England vs India, fifth Test, day two live: Stokes’s double strike gives hosts advantage at stumps

IT’S STUMPS: INDIA trail by 158

INDIA 174/6 in 51 Overs (Vihari 25, Jadeja 8)
Jadeja flicks the ball to the fine-leg fence off Stokes at the end of the over, the umpires call for stumps. The light has been a problem for the last two hours.

WICKET! R Pant c Cook b Stokes 5 (8), INDIA 160/6 in 48.3 Overs
Pant goes across to one that pitched outside off and it’s a nick to Cook at first slip. Soft dismissal that and India lose another one as the visitors desperately look to avoid another middle-order collapse.

INDIA 156/5 in 48 Overs (Vihari 23, Pant 1)
Vihari continues to ride his luck. This time, an edge falls just short of the slip cordon. Curran is the bowler. Pant is also off to a nervous start with Stokes probing him outside off.

WICKET! V Kohli c Root b Stokes 49 (70), INDIA 154/5 in 46.2 Overs
Boy, that came out of nowhere. Stokes and Curran have been erratic and in the last few overs, taken to the cleaners. Stokes gets the ball to marginally dip in and Kohli pokes at it and it’s a simple catch to Root at second slip. Much needed breakthrough for England.

INDIA 154/4 in 46 Overs (Kohli 49, Vihari 22)
Vihari continues to ride his luck but continues to deal in boundaries. Curran is having a forgettable time in his return spell. Two more fours and it’s another big over for the Indians, who have now shaded advantage.

INDIA 144/4 in 45 Overs (Kohli 48, Vihari 13)
SIX! Hanuma Vihari has his first Test boundary and it’s a top-edged six behind the wicket. His eventful start to life as a Test cricketer continues as Rashid dashes in to catch another top-edged shot at fine-leg but the ball rolls into the fence. Stokes can’t believe it India have two big overs.

INDIA 133/4 in 44 Overs (Kohli 48, Vihari 2)
Big over, 14 from it. Kohli is now slowly setting in and is piercing the gaps with ease at the moment. Curran goes for back-to-back fours. Both were lose deliveries pitched on leg-stump and then a full-toss wide outside off. The Indian captain moves to 48 by working the ball to deep mid-wicket and getting a couple.

INDIA 118/4 in 42 Overs (Kohli 29, Vihari 2)
Kohli breaks the shackles with an extraordinary pull shot that goes to the boundary off Broad. The pacer, though, is relentless and continues to work his wrists on the ball.

Anderson is replaced by Stokes

INDIA 112/4 in 39 Overs (Kohli 29, Vihari 2)
Broad is also having a fascinating duel with Kohli and is mixing up inswingers and short deliveries at full steam. It has been hostile from the 32-year-old. The light, though, is a bit of an issue at The Oval at the moment.

INDIA 109/4 in 39 Overs (Kohli 26, Vihari 1)
More luck for Kohli. This time, Anderson gets the leading edge but the ball falls just short of gully. Anderson continues to be on target and has not deviated from the off-stump/just outside-off length.

INDIA 108/4 in 38 Overs (Kohli 25, Vihari 1)
Vihari survives. Umpire Wilson raised his finger after a loud appeal. Vihari reviewed it and the hawk-eye showed the ball going over the stumps. The debutant, though, scampered to the other end for a single.

INDIA 106/4 in 37 Overs (Kohli 24, Vihari 0)
Kohli gets a couple off Anderson but the England pacer once again pitches it up and asks the Indian captain to poke at it. Kohli is happy to let it go.

INDIA 104/4 in 36 Overs (Kohli 22, Vihari 0)
Big appeal. Broad jags it back in and Broad is convinced that he has had his man. Vihari survives. Replays showed the ball clipping the leg-stump. Nervy and a slightly fortuitous start for Vihari. The England camp think they should have taken the review. It was umpire’s call anyway.

Debutant Hanuma Vihari is at the crease.

