England vs India, 4th Test, India tour of England, 2018 - CommentaryENG vs IND, 4th Test, India tour of England, 2018 - Commentary

Harsha Bhogle: India have had their moments in every Test match barring Lord's. But moments don't win series and it is back now to introspection.

Sachin: India have to do something about this lower middle order. Pandya at 6, Pant at 7 are just not test match quality right now. Not on these pitches against these bowling attacks. Compare Stokes, Buttler, Curran and Rashid (10 1st class hundreds!) to our Pandya, Pant, Ashwin and....Ishant?

Harsha Bhogle: Like with the series in South Africa, this will go down as what-could-have-been rather than what actually was. Neither South Africa nor England were as good as they have been in the past. But then, maybe, India isn't as good as we believe it to be.

Santosh: Bad ploy from Pant to go after Moeen even after Root was seen telling him to bowl wide ...

Prateek: The moment at which Kohli's wicket fell perfectly describes this match. Just when it looks like 1 team is gonna nudge ahead, the other team pulls them back. But nonetheless great innings from Kohli. Shrugged off his instincts and defended the ball really well.

Laxman: @kumar Please go and study. I think Kohli heard your words and gave away his wicket

Mani: Now Now Now !! Where is that decisive 60-70 partnership is coming from?

Harsha Bhogle: Top innings from Kohli. Yes, it would have embraced greatness if it had ended in three figures but excellent from him nonetheless

Kumar: I have an exam tomorrow but Virat Kohli and Eng bowlers are not letting me study. I thought I will watch the highlights of the match but here every ball is highlight

Harsha Bhogle: It is just a half-century yet but already one that Kohli can be very proud of

Harsha Bhogle: Moeen Ali is back. Far greater threat than Adil Rashid. But India have the partnership they needed. Irrespective of how much longer it goes, this is highly skilled batting from Kohli and Rahane.

Heisenberg: Love the intensity with which the game is progressing. This series has been a treat for all cricket lovers, with every passing session more gripping than the last

KIran: To add to Golu's comments, All that matters is India have recovered from 22/3 to 102/3

Yash: @Golu, this is a psychological game. There is no hurry, sure, but a ticking scoreboard moves the pressure away from the batsmen.

Golu: Contrary to what my co-readers are thinking, i think the Indian skipper and his deputy are doing a great job here, putting off the bad balls and leaving alone good ones....what's the hurry?!

Lakshman: When batsmen play aggressively and get out, People have problem. When they are playing defensively as per match situation, People have problem. It is not easy being a cricketer in india

Rajvinder Singh: Joe Root's field placement has been brilliant. He has put in close in fielders but not allowing easy boundaries as well.

Sarthak Mishra: In this type of situations we think only about the players. What about the Umpires? They literally have to watch every ball carefully which is not an easy job either.

Hardik: This partnership is surviving and hanging around but at some point of time they will have to score freely and easily ( Can't do this forever ). Maybe being aggressive and as a fellow fan said controlled they can upset the bowlers

VIgnesh: With england having no more reviews left, they are going for literally everything! Crazy shouting!

Ruchit: Since when did getting out look good! You get out you get out? Couple of controlled aggressive moves are needed with controlled being the operative word here -- Well, that's true

Tarun: These two are surviving so many chances, very intense cricket

Jatin: Who is in the driver's seat right now? -- Oh England by far

Bharath: Keeping the current form in mind, it looks strange that Kohli is the one struggling while rahane is playing more comfortably

Harsha Bhogle: How do you take your eyes off this thrill-a-minute, scare-a-minute cricket!

Mayank: Should India play Mo a bit aggressively considering so many bat-pad and slip around? -- It's tough. Won't look very good if you get out

Venkatesh: on the contrary I don't believe in using feet to counter Mo Ali as this the best batting pair at the moment and they cannot take the risk , btw you can play him late and get away. All I can say is you should use your feet just to change his length but not to score !

Bodhi: Cannot help but think there has to be someone stepping down to unsettle Mo Ali. Matter of time if batsmen keep defending from the crease and Ali landing it in the rough.

