Follow all the action from the final day of the fifth Test in Chennai
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Email tom.davies@theguardian.com or tweet @tomdaviesE17
10.27am GMT
88th over: England 207 (Buttler 6 not out) Game over. And it’s a seven-wicket haul for Jadeja, who starts the over by finding Broad’s outside edge with a tantalising turner but it’s along the ground. He doesn’t have to wait long, though, to strike – the next ball spits in at the left-hander and is nudged up and round the corner to leg-slip. The umpire takes his time to raise the finger but Broad – not a natural walker – knows it’s not worth reviewing and trudges off. They’re all round the bat for Ball, who’s beaten all ends up by a brilliant leg-break first ball and then dismissed, with a simple edge to Kohli, who, appropriately wraps up the series with the catch. Another England collapse, another emphatic victory for this imperious India side.
10.24am GMT
Broad edges at one that kicks in at him out of the rough and is taken at leg slip. Nearly done.
10.22am GMT
87th over: England 207-8 (Buttler 6, Broad 1) Slightly surprising bowling change now, with Mishra replacing Yadav, but he manages to draw a loose shot from Buttler – a nudge and miss outside leg-stump – but the batsman is otherwise orthodox and defensive in a maiden.
More crazy, unworkable Bolshevik talk, from Matthew Brown: “Regarding Robert Spittlehouse’s approach to avoiding the curse of captaincy by avoiding captaincy: we could always do something even more radical, and pick a bowler as captain. I know, people will just laugh at that one.”
10.19am GMT
86th over: England 207-8 (Buttler 6, Broad 1) Jadeja replaces Ashwin and keeps Broad on the defensive (he can’t really do anything else here), inducing one play and miss in another maiden.
10.16am GMT
85th over: England 207-8 (Buttler 6, Broad 1) Broad thinks he’s got off the mark against Yadav with a single off his hips down to fine leg but umpire Erasmus rules that he played no shot so sends him back to face more attempted legside entrapment, and is almost snared fending one down to fine leg on the up but it eludes fielders – Broad does get his first run this time though. Buttler is then prevented from farming the strike by ba couple of rasping shorter balls. You’ve got to feel for Jadeja and Rahul – eight wickets (at least) and a score of 199 respectively yet they’ve surely got no chance whatsoever of the man of the match award.
We have 12 overs/49 minutes remaining.
10.11am GMT
84th over: England 206-8 (Buttler 6, Broad 0) Ashwin attacks at Buttler, who mostly plays late and wisely but looks less certain when he attempts to get forward at one that gets caught between bat and boot. He can’t keep the strike this time though. A maiden.
10.08am GMT
83rd over: England 206-8 (Buttler 6, Broad 0) Yadav mixes it up a bit, finding as much bounce with new ball as he did with old. Buttler clips a single to midwicket off the fifth ball, cognisant that he’ll probably have to take most of the strike from hereon in. With that in mind, he turns down a suggested single from Broad after a tentative nudge off the left-hander’s hips.
This collapse all began with Moeen, of course, about whom Jonathan Gresty offered this statistical curio a few overs ago: “Having scored exactly the same number of runs in this test as his bowling went for, Moeen being dismissed for 44 didn’t surprise me. Now we just need Rashid to score the same number of runs as he went for and we might just survive....”
10.02am GMT
82nd over: England 205-8 (Buttler 5, Broad 0) Ashwin enjoys a bowl with the new ball, getting some nice swing from it with his arm ball, but also conceding four byes with one that drifts down the legside. Buttler dabs a shorter ball away on the legside for a single before Ashwin turns one sharply away from Broad as part of an lbw set-up: the next ball is duly straighter and hits him on the pads, prompting a cheeky review. It’s missing off, however, but it won’t fill England with any confidence that they can somehow survive the next hour. And that’s drinks.
9.58am GMT
81st over: England 200-8 (Buttler 4, Broad 0) There’s no way back for England now. Kohli decides he will take the new ball, despite the dominance of the spinners in recent overs, bringing Yadav back in place of Mishra. And it works! Buttler adds a single before Rashid dollies up a simple catch with a leading edge.
“Re Robert Spittlehouse’s suggestion of replacing captains with democratic voting,” writes Jen Oram in an email entitled “Corbyn cricket”, “isn’t that how Admiral Collingwood ran his ship, asking everyone’s opinion before doing anything? It sort of worked okay but he got through about 30 overs a day, which is slow even by Cook’s standards.” Revolution is a slow, ponderous, dull business. And then it collapses in a heap of mutual denunciation. Which might, still, arguably be more fun from an English perspective than all this.
9.55am GMT
Kohli gambles on taking the new ball, and wins. Rashid miscues an attempted flick to leg and it’s caught in the covers by Jadeja
9.51am GMT
80th over: England 199-7 (Buttler 3, Rashid 2) That wicketless lightweight Ashwin replaces Jadeja, with four close fielders in around the bat, and has Rashid in trouble with one that raps pad but is missing and another that jags out of the rough in at Rashid’s glove but doesn’t quite carry. Terrific over.
We’re throwing the kitchen sink around now on the selection question: “What England should have done is just select 11 batsmen and then tried to score 7, 8 or 900 in the first innings,” writes Peter Salmon. “I’m not sure having no bowlers (except Stoles and, I guess, Mooen) would have made much difference to the Indian score, and they could have secured a draw. Perhaps next time.”
9.47am GMT
79th over: England 199-7 (Buttler 3, Rashid 2) Mishra continues, as well he might as he’s bowled very well since tea, but Rashid reads him well, flicking another single square on the legside in an otherwise defensive over.