WICKET! A Rahane c Cook b Anderson 0 (8), INDIA 103/4 in 34.5 Overs
Anderson gets another one and Rahane falls in a similar fashion as Pujara. Yet again, an Indian batsman is guilty of poking outside off but Anderson is in the middle of a terrific spell here.

INDIA 102/3 in 34 Overs (Kohli 21, Rahane 0)
Broad got devastating in-swing and had Rahane in all sorts of trouble in the over. One delivery just hissed the inside edge but Rahane survives.

WICKET! C Pujara c Bairstow b Anderson 37 (101), INDIA 101/3 in 32.5 Overs
Pujara’s defiant stay comes to an end as good ‘ol Anderson induces an edge with one of his classic away-seaming deliveries outside off. Bairstow takes a safe catch.

INDIA 101/2 in 32 Overs (Pujara 37, Kohli 20)
Pujara ends a two-and-a-half over wait for a run with a flick off Broad’s inswinger. The ball beats mid-wicket and the batsmen run three. This has been a probing contest between bat and ball.

INDIA 98/2 in 31 Overs (Pujara 34, Kohli 20)
England tidy up with a couple of maiden overs. Anderson was on target against Kohli, pitching it just outside off but the Indian skipper was happy to let those go the keeper. The battle is on.

Broad comes back into the attack

INDIA 98/2 in 29 Overs (Pujara 34, Kohli 20)
Kohli survives but England retain their review. Root immediately went upstairs after a loud appeal was turned down. That was extremely close. Kohli survived because the ball was pitching outside the line. It was hitting the stumps. Anderson follows that up with a lose delivery down leg-stump, Kohli puts it away for a boundary. The England pacer’s wait for Kohli’s wicket in the series continues.

INDIA 94/2 in 28 Overs (Pujara 34, Kohli 16)
Root pays for moving his field just when the rough was troubling Pujara and Kohli. Nine from the over. Kohli flicks one off his pads and Pujara ends the over with a good looking cover drive for a four.

INDIA 85/2 in 27 Overs (Pujara 30, Kohli 11)
Kohli moves to double figures with a gorgeous cover-drive off Curran. The left-armer over-pitched it by just a fraction and this was only a delivery after beating his outside edge.

INDIA 78/2 in 26 Overs (Pujara 30, Kohli 4)
Root removes the backward short-leg off Moeen and Pujara immediately finds a scoring region, getting a couple through that area. Kohli keeps strike.

INDIA 72/2 in 24 Overs (Pujara 27, Kohli 1)
Moeen Ali, this time, troubled Kohli with one that spun off the rough. There was a half-hearted appeal from England for a leg-before as well. Root decides against taking the review. Kohli gets his first run with a flick and dash. Pujara continues to use his feet to counter the rough.

INDIA 70/2 in 23 Overs (Pujara 26, Kohli 0)
There is some nip and Kohli was nearly deceived by the late-swing from Curran. Maiden wicket for the left-armer.

WICKET! KL Rahul b Curran 37 (53), INDIA 70/2 in 22.1 Overs
Oh, that was a peach and Rahul’s defiant show comes to an end. Curran went full and it swung late, jagging back into the batsman. Rahul was beaten and the ball clipped the off-stump. Yet again, ‘superman’ Curran delivers when his team desperately needed a breakthrough.

INDIA 70/1 in 22 Overs (Rahul 36, Pujara 27)
Moeen Ali is getting turn from the rough and Pujara is now using his feet liberally to counter it. There have been a couple of close bat-pad situations that have come into play so far, which has also included a drop catch. Rahul keeps strike.

INDIA 67/1 in 21 Overs (Rahul 35, Pujara 25)
Pujara continues to motor along as Curran tries to pepper him with short deliveries on leg stump. The batsman was slightly disconcerted by the movement behind sightscreen and it needed Broad, stationed at mid-off, to sort that one out.

INDIA 63/1 in 20 Overs (Rahul 35, Pujara 21)
Positive start for Pujara and India after tea. Curran drifts it slightly short and the India no 3 is off in a flash, cutting it away square to the fence. There are four byes as well that add to the total. Runs continue to come thick and fast through the day, a stark contrast to what we saw yesterday.