Anwesh: Pujara played Moeen very well in 1st innings by using his feet.. No one else in team does that these days

Hemanth: Is ball doing anything for the bowlers? -- Doing plenty for Moeen Ali, but it has mellowed down for the seamers

Anurag: Ali doesn't have the doosra, wonder what stops indian batsman to use their feet ? -- They just don't do it, do they?

Chaitanya: Mo Ali made Ashwin look very ordinary. He is consistently landing the ball in the roughs and just sticking to conventional off-spinners.

Hrithik: There was no light between bat and ball. The bat did touch the pads, agreed, but isn't it possible that the ball was in contact with the bat at the same time? -- It is, but the issue is that umpire Wilson rushed into his decision. Also, it didn't look like an inside edge

Utkarsh: Joel Wilson's decision might change the result of the match because we all know how dangerous Virat Kohli is when it comes to chasing

Saurabh: Joel Wilson you don't know how much we indians are loving u right now....

Rishab: As a spectator it's a great match to watch. The ball seems to be doing something everytime someone bowls and the batsmen also fighting their way out. Phenomenal cricket!!!

Deepak: @Anoop .. Even if Kohli And Rahane put 150 partnership, India could lose from there also :(

Bala Ramana: @Anoop Yeah I agree because once the ball gets softer it will be easier to bat apart from tackling Mo Ali.

Abid: There was a lot of talking regarding Indian batsmen negotiating Mo, but the damage has been done already by Jimmy and Broady. Although, I still believe in VK though

Anoop: I am still optimistic with this run chase in favour of India. I really hope Rahane and Kohli put on a 150 runs partnership and steer India through.

Akash: Nothing surprising. Typical Anderson with the new ball. What remains to see is how far Kohli can take.

Harsha Bhogle: Nothing KL Rahul could do about that. Perils of 4th innings batting

Raj: Onus on Dhawan and Rahul to give India the head start in this run chase!!

Kidambi Rajagopal: 245 is gettable, as even England has scored 271 runs in the 2nd innings. But, for India, at least 2 batsmen have to score 70 odd runs, unlike the 1st innings.

Akash: India has a winning chance if Dhawan fires, else i have no faith in Rahul and middle order. Kohli and Pujara will play their usual part of giving hope.

Harsha Bhogle: The morning has started well for India. All set up now. 245 to get. I think it is gettable.

saurabh: Before the game Shami was the most probable to go out for jadeja and now he is clearly proving his abilities!

Theo: A lot of people pointing out this total is chaseable. I agree, but this isn't the total India will be chasing. Curran is still in, Broad can add runs and even Anderson can hang around. Only a few boundaries away from a lead of 250+

Akhil: Hope Indian batsmen show good intent tomorrow by not losing confidence seeing the target and hoping jinks, pandya will rise up to the occasion.

Tushar Bisoi: Ashwin let us down in this Test match. First in his batting by a rash shot and now in bowling.

Kiran: Don't know why Shami is underbowled when you can clearly make it out that it's not Ashwin's day.

Sai Manikanta: So the total looks pretty difficult right? But doesn't look impossible to chase given the pitch looks dead to pace bowlers and if Indian batsmen handle spin effectively as they do usually, it's 2-2 then! Doesn't look impossible!

Neeraj: Ash would be happy it is the end of day - he has let India down on a pitch that had a lot for him

Pradeep: I fully expect Rahane to come to press conference today and declare India is ready to chase any total.

Denis: Is this target chaseable given the pitch conditions -- Difficult

Mohammad Waji: @Avinash I guess that's the way it goes. When Ashwin took bucket load of wickets in India, it wasn't said that batsmen played poorly or when Moeen was dropped after Australia, it was said he bowled poorly not because Aussies batted well

Avinash: For all the people praising Mooen Ali should understand our batsmen played him poorly.. England have played Ashwin a lot better

sunil: I don't understand whats this Obsession with Ashwin. They should understand he is having an off day and move on with it. Giving half the overs to a bowler who is not at his best is quite unacceptable!

