[Lord Snooty]

How are we gonna cock this one up?

[themaclad]

England 120 for 0 (Hameed 60*, Burns 52*) lead India 78 (Rohit 19, Anderson 3-6, Overton 3-14) by 42 runs
Almost as if to make up for their horror final day at Lord's, England had the first day of their fantasies at Headingley. James Anderson cast a swing-bowling spell over the top order, reducing India to 21 for 3 in the 11th over, to immediately send the opposition into defence mode. Although Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane threatened, briefly, to rebuild, the supporting England seamers then came in and wiped out the last seven India wickets for 22 runs, to have them 78 all out - the third-lowest total India have ever made after choosing to bat first.
When England bowled, conditions seemed exceedingly seamer-friendly, the pitch and the atmosphere allowing the ball to move just enough and late enough to get new batters nicking, rather than missing. But then when India's quicks had the ball, the surface appeared half-decent - even good - to bat on. Rohit - India's top-scorer - batted out 105 balls for his 19; Haseeb Hameed needed only 43 deliveries to get to the same score. Hameed later progressed to a half-century off his 110th delivery, before finishing on 60 not out. Rory Burns made an unbeaten 52. England finished the day with the match firmly in their grip. They had ten first-innings wickets still in hand, and were 42 runs ahead.
Although Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, Sam Curran, and the two England openers, imposed themselves at various points in the day, it was the maestro, Anderson, who set the tone. A dusting of grey hairs at his temple, and yet evermore skilful, he laid traps for KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara, which both batters could not resist. He bowled a string of inswingers at Rahul, all slightly short of a length, to get the batter playing back slightly, defending balls in front of his stumps. Then he snuck in a full delivery outside off, which seamed slightly away off the seam, to take Rahul's edge as he reached for it. A similar ploy worked for Pujara too. Although Pujara's was a poke rather than a big drive, the dismissal - edging an awayseamer to the wicketkeeper - was the same.
For Kohli, Anderson plugged away in the channel, and then delivered a wobble-seam ball that pitched just outside off and moved away - Kohli venturing a big drive only to also be caught by Jos Buttler. He was out for 7 off 17, leaving India reeling while Rohit was attempting his best cave hermit impression - leaving, blocking, and dead-batting.
Rohit and Rahane then threatened to right India's innings, batting out 15 overs together and putting on 35, but Rahane edging Robinson behind on the penultimate ball before lunch ended what turned out to be India's best partnership by far.
After lunch, India careened into a chasm. Pant was out to Robinson - again nicking behind (this was Buttler's fifth catch out of five). A few overs later, Rohit's patience ran out and he tried to pull a short ball from Overton over the leg side, but managed only to bunt it to a catching mid-on. Next ball, Mohammed Shami was squared up, and he sent a catch to third slip.
The following over, bowled by Curran, brought another double strike - Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah both out lbw, both pretty plumb. India lost four wickets while the score was 67, and were all out soon after, having slipped from 56 for 3.
Perhaps India felt their bowlers would be able to replicate England's success in such conditions, particularly after their heroics on the final day at Lord's, but they began with far less discipline than the England attack had shown. Ishant Sharma, who opened the bowling ahead of Mohammed Siraj and Shami, was especially wayward, frequently straying into the batters' pads, and rarely finding movement on a line outside off stump. Bumrah was much better, and even drew an edge at one point that fell short, but was not especially menacing either.

Hameed and Burns did not have to be particularly patient through the early overs, getting frequent enough deliveries that could be scored off, but were nevertheless solid when the good balls came as well. They were not beaten as often as India's batters were with the new ball. And they were more confident with their scoring strokes. Hameed was particularly severe on errors of line, dusting off an excellent cut shot repeatedly.
Later, Burns hit the most memorable shot, however, thumping Siraj over deep square leg for the day's only six. Hameed got to his half-century with an edge through the outstretched hand of Rohit at second slip - the fielder getting some flesh to the tough chance, but unable to hold on. Burns, got to the milestone in the penultimate over of the day, punching the 123rd ball he faced through mid-on.
Such was England's dominance on day one, India will probably need a dramatic session or several to get themselves back into the match.