9.46am GMT
78th over: England 198-7 (Buttler 3, Rashid 1) Rashid gets off the mark then Buttler sees out the over. He wants to get forward to negate the spin but has no option but to be defensive. This could be quite the test of his red-ball credentials. “Just woken up,” claims Matt Emerson “haven’t checked the score yet - what sort of total do you think we need to set India to get them nervous...” About 400 should do it Matt. Could be done.
9.43am GMT
77th over: England 197-7 (Buttler 3, Rashid 0) Mishra bowls. England defend. A maiden. “All the hallmarks of the second Bangladesh Test; big opening partnership then a brainless collapse,” tuts Kevin Wilson. “I know they’re all mentally exhausted and probably can’t wait to fly home but that’s not much of an excuse.” There is a germ of an excuse though. Seven Tests in two months, with practically no warm-up time, is the most exhausting schedule I can ever remember. And now there are no Tests for more than six months.
9.40am GMT
76th over: England 197-7 (Buttler 3, Rashid 0) Jadeja seeks to turn the screw, rattling through another over with the concession of only a single to Buttler. Only four overs to the new ball – will they take it?
9.39am GMT
75th over: England 196-7 (Buttler 3, Rashid 0) India are rampant. Buttler nudges Mishra round the corner to get off the mark with a single. Then Mishra accounts for Dawson, with a googly that’s tossed up in the perfect area and the No8 has no answer to it. Bowled neck and crop.
What we need in these rudderless confusing times is some anarcho-syndicalism, a rejection of the Cult of the Leader. Here’s Robert Spittlehouse: “In response to Andrew Porter’s fears (68th over) about the spread of the England Captain’s Batting Curse to even notional or pre-elective captains, we should consider and disseminate rival concepts to contain the outbreak. In this spirit, isn’t it time to abandon the role of captain all together? The team could become an autonomous collective, with simple fielding changes and appeals ratified by a simple majority, whereas a two-thirds majority would be required for bowling rotations and batting order alterations. Problem solved.”
9.37am GMT
Mishra comes to the party. His googly foxes Dawson, who is bowled through the gate for a duck.
9.33am GMT
74th over: England 193-6 (Buttler 0, Dawson 0) It’s going to be 4-0. It’s in the bag. Stokes is confounded by a ball from Jadeja that just sticks on him, forcing him to mistime a chip to mid-on where Nair takes an easy catch. Can Dawson be the batting hero again on debut? He’s tormented early on when Jadeja finds a low edge with some sharp turn but it doesn’t carry to Kohli at slip. Let’s change the subject – sort of. Here’s Lee Smith: “Could you please ask Will West what kind of dubious Darwinian or Frankenstein chicanery is taking place at Chez West in light of the revelation that his hamster has HANDS! Is he really Sid from Toy Story?”
9.30am GMT
And another! It’s five for Jadeja– a leading edge from Stokes loops up to Nair at mid-on for the easiest of catches.
9.29am GMT
73rd over: England 193-5 (Stokes 23, Buttler 0) It’s slightly surprising that Kohli keeps Mishra on here, given the chance to really turn the screw, but the third spinner’s got his tail up too and Stokes isn’t looking completely comfortable against him. He does nudge a single away in front of square on the legside though. Buttler plays out the over. England’s two most attacking batsmen have a right old rearguard action to pull off here.
9.26am GMT
72nd over: England 192-5 (Stokes 22, Buttler 0) Is this the decisive moment? Moeen goes, trying to hit Jadeja over the top, not connecting properly and Ashwin takes a smart catch above his head. Why oh why? There’s nearly another wicket, as a bat-pad chance off new man Buttler isn’t quite taken at short leg.
9.23am GMT
Oh no Mo! Moeen is tempted to hit Jadeja over the top, doesn’t get hold of it properly and it’s taken above his head by Ashwin at mid-on.
9.22am GMT
71st over: England 192-4 (Moeen 44, Stokes 22) Mishra continues to rattle through his overs, conceding a Moeen flicked single only from this one. Meanwhile, here’s the latest episode of My OBO Family and other Animals: “Kimberley Thonger.. Brilliant name, brilliant post,” gauntlet-throws Will West. “But taking the field with Chris Drew and his cat will be our Syrian hamster Buttercup who, through hanging repeatedly from the roof of her cage one- handed has developed a grip and agility to match Jonty Rhodes in his pomp. Catches win matches!”
9.19am GMT
70th over: England 191-4 (Moeen 43, Stokes 22) Chance! Jadeja drifts one into Moeen, it brushes bat and pad but the man at short leg is slow to react and only parries it onto the ground. Unfazed, Moeen sweeps confidently past the same fielder for one. Plenty of variety from Jadeja though, and Stokes swings and misses at one that he misreads. Patel misread it too though – it’s four byes. Patel might be a sparky batsman but he’s not the complete keeper by any means.
9.16am GMT
69th over: England 186-4 (Moeen 42, Stokes 22) Mishra tosses one up a little more and prompts a slightly uncertain leg glance from Moeen that’s in the air for a fraction but brings him a single. Stokes then rounds off the over with a firm drive down the ground on the half-volley for four.
9.14am GMT
68th over: England 181-4 (Moeen 41, Stokes 18) Stokes plays Jadeja with defensive respect for four balls before having a go off his fifth, and getting four with a slightly mistimed on-drive.
The boundless superstitiousness of the English cricket fan, part 94:
@tomdaviesE17 Is it just me, or has merely the suggestion of the captaincy already cursed Root's batting? Or am I just pessimistic?