Pranav: What's Kohli thinking? Just give Bumrah and Shami the new ball. They both have bowled the most probing lines

Niranjan: What do you mean by 'vrooming'? This is the 2nd time I'm seeing on CB. Google fails too -- You know the sound a bike makes when it races past you, like vrooooooom

Pratik Ghorpade: Everybody is talking about Mo but let's not forget that Adil Rashid is also playing and with those rough patches he will be a tricky bowler to play on 4th day.

Ammad Khalid: @Manish, I too believe that India are capable of chasing down a target even above 200, given their batsmen are back in form, at least few if not all.

Prateek: @Manish Can't base real-life situations on rankings but yes, we should have faith in our batsman. In the last test and this test, they have played rather positively even if not everyone has made runs.

Manish: Tired of everyone saying that anything above 180 would be next to impossible. If no 1 test team with no 1 batsmen can't chase anything above 200 then should they really be no 1. Don't expect everything from bowling and have faith in batsmen as well. Bowlers are already doing a good job.

Pras: Patience people Patience...Don't quickly jump into conclusions.

siddarth: Here comes the best batsman of England team in this series so far

Sparsh: England's game from here on

Mukul: India needs 2-3 quick wickets. Water is going above the nose now -- That can't be good

Chinmay: Match is slipping away with every run scored.

AJAY: Ashwin is not hitting that rough patch consistently and trying too much while Moeen was simple and pretty straight -- Yes, yes and yes. He's not had a good day. But credit to England too

Akshay: Ashwin is afraid of getting driven on the off side. That's the reason he is not looking even half the bowler moeen ali was looking.

Ishan: Is Ashwin's injury preventing him from using more his body while bowling? This is probably the most spin-friendly pitch of the series -- If it is, should he have been playing here?

Ashish: @CB - How difficult it will be for India to play Moeen, if they are chasing something around 200? -- Would be a big challenge

Shreyas: This partnership is becoming worrisome for India. We know what Stokes is capable of. With Curran still left to come, this could very well become dangerous for India.

Spandan: The lead is dangerously heading towards something that India can't chase.

Emran: Bring back Bumrah, go for kill from the both ends. Ashwin doesn't seem to take a wicket. It will be great if i am wrong.

viveksrajput: is it only me who thinks jaddu would have wrecked havoc on this track?

Gowtam Reddy P: @Kirti, Ash is bowling well after Root is dismissed. Prior to that he was trying too many things and wasn't effective -- That could also be because Root was playing him so well, he wasn't letting him settle on one length

Kirti: Contrary to other people, I think Ashwin is bowling well. Getting wicket is just a matter of time for him.

Suyash Ravasa: A fast bowler this agile and reactive...shows how much this Indian team believes in fitness..Shami you beauty..

Tanmaya: Root looking ominous here. If he can hold one end up the way Pujara did, India might be staring down too many runs to get

Pratik: We often see ashwin takes time to get his first wicket but once he gets one he is relentless! Just waiting for that one..

Chinmay: I don't get why is Ash bowling so quick in the air. More flight and pitching on rough patch is the key here as displayed by Mooen. He indeed is trying too much it seems. Just needs to keep it simple.

Mohit: Heard Ishant switched to over the wicket after landing in danger area twice. Now from which side is he operating? -- Over the wicket. Those warnings have made him switch over, which isn't ideal

Mahesh: It's high time Ashwin starts reading pitch well and keep the ball on footmarks rather trying something everytime. Learn from Moeen

Umang: I think Ashwin's over smartness is making him look ineffective. Just need to keep things simple.

Parth: Unarguably, the most important session of this entire Test series and India have begun well.

ashish raina: Jennings is well on his way to save his career. Already passed his career average.

Adarsh Yadav: One noticeable aspect about Pant's keeping is that he isn't really quick on his feet. He jumps and dives, that is fine but his feet doesn't move much to cover the ground.

Himanshu Gupta: Jennings is actually playing fine here. He just needs to hang in there and anything above 180, this match could be England's.

Harsha Bhogle: KL Rahul's catching is giving India's bowlers a much needed boost.

Aman Jain: India have finally got their best slip fielder in recent times. Pleased to see the effort put in by Rahul.

