborn and worthy opponents and credit where it’s due,” patronises Bharat Tiwari with a snigger. “But one really gets the feeling India that have been gratuitous hosts this Test match. Right from morning 1 when they had England on the mat, they let both Root and Mo get away with missed run outs and drops with the trend continuing to date. Patel and Virat were both at comfort. But they have allowed the game to get precarious.”
7.51am GMT
62nd over: India 213-3 (Rahul 109, Nair 1) Morning everyone. With both ends now open, expect Dawson to quickly run through things. In the meantime, we quickly see how England got The Man, bowling a line outside off that they knew would encourage Kohli to play. Broad “rolled his fingers down the side of the ball” too.
7.47am GMT
61st over: India 211-3 (Rahul 107, Nair 0). Broad decides to vary his angles at Kohli, going around then over the wicket, then back again. And it works! Four balls in, Broad’s heavy offside field is rewarded when Kohli drives uppishly at one speared in from around the wicket and is taken by Jennings. New man Nair sees out the rest of the over. And with that I’ll hand you over to Daniel Harris, who’ll see you through to the close. Thanks for your emails and company.
7.43am GMT
This is excellent from Broad - mixing up his angles, and inducing a stifled Kohli to drive to Jennings at shortish extra-cover. England are in the game now.
7.39am GMT
60th over: India 211-2 (Rahul 107, Kohli 15). Rahul picks up two with an easy square cut off Dawson, who’s round the wicket at the centurion now. It’s back to the leg theory for Kohli though, but it can’t stop the flow of runs this time, the captain flicking a single on the onside. Then he foxes Rahul with a neat off-break that spits past his outside edge.
“Is that the second time the ball has been changed?” asks John Starbuck, catching up from a few overs back. “I think it happened to Rashid earlier. But it must be another complication: getting a ball that goes through the air as it should do, but losing one which the entire side has been ‘looking after’, creating a shiny side for reverse swing. One presumes the replacement balls have not been treated in that way. It also asks the question - are there any stats on replacing the ball, per stadium, or even per bowling side?”
7.35am GMT
59th over: India 207-2 (Rahul 104, Kohli 14). Broad continues, probing that offside line, until he tests Kohli with a shorter ball outside legstump, which the star of India is equal to with a controlled hook down to fine leg.
7.31am GMT
58th over: India 205-2 (Rahul 104, Kohli 12). Kohli breaks the brief stranglehold with a front-foot push on the legside for one. Rahul cuts a shorter ball for another single before the captain steals two square on the offside that could really have been one. Five from the over.
Some background on the crowd problems earlier:
Everything seems to be in order here pic.twitter.com/zXTwJ3Hl0j
7.27am GMT
57th over: India 200-2 (Rahul 103, Kohli 8). Stokes’s short sharp burst is brought to a close and he’s replaced by Broad. He’s looking to tempt Rahul on the drive, by the look of his offside field, and choke off the run supply. Which he duly does, in a THIRD (count ’em) consecutive maiden.
7.22am GMT
56th over: India 200-2 (Rahul 103, Kohli 8). Dawson, doing the Ashley Giles in 2001-02 thing over the wicket at Kohli, prompts some respectful defensive stuff from the India captain, though one is bunted to Jennings at short leg’s shin but it’s not really a chance. A second consecutive maiden.
7.17am GMT
55th over: India 200-2 (Rahul 103, Kohli 8). A maiden - the first of the entire day. Stokes continues to expend the maximum of effort, digging a fair few in short at Rahul but he is at least asking him questions of the sort the others mostly have not.
“The moral logic of cricket,” thunders the title of an email from Robert Wilson. “Far be it from me to deny the august delights of chubby middle-aged men whining about the shortcomings of international standard athletes, there’s nothing better in life. But it does strike me that some of the current woe and wailing omits a crucial contextual component. Yes, this has been a difficult tour for the England team. Yes, their performance may disappoint or upset. But cricket is really, really hard. That shouldn’t be forgotten. With its straight-armed bowling, its hard, heavy (and VARIABLE!) ball and its sensitivity to climate, cricket is the biomechanical contrarian, the profoundly unergonomic sport. Nowhere is this seen better than in the concept of the century. No sport asks of its practitioners an exploit so demanding, so complex and time-consuming, so mentally-draining and difficult. Centuries are miracles, marvels, feats of legend. But we react like they are no big deal. I wonder how many amateur cricketers have actually scored one. When I was a young’un, I slayed dragons, rescued princesses and cured cancer most weeks. But I never got close to a scoring a ton. Not close. Like I say, cricket is really, really hard.
