Live Report – India vs England, 3rd Test, Ahmedabad, 2nd day

News

Updates, analysis and colour from the second day of the third Test

Welcome to day two of our live report of the third India-England Test from Ahmedabad. Join us for updates, analysis and colour. You can find our traditional ball-by-ball commentary here

*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local

3.16pm: Did I say England were flat…?

Autocorrect was clearly kicking in … because Joe Root has just bowled Washington Sundar for a duck with another utter snorter. Round the wicket, oodles of undercut from his round-arm action, pitching off, kicking and straightening, flicking the top of the stump. England are ecstatic, and suddenly India’s innings is taking on very similar proportions to England’s … 74 for 2 to 112 all out; 98 for 2 to 125 for 7 … MAKE THAT EIGHT! Because Axar Patel has just mashed his first delivery straight at short cover! Root has three without conceding a run. There’s pink-ball magic happening right here, right now!

3.11pm: Rootin’ tootin’! This has turned on a dime!

Extraordinary scenes in Ahmedabad. One comes Joe Root for his first bowl of the match, and he serves up an absolute snorter to the left-handed Rishabh Pant – a huge ripper out of the rough, that flicks the edge and nestles in Ben Foakes’ ninja-quick gloves. England have three wickets in the blink of an eye, and this lead isn’t looking quite so insurmountable now … what can Ashwin and Washington Sundar marshall from the rest of the innings? Even a 50-run lead could prove to be priceless.

3.04pm: Leach at the double and now it’s game on!

Well now things have got interesting… Rohit Sharma yawns into a sweep-shot, but is deceived once again by the ball that doesn’t bite. The ball skids under his bat, thumping him almost on the hip as he gets low into his stroke, and up goes the finger once more. He reviews, but to no avail… that’s smashing off stump, and though Ashwin scored a century in his last Test outing, England know they have a sniff now.

2.53pm: Leach skids one through, Rahane goes!

There’s the moment that England so desperately needed. The persevering Jack Leach bags his third of the innings, and it’s a familiar mode of dismissal for the match so far – the one that doesn’t turn does the trick, as Rahane shapes to cut and is slammed on the knee-roll in front of off stump. Rishabh Pant arrives – never one to stand on ceremony, especially when Leach is in his sights. Buckle up!

2.45pm: India take the lead without alarm

Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane are into their day’s work, with the morning’s first objective chalked up without fuss. They’ve rumbled into the lead, with a brace of fours through the covers off James Anderson lifting Rohit into the sixties, while Rahane picked off Jack Leach with a sweep behind square – the sort of shot that England were unable to produce against Axar Patel’s more brisk offerings. It’s a hot afternoon, and England look pretty flat already. Ominous signs.

1.50pm: Can England claw their way back from here?

Morning/afternoon all. Welcome back to Ahmedabad where Zak Crawley, for one, insists England are still fighting for this title. But they’ve got to go to Motera and get something, which is going to be easier said than done after the debacle of a first day that they endured on Wednesday. India have all but over-run their first-innings total of 112, with seven wickets in hand and with Rohit Sharma looking ominously poised once more. Can they pull off a mini-blinder and keep the deficit to within 150 runs? Their hopes of making history may rest on it. Sit tight!

One observer who isn’t anticipating any miracles, however, is our very own prophet of doom, George Dobell, who believes England have reaped what they have sown in their feckless display against spin bowling. As for winning the toss and getting rumbled inside 50 overs after batting first, that’s a rare achievement – although not so rare in England’s recent experience, as S Rajesh notes.