Rajesh: Moeen Ali at number 3? Surely, a plan to put pressure back on Indian bowlers with some quick runs maybe.

Praveen: Now the game is about patience and temperament, for both these batsmen (Cook and Jennings). They have successfully negated Ashwin in the first half hour.

Prateek sharma: India will really have to bowl well to get England out around 150. That's not an easy task because the pitch on Day 3 is looking quite good to bat on.

SUBRAT: In England third day is treated as the best day for batting. So, today I bunked class to watch the battle between bat and ball.

Shan: India and 4th innings - not the best combination ever, especially overseas. Anything above 150, game is England's. (Please prove me wrong Team India)

Yagnesh Doshi: Hardik Pandya bowled only 8 overs in first innings and was also expensive. Neither did he bat well when needed the most. If the pitch turns out to be good for spinners today and in case england manage to score anything above 170-180, india will definitely miss Jadeja ...

sunil swami: Kohli must bring ashwin early. Sometimes he doesn't do the obvious..

Raghuram: In recent years off spinners like Mooen and lyon have troubled indian batsman a lot. I think it is because they are not natural when it comes to sweeping. This is what Pakistan batsmen do so well against both of them. Both spinners got poorer record against Pakistan compared to India

Adarsh: Chasing anything about 200 will be diificult, Indian top order is in good form from past 2 matches, but lower middle order must support them to win matches.

DHAIRYASHIL: How much is safe score on this wicket??? -- 250 would pretty much be safe, but England will back themselves even with something like 180

Karthik: Even if one were to discount Mo's batting, its crazy to think Rashid was preferred ahead of Mo. Eng made a mistake by going with Mo's performance in Aus. With the Dukes ball & the drift he gets in Eng, Mo's has always bowled very well.

Jay Subramanyam: England have a tendency to collapse in a heap and if that happens India could stage an extraordinary turnaround going into the final test. However if England build up two good partnerships they would be in the driver's seat. A lead of 27 doesn't give you enough cushion when you've to bat last.

AJ Shetty: Even though India took the lead, England are comfortably in the drivers seat with a good third day of batting left, they just have to score around 200 and the match is won, anything above 150 to chase in the fourth innings is huge ask especially for this Indian batting line up.

Amit Kumar: Seems India lost its way with quick 4 wickets falling down but kudos to Pujara for his brilliant efforts. Match is still balanced but any thing around 175~200 will be too much too stiff mountain to climb.

Abhijeet: Lets not forget India's 4th innings record. Anything over 200 on this pitch against Moeen seems unlikely.

Dhruv: Mistake to have started with Ashwin so early, given the kind of form Indian pacers are in. Ashwin will be much more effective later in the innings.

Phani: Any target over 150 would be difficult for india to chase it down in the fourth innings.

Spikky Roh: Mo got it to turn with the old ball, giving Ashwin the new ball will only help England deteriorate its condition for seamers.

Ronak Khandelwal: I think Ishant with his experience and control would have been a better choice than Bumrah

Vijay: Marvelous effort from Pujara, he faced 51% of total balls bowled and made 48% of total runs in the India innings

Sid: This will go down as one of his finest knocks! A show of patience and mental strength! This is how you should be playing with tail-enders! -- Oh by far

utkarsh: Heartening to see someone other than Kohli dominating and leading Indian batting. A real classic from Pujara.

Rachit: Very irresponsible from India's 7 and 8. Loose shots and soft dismissals, not to forget it was England's 7 and 8 that made the difference!!

Rounak: Absolutely Bizarre Batting! Feeling Gutted!

Pratik: Shouldn't Ashwin be playing at 7 or even 6, given the temperament with which he approaches his batting. Both Pant and Hardik will be even more effective with their attacking game lower down the order.

Rakesh Nath: Kohli might be kicking himself. Nothing alarming in the pitch, good sunshine, and not so confident bowling - reaping wickets with the gate opened by Kohli's loose shot!

Harsh: These 2 need to build a strong partnership as India's lower order is not as strong as England's.

