Live Updates: Stumps here and India will be pleased with that, they didn’t lose a wicket and have reached 19/0 here. Day 1 surely belongs to India. Sam Curran’s gutsy 78 helped England reach 246 but sensational performance from the Indian pacers here, led by Jasprit Bumrah who again picked three wickets. India trail by 227 runs with 10 wickets remaining here!
Preview:
The live telecast of the match will start at 3.30PM on August 30 (Thursday). The match can be seen live on the Sony Six network and live streaming will be available on SonyLIV.com. You can also follow our live blog for ball-by-ball updates and analysis on cricketnext.com. Shambolic at Lord’s, suddenly the tourists appear to have all the momentum – the promise of a return of the sun and a historically good batting surface at the Ageas Bowl couldn’t have arrived at a better time. If Virat Kohli has managed to make 440 runs so far in the series on seaming tracks, imagine what he could do on a flat one. For England their dream start to the series has swiftly turned sour, the cracks that appeared in their opening two wins can no longer simply be covered up by lower order runs and good bowling performances, at some point somebody in their top order is actually going to have to be able to bat. Suddenly it is the hosts who look hapless, and with a couple of ill-timed injuries thrown in for good measure, they, just like India did before Trent Bridge, face the prospect of having to act fast or watch the series slip away from them.
After the defeat at Trent Bridge, changes were always likely, but ultimately it is injuries, both directly and indirectly, that have decided them – Moeen Ali and Sam Curran coming in for Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes.The injury to Jonny Bairstow’s finger could ultimately prove a blessing in disguise for England, unable to keep wicket in this Test he replaces Pope at number four and without the burden of having to don the gloves as well, it is hoped he might finally help provide the top order stability that has been missing for so long. Woakes however has, along with James Anderson, been England’s best bowler in the series, and the thigh injury that rules him out of the Test is more of a blow, although it does at least give England the chance to recall Curran – who was extremely unfortunate to miss out last time given his start to the series. With Moeen back in the side, England hope that the overs he could provide with the ball will help alleviate pressure on Ben Stokes who is also carrying a slight injury niggle and therefore may face a reduced bowling role. Ultimately though the hosts do not look in great shape, both openers have big question marks hanging over them, their number three would rather bat at four, not to mention being short of form, their number four normally bats five and their number five normally bats six – and that is before you even get on to the fact that they have a new wicketkeeper and a number seven who last week made 219 batting at number three for his county. For all the talent that England possess in their team, that is a side that reeks of uncertainty and indecision.
India then must surely sense blood in the water and for the first time in the Kohli era look as if they might select the same team in consecutive Tests. At Trent Bridge their batsmen showed that they did in fact have an answer to England’s bowlers, and in an instant the series returned to life. Like a boxer who remembers he is allowed to block his opponent rather than just getting repeatedly punched in the face, India suddenly find themselves very much back in this fight – but must remember to keep the same discipline that saw them triumph in Nottingham. Overconfidence was arguably one of England’s biggest mistakes last time out and India must avoid becoming a victim here because for all that the hosts’ batting has been abysmal, their bowlers will still be waiting to pounce on the slightest Indian mistake with the bat – while their catching can surely only improve from the debacle it was in the last Test. If the series so far has taught us one thing, it is that predicting the outcome of this Test is anybody’s guess. India you feel psychologically have the upper hand but this is an England side whose recent past is littered with humiliating defeats followed by roaring comebacks – they are predictably unpredictable and all the more infuriating for it. Will England remember they are just a win away from sealing the series? Can India keep the comeback dream alive? Looks like we’re in for a fascinating five days finding out. Squads – India: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah. England: Joe Root (c), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Oliver Pope, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Sam Curran, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes, James Vince.
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