[themaclad]

Stumps England 423 for 8 (Root 121, Hameed 68, Shami 3-87) lead India 78 (Anderson 3-6, Overton 3-14) by 345 runs
England just made too much ground in that middle session. Joe Root hit his third hundred of the series and sixth of the year. Dawid Malan struck a fifty. England went to tea 220 runs ahead with seven wickets in hand, and though they ended the day eight down, they scored briskly through session three as well, finishing 345 runs in front. India needed a dramatic collapse to force themselves back into the match on day two, and did their best to set one in motion during an attritional first session. But they were eventually foiled by Root in the form of his already exceptional cricketing life.
Once Root got going after lunch, India's strategy of bowling tightly and keeping the runs down - which had been somewhat successful in a morning session in which they removed the overnight batters - was essentially torn apart. It's not that Root's innings was necessarily a counterattack - he just went into ODI mode and found ways to score off even good balls, frequently deflecting balls in the arc between point and third man in particular. He was on 27 off his first 25 balls, 41 off 50, and reached triple figures off the 123rd ball he faced.
Growing in confidence as he batted in Root's slipstream, Malan grew in confidence as he hit 70 off 128 balls in his comeback Test innings. The pair's 139-run partnership was the best of the innings, just pipping Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns' opening stand, which was worth 135. Root also shared a 52-run association with Jonny Bairstow, and it is between these three stands that much of England's batting progress has been made. At stumps, they still had Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson at the crease. Both have been known to contribute handy runs at the county level.
India had a tough day, though perhaps the final session, in which they claimed five wickets, took the worst of the edge off. They are so far behind in the match that chances of victory appear remote. There are still three days left in the game, so a draw seems almost as unlikely. Still, the bowlers will be pleased that they can at least dream of wiping England's last two wickets out early on day three, when for much of Thursday, there was a strong possibility India would be made to bowl for substantial portions of Friday as well.
Mohammed Shami was the best of India's bowlers, nipping one back through the defences of Rory Burns early in the day, before having Bairstow caught at slip, and Jos Buttler out at catching midwicket after tea. Ravindra Jadeja picked up Haseeb Hameed and Moeen Ali. And although he was expensive, Mohammed Siraj took two wickets, while Bumrah claimed one. The severe disappointment in this bowling effort, however, was Ishant Sharma, who struggled for rhythm all day, rarely seemed menacing, and went at 4.18 across his 22 overs. That Kohli bowled him so much was something of a surprise.
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Joe Root brought up his third century of the series on Thursday Getty Images
But it was Root who really owned the day. He drove with confidence, particularly through mid-on, and through the covers, deflected no fewer than four boundaries through the third man region, and swept Jadeja against the turn without fuss, all the while picking up singles, running hard enough to squeeze out a second if the shot allows. It was a supremely busy, rather than explosive, innings.

He celebrated his 23rd hundred - drawing equal with Kevin Pietersen as the second-best England century-maker - to the adoring roar of his Yorkshire home crowd, and was out - eventually - on 121 off 165 balls, Bumrah getting him to play on. After this innings, Root has 1398 Test runs for the year, which is a monumental 688 runs more than the next-most prolific batter, Rohit Sharma. Incredibly, 875 of those runs have come against India.
Malan played England's next-best innings, scoring 51 of his 70 runs through the offside. He had had a somewhat nervy start, which was perhaps understandable for a batter playing his first Test innings in three years. But once Root got to the crease, and India's effort dipped following a tight first session, Malan was happier to free his arms, and join Root in his brisk accumulation through the middle session. Together, the batters consolidated the gains made by Hameed and Burns, and ensured that England's grip on the Test became even tighter.
Earlier in the day, India's bowlers had bowled a largely immaculate line-and-length to concede just 62 runs in the first session. They tied both Burns and Hameed down before dismissing them, and perhaps went to lunch feeling they were on the brink of breaking through the middle order as well. Root was always going to be the big wicket. He is in such form that his ruining of India's plan seemed effortless

