India vs England 3rd Test Day 1 Highlights: Ballance, Cook Help England Score 247/2 Against India
Gary Ballance slammed a century while Alastair Cook fell five short as England dominated the opening day of the third Test against India. Here are the highlights.
England batted with determination to make the most of a helpful track and make Indian bowlers work hard. While tourists did claim two wickets, England managed to claim the day courtesy Gary Ballance's 104* and Alastair Cook's 95. Here are the highlights (Day 1 report| Scorecard | Pics | Complete Coverage)
2230 IST: End of day's play with England on 247/2. Ballance remains unbeaten on 104 with Bell for company. For India, Jadeja bowls an economical 1/34 while Shami claimed the first wicket and finished the day with figures of 1/62. (Day 1 analysis: Gavaskar tells NDTV that Indian slip cordon needs to be better arranged)
2210 IST: With just four overs left in the day, both Ballance and Bell seemed intent on leaving the deliveries alone and Indian bowlers are appearing unable to force the duo to play.
2200 IST: Century! Ballance slams a boundary - his 15th in the innings to complete his third Test century - second in the series.
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2145 IST: Ballance takes over from where Cook left. He has not looked to waste too much of his time in the 90s. Hits Shami for a fluent boundary to race his way to 97. Has Ian Bell for company now.
2128 IST: Southampton crowd gives Cook a standing applause as he makes his way back after scoring 95. Many doubted his abilities as a batsman and skipper after the Lord's Test. Most of them would now be getting set for a contrary opinion of him. ("Renounce captaincy" | "England bullied" | "Cook unimaginative" | "Cook will never improve")
Under the amount of pressure Cook was under, that was quite brilliant! Really happy he got runs. Well done, AC #95
- Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) July 27, 2014
2123 IST: OUT! And Cook falls on 95! Sad end to a superb knock from the England skipper. He looked to whip a Jadeja delivery down the leg side but ended up edging it to Dhoni. England 213/2.
Great show of mental strength & resilience from Cook as his run scoring form returns despite just missing out on 26th Test 100. Well batted.
- Alec Stewart (@StewieCricket) July 27, 2014
2110 IST: Dhoni has used three spinners in addition to his three regular pacers who have bowled long spells. Jadeja, Rohit and Shikhar have hardly looked remotely menacing in the 26 overs they have bowled between them.
2054 IST: England bring up 200. This has been a confident march from the hosts.
2045 IST: Cook in 90s. Did you know? The last time the England skipper scored a Test ton was on May 24, 2013. England went on to win the match against New Zealand at Leeds.
2035 IST: The final session of play begins. Cook has looked more and more refreshed each time he has come back from a break today and his choice of shots clearly reflecting his confidence today.
2005 IST: End of second session! England build on a solid foundation and have now scored 186/1 with Cook (82*) and Ballance (72*) looking in sublime form.
1950 IST: FIFTY! Ballance completes his third Test fifty. He has batted sensibly - hitting five boundaries - and has given valuable support to his skipper.
1945 IST: Cook and Ballance complete 100 runs for the second wicket.
1935 IST: England bring up 150 in 51.4 overs. Ballance nears his fifty, is batting on 46.
1915 IST: India now playing the game of patience against Cook and Ballance. Their partnership is now 72 for the second wicket. (Did you read? Top five things to watch out for in the 3rd Test)
1900 IST: Indian pacers continue to hunt for a breakthrough but have not looked entirely threatening. The trio of Bhuvneshwar, Shami and Pankaj have bowled the rare short ball and they have been dispatched by Cook almost every time. In contrast, Dhoni used Jadeja and Rohit's spin for just one over each.
1840 hrs IST: Did you know? The average Day 1 score at Rose Bowl is 279/7. England have scored 105/1 in a little over a session and look firmly on track.
1820 hrs IST: Interesting numbers from Cook's half century (54*) -
- 73.53% dot balls in his innings so far
- 25.49% scoring shots in his innings so far
- 24 runs on the on side while 30 runs have been hit on the leg side so far.
- 5 fours, 2 threes and 6 twos so far.
1815 hrs IST: Fifty for Cook! The second session begins with the England skipper reaching his 36th Test fifty.
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1734 hrs IST: End of 1st session! Cook comes out on top in the opening session. He got a lifeline at 15 and has done well to make the most of it to finish unbeaten on 48 (five boundaries). Jadeja gets to bowl his first over of spin just before lunch but Shami remains India's only successful bowler in the session.
1730 hrs IST: Breaking news! ICC takes a critical view of Dhoni's public statements on fine imposed on Jadeja. "England captain Alastair Cook and, more recently, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni have made public comments relating to the alleged incident that took place during the first Test at Trent Bridge, the latter of which is critical of and undermines the ICC disciplinary process," it said in a release.
"The ICC would also like to reiterate its full support of the process followed and respect for the decision made by David Boon." (Read more here)
1725 hrs IST: Time for spin! Rohit Sharma comes in to bowl his spin in the 27th over of the innings.
1715 IST: Gary Ballance replaces Robson in the middle. He hit a century in the previous Test at Lord's - the second in his early Test career. With two fifties to further back his case, this 24-year-old can provide the ideal support to his skipper at the other end.