And, oh yeah, India are obviously pretty good at it too.”
7.13am GMT
54th over: India 200-2 (Rahul 103, Kohli 8). The runs they are a-flowing now, and we could be treated to a bit of a batting exhibition here. A spot of strike rotation off Dawson takes India to 200.
Never mind the here and now, here’s Andy Hockley with a retro-comedy idea: “Seasonal hi - jinks: ‘Love Actually’ in which 70s/80s Yorkshire batsmen Richard Lumb and Jim Love are constantly getting mixed up with hilarious consequences.” Or, away from comedy, “Love in a cold climate” perhaps - musings on cold April days at Derby.
7.09am GMT
53rd over: India 197-2 (Rahul 101, Kohli 7). Kohli gets off the mark with the sort of assured controlled pull off Stokes of a man who’s been in for hours. And then Rahul reaches his hundred when a scurried single becomes overthrows for three when the shy at the stumps misses. A slightly messy way to reach it but it’s been a fabulous innings, and his fourth hundred in Tests. Richly deserved. Kohli rounds off a celebratory kind of over with a deft push behind square on the offside for four.
7.04am GMT
51st over: India 187-2 (Rahul 98, Kohli 0). Rahul edges closer to his century with three consecutive twos: a confident reverse sweep, a thumping drive off Dawson’s full toss that’s well cut off at the boundary, and a legside flick. Dawson keeps Rahul honest with one that spins away from him as it’s floated across his stance, but the opener’s nearly there.
7.00am GMT
51st over: India 181-2 (Rahul 92, Kohli 0). Now we have some cricket. Stokes contines, and once more fires an inswinging bouncer over Rahul’s head. The opener adds a single with a nudge down to fine leg. More short stuff follows but it’s not tempting the batsmen to play, but it serves to set Pujara up, and the No3 pushes loosely at a fuller delivery and is taken at slip. Kohli is greeted by cheers from the crowd and another bouncer from Stokes.
6.58am GMT
Stokes finds some inspiration, and Pujara’s outside edge, and Cook takes a regulation catch low at slip.
6.53am GMT
50th over: India 180-1 (Rahul 91, Pujara 16). Dawson resumes, giving his first a bit more air and being driven to mid-on by Rahul for a single. He continues to go round the wicket at Pujara but not at his partner, but the former bides his time before contemptuously slashing a shorter ball square on the offside for four.
William Hargreave quips on the Twitters: “Re comedy in current climate, a piece on opening the batting under the pressure of captaincy, called ‘Alcook’s Half Hour’?”
6.48am GMT
49th over: India 175-1 (Rahul 90, Pujara 12). Ben Stokes is tossed the ball for the first time today - England might have made use of him earlier. And he starts off with an inswinging bouncer - just because he can - which Pujara ducks beneath. The second is short too but short-arm jabbed away for a single. Stokes’s three balls of huff and puff are enough to prompt the umpires to take a look at the ball, which looks scuffed and out of shapes, and is replaced. One more single follows.
6.40am GMT
TMS has been treating listeners to an old cricket-themed Hancock’s Half Hour, which featured John Arlott and others, which was all rather fun. We need more specifically cricket-themed comedy in these troubled times. Any suggestions? Anyway, the players are on their way back out.
6.28am GMT
Lunchtime email: “Good Morning!” chirps Aniket Chowdhury. “I think the main problem with English cricket is that their think-tank is very poor in judging match situations and pitches. They always seem to be one step behind the opposition and they rarely get the playing 11 right. There have been so many instances of the English team getting a below par score, thinking it was at par or above. Any thoughts?” Well they’ve simply been well beaten by a better team here, to be fair, in conditions they seem not much closer to mastering than they were a year or two ago, and we’ve seen a return to almost 1990s-levels of arguing about team selection, England having made a habit, this tour, of selecting a team aimed at the Test just gone, rather than the one coming, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. We’re perhaps at a lower dip in the cycle - the zip and vim of England’s mid-2015 reinvention having been replaced by a certain tiredness.
6.17am GMT
Australia v Pakistan news: they’re about to resume at the Gabba after an almighty storm, with Pakistan having moved on to 131-2 today. Follow all of it here.