9.11am GMT
67th over: England 177-4 (Moeen 41, Stokes 14) Mishra has a big, energetic shout for lbw after spinning one in to Moeen’s pads from around the wicket but the trajectory is taking it down the legside. He’ll be encouraged by the manner in which he beat Moeen there though. He also indulges in a less throaty appeal off the last ball which Moeen sweeps at and misses but it’s outside the line. It’s Mishra’s best over thus far though.
9.08am GMT
66th over: England 177-4 (Moeen 41, Stokes 14) A change at the other end, with tormentor-in-chief Ashwin replaced by tormentor-in-chief Jadeja. Moeen plays out four balls well enough before driving nicely for three on the offside.
Domestic pet-fight! “May I introduce Willow, my cat, to Dakkers, as the feline equivalent of the Carrom ball,” snarls Chris Drew. “Let’s see how long Dakkers concentrates on the object in question now.”
9.06am GMT
65th over: England 174-4 (Moeen 38, Stokes 14) Mishra continues, with fielders close in on either side of the wicket. He gets some bounce and turn, but Moeen counterattacks well with a firm on-drive in the air that drops safely and runs for four. He adds a single before Stokes does likewise. Another neatly timed on-drive brings Moeen another one.
9.01am GMT
They’re on their way back out. England will have to concentrate hard for the next two hours, in the manner of Kimberley Thonger’s dog. Kimberley writes: “Dakkers, my dachshund puppy, just told me he’s willing to run a course on concentration for the England batsmen. It will basically consist of them learning to mimic his mindset when he’s yearning for a tasty morsel which is unavailable to him. He never once takes his eye off the object in question, and can outstare any human. The object and the human represent the ball and the bowler, obviously. His charge for this service is a kilo of best fillet steak.” Mmmmm.
8.42am GMT
64th over: England 167-4 (Moeen 32, Stokes 13) Moeen sweeps assertively but uppishly at Ashwin. “Catch it,” yells the bowler, but it’s past Yadav at square leg and goes for four. He gets four more with a pleasing cover drive that Mishra fails to cut off by the ropes. “Surely we need no more hand wringing over the quality of Moeen’s bowling,” writes Stuart Hetherington with timing worthy of his subject. “His batting alone must ensure him a place in the test team.” And that’s tea. This pair have done well to keep India at bay for the past 40 minutes or so, but victory is still eminently within India’s grasp. See you in a bit.
8.38am GMT
63rd over: England 158-4 (Moeen 23, Stokes 13) Tea looms, and so does Mishra, by some distance the third spinner in this India lineup, who comes on for a twirl in place of Yadav. He’s round the wicket at Moeen, who sweeps into the shin of Pujara at leg slip, and then appeals in vain for a bat-pad catch at forward short leg, but there was no edge. Vijay then cops a nasty one on the wrist at forward short leg from another sweep, but gamely carries on. Moeen adds a single before Stokes defends himself with a goalline clearance with his left boot against a ball that was trickling towards the stumps.
8.34am GMT
62nd over: England 157-4 (Moeen 22, Stokes 13) Ashwin goes over the wicket at Stokes, having been all over him coming from round the wicket, and it does tempt Stokes to have a go, which he does, smacking him firmly to the long-on boundary for four. “Re Timwig’s tweet – call me a pedant,” writes confirmed pedant Ian Sargeant, “but hasn’t Vaughan’s record stood for 13 calendar years already (with 14 just around the corner?”
8.32am GMT
61st over: England 153-4 (Moeen 22, Stokes 9) Some runs. Moeen adds a single off Umesh with a controlled legside pull, and then Stokes gets away with one – an edge that zips past Kohli at slip and goes for four. A leg-bye follows before Moeen treats us to a rare and genuine fine attacking shot, a lovely square cover drive for four. Nasser Hussain in the commentary box tries to pierce the English gloom by pointing out that four of their players have scored 1,000 runs this year before asserting that the team performances haven’t been remotely good enough.
Meanwhile, fans of English terrestrial TV’s upcoming sensation, the Big Bash League, can tune in to Geoff Lemon’s OBO of the season-opener between Sydney Thunder and the Sydney Sixers. Join him here:
Related: Big Bash League 2016-17 season opener: Sydney Thunder v Sydney Sixers – live!
8.26am GMT
60th over: England 143-4 (Moeen 17, Stokes 5) Ashwin sends his carom ball in at Moeen but the batsman picks it well and plays it late. The spinner asks all sorts of questions again but Moeen answers them adeptly on this occasion, and finally manages some strike rotation off the last ball of the over with a firm drive to mid-off for one run.
8.24am GMT
59th over: England 142-4 (Moeen 16, Stokes 5) Yadav has Moeen wafting and missing outside off-stump, like he David Gower or something, but Moeen pulls the next one confidently across the line for a single. One from the over.
Richard Morris from the Twitters asks: “Root and Bairstow going cheaply - did they both miss the chance to become England’s top run scorer in a calendar year?” Talking of which…
Given reduction in future Test schedule, Michael Vaughan's record 1481 runs in 2002 might remain an unbroken record for a calendar year
8.19am GMT
58th over: England 141-4 (Moeen 15, Stokes 5) Another big appeal from Ashwin, as Stokes pushes and misses at one that turns and bounces past his edge, but Kohli declines to back him up on this occasion. It’s a maiden, and a good one. This is great bowling to watch, at both ends, regardless of one’s allegiances.
8.17am GMT
57th over: England 141-4 (Moeen 15, Stokes 5) A pace-for-pace replacement, with Umesh Yadav on for Ishant Sharma, and the torment continues. He’s able to conduct some challenging chin music too, though, and has Stokes jabbing uncertainly at a snorter outside off-stump. Stokes adds a single before another shorter one prompts an uncertain hook from Moeen that could have landed in any of the deep legside fielders posted there for the purpose but bounces short of them. They run one. Stokes adds another one on the offside but it’s a very good over. And another reminder that England’s seamers have been comprehensively, emphatically bested by India’s pacemen in this series too.