Shiv: Virat never looked settled this innings... Too many plays and misses yet scoring 40 odd.. Show his class and quality though... Hope Rahane and Pujara take india to safety

Tejaswi: Don't you think Virat pushed at too many balls today away from his body and he did that against Anderson too!! -- He did

Deepak: It was a needless shot from Virat. Not expected from him -- That wasn't the most assured innings, as a whole, from him

Akshay: Moeen Ali brings the scary memories of 2014. Will the rough patches outside off help him to repeat the same memories -- He does look threatening with the rough outside off

Prateek: This tour will hopefully change how Pujara plays and perceived overseas.

Ranjith Gowda: Next 30-40 overs holds the key for India to surge ahead !! Deck waning out, Duke loosing the hold, perfect time to shift the gears and transfer the pressure...

Sid Gordon: I would say it was India's. 2 wickets gone and India has already scored 40% of the runs. One good partnership and England would be trailing by a steep lead in their 2nd innings.

Vankat: Absolutely love these five match series as the team down under will have a fair chance to bounce back in to the series .. wondering the result of SA tour would have been different if it was a 5 match series

Heisenberg: A good session for India despite losing two wickets. The ball was swinging and they waited out the tough time. The pitch should ease in the coming sessions, making it relatively easier to bat!

Akshay: Pitch eased out for batting or is it the discipline from VK and Pujara? -- It's getting easier as the ball is getting older

Dilly: Any news on Stokes? Is he not fit to bowl? We know about the knee issue, but does that mean no overs at all? -- Probably

RakeshC: I have noticed that Pujara's strike rate improves when Kohli is at non-striker's end..maybe boss pressure. Can your statsman pull out this statistics if possible? -- I can confirm that he has quickened up today after Kohli arrived

RaviKiran: Kohli unleashing drives, can be taken as a sign of no swing and good batting conditions -- Don't let his batting fool you. There's great risk involved.

Muthu: @Sachin 'Facing new ball is not as easy as in mid overs'. I agree with this. But he's got to do this. It's his responsibility.

Sanket Karmarkar: Is curran getting swing ... I think he is going to be the danger man -- There is swing, yes

Aaman: It will be interesting to see what Shikhar Dhawan makes of this start. He needs to perform under these conditions. He can reduce the weight on Virat Kohli

Vinay: You can not rely on bowler's instinct in DRS. Especially Broad, he is always too confident

Sachin: I feel people here are going too hard on KL, yes he didn't get good scores but he did play well in the last match accounting an opening partnership of 60 in both innings. Facing the new ball is not as easy it is in mid overs.

Lalit SD Mittal: Is this pitch suited now for spinners? CB what you think? -- Not yet. Probably on Day 4

Suyash Ravasa: Was it a good ball by broad...or did Rahul throw his wicket away as he usually does? -- Good delivery with some movement at the stumps, but clearly Rahul does struggle against such deliveries quite often

Gowtam Reddy P: It hurts when you see a good player like KL Rahul couldn't score a single 50 in 7 innings in this series. Can't afford too many failures when so many youngsters are waiting for a single chance.

kaushal: how is pitch behaving? -- Not as spicy as it was yesterday morning

Ninad: KL Rahul has been a major disappointment on this tour. He has all the talent but somewhere lacks application.

Neeraj Daswani: If these two see off first hour of play carefully, then things will become easier for India.

Micky: India need to be positive but not too complacent about batting...This innings of them will decide the fate of the series.!!

Gokulan: How long is each day of test cricket? Its 2hrs/session x 3 + 45 minutes lunch + 15 minutes tea = 7hrs. 11.00AM local + 7hrs = 18.00PM. Why is the play still on? - Here's the reason: A session is 2 hours long, 40-min lunch break, 20-min tea break. Should 90 overs not be completed in 7 hours time, an extension on 30 minutes is allowed.

Mohit: Is 245 a good score on this pitch? - Definitely under par, but England have quality bowlers to make the total bigger than it actually looks.

Harsha Bhogle: This is now no longer an irritating wag of the tail. This is getting worrisome for India even though conditions are getting easier for batting.

AB: Is there no assistance for Ashwin from pitch? He's looked ineffective -- Not much right now

Mahesh: England would have probably regretted dropping Sam Curran from the team for the third match. What a talent he has to play under difficult situations and get the team out of trouble. Did it in the first match, and is doing it here again.