6.03am GMT
48th over: India 173-1 (Rahul 89, Pujara 11). The final over before lunch is bowled by Dawson, who yields a single to Rahul first up. He switches to round the wicket at Pujara, who dabs to square leg for one more. And that’s your lot for this session - 113 fairly easy runs, one slightly gifted wicket, and a lot of toil for England. I’m off to stick the kettle on - see you in a bit.
5.58am GMT
47th over: India 171-1 (Rahul 88, Pujara 10). The runs flow again: Rashid has an agreeably aggressive field in for Pujara, which ties him up for a couple of balls before the regulation stray one, a low full toss, which is bunted through midwicket for four. Pujara then punishes another one that’s too short and easy to pick and hammers it to the long-on boundary for four more.
5.54am GMT
46th over: India 163-1 (Rahul 88, Pujara 2). A bowling change, the first for a while: Dawson returns to the attack, hoping for less punishment from Rahul than he received earlier. The opener takes an easy single first ball. The left-armer over the wicket is easy enough for right-handers to pad away though, which is what Pujara does for a couple of balls before whipping a single through midwicket. Dawson’s giving it plenty of revs but not massively sharp turn.
5.49am GMT
45th over: India 161-1 (Rahul 87, Pujara 1). Rahul takes another one off Rashid, who’s making the odd one spit and turn, and slightly catches Pujara off guard with one that bounces quickly up at the top of his bat, but the new man is off the mark next ball with a neat glance through midwicket. A Rahul single to long-on follows.
5.46am GMT
44th over: India 158-1 (Rahul 85, Pujara 0). Four more for Rahul, who reverse-sweeps square to the boundary off Moeen. The England all-rounder changes angle, going round the wicket, but Rahul adds another with a flick on the legside easily enough.
Superstition latest:
@tomdaviesE17 I don't know about you, Tom, but I feel much better now that we've got 3 spinners not taking any wickets rather than just 2.
@tomdaviesE17 YOU ARE WELCOME!
5.41am GMT
43rd over: India 153-1 (Rahul 79, Pujara 0). It did look as if Rahul would reach a hundred by lunch, but that looks less likely now. He’s respectful against Rashid before pushing an easy single down the ground, the only scoring stroke of the over.
5.39am GMT
42nd over: India 152-1 (Rahul 79, Pujara 0). Patel deflects a quicker, more deceptive ball from Moeen away on the legside for a couple. And then, reasoning that we’ve not had any pyrotechnics for a bit, steps forward and whips Moeen over deep midwicket for SIX. But that’s his lot - he tries another slog but is deceived by what turn Moeen can find and slices, against the spin, straight in the air on the offside for Buttler to take. Pujara, rather than Vijay, is the new man in, but he is the most rock-solid No3 in the world so it’s understandable he’s out there.
5.36am GMT
From nowhere! A breakthrough. Patel follows a thumping six by edging another slog, and it loops up for Buttler to take at extra-cover.
5.32am GMT
41st over: India 146-0 (Rahul 79, Patel 65). Rashid is mixing things up a bit, although his variety too often includes eminently run-conducive balls. Patel on-drives for one but Rahul is well beaten by a teasing leg-break, mind, and there is the sense that if anyone at all is going to take a wicket, it’ll be Adil.
5.29am GMT
40th over: India 145-0 (Rahul 79, Patel 64). I’m going to go out on a limb here: India are going to avoid the follow-on. Moeen now only has a slip as his solitary close fielder, until a second is brought in four balls in. There’s a little bit of spin outside the left-hander’s off stump but Parthiv leaves well alone, and next ball manages to smother the turn, sweeping smartly for one.
5.25am GMT
39th over: India 143-0 (Rahul 79, Patel 63). Rashid is finding turn – England fans must cling desperately to this - but runs are still coming. Parthiv clips a single on the legside, which could have been more but for a fine diving stop by Buttler. Two more ones complete the over.
5.23am GMT
38th over: India 141-0 (Rahul 78, Patel 61). Astonishing fact: this is now India’s highest opening partnership against England in India. Rahul pushes Moeen on the offside for one, so does Parthiv before Rahul executes a characteristically confident reverse-sweep for four. He’s brought all his tools to this innings.
5.19am GMT
37th over: India 135-0 (Rahul 73, Patel 60). Here comes Rashid for his first ball of the day. No pressure Adil, but England are all counting on you. And it’s a decent over. Patel turns his first ball round the corner for one. There’s encouragement off his second ball though, which turns sharply into the left-hander, prompting an lbw shout, but it was missing leg. A flicked single ensues next ball. A good over is somewhat let down, as so often, with a loose final delivery that is driven neatly through extra-cover by Patel for four.