1705 IST: Dhoni's decision to make his three pacers bowl extended spells finally pays as Robson makes the long walk back. He does have Jadeja and Rohit at his disposal as well. (Also read: Why is Ashwin not being played, wonders Saqlain Mushtaq)
1700 IST: OUT! Robson (26) edges Shami and Jadeja makes no mistake in the slips this time. The ball moved ever so slightly at the last minute but it was enough for the batsman to offer an outside edge to race towards third slip. England 55/1.
1655 IST: Did you know? Apart from Dhoni (86), no player in the India's current playing XI has played more than 30 Tests.
1650 IST: Dhoni continues to keep his slips jam-packed. Interestingly, there is no sign of spin being thrown at England openers. At toss, the Indian skipper did mention having Rohit Sharma in the playing XI would be a bonus as he can bowl his off-break. (England 45/0, 18 overs)
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1640 IST: The track at Rose Bowl has received some great reviews early into the match today. It has indeed looked like a solid track so far and shows a lot of promise to remain this way through the course of the five days.
you don't mind batting on this pitch! after taunton, best batting ground in county cricket.
- Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) July 27, 2014
1635 IST: And there is a major sporting event not too far from Southampton. India continue to add to their CWG 2014 medals tally on the fourth day in Glasgow. Catch updates here.
1630 IST: Cook appears determined to make the most of his lifeline. Has picked up two fours so far and while the first was a tentative jab - an edge of sorts, his second was a sublime cover drive.
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1615 IST: DROPPED! First real mistake from Cook (on 15) but he gets a lifeline from Jadeja in the slips. England skipper dabbles with an outside off-stump delivery and Jadeja had to just rock onto his left to net it but couldn't. Pankaj Singh is quite expressionless considering Cook could have been his first victim.
1605 IST: Pankaj Singh bowls his first over in Test cricket. Relaxed run-up and a fluent rhythm clearly shows why he has 300 first-class wickets.
1600 IST: Cook must have spent some long hours at the nets because the hard-work is evident here. Early into his innings here, he has played some fluent shots and his feet have definitely moved better than they have in some time now.
Make hay... Pitch is a beauty.... 100 for the Skipper..!!??
- Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) July 27, 2014
1550 IST: How did England take the Lord's defeat? How did England gear up for 3rd Test battle? Skipper Cook said he has been taking inspiration from England's triumph against hosts India in 2012. "Without a doubt it gives you confidence," he said recently. (Read more here)
1545 IST: Did you know? The Rose Bowl is India's seventh Test venue in England. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar and Shami complete two overs each. England 13/0 after 4 as Cook gets the first boundary of the match.
1535 IST: Mohammad Shami comes in to bowl from the other end. He may have claimed just four wickets so far but has shown good temperament and has bowled to his strengths.
1530 IST: Alastair Cook and Sam Robson open the innings for England. Bhuvneshwar Kumar starts with the ball.
1520 IST: Squads: India: M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pankaj Singh and Mohammed Shami.
England: Alastair Cook, Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and James Anderson
1515 IST: India skipper Dhoni was very categorical when he was asked for his views on the fine on Ravindra Jadeja. "We will play good cricket on the field. What happens off the field is off the field."
1510 IST: MS Dhoni at toss said that the pitch may have some early moisture but batting last - especially on the final day - may not be an easy task either. Asked what he would have done had he won the toss, he said it was a fifty-fifty call.
1503 IST: England have won the toss and decided to bat against India in the third Test. The hosts have recalled Chris Jordan, Chris Woakes and Jos Butler while India have replaced an injured Ishant Sharma with debutant Pankaj Singh. Rohit Sharma has replaced all-rounder Stuart Binny.
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India's emphatic 95-run victory at Lord's seems to have been overshadowed by the unsavoury incident between Jadeja and Anderson at Trent Bridge. ICC fined the Indian all-rounder and the Indian Board was angry.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's pre-match press conference on Saturday dwelt on the incident and the Indian captain sounded extremely unhappy. Anderson's punishment will be decided by Boon on August 1, a day after this Test match ends.
But hurt and guilt will be far from the players' mind when cricket begins. The game is such a great leveller. (Five Things to Watch out for in 3rd Test)
Cricket is such a soothing balm. It was nice to see Jadeja and Anderson shaking hands after the Lord's Test. Couldn't the 'altercation' been buried amicably? A lot of cricketing decisions are made in the boardrooms. Steve Waugh called the Trent Bridge episode 'trivial.' Why is it now turning out to be a BCCI vs ICC 'battle'?
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England is passing through a 'hot' spell. It was warm in London and at picturesque Southampton, the weather has been predicted to be sunny. That means the pitch will be in focus again. The 'moisture' content will have a direct impact on team selection. The Indians may not retain the Lord's combination.
While offie Ravichandran Ashwin may just get the nod, chances of Rohit Sharma bolstering the middle order will be high. England will certainly 'blood' Jos Buttler. (I am not England's Quick Fix: Buttler)
Rohit's inclusion could see Stuart Binny's exit from the team, but more than the Indians, Cook will worry about his team composition after repeated top order batting failures.
Chris Jordan or Chris Woakes may replace Ben Stokes. But the onus will be on the captain and Ian Bell to score the runs and give the bowlers a good total to defend. Toss will be key again. Over to the cricket now.