Mohit: In Edgbaston, Curran came in with England in a dire situation but Kohli blinked and removed his attacking bowler. Forward to Southampton and did Kohli blink again by removing Ishant from attack? Hope it does not cost the match - 53 runs in a total of 139 is more than significant contribution! -- Don't think captaincy has been a problem, just that he's batted well. Quite honestly, Curran has looked relatively secure all series.

VSPL: This is some time for our bowlers to show tight discipline and not allow easy runs to English lower order batsmen. Hope they learnt the lessons from previous 3 Tests. It was Sam Curran who took the game away in the 1st test.

Neeraj Daswani: Only Cook threw his wicket away. Apart from that it's brilliant bowling from India, very disciplined.

NINAD: Best Indian bowling attack ever without doubt. They were great in SA and now in ENG they are at their best . And best thing about them is their fitness, no one is leaving the matches in between. They all can bowl long spell, just add Bhuvi and best attack in the world .

Rameez: @Koustav : It's combination of both ! If you had gone through recent interview by Greame Smith to cricbuzz, he says that these days batsmen lack patience opening in typical English conditions. And yes, no doubt Indian pacers never exploited foreign conditions any better before.

Sandeep: @koustav I personally think the art of batting is degrading. Also due to rise of limited overs cricket, batsmen are less patient these days. Very few batsmen can play well in swinging conditions and leave the ball confidently

Shiv Ram: Whenever Indian bowlers are on song, we always tend to say the conditions have been really helpful. What we fail to acknowledge is that even thought the conditions have been supportive the bowlers still need to maintain their discipline without being carried away.

vishank: Remember the gritty partnership between these two in Trent Bridge! They don't give it away too easily.

Koustav: @CricBuzz Is this India's best pace battery ever in Tests ? Or it just the combination of some helpful conditions and a lacklustre English batting? -- Actually, why don't you guys give us your opinions?

Shan: I think whatever the pitch maybe but negotiating the first 15 overs is not at all easy in England since both sides have some quality bowlers. -- True, but they've had quite a bit of assistance too off the surface, even today

SD: It was good toss to lose! -- Yeah apparently

Divakar V: Two lefties in Cook and Stokes: Can we expect Ashwin? -- Don't think so, with the pacers getting so much help. Maybe an over before lunch, we'll see

Ponnu: @CB how is Cook playing? -- He is ... surviving

Shan: How refreshing is this to see Indian opening bowlers bowling with pace, aggression and most importantly patience..!!

Sivaram namathoti: Big Thursday!!! My team in office has gone for outing while i stayed back to watch the test match. What a fast bowling from India. Never saw India bowl this effectively.

Gurunath Mungekar: Indian bowling looks fantabulous, 2 already on fire, will England middle order resist more?

Harsha Bhogle: Jasprit Bumrah is a fine cricketer, and in the middle of an excellent spell, but he is letting himself and his team down too often with these no-balls.

Sachin Bansal: What could be the reason behind twin spin strategy by England when India has gone with a lone spinner only? -- Root mentioned during the toss that Stokes had a problem with his knee. He is still playing of course, but not quite sure how much he will bowl if at all. Hence Moeen Ali's inclusion for the overall balance

Harsha Bhogle: Was a good surface to bat first on but India has the kind of attack that wouldn't mind having a crack first up.

Karthik: @CB - Whats the weather forecast for this match??? Any signs of rains?? -- Clear for cricket, all five days.

Binet Abraham: England are probably taking a safe way out of this tour. Already being 2-1 up, and England's batting woes continuing, the curators have ensured that there are no demons in the pitch. This might result in a draw and England close to winning the series

MUBASHIR MOTLEKAR: Today is the day for Cook. Its now or never. He needs to score some runs...

Jaimin: Really excited for the start of the 4th Test. Indian team is brimming with a new leash of confidence after the morale boosting win at TB. Hope India bat first and gain some momentum from the start. Openers are confident which will do a world of good for them. Hoping to see an unchanged 11.

Commentary not available for this match