TEA TIME, INDIA TRAIL BY 279
England started well with Broad picking up Dhawan’s wicket. Rahul, for the first time has been solid and Pujara, despite getting a life, has looked steady. India still have a long way to go in this Test. Good recovery from India.

INDIA 53/1 in 18 Overs (Rahul 35, Pujara 15) Pujara brings up India’s fifty. Rahul, fluent throughout, plays a backfoot punch to bring up two runs of Moeen to end the session on a good note for India.

INDIA 48/1 in 16 Overs (Rahul 31, Pujara 14)
Dropped! Cook at short-leg spoons a tough one trying to pluck the ball with his left. Solid start for Moeen Ali, which saw him appeal for leg-before, getting the rough into play. Pujara ends the over with a sweep short that yields four runs.

INDIA 43/1 in 15 Overs (Rahul 30, Pujara 10)
Curran starts off by bowling deliveries on off-stump. Pujara calmly deals with it and gets a single. The Indian pair has stabilised after negotiating a tough opening phase that saw Broad getting prodigious swing.

INDIA 41/1 in 12 Overs (Rahul 27, Pujara 10)
Big appeal, turned down by umpire Wilson. Anderson pitched it up and rapped Pujara on the pads. Rahul is clearly winning the duel with Stokes. Yet again, the opener plays a gorgeous cover-drive to bring up another boundary.

INDIA 34/1 in 10 Overs (Rahul 21, Pujara 10)
Decent start for Anderson in his comeback over. Maiden as Pujara negotiates the ones delivered outside off-stump safely, and was not tempted to poke at it.

Anderson comes back

INDIA 34/1 in 9 Overs (Rahul 21, Pujara 10)
Rahul’s onslaught continues and Stokes once again faces the wrath, this time with a pull shot that reaches the fine-leg boundary. It seems to have rubbed off on Pujara too, who is driving with authority. The England bowlers have been a touch full since Dhawan’s wicket and have leaked runs.

INDIA 25/1 in 7 Overs (Rahul 16, Pujara 6)
Stokes is getting a bit of reverse swing but Rahul and Pujara have been safe so far, leaving balls outside off and smothering the ones coming back in.

INDIA 19/1 in 5 Overs (Rahul 14, Pujara 2)
What an eventful over that was. It had everything: a flying boot, a sumptuous loved drive and some solid defensive strokes. Yes, Rahul, as he was crossing over for a run saw his boot flying over. Stokes helps out with it. The over started with the Indian opener hammer Stokes to the boundary.

Stokes is handed the ball

Broad has now to eight in the all-time wicket takers’ list. He overtook Sir Richard Hadlee after he removed Dhawan.

INDIA 12/1 in 4 Overs (Rahul 8, Pujara 1)
Broad is getting the ball to move back in a long way from a length. This is going to be a tough phase to negotiate for India. Rahul, so far, has done well to negate the swing. The Karnataka batsman is due a big knock.

INDIA 10/1 in 3 Overs (Rahul 7, Pujara 0)
Rahul plays a gem of a square-cut off Anderson for a boundary. That, of course, was after he nearly edged the ball to Stokes at third slip; the ball fell narrowly short.

INDIA 6/1 in 2 Overs (Rahul 3, Pujara 0)
It’s a wicket maiden to start proceedings for Broad. There is a hint of reverse but nothing deadly as Pujara watchfully plays out the rest of the over.

WICKET! S Dhawan lbw b Broad 3 (6) INDIA 6/1 in 1.1 Overs
Dhawan lunges forward and Broad raps him on the pads. The pacer races away in excitement even before umpire Wilson raised his finger. That looked like it pitched outside the line at first look. Dhawan ponders over talking the review but runs out of time. England’s dream day continues.

INDIA 6/0 in 1 Overs (Rahul 3, Dhawan 3)
Positive start for India as Dhawan and Rahul pierce the gaps and are up and running. Rahul played a lovely cover drive to start proceedings.