5.15am GMT
36th over: India 125-0 (Rahul 72, Patel 53). A few singles off Moeen. More of the same really. “With talk of player superstitions briefly surfacing in the commentary box,” adds Ian Copestake, “I imagine OBOers have a few, but probably restricted to what pants they wear. Or hoping that by saying ‘cutter’ enough times one will actually work for England.” I’m doing my bit to reverse-jinx by saying that England have no chance whatsoever of taking a wicket all day.
5.11am GMT
Love is a four legged word. live love woof @ElixirNahar pic.twitter.com/NhpuxGlQ6p
35th over: India 124-0 (Rahul 69, Patel 51). There’s no stopping the flow of runs - not a single maiden today yet – and Rahul clips Ball effortlessly away for two more.
5.07am GMT
34th over: India 122-0 (Rahul 69, Patel 51). A misfield catches the England mood – Root at mid-off to gift Patel a single off Moeen, who’s dropping quite wide outside off-stump and being turned towards leg at will by Rahul, who gets another one in that fashion. Moeen then strikes Parthiv on the pad with one that the bowler initially fancies an lbw appeal at, but knows it’s not worth it as the batsman was a long way forward. But ball beating bat is a rare thing to treasure for England.
5.00am GMT
33rd over: India 120-0 (Rahul 68, Patel 50). More punishment for England: Ball, round the wicket at Patel, strays a little down legside but the angle is such that it flies past Bairstow behind the stumps for what looks like four byes but replays show there was some bat on it. Which means he can bring up his 50 with his next scoring stroke, pulling a half-tracker down to deep square leg for one. All too easy. And that’s drinks.
4.56am GMT
32nd over: India 115-0 (Rahul 68, Patel 45). Moeen continues. Patel pushes on the offside for a single before more effortless exellence from Rahul, sweeping way across the line to a very wide one outside off-stump and picking up four more through midwicket. Another single follows before Patel adds one more off a shorter ball with a square cut.
4.52am GMT
31st over: India 108-0 (Rahul 63, Patel 43). Rahul unfurls an exquisite square cover drive off Ball, who gave him just too much width. The last time India did enjoy a century opening stand, they went large - 283 against Bangladesh in June 2015 (Dhawan and Vijay). Can we rule out something similar here? Frankly, we can’t.
4.49am GMT
30th over: India 104-0 (Rahul 59, Patel 43). No great surprise to see Moeen replace Broad. No great surprise either to see India’s openers continuing to look composed and in control: Rahul adds two off his first ball with a square cut off the back foot to bring up India’s first century opening partnership for 31 innings, apparently. Then a half-chance: Moeen makes one spit up out of the rough outside the left-hander’s off-stump, and it jags off his edge past the outstretched Stokes’s left hand. It’s two runs, not a wicket. Given how today’s gone so far, that could be a ball of the day contender.
4.44am GMT
29th over: India 99-0 (Rahul 56, Patel 41). Parthiv pushes a single on the offside from Ball, who then gets some bounce and movement at Rahul, forcing the batsman to jerk back at a probing short inswinger. Another single follows with a dab on the offside. Ball’s looking livelier than Broad here, but India’s openers aren’t in any bother, and we can expect them to be with us for some time.
4.39am GMT
28th over: India 97-0 (Rahul 55, Patel 40). Parthiv picks up an effortlessly four with a well-placed clip through midwicket. Broad sighs deeply, like a man about to start a 10-hour shift at work who can’t find a seat on the train and has to stand all the way, which he kind of is. Another single on the legside follows before Rahul brings up his 50 with a cut for two - this has been his best knock of the series, and it may well get better. As it does next ball, with a delicious on-drive for four.
4.33am GMT
27th over: India 86-0 (Rahul 49, Patel 35). Probably wise to give Dawson a break, but it’s seam rather than spin, in the form of Jake Ball. And working out the Broad-Anderson succession seam attack is going to be a job of work for England in the coming year - it’s not obvious how it might shape up at the moment. Anyway, Patel scampers a quick single with a dab towards mid-on. It’s one of two singles from the over.