[themaclad]

Third LV= Insurance Test, Emerald Headingley (day three of five)
India 78 (Anderson 3-6) & 215-2 (Pujara 91*, Rohit 59)
England 432 (Root 121)
India trail by 139 runs
Scorecard
England's push for victory in the third Test was met by stubborn resistance from India on day three at Headingley.

Needing 354 to make England bat again, India rebounded from being bowled out for 78 in the first innings by working to 215-2.

They were led by Cheteshwar Pujara's stoic 91 not out, while Rohit Sharma made a stylish 59.

After their second-wicket stand of 82 was ended, captain Virat Kohli looked in good order for his unbeaten 45.

England, who lost their last two wickets for nine runs in the morning to be dismissed for 432, largely bowled well without rewards.

Ollie Robinson and Craig Overton were particularly impressive on an unresponsive pitch, claiming a wicket apiece.

While England are not yet in serious danger of being on the wrong end of another famous Headingley comeback, they are being made to battle hard to level the series at 1-1.

'History tells you India aren't going to win' - Vaughan urges England patience
TMS podcast: Pujara digs in for India

'Time's out, you can't have it!' - Root too late for crucial review
No thoughts of another Headingley miracle - yet
While this storied ground has given England some of their most remarkable victories - Ian Botham in 1981 and Ben Stokes in 2019 - it has also dished out its share of unlikely defeats. Sri Lanka in 2014 and West Indies in 2017 both won from pretty hopeless positions.

India joining those ranks still seems highly fanciful, especially when it is considered that no team has ever overturned such a large first-innings deficit to win a Test.

However, the fight they have shown - a complete contrast to the soft way their batting folded on Wednesday - has at least added intrigue to a weekend that might not otherwise have seen any play.

The action on Friday was slower than the opening two days, but it was no less intriguing. Rarely did it feel like the India batsmen had control of the threat posed by England's attack.

There were also some bizarre moments. A plane flew overhead trailing a banner saying 'Sack the ECB and save Test cricket', while pitch invader 'Jarvo', who appeared during the second Test Lord's, made another idiotic entry to the field, this time padded up.

There was also the charade of England having to bowl their spinners in the late gloom, allowing India to score more freely than at any other point, only for play to be called off four overs early when Joe Root wanted his pace bowlers to take the new ball.

Pujara leads India resistance
Pujara had gone 12 Test innings without a Test half-century, but made 45 on the fourth day of the second Test to lay the foundations for India's sensational win.

Here, on the ground he graced as Yorkshire's overseas player, he typified India's approach - patient, determined and watchful - for his highest Test score since January 2019.

Pujara arrived after KL Rahul was stunningly taken one-handed at second slip by Jonny Bairstow off Overton. He left with sound judgement and scored with sweet tucks through mid-wicket.


'A stunner of a catch!' - Bairstow's diving effort gives England breakthrough
Rohit played wonderful drives, but could have been lbw to Robinson on 39 had England not delayed the review. By the time Root called for it, the allotted 15 seconds were up.

When Rohit played across one from Robinson, the review could not save him, the ball shown to be clipping the leg stump.

Kohli himself is without a half-century in eight innings and a hundred in 18, but looked ominous in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 99.

England forced to work hard
It was unrealistic for England to expect the third day to be as one-sided as the previous two, yet, although they did not get the wickets they desired, it was not for a lack of effort. Time and again the home side went past the outside edge.

Overton was the pick of the bowlers, at one point delivering a 10-over spell either side of lunch that was rewarded by the wicket of Rahul.