Rahul and Dhawan make their way to the middle.

The last three wickets put on 151 runs for England

ENGLAND 332, J Buttler c Rahane b Jadeja 89 (123)
Kohli’s strategy to move the field up in the final ball of the over pays off as Buttler hurries into it. Jadeja picks up his fourth with a quicker one. Buttler, trying to run the ball to third-man nicks it to Rahane at first slip. The India vice-captain took a smart reflex catch.

ENGLAND 330/9 in 121 Overs (Buttler 87, Anderson 0)
Buttler on song, smashes two sixes as he moves to white-ball mode. Bumrah goes full on leg-stump and it’s carted way over the mid-wicket fence. The pacer then goes short and that was pulled over the fine-leg boundary. Yet again, Anderson plays out the last ball of the over.

ENGLAND 317/9 in 120 Overs (Buttler 74, Anderson 0)
Anderson this time is handed the strike to face Jadeja. He plays it out safely with a solid forward defence. One from the over.

ENGLAND 316/9 in 119 Overs (Buttler 73, Anderson 0)
Anderson plays out the last two balls of the over. Meanwhile, Dhawan nearly trips over the ball trying to stop the ball from trickling away to the boundary. Three runs from the Bumrah over, all from Buttler’s blade as spaces open up across the field for the England wicket-keeper.

ENGLAND 313/9 in 118 Overs (Buttler 70, Anderson 0)
Kohli brought up his field but left vacant spaces behind the bowler. Buttler thumps one to long-on to keep strike.

WICKET! S Broad c Rahul b Jadeja 38 (59), ENGLAND 312/9 in 117.3 Overs
Finally, India break the partnership, which has frustrated them no end. Rahul plucks a brilliant catch running backwards from mid-on. Broad was tempted by the flight of Jadeja, and tried to heave it down the ground. He didn’t get distance on it. Rahul, who can do no wrong on the field all through this series, has another one in his kitty.

ENGLAND 311/8 in 117 Overs (Buttler 68, Broad 38)
Three more runs to the total as Bumrah goes full and attacks the middle-stump this time. He induced an edge from Broad’s blade but it fell well short of slips.

ENGLAND 308/8 in 116 Overs (Buttler 66, Broad 37)
More of the same from the hosts in the first over of the second session. Jadeja got a bit of turn to Buttler from around the wicket. More singles and twos, four runs off it.

Jadeja to bowl the first over of the session

The players are back on the pitch. Kohli and Shastri have taken a fair amount of flak on social media for drifting through the first session.

Take your pick

This session: Runs: 106, Overs: 25, Wickets: 1
The day started with Ishant and Bumrah swinging it, leaving Buttler and Rashid almost helpless at times. In came Broad and it’s been a different game since then. Kohli and his bowlers have let it slip as runs have come thick and fast. England got just 123 runs at the stroke of tea yesterday. They almost matched that tally in the first session here. Yet again, the England tail continues to make the visitors suffer. Birthday boy Buttler is in the middle of playing a little gem but has had luck going his way. Broad has lent him good support.

IT’s LUNCH! ENGLAND 304/8 in 115 Overs (Buttler 63, Broad 36)
England add four more runs to the total and the umpires call for lunch. There was only one winner in this session.

ENGLAND 300/8 in 114 Overs (Buttler 62, Broad 34)
Broad moves across his stumps and works the ball into the vacant mid-wicket region to add a couple of more runs to the total. It’s England’s 300, something that was inconceivable at the end of the day’s play yesterday.

ENGLAND 298/8 in 113 Overs (Buttler 62, Broad 32)
Atherton in the commentary box asks ‘what more can Shami do?’ as he beats Buttler’s outside edge once again with one that seamed away from the right-hander’s bat. Two from the over.

As things stand, a comparison of runs scored / balls faced by partnerships from 7th wicket onwards.
England’s lower order: 735 runs / 187 overs

India’s lower order: 453 runs / 122.4 overs

ENGLAND 296/8 in 112 Overs (Buttler 61, Broad 31)
As Broad got a thick outside edge of Ishant that flew over the slip cordon and into the third man boundary, there was a visual on screen, that of a resigned look on Kohli’s face and smiles on the faces of Broad and Buttler – it’s been that kind of a session for India.