8.12am GMT
56th over: England 138-4 (Moeen 14, Stokes 3) Ashwin goes round the wicket at Stokes, all the better to torment him outside off-stump, though Stokes gets off the mark with a leisurely clip to the deep midwicket boundary and it’s fielded in an old-fashioned foot-out way by Mishra on the ropes. They run three. Moeen then slices uncertainly towards Nair at extra-cover but it bounces in front of the fielder – predictably encouraging signs for the bowler though.
8.08am GMT
55th over: England 135-4 (Moeen 14, Stokes 0) Ishant mixes it up to the extent that he sends a wide slower one down the offside that completely foxes Patel behind the stumps. The keeper fumbles and lets it run through his hands, conceding four byes. Ishant continues to find bounce from this shirtfront of a surface, though, ensuring that England can enjoy no respite when the ball’s not in the hands of Ashwin or Jadeja.
“England have invented a new painless surgery of removing brain from alive person’s head,” writes Mahendra Killedar. “And it’s not fluke mind, they performed it on 11 of them in Chennai!!”
8.04am GMT
54th over: England 131-4 (Moeen 14, Stokes 0) Ashwin returns to the attack, just to give England the fear that little bit more, and has a big shout for lbw with his fifth ball against Stokes, though they decline assistance from their new best friend, DRS, which is just as well as it got a thick inside-edge. India don’t have an away Test outside Asia until they visit South Africa in early 2018, which is going to prompt curmudgeons to mutter “can they do it on a wet Wednesday in Stoke?” type sentiments (though you might as well apply the point with more force to England’s equivalent tests, which is basically anywhere where the ball turns a lot). Nonetheless, it’ll be fascinating to watch this side in ‘unfamiliar’ conditions, as they look the most ruthless, efficient and intelligent India team for some time.
7.59am GMT
53rd over: England 130-4 (Moeen 12, Stokes 0) Sharma signals his intentions by bringing a short leg in for Bairstow. And then strikes by firing the subsequent ball in low down the legside but Bairstow gets a leading edge and dollies it up for Jadeja to run back well and take the catch just beyond midwicket. They’ve changed ends so Moeen faces the next ball, which he cracks away square on the offside for one.
Morning Guy, we’ve been expecting you:
Oh jesus, I've jinxed the bloody shooting match, haven't I @tomdaviesE17 #cricketbloodycricket
7.55am GMT
Scrap what I said about Bairstow being sensible. Bairstow clips a leading edge high towards the legside boundary but it’s not got any sort of distance on it and Jadeja does brilliantly to run back and take it.
7.51am GMT
52nd over: England 129-3 (Moeen 12, Bairstow 1) Jadeja, who now has 22 wickets for the series, continues with an oppressive close legside field at Moeen, who sweeps confidently for a single nonetheless. Bairstow then gets off the mark with a sensible back-foot push to mid-on.
7.48am GMT
51st over: England 127-3 (Moeen 11, Bairstow 0) Morning/afternoon all. My first OBO stint of this series involved describing Root and Moeen’s lovely first-day partnership in a Test that ended with the side that had been second-best battling it out for a draw. Root’s dismissal just now has scuppered the chance for any sort of symmetry here, and this could now end like the three subsequent Tests. Anyway, Sharma begins by firing in a short ball at Moeen, who takes a single from his fourth ball. The sixth ball is a bit of a lifter too, jagging sharply at Bairstow’s glove. He’s a fun bowler to watch with his pecker up, Ishant.
7.40am GMT
50th over: England 126-3 (Moeen 10) Moeen skips down and leathers the ball back at Jadeja, who dives and gets a fingertip on it. The ball demolishes the stumps but Root has his bat comfortably down. Jadeja’s reactions there were something else. Great shot, mind, and Moeen can afford to be a bit miffed not to get anything for it. He’s beaten by the next ball, which goes on with the arm. We have a review from the last ball and ... well. Root is gone, England are in full on panic mode and I am handing you over to Tom Davies to take you through to the close.
Cheers for reading. Happy Christmas. Bye!
7.39am GMT
There’s no bat on it, it’s just straightening enough and that’s going to clatter into leg-stump.
7.37am GMT
Root is given not out when he misses a sweep at a full, straight ball from Jadeja. This is close.
7.33am GMT
49th over: England 125-2 (Root 6, Moeen 9) Change of bowling as Ishant, man-bun hanging loose behind him, replaces Umesh Yadav. Moeen flicks a short-ish ball up in the air but safely out to midwicket for a single. It’s pretty innocuous stuff from Ishant: four singles milked from his over.
7.26am GMT
48th over: England 121-2 (Root 4, Moeen 7) One apiece off the over. “We bat deep. We are world class at collapsing. Which will it be today? Exciting isn’t it?” asks Hugo Armitage.
Yes, but I got up at 2.30am and have just remembered I have to go for a filling at the dentist later. So no.
7.24am GMT
47th over: England 119-2 (Root 3, Moeen 6) A wide is called off the last ball, a bouncer that flies well over Moeen’s head. He isn’t a million miles away from turning the extra delivery into the hands of short-leg, which would have been pretty galling for Mo. Earlier in the over he played a quite lovely on-drive out through mid-on for two.
7.20am GMT
46th over: England 115-2 (Root 3, Moeen 3) Moeen turns one just wide of short-leg and scampers a single. He looked all at sea when he came to the crease in the first innings shortly after the openers had gone quickly, but ended up playing a pretty good innings. It looked better than that at the time but, well... you know. Root gets a couple more with a skewed drive through point.