Sam Curran was the only disappointment. Root used him for only one of the first 37 overs and, when he was given a prolonged spell, it was expensive.

Given the cloudy conditions, it was understandable that Moeen Ali's off-spin was often ignored, but he and Root were forced to bowl 12 overs in tandem at the end of the day.

At one point, Root got one to rip through Kohli, suggesting that spin may become a factor on Saturday and Sunday.

When play does resume, England will have the boost of the second new ball being available.

[Lord Snooty]

Well that soon finished.

[themaclad]

Third LV= Insurance Test, Emerald Headingley (day four of five)
India 78 (Anderson 3-6) & 278 (Pujara 91, Kohli 55, Robinson 5-65)
England 432 (Root 121)
England won by an innings and 76 runs
Scorecard
England broke India's resistance to surge to victory by an innings and 76 runs in the third Test at Headingley and level the series at 1-1.

Ollie Robinson expertly utilised the second new ball on the fourth morning to claim 5-65 and hasten India to 278 all out.

After India had threatened to make things difficult for England by moving to 215-2 on day three, Robinson removed both overnight batsmen.

Cheteshwar Pujara was lbw not playing a stroke for 91 before Virat Kohli, who had already overturned being given out caught behind, edged to first slip for 55.

It was the beginning of India losing their last eight wickets for 63 runs - at one stage they lost three for two - as the game was over 15 minutes before lunch.

It gave Joe Root an England record 27th Test win as captain, in front of his home crowd.

The fourth Test at The Oval begins on Thursday, with the series concluding at Old Trafford from 10 September.

Root 'proud' to set England Test wins record as captain
India's players are hurting - Kohli
TMS podcast: Rampant Robinson blows India away
Series poised after England fightback

England v India: 'A near 10 out of 10 performance' from Joe Root's side - Michael Vaughan
This result leaves the series tantalisingly poised, not only in the scoreline, but because of how the fortunes of these sides have been reversed.

England were largely saved by the rain in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge, then suffered a devastating final-day defeat in the second game at Lord's.

Yet here they hustled India out for 78 after losing the toss and piled up 432 to move towards what was their first win in eight Tests.

And although India hinted towards mounting another famous Headingley comeback on Friday, it was always fanciful - no side has overturned such a large first-innings deficit to win a Test.

All of England's selection decisions were correct. Haseeb Hameed and Dawid Malan made runs, while Craig Overton impressed with the ball. The hosts may also have Mark Wood and Chris Woakes available for The Oval.

For the first time in this series, the problems belong to India.

Robinson roars on Headingley return

Pujura lbw off the bowling of Robinson
Sussex seamer Robinson is playing only his fourth Test, but has become a key component of the England attack despite the controversy over offensive historical tweets that dogged his debut in June.

He has history at Headingley, too. He played 10 games for Yorkshire in 2013 and 2014, only to be sacked for a "number of unprofessional actions", which he put down to missing being at home in Kent.

Here, on his return as an international bowler, Robinson was superb in his use of the crucial new ball, delighting a boisterous crowd that was aware of the importance of the opening hour.

Pujara's judgement failed him in the fourth over of the day when he left a hooping inswinger that was shown to be hitting off stump.

England thought they had the vital wicket of Kohli when he was given out off James Anderson - the India captain even started to walk off - only for the review to show he had clipped his pad with his bat.

Still, Robinson, with bounce and seam movement, had him fence to Root, then the frenetic Rishabh Pant steered to third slip. Robinson completed his second Test five-for when Ishant Sharma was caught behind.

In between, Anderson took the edge of Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali bowled Mohammed Shami, and Overton took the final two wickets to end with 3-47.

They've come back doubly strong' - what they said

Root praises 'outstanding' England after India swept aside
England captain Joe Root on TMS: "To bounce back in the fashion we have done is the most impressive thing. The bowling on the first day was amazing, then the way the openers played and the substantial partnerships we had.