ENGLAND 289/8 in 111 Overs (Buttler 60, Broad 26)
More easy pickings for England. Three more from the over. Shami yet again beat Buttler’s outside edge with a peach outside off-stump.

The session run-rate is a 4.36 an over. England finished day one with a run-rate less than two.

ENGLAND 286/8 in 110 Overs (Buttler 52, Broad 23)
Ishant is once again guilty of allowing width outside off-stump and Buttler drives with authority to get another boundary. That landed a comfortable length: full, outside off-stump and it was easily put away. Eight more runs from the over.

ENGLAND 278/8 in 109 Overs (Buttler 52, Broad 23)
Fifty on his birthday! Buttler has played a little gem here but has also lived a charmed life. He gets to his half-century with a push through covers. The partnership is racing away towards the 70-run mark. What does Shami need to do to get a wicket? Buttler was beaten by a peach and the one that found his outside edge, blazed past second slip and rolled to the fence.

ENGLAND 270/8 in 108 Overs (Buttler 45, Broad 22)
The tactics may have now taken a toll on Ishant too. This over saw him bowl short and wide and drift it on leg-stump – something he did not do all day yesterday. Buttler edges closer to his fifty with a flick to the fine-leg boundary. India’s period of frustration continues.

Our take on the first session so far: England have now batted for 24 overs since Sam Curran’s dismissal. Difficult to understand India’s tactics once again. The bowling has lacked consistency in terms of lengths, far too many easy runs on offer.

ENGLAND 263/8 in 107 Overs (Buttler 39, Broad 21)
Michael Holding in commentary accuses India of expecting Stuart Broad to fall over. Well, he puts that notion firmly to rest with a crisp straight drive to the boundary off Shami. Rare over-pitched delivery from the Indian pacer.

ENGLAND 258/8 in 106 Overs (Buttler 38, Broad 17)
Shami bowls at the stumps and nearly gets rid of Broad after the left-hander got a leading edge in the first ball of the over. Buttler was conservative on this occasion and showed a little bit of restraint outside off. Jadeja, meanwhile, is yet to hit his stride and continues to bowl lose ones outside off. The singles are now arriving at an easy pace for the hosts.

ENGLAND 251/8 in 104 Overs (Buttler 33, Broad 15)
Eight runs from the left-arm spinner’s first over. That was easy pickings for Buttler. Jadeja went short and wide and the birthday boy had no trouble finding the gaps. England go past 250 and now, the score looks formidable.

Jadeja is handed the ball

ENGLAND 243/8 in 103 Overs (Buttler 28, Broad 12)
Buttler is still not showing any signs of farming strike but continues to move the scoreboard along. However, Shami continues to be luckless outside the off-stump. Yet again, the India pacer beat Buttler outside the off-stump with one that went away from the bat. Three from the over.

ENGLAND 240/8 in 102 Overs (Buttler 25, Broad 12)
Buttler is fine-tuning his tickle and run model. With the field spread out for him, he is facing little trouble doing that. The over ended with Broad trying to heave Bumrah out the park, he missed and the ball clipped his thigh pad.

ENGLAND 237/8 in 101 Overs (Buttler 23, Broad 11)
Immediately, Shami gets the outside into play as Buttler plays and misses. As I mentioned earlier, the runs are coming thick and fast, the conditions – with a lot of swing on offer – have not put the brakes on the scoring rate.

Shami is handed the ball

ENGLAND 234/8 in 100 Overs (Buttler 21, Broad 10)
Bumrah shows traces of impatience. He gives away four leg-byes with a full-toss but comes back with a well-directed bouncer, that hits Broad on the rib-cage. The England pacer was in a bit of discomfort after being hit. The runs are coming at a fair clip for the English this morning.