“[Ian Forth] was wondering if there’s ever been a day to compare with yesterday’s in history for the sheer number of test records broken on one day. To give just a few examples, highest score by India, most runs conceded by England, most tons by a number 6, most consecutive away defeats, highest 4th innings total in Australia, highest 4th innings total by Pakistan.”
7.15am GMT
45th over: England 112-2 (Root 1, Moeen 2) Umesh will continue for now, though it must be tempting to get Ashwin on to a new left-hander. He greets Moeen with a bouncer and asks the question for caught behind a couple of balls later, but there was daylight, night time and more daylight between bat and ball as the gap spanned several time zones. Looking back at that Jennings dismissal the ball actually looped up off his boot and on to the bat.
“I fear Guy Hornsby’s good mood is about to be sorely tested. The whooping is upon us,” writes Ian Copestake.
In the final innings of the 2nd Test vs Bangladesh in Mirpur this England team went from 100-0 to 169 all out #INDvENG
7.10am GMT
44th over: England 111-2 (Root 1, Moeen 1) Jadeja’s exuberant lbw appeal against Jennings might have been more convincing if he hadn’t shouted “catch it” before asking the question. Jennings plays a lovely whip through midwicket for four more but goes tamely next ball. He came forward looking to repeat the shot but he didn’t get to the pitch of it and just chipped the ball back to the bowler. Moeen gets off the mark with a thick outside edge through gully for one.
7.08am GMT
Hmm. Jennings walks down the pitch and pushes it gently up and back to the bowler for the simplest return catch you’ll see.
7.06am GMT
43rd over: England 106-1 (Root 1, Jennings 50) Can Jennings go where his captain so boldly did not, namely a half-century? He drives the first three balls – two from round the wicket, the next from over – but can’t puncture the ring of fielders on the off side. But, when Umesh drops his length the chance is there and he takes it: nudging it off his hips for one and bringing up his 50 from 117 balls.
“Morning Dan.” Morning, Guy Hornsby. “Nursing a cold and with about as much enthusiasm for work today as I’m sure you had for getting up at existentialism o’clock this morning, waking up to 97-0 has actually put me in a pretty chipper mood. Ok, so Cook’s gone to Jadeja again, but all this ‘who gets dropped’ talk really shows we have options, surely? Jennings or Root at 3, Moeen at 5 or Bairstow, Dawson or Buttler, Ball or Woakes? If (please) Wood is fit, then we’ve got a pretty good XV to tailor to match conditions. We’ve played poorly in sessions, but a draw today would at least prove we haven’t simply been steamrollered. It’s not all (amazingly) doom and gloom.”
7.01am GMT
42nd over: England 105-1 (Root 1, Jennings 49) It’ll be interesting to see if Jennings changes his approach now – I’d suggest he shouldn’t. And indeed it looks like he won’t, as he reverse-sweeps for a single after Root is off the mark. England’s apparent future captain does get a leading edge to silly point, but the ball never got up off the ground.
The emails are flying in. “Rashid is the most promising English leggie since Chaucer,” reckons Robert Wilson of the 28-year-old. “Yes, it could go wrong but it could also go right. And if it did, he could be a precious resource. The next couple of years are crucial. Legspin is less an art than a psychiatric condition. Warne’s retirement exposed the myth of the brilliant mental powers necessary. Shane, the Donald Trump of cricket brilliance, was incomparable because of attitude, will and personality not his bleeding IQ. Rashid has a brighter mind, a better straight one and his batting shows his strength and nous. Of course he has weaknesses, but leggies use their weaknesses. It would be tragic if England lost courage about him (and ignore anything that philistine killjoy Gary Naylor subsequently says).”
6.57am GMT
41st over: England 103-1 (Root 0, Jennings 48) Surprisingly, Ashwin is taken off and replaced by Umesh. The pace bowler only has seven wickets at 63 in the series but he has bowled far better than those numbers suggest. He nearly has his eighth when Jennings drives very loosely at a full one slanted across him. A maiden as the willowy left-hander can’t get him away.
@DanLucas86 6 out of 10 to jadeja in a single series. you still need cook after a dismal 8 inngs after that 100 to captain for #RSA series?
6.53am GMT
40th over: England 103-1 (Root 0, Jennings 48) How are your nerves, England fans? Then again, how bad can they be when it’s a question of losing 3-0 or 4-0? Anyway, there will be no half-century for Cook as he goes for 49 from 134 balls, falling into Jadeja’s trap once again. Root is the new man.
6.51am GMT
Six times! It’s going a long way down leg but Cook is tempted to follow the ball and simply guides gently it off the face of the bat to leg-slip.
6.49am GMT
39th over: England 102-0 (Cook 49, Jennings 47) To no great surprise, it’s Ashwin from the other end. Expect to see a lot of these two bowling together. On Sky, Atherton informs us that Cook has now been involved in a record-equalling 24th century partnership; Jack Hobbs and Graeme Smith are his co-holders.
John Starbuck has been thinking about England’s No4. “You play Jos Buttler at 4, then Stokes, Barstow, Ali. That way the spare wicketkeeper becomes a batsman first, though he would need time to change his style to a Root-like temperament. I suspect he does have the capacity to learn.”
6.45am GMT
38th over: England 101-0 (Cook 49, Jennings 46) Ravindra Jadeja, nowt for 20 from his eight so far, will open the bowling after lunch to Cook with his now de rigeur field of short-leg, leg-slip, slip and silly point. There is a big appeal for lbw third ball and, once leg-byes are given, Kohli signals for the review. It was given not out, it looked not out and it is, ultimately, not remotely close to out. They take two leg-byes then Cook punches out past cover point for a couple two his name.