"India played exceptionally well yesterday and made it hard work for us, but those wickets were a product of the hard work we put in yesterday. We were good at squeezing the control of the game."

England bowler James Anderson on Sky Sports: "We're missing quite a few bowlers which shows what depth we do have. We're missing the likes of Broad, Archer and Woakes - guys who have done fantastic job for us over the last few years - so to have guys come in and keep performing shows the depth we have."

India captain Virat Kohli on TMS: "We were always up against it from the first innings, not enough runs on the board and it's very difficult to get back into the game. Their consistency with the ball this morning put us under a lot of pressure. Robinson has bowled a lot in England and swings the ball both ways, so in these conditions he was a real find for them."

Ex-England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent on TMS: "The main thing is how England bounced back. You saw the loss at Lord's and wonder if it would mentally leave a dent but they've come back doubly strong."

[themaclad]

ESPN VIEW

England 53 for 3 (Malan 26*, Bumrah 2-15) trail India 191 (Thakur 57, Kohli 50, Woakes 4-55, Robinson 3-38) by 138 runs
India were bowled out cheaply on the first day for the second Test in a row but retained a foothold after taking three England wickets in the late-afternoon sunshine at The Oval.
Chris Woakes - playing a first-class game for the first time since August 2020 after missing 11 Tests through isolation, rotation and injury - took four wickets and Ollie Robinson continued his fine summer with three, with England's seamers relentless in reducing India to 127 for 7.
Most of India's batters had made starts before being dismissed - Virat Kohli played fluently for 50 before falling to Robinson for the third consecutive Test - but Shardul Thakur's 57 off 36 balls changed the complexion of their innings. He teed off from No. 8 after being recalled to the side, and his half-century - the fastest recorded in a Test in England - gave India something to bowl at.
England had chosen to bowl after winning the toss in overcast conditions but were basking in hazy sunshine by the time their openers headed out midway through the final session. But three late wickets - both openers falling to Jasprit Bumrah and Joe Root castled by Umesh Yadav - left them teetering at 53 for 3 by the close.
Much of England's early success came from bowling dry. They had initially struggled to find swing with the lacquer still on the new ball - James Anderson conceded 20 in his first four overs and was punished for overpitching - but Robinson and Woakes rarely erred from a good length and strung together seven consecutive maidens with the score on 28.
2:20
Ian Bell: An outstanding, all-round effort from the England bowlers
Ian Bell: An outstanding, all-round effort from the England bowlers
Those maidens included the dismissals of both openers. Woakes, back to fitness after a freak heel injury suffering slipping down a flight of stairs, had the ball swinging immediately and induced an outside edge; Rohit Sharma had been leaving fuller balls, but Woakes dragged his length back and had him caught behind by Jonny Bairstow, keeping wicket with Jos Buttler absent on paternity leave.
And after an immaculate new-ball spell, Robinson had KL Rahul trapped lbw with a nip-backer. The decision was upheld via the DRS but only thanks to Richard Illingworth's earlier on-field call; Rahul was nearly outside the line as he was hit on the back pad, but ball-tracking said umpire's call.
Anderson's second spell was a significant improvement, and he had Cheteshwar Pujara feathering an edge behind to Bairstow. Kohli looked in fine touch earlier on, but the main talking point over the lunch interval was the promotion of Ravindra Jadeja to No. 5 - seemingly to break up the run of right-hand batters in India's middle order.
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Kohli was given a life on 22 by Root, who put down a chance at first slip off Woakes - though arguably Rory Burns, at second, should have gone for the catch to his left, since Root saw it late and had to move a long way to his right. Root made amends of sorts in Woakes' next over, hanging onto another tough chance off Jadeja's outside edge, but Kohli's fluency was ominous for England.
Following on from a second-innings half-century in Leeds, Kohli adjusted his stance slightly, shuffling across towards his off stump, and drove with authority and timing. The pick of his shots, a drive on the up through extra cover off Anderson, brought him to 45, and he reached a second consecutive fifty off only 85 balls, but Robinson - his nemesis throughout this series - tied him down.
After soaking up 10 consecutive dot balls, Kohli was anxious to score and shaped to turn a length ball into the leg side, but Robinson's unerring line and length did not allow him to do so. Instead, he found a hint of nip away off the seam, taking Kohli's outside edge and leaving India reeling at 105 for 5.
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Umesh Yadav came into the XI for India, and got the big wicket of Joe Root AFP/Getty Images
Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant, both under pressure after poor tours, fell after contrasting innings: Rahane tentative throughout, steering Overton to third slip where Moeen Ali clung onto a low chance; Pant frenetic, skipping down to hack Woakes' slower ball to mid-off, three balls after Overton had put him down in the slips.
That left Thakur - brought back into the side with Mohammed Shami ruled out with a niggle, Ishant Sharma dropped and R Ashwin overlooked yet again - as the last batter of any note and he decided the only way to go was to attack. He swung hard, thumping Overton for six over mid-off and tucking into Woakes, smiting him for six fours and a six.