ENGLAND 228/8 in 99 Overs (Buttler 21, Broad 8)
Ishant spreads out the field for Buttler but an attacking setup for Broad sees the England pacer go over the top in the covers and get a boundary. All useful runs for the hosts, who bring up seven more from the over.

This Indian pace battery have scaled a new peak:

ENGLAND 221/8 in 98 Overs (Buttler 20, Broad 2)
Buttler is deceived by a surprise out-swinger from Bumrah but manages to run the ball past Kohli and towards the third-man fence. Broad keeps strike but nearly chopped on. Nervy times for the English batsman as their end seems imminent. Seven from the over.

WICKET! A Rashid lbw b Bumrah 15 (51), ENGLAND 214/8 in 97.1 Overs
Rashid’s resistance comes to and end and it’s an inswinger that does the trick. Bumrah yet again gets the ball to jag back in from outside off-stump and this time, umpire Wilson raises his finger. England also lose a review; replays showed the ball just about clipping leg stump.

ENGLAND 212/7 in 96 Overs (Buttler 15, Rashid 14)
Lovely roll of the wrists by Rashid as he flicks Bumrah to the fence for a boundary. Bumrah has tried the shot ball in each of his overs so far. Rashid has been watchful, though. Five from the over.

ENGLAND 207/7 in 95 Overs (Buttler 14, Rashid 10)
Another big appeal from Ishant. Buttler misses the in-swinger again. Just like the previous over, it was going to miss leg-stump as the Indian pacers are getting prodigious swing. Buttler has shown early signs of moving up a gear.

ENGLAND 204/7 in 94 Overs (Buttler 12, Rashid 9)
Once again, Rashid looks more adept at playing out the inswinger compared to the just-turned 28-year-old. Buttler, though, gets off strike as Bumrah also takes a leaf out of Ishant’s book, angling the ball back into the batsman on the off-stump corridor.

The skies have turned overcast at The Oval

ENGLAND 203/7 in 93 Overs (Buttler 11, Rashid 9)
Huge appeal. Once again, Ishant is devastating with his inswinger and raps Rashid on the pads. Despite much pleading, umpire Dharmasena says not out. India don’t have any reviews left, remember. That swung a long way and was missing leg stump. Another maiden for Ishant. Rashid is playing it with soft hands so far.

ENGLAND 203/7 in 92 Overs (Buttler 11, Rashid 9)
England go past 200 with Rashid slapping a full, wide delivery outside the off-stump from Bumrah to the cover boundary. Well played by the leg-spinner, smothering the in-swinger and keeping strike with a single. Bumrah also used a bouncer in this over.

ENGLAND 198/7 in 91 Overs (Buttler 11, Rashid 4)
Maiden over to start proceedings. Ishant finishes the over with an in-swinger that jagged back in by a mile and rapped Buttler on his thigh pad. Otherwise, there was no width outside off-stump.

3:29 pm: Birthday boy Buttler takes strike. Ishant Sharma to start proceedings.

3:19 pm: Sanjay Manjarekar at the pitch report turns the spotlight on the dark rough patch outside the off-stump and mentions that Moeen Ali will have a part to play later in the day, if England are dismissed. Manjarekar also says that the pitch is hardening up.

“It was a rollercoaster. The wicket was slow in the first session – nothing on the wicket. After Bumrah got the wicket of Cook, we came back in,” says Ishant Sharma. “It is unfair to say I got him out many times. If you look that this series, I have got a lot of left-handers.”

“You’re always hoping to let them bowl and bowl. But they just kept coming, bowling same pace, same areas. It was one of the best bowling attacks I’ve faced. They were just always, consistently there.” – Moeen Ali on India’s bowling attack.

Ishant Sharma struck thrice to lead India’s sensational fightback as the visitors reduced England to 198 for 7 at stumps after Alastair Cook hit a memorable half-century in his career’s final match on day one of the fifth Test on Friday.

Ishant (3/28) picked up three wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah (2/41) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/57) struck twice each to trigger England’s collapse in the final session of the opening day.

India will want to wrap up the England tail quickly on day two as they bid to end the series on a high having already conceded the series.