6.44am GMT
Cook came across a good way and it brushed his pad, but the ball was passing a fair old way down the leg-side. In fairness it was similar to the one that was given and, bizarrely, not reviewed by Cook in Rajkot.
6.43am GMT
Cook is given not out, but Jadeja thinks this is lbw.
6.40am GMT
Time to get back to it. If England can get through this session just two down at most they can be happy, I reckon.
6.28am GMT
In case you missed it, Adam Collins on Pakistan’s brilliant defeat yesterday is essential reading.
Related: Pakistan's mission improbable against Australia worthy of both tears and smiles | Adam Collins
6.25am GMT
@DanLucas86 absolutely Rashid. Until we find a front line spinner stick to attack that won ashes n South Africa.
“Cook Hameed Jennings Root (capt) Moeen Stokes Bairstow Dawson (or Rashid) Woakes Broad Anderson (or Wood).
“They don’t really need any more bowlers, although another spin option to Moeen would be good, but they do need batsmen who can help build a platform for the middle order or hold things together and help avoid the all too familiar collapses. So, I think they’re likely to give Jennings a go - probably at No.3, especially if Root becomes the new captain. I don’t think they’ll promote Bairstow up the order as a specialist batsman - he’s had far too successful a year as wicketkeeper/batsman and Butler’s not a markedly better wicketkeeper.
6.01am GMT
37th over: England 97-0 (Cook 47, Jennings 46) Chance! Cook tries to play Ashwin against the spin again and gets a leading edge, but the ball flies too fast for Pujara to react at silly point. The captain survives though and it’s mission one-third accomplished for England.
5.57am GMT
36th over: England 95-0 (Cook 46, Jennings 45) It’s just a change of ends for Jadeja, so Mishra is the man hooked. He’s unlucky not to have got a wicket early on in his spell but thereafter England found him pretty easy to score off. There is a big appeal when Cook flicks at one down the leg-side but no review – to be honest that was so leg-side I thought they were appealing for the catch at leg-slip at first. It wasn’t remotely close to that either.
“Poor Mishra. If he was English there would have been a film made about him by now. And an OBE,” writes that sleepless nomad Copestake.
5.54am GMT
35th over: England 95-0 (Cook 46, Jennings 45) Ashwin, by far the best bowler on show this morning, returns. Slip, silly point, short-leg and leg-slip hover but
Tippi Hedren
Alastair Cook is able to work Ashwin against the spin, through square-leg for three. Jennings, on the other hand, decides to go with the turn and hammers a reverse-sweep through point for four more.
5.50am GMT
34th over: England 88-0 (Cook 43, Jennings 41) Even Kohli misfields now, allowing Cook a single. Reckon that’s a signal they can shake on this one.
@DanLucas86 Haseeb Hameed is the real deal. Jennings not so much but hope he improves - need to bolster top order options. #lestweforget
5.48am GMT
33rd over: England 87-0 (Cook 42, Jennings 41) There are 15 minutes or so until lunch. As well as these two have played this morning, you do feel like England’s middle order is always good for an end-of-series collapse. Jadeja finds the top-edge of Jennings’ bat but the ball loops away from the fielders and the batsman gets a single from both of them. Alastair Cook, meanwhile, is given four freebies when Mishra goes all Jesse-Ventura-In-Predator and hurls the ball awkwardly and violently in front of Patel; the ball shoots away to the boundary for buzzers.
5.43am GMT
32nd over: England 79-0 (Cook 36, Jennings 40) Shot of the morning from Jennings, who comes forward and rolls it sublimely along the carpet, through midwicket and away for four. Mishra responds by pushing one through a bit quicker, getting a bucketload of turn still and tying the batsman up in knots. A handful of singles makes this a productive over for England.
@DanLucas86 you play and Hameed and Jennings. With Root at 4. We can't play Ali that high in Australia
5.39am GMT
31st over: England 72-0 (Cook 35, Jennings 34) It’s actually looking tougher for Cook than it is Jennings out there. The latter splits leg-slip and leg-gully to get a single, while the former edges just short of forward short-leg and plays and misses outside off.
5.36am GMT
30th over: England 71-0 (Cook 35, Jennings 33) Mishra looks like a man with a point to prove here. Which makes sense. After he beats Cook – and indeed Patel – down the leg-side (two byes there being the first extras of the innings, by my reckoning), the England captain top-edges a sweep safely for four. Rahul at short-leg half heartedly goes up for a catch two balls later but the ball looped up off the pad, nowhere near bat.
5.34am GMT
29th over: England 65-0 (Cook 31, Jennings 33) One to Cook, two to Jennings. “Why are you on such a downer about Jennings,” asks Paul Landon. “Yes he hasn’t done anything since scoring a hundred on his debut but he’s worth persevering with and I’m sure he will come good. Give the lad a chance! It would be great if he could get a score today. We’ve a habit in this country of building up a player then as soon as he has a dip in form discarding them.”
Does anyone remember Haseeb Hameed?
5.30am GMT
28th over: England 62-0 (Cook 30, Jennings 31) Having bowled through from the start of the day, Ashwin gets a rest and replaced by Mishra. The leg-spinner is a good bowler but has been pretty ordinary in this series: he’s taken four wickets at 61 and gone for nearly four an over. He’s close to improving those numbers when Jennings comes down the track, tries to whip it through midwicket and is dropped at short-leg! That would have been a wondrous catch: it came pretty fast off the face of the bat, straight into KL Rahul’s hands and out again. The second drop of the day but you’d be a harsh critic to blame the fielder for that one.