Thakur rode his luck throughout, dropped on 43 after gloving a pull to Bairstow and with several shots falling just short of fielders, but flat-batted Robinson back over his head for four then pulled his next ball for six to reach a 31-ball fifty - the second-fastest by an India batter - which he greeted with a triumphant roar. He was pinned by Woakes, out lbw on review, shortly after, before Bumrah was run out and Umesh Yadav edged behind as India lost their last three wickets in the space of four balls.
Bumrah blew the game back open by removing both England openers in the space of five balls, finding extra bounce from just short of a length. Rory Burns looked to play late but inside-edged onto his own stumps, and Haseeb Hameed's attempted back-cut only managed to divert a short ball into Pant's gloves.
Root and Dawid Malan rebuilt with some fluency from 6 for 2, punishing any width on either side of the wicket in a stand of 46 in 11.3 overs, but Root's dismissal late in the day - bowled by an inch-perfect nip-backer from Umesh, which beat his inside edge and kissed the top of his off stump - could yet prove to be a significant moment, keeping India in the game. Overton was sent in as nightwatchman and Ollie Pope, recalled in Buttler's place on his home ground, will be due in at No. 6.
Chris WoakesShardul ThakurIndiaEnglandEngland vs India

[themaclad]

ESPN REPORT

ndia 191 and 43 for 0 (Rahul 22*, Rohit 20*) trail England 290 (Pope 81, Woakes 50, Yadav 3-76) by 56 runs
Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes made their first Test fifties in a year to give England a 99-run first-innings lead at The Oval before India's openers, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, almost halved the deficit by seeing out the second day.
England were teetering at 53 for 3 overnight, and lost two wickets for nine runs at the start of the day, but Pope's fluency in partnerships with Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali dragged them into the lead, and then Woakes - batting at No. 9 after England had used a nightwatchman - built on it by attacking the old ball.
Rohit and Rahul were tasked with facing the last 16 overs of the day in the late-afternoon haze and despite the occasional play-and-miss, and an outside edge from Rohit that flew past Rory Burns at second slip, they saw India through to stumps, only 56 runs behind their hosts.
Umesh Yadav had produced one of the balls of the series to bowl Joe Root late on the first evening and picked up where he left off with a probing spell on the second morning. He removed Craig Overton, the nightwatchman, with his fourth delivery of the day thanks to an ill-judged cut shot which flew straight to Virat Kohli at first slip, then had Dawid Malan edging to Rohit at second to leave England reeling at 62 for 5.
Bairstow and Pope quickly launched a counterattack as India's change bowlers, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur, struggled for consistency. Thakur leaked four consecutive boundaries (one via the pad) to Pope, and Siraj conceded three in a row with both batters scoring on either side of the wicket, adding 77 before lunch.
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Ollie Pope played his shots on the second morning Getty Images
Bairstow's technical changes heading into this series - he is batting significantly further across his stumps than he did two years ago - may have resulted in him avoiding being bowled thus far but he has developed a vulnerability against the nip-backer, and was trapped lbw for the third time in the series: Siraj angled one in from a length which struck him on the pad, and the DRS confirmed the ball would have gone on to hit the top of leg stump.
Bairstow remonstrated with a steward after his dismissal, seemingly distracted by some movement in the stands, but Pope continued to score freely. He worked Siraj away for four to bring up a 92-ball fifty and made only a low proportion of runs through boundaries, instead rotating the strike and clipping and punching twos and threes.
Pope was widely hailed as England's most promising young batter when he made a brilliant maiden hundred in Port Elizabeth in early 2020 but has struggled in the 18 months since; he started this series out of the side following an injury but his poor form meant that he was not rushed back in when fit.
This was his first Test on his home ground, where he averages a shade over 100 in first-class cricket for Surrey, and his change back to a middle-stump guard appeared to pay dividends after spending most of the summer batting on off.
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KL Rahul was watchful on the second evening Getty Images
Moeen struggled for the same fluency but his innings was scattered with boundaries, the pick of them a punch through the covers off Umesh. He was given an unusual life early on, digging out a Jasprit Bumrah yorker which replays confirmed had struck his boot first and would have crashed into leg stump - India did not even appeal.