4.29am GMT
26th over: India 84-0 (Rahul 48, Patel 34). Nothing in this pitch for the likes of Broad again, by the looks, and Rahul pushes a low-bouncing regulation ball outside off-stump through extra-cover for three. “The complete lack of turn being produced by our spinners is a great ploy,” smirks Ian Copestake. “Convince the batters the the ball that goes straight on is the only ball we bowl, then throw in a freak turner. Can’t wait to see it.” Easy as.
4.22am GMT
25th over: India 81-0 (Rahul 45, Patel 34). Rahul assaults Dawson again (not literally), climbing into a so-so delivery and launching it over long-on for another SIX. It’s gone into one of the stands that’s closed so the steward has a job on here to find it, but he does eventually. Another nudged single follows off the fifth ball, and Rahul’s making it look easy here. He’s hit two sixes and three singles this morning
“Not sure if it is relevant to the problems the crowd have getting in,” writes Peter Rowntree, “but I read somewhere that this ground has some three stand areas which cannot be used due to not having safety licenses granted by the local authorities. We saw something of the same issues at Mohali - it seems to also reflect that if staff on the gates want to perform more thorough safety checks on people entering the grounds they need to start the admission process earlier.”
4.17am GMT
24th over: India 74-0 (Rahul 38, Patel 34). Patel clips a single to midwicket. Rahul gets another through a similar shot. Broad then changes angle at Patel. going over the wicket, and discomforts the batsman at bit more, as he glances and misses down the legside. But nothing else doing.
Let’s talk statistical quirks. Here’s Ian Forth with the first email of the day: “It’s a source of quiet amazement that cricket can continually throw up new records as in the case of Shania Lee-Swart’s recent 95% contribution to her team’s total. My guess is England’s spinners contribution of 75% to their total of 477 must be a test record as well (assuming Joe Root bowls in this match), though my manipulation of stats guru is inadequate to definitively prove this, I must confess.” So is mine, at this early hour, to be honest.
4.12am GMT
23rd over: India 72-0 (Rahul 37, Patel 33). Ouch. Rahul skips down the track and belts Dawson down the ground for SIX. He does get some turn away from the right-hander though, but Rahul’s keen to get forward and smother it, and he duly plays out the over.
4.09am GMT
22nd over: India 66-0 (Rahul 31, Patel 33). Broad starts at the pavilion end, round the wicket to the left-handed Patel, and is wayward with his first delivery, which drifts meaninglessly down the legside. Broad gets a ticking off immediately for running down the pitch. He gets some bounce off his third ball, but it sails over the batsman’s head, and the fourth ball, a fuller one, is straight-driven to the boundary for the first four of the day.
A lot of complaints on TMS about the crowd situation now, with people still struggling to get in, and being harshly treated by security. Anyone there able to shed light?
4.03am GMT
21st over: India 62-0 (Rahul 31, Patel 29). We’ve got spin from the off, with Dawson taking the ball for the first over. He signals some intent with a silly point and slip in, and Rahul gets the first run of the day off the second ball with a push to mid-off. Parthiv then does likewise to mid-on. Two from the over.
3.55am GMT
They’re on their way out.
3.51am GMT
The weather in Chennai looks a little more hazy than yesterday, where there are big queues outside, according to TMS, and rather fewer inside the ground at the moment. Only one ticket office is open apparently, and tempers are flaring and there are reported flashpoints with police.
3.41am GMT
Meanwhile in Brisbane, Pakistan are 86 for 2 in their second innings as they seek to avoid an almighty drubbing, just the 404 short of victory. And you can follow it with Adam Collins here.
3.09pm GMT
Morning everyone. Or perhaps, if you’re in the UK, you’ve not been to bed yet. And nothing signifies a rollocking festive night out on the last Saturday before Christmas than staggering in, alone, and firing up the OBO before passing out in front of the cricket. You’re our kind of people, frankly. Or perhaps you’ve brought a load of party people back to yours with the specific intention of having a raucous cricket all-nighter. You’re our kind of people too. Crack open another and join us.
Anyway, what we appear to have before us at the moment is an old-school subcontintental Test match – high scores, unresponsive pitches, 450+ totals being the norm, spinners the key men – as England’s have been so far here, albeit with the bat. With the ball, this could be a long day of toil for the tourists’ attack. India’s openers looked utterly unruffled yesterday evening – and that’s in a series where opening partnerships have been the one aspect of their batting that hasn’t really fired. It could easily be 375-2 by the end of the day.
Related: Liam Dawson: ‘I’ve never experienced this type of pressure before’
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