5.26am GMT
27th over: England 62-0 (Cook 30, Jennings 31) Jennings sweeps and gets a single. “Ooh good idea,” thinks Cook. He plays the same shot and is lucky to miss it as the ball loops up off his boot to slip. “That was a practice,” he decides and a couple of balls later nails the shot for four. Leg-slip, short-leg and short midwicket then decide to crowd the bat.
5.23am GMT
26th over: England 57-0 (Cook 26, Jennings 30) Another reverse sweep from Jennings whizzes past slip and away to the backward point boundary, all along the floor. I will say he plays the sweep and reverse so well as release shots.
5.20am GMT
25th over: England 51-0 (Cook 26, Jennings 25) Here’s Ravi Jadeja and he immediately has a good shout for lbw against Cook! The batsman comes forward and plays down the wrong line, but Kohli declines to review. Good idea, too, as it was turning past leg-stump. The bowler also reckons Jennings might have edged the last ball but the noise was bat on ground.
5.17am GMT
24th over: England 50-0 (Cook 25, Jennings 25) A couple more to Jennings, scored via a neat reverse-sweep through point, brings up the England 50. Two balls later he edges one just short of short-leg but it’s all about survival and survive he does.
“Dan, Dan, I’m worried about you,” writes Robert Wilson. “That’s a stonker of a mood you’re in. Hangover? Too many Arnie films? What is it with Jennings? Not sure I’ve seen such an atmos of comfortless abnegation on the OBO of a morning. You sound like Martin Luther tacking the team sheet to the church door in Wittenberg. And we know how all that ended. Do you want me to sing you a song? I wrote one last year.”
5.13am GMT
23rd over: England 48-0 (Cook 25, Jennings 23) Huh, Umesh continues, which is a bit of a surprise after he got pulled to the fence twice in his last over and given Jadeja has got Cook five times in this series. Just a single to Jennings from this over.
5.08am GMT
22nd over: England 47-0 (Cook 25, Jennings 22) We’re back and it’s a change of angle for Ashwin. He comes over the wicket to Cook, who immediately cuts with greater disdain than timing and gets two. The only two runs of the over, as it happens.
5.03am GMT
21st over: England 45-0 (Cook 23, Jennings 22) Four to Cook, transforming as is his occasional wont into the violent destroyer, reaching for a short nothing ball outside off and pulling it well through midwicket. Jennings, meanwhile, shows a propensity for learning from his captain and when he gets the strike he does something similar, getting it behind square for another boundary. That’s drinks.
5.00am GMT
20th over: England 35-0 (Cook 18, Jennings 17) Apparently the first ball of this over is the 10th that has beaten the outside edge today. The third doesn’t beat the edge but rather takes it and drops just short of Kohli diving at slip. Cook celebrates his reprieve by taking two.
On Jennings, Bill Randall writes: “The guy is dropped into a test series without any preparation and scores a century and you want to drop him!? Cook Hameed Jennings Root Duckett Stokes Bairstow Moeen Woakes Broad Anderson. Also, let’s see what happens when this Indian team plays away at SA, Australia and england in the next 18 months. I seem to remember them losing badly when they last played there. Their batsmen and bowlers are really suited by the conditions in India and of course their experience in those conditions.”
4.56am GMT
19th over: England 33-0 (Cook 16, Jennings 17) Jennings wears a short ball on the shoulder. That was a very sharp bouncer from Yadav, clattering painfully from bone to helmet on the strokeless batsman. Oh grow up.
“Morning Dan,” er, wrote Brian Withington a fair while back now. “Any chance that ECB will contemplate settling a (small) class action for compensation for this series? Fragile hopes dashed, body clocks shattered, and even driven to following Australia matches contemporaneously in pursuit of elusive crumbs of schadenfreude? And that was just yesterday! Never mind Alistair (who I still support staunchly) I’m really not sure how much more of this I can be expected to take ... about one and a half sessions you reckon?” That’s how long I’m in for, because Tom Davies is due to take over then.
4.51am GMT
18th over: England 32-0 (Cook 15, Jennings 17) Ashwin now has a short-leg, silly point, slip and what we could argue all day over whether or not is a second slip or gully. Jennigns plays a couple of sweeps, the first picking out a fielder at square-leg and the second not connecting with a grubber.
4.49am GMT
17th over: England 32-0 (Cook 15, Jennings 17) Change of bowling but it’s more pace: Umesh is on for Ishant. He takes a comedy tumble first ball, going a over t, as my mum likes to call it, in his follow through. He actually recovered pretty gracefully, tumbling and getting back up in near enough one motion, in time to half appeal for lbw when Cook was thwacked on the thigh pad. The England captain then misses an attempted pull for the second time today.
Incidentally in the last over I of course meant to write that Jennings has played just two scoring shots today. That number has now gone up to three.
Most runs in a continent by visiting players:
2675 A COOK (Asia)*
2674 D Bradman (Eur)
2651 S Tendulkar (Aus)
2623 W Hammond (Aus)#INDvENG
4.44am GMT
16th over: England 30-0 (Cook 14, Jennings 16) Now there is a short-leg and Cook turns Ashwin’s first ball past him for a casually jogged single. Jennings, who has scored off just two balls today, edges short of slip then tries to release the pressure with a reverse-sweep. It’s stopped at gully though, who had just come in the previous ball.
KV Mukhandan writes: “Given the complete domination home sides are displaying these days, it is about time ICC considers trimming down potential matchless contests into two-test series. That will save us the agony of watching Cook and co going through the motions. England can similarly reciprocate when India tour them next.”