He gave his wicket away cheaply, aiming a hoick down the ground off Ravindra Jadeja which ballooned out to give Rohit a simple catch at cover. Pope fell for 81 shortly after tea, dragging a wide outswinger from Thakur onto his own stumps, and Jadeja bowled the slog-sweeping Ollie Robinson for 5 to leave England nine down.
But Woakes frustrated India, adding 35 with Anderson for the last wicket. He played with uncharacteristic attacking intent, flashing drives away through cover and pulling through the leg side, before running himself out while trying to marshal the strike.
England struggled to create chances with the new ball as Rohit and Rahul stood firm, though one opportunity went begging: Anderson found Rohit's outside edge but Burns failed to pick the ball up at second slip and watched it fly past him.

[themaclad]

ESPN VIEW

India 191 and 270 for 3 (Rohit 127, Pujara 61) lead England 290 by 171 runs
It was worth the wait. Rohit Sharma's first Test hundred away from home took India into a dominant position against England at The Oval, leaving them well-placed to push for a 2-1 lead in the series.
Rohit shared partnerships of 83 and 153 for the first and second wicket with KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara, pressing on through the third morning after seeing out 16 overs on the second evening. He batted within himself for most of the day in gloomy, overcast conditions but moved from 94 to his hundred by swinging Moeen Ali for six over long-on.
He was eventually dismissed in bizarre fashion, heaving a pull straight to long leg when Ollie Robinson dug the second new ball into the pitch, and when Robinson had Pujara caught in the slips via an inside edge into his back thigh five balls later, England were back in the game. But Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja - retaining his spot at No. 5 - battled through before bad light brought an early close shortly before 5.45pm local time.
Rohit rode his luck at times, offering two chances to Rory Burns at second slip, but neither was taken. The first came on the second evening when he had made only six: he edged James Anderson into the cordon, but Burns appeared not to pick the ball up against the backdrop of the crowd and only realised it had come in his direction once it had brushed his foot on its way to the boundary.
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Rohit Sharma deposited one in the stands at long-on to get to his century Getty Images
The second came on 31, when Ollie Robinson had him poking defensively at a wide-ish ball on a good length. Third slip had been moved into the covers shortly before, meaning Burns had to fling himself to his right; he could only get a fingertip to it, pushing it down towards third man.
Anderson made the breakthrough shortly after Burns' second drop, inducing an outside edge from Rahul. Rahul had started brightly, driving Chris Woakes down the ground for four and pulling him for six, but England bowled dry to stem the flow of runs. Anderson found a hint of movement away off the seam as Rahul came forward to defend; the on-field decision was not out, but the DRS showed a healthy outside edge.
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Rahul gestured to the umpires that he had flicked his back pad with his bat on the way through, but replays confirmed the ball had hit the bat after that. England reviewed an lbw appeal shortly before lunch with Rohit on 42, but DRS confirmed it was an optimistic shout.
Pujara started his innings brightly, admittedly helped by some loose bowling from England's change bowlers, but had to overcome an injury scare shortly after lunch. He rolled his ankle turning at the non-striker's end and underwent seven minutes of treatment from the physio with heavy strapping before resuming.
Rohit punched Craig Overton off the back foot for two to bring up his fifty and Pujara continued to bat fluently, cutting two boundaries in the space of three balls off Overton - the second a deft, late upper-cut over the vacant gully region. Rohit cruised through the 90s, pulling Anderson for four and then bringing up his hundred with a straight six, celebrating in restrained style.
Rohit's comparative struggles overseas compared to in India have often been used as a stick to beat him with but this was further proof that he is still one of the best all-format players in the world. This was his third 50+ score in the series and his eighth Test hundred in all - three of them brought up with a six.
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Cheteshwar Pujara brings out the upper cut during his knock of 61 Getty Images