4.40am GMT
15th over: England 29-0 (Cook 13, Jennings 16) Cook took a single from the last ball of that over so retains the strike, but there is still no sign of Jadeja. There is half an appeal for a glove behind when Cook wafts a horribly uncontrolled attempt at a pull shot but the bat connected with naught but Chennai air. There’s really not a lot in this pitch for the tall seamer. Another single from the final ball.
4.35am GMT
14th over: England 28-0 (Cook 12, Jennings 16) A change? No, not yet despite those five runs off Ashwin’s last over. He creates a chance, getting one to loop up off Cook’s glove but – bizarrely – there is no short leg in place and Patel can’t reach it diving forward.
@DanLucas86 Admirable retort to "Remarkable" tweets from Jamie Cook. But I do wonder if we have about 4 number 6's in the side?
4.31am GMT
13th over: England 27-0 (Cook 11, Jennings 16) Just one from the over, knocked square on the leg-side by Cook. Other than that, neither an alarm nor a surprise.
4.26am GMT
12th over: England 26-0 (Cook 10, Jennings 16) Still no sign of Jadeja but this is, in fairness, brilliant from Ashwin. Cook is wrongly attributed a single when he misses a sweep and the ball comes off his pad, before Jennings sweeps beautifully to the fence behind square. Ashwin responds by beating him.
“‘It’s turning now’,” writes Ian Copestake, quoting the eighth over back to me. “Well, if you ever needed a phrase to sum up this Test series this is it. Looking forward to a new start, a clean slate and some Root surgery.” That’s Copestake’s cards on the table on the captaincy question.
4.23am GMT
11th over: England 21-0 (Cook 9, Jennings 12) Jennings is cramped for room and rapped on the gloves by a short one from Sharma, but said hands are soft enough and it drops safe. Next up he is tempted to hook, but quickly remembers there are two men in the deep for that very shot and drops his hands, and bat, out the way. That’s six of the 90 overs down for England and a second on the bounce that they have declined to score from.
4.19am GMT
10th over: England 21-0 (Cook 9, Jennings 12) This is very, very good from Ashwin, who pretty much has the England captain on toast out there. Another maiden, although to Cook’s credit he is only beaten on the outside edge once in this over. Jadeja has to come on soon, no?
“Dear Dan,” begins Robert Wilson. “As a simile for the state of being vanquished ‘ kicked, battered, bruised and beaten like a villain in Commando’ is many things. Most of them a betrayal of how you spent your cinephile evening. On things cricketish, I was delighted that they let Nair get his triple yesterday. Resoundingly the right call. Who knows how many numerate, indoorsy, geeky kids were permanently turned on to cricket yesterday? Though now that I come to think of it, that’s never been a demographic for which cricket has actually lacked.”
4.16am GMT
9th over: England 21-0 (Cook 9, Jennings 12) As was the case with just the final ball of his previous over, Ishant is round the wicket to Jennings and the tall opener gets what I think is just his second run in Test cricket against seam bowling from that angle. Ishant overpitches to Cook and gets driven beautifully to the extra cover boundary for the first four of the day.
The emails are flying in thick and fast now. Peter Rowntree writes: “Largely agree with your line-up Dan, except I would still reverse Mo and YJB i.e Moeen at 4 and YJB at 5. I think the other area of uncertainty now is with Jimmy Anderson and how his fitness goes in the next few months. There is a long lead in until the first Test in the summer and a chance perhaps, for some other bowlers to come through and get into the squad. In this series our bowling has been the big chasm between ourselves and India - so maybe the Currans could come into the reckoning; young Matt Fisher if he is now free from the illness that dogged him last year. Mark Wood of course, especially if he goes well in the north south games to be played in the UAE during March.”
4.12am GMT
8th over: England 15-0 (Cook 4, Jennings 11) It’s turning now. Cook is beaten outside his off-stump prodding forward, then slices an aerial drive that doesn’t carry to backward point. And then he’s dropped! Ashwin draws him forward with a beauty and finds the outside edge only for Patel’s gloves to turn to brass. That was an easy chance.
4.09am GMT
7th over: England 15-0 (Cook 4, Jennings 11) From the other end it’s Ishant Sharma. He’s got a short leg, mid-on and solitary slip for Cook, who fends his first ball down to third man for a single. Jennings is as interested in the rest as I am in reading Phil Collins’ new book.
@DanLucas86 your XI shows you haven't learnt much from this tour. All rounders batting far too high. Remarkable
@DanLucas86 you don't like what you see from Jennings? He scored a test 100 2 innings ago. Remarkable statement.
4.03am GMT
6th over: England 14-0 (Cook 3, Jennings 11) Ashwin will open the bowling to Jennings. I’d have gone with Umesh and Jadeja to start but then I haven’t led a team to being unbeaten in 18 Test matches. Jennings looks solid, driving only at one floated wide of off-stump and drilling it along the ground to the cover fielder. A nudge off his pads brings two runs.
“Hi Dan.” Hi, Saurabh Raye. “How do you motivate yourself to wake up at ungodly hours to watch your team not do well? Not that its an unfamiliar scenario to me as an Indian fan. Have a lifetime experience of this. 6th July might not see any new names, but might see Root as the captain. Also thanks to you and everyone on the OBO team.”
3.59am GMT
We are about to begin. Well, the teams are. You know what I meant.
3.54am GMT
@DanLucas86 would you bother to miss Jennings ?I would drop moeen who has a poor short ball immunity! and instead of Buttler some specialist
He might prove me wrong today but I don’t like what I see in Jennings. Besides, he’s only in as injury cover for Hameed so he’s first out the door.
3.52am GMT
That said, Trevor Bayliss hardly sounded full of confidence when it came to the question of Cook’s future as captain. Here’s Ali Martin on that very subject.
Related: India battering may decide Alastair Cook’s captaincy future, says Bayliss
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