Pujara brought up his own half-century - his second in three innings - by steering Overton away behind square after tea, as England tried out a short-ball strategy with the second new ball looming to no great effect. The crowd were subdued, with the partnership extending past 150 as Moeen and Root's offbreaks were milked.
But Robinson struck twice in the first over bowled with the new ball to change the complexion of the day and enliven the crowd. The first was an innocuous ball, a back-of-a-length loosener which hardly got up above waist-height, which Rohit inexplicably pulled straight to long leg; five balls later, Pujara was cramped for room playing off the back foot and inside-edged to third slip via the back thigh, given out on review.
Jadeja walked out to join Kohli, keeping his position at No. 5 after his surprise promotion in the first innings, and the pair saw India through to the close with Kohli again looking in superb form, creaming two cover drives away for four. They will resume with a lead of 171 on the fourth morning and while the pitch appears to have flattened out, India will be much the happier side overnight.

[themaclad]

Bubbling nicely

ESPN REPORT

England 290 and 77 for 0 (Hameed 43*, Burns 31*) need 291 more runs to beat India 191 and 466 (Rohit 127, Pujara 61, Thakur 60, Pant 50, Woakes 3-83)
Shardul Thakur and Rishabh Pant's half-centuries frustrated England and left them needing to complete their highest-ever run chase to take a 2-1 lead in the series, but an unbroken 77-run opening stand between Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed kept them in with a chance of pulling it off.
India resumed three wickets down with a lead of 171 on the fourth morning, and pressed on towards a significant third-innings total thanks primarily to Thakur and Pant's 100-run stand for the seventh wicket. They lost wickets in clusters but England's bowlers struggled to create regular chances on a flat Oval pitch and India's total of 466 was their highest in the second innings of a Test since 2009.
England's openers were tasked with seeing out 32 overs in the evening session and managed to do so with few concerns. Virat Kohli quickly turned to Ravindra Jadeja, who bowled 13 overs on the trot as he searched for the rough created by the seamers' footholes, but he struggled for consistency in his length. Burns was gritty and defensive but Hameed found some fluency, clipping boundaries off his pads and driving forcefully through the covers to leave England eyeing an improbable win.
Kohli and Jadeja - retaining his new role at No. 5 - resumed after seeing off the second new ball on the third evening and saw off James Anderson and Ollie Robinson's first spells with ease, Kohli pounding Anderson for four through the covers and punching Robinson through mid-off with a strong bottom hand to move into the 40s.
But Chris Woakes' first spell of the day brought two breakthroughs. His second ball was angled across Jadeja and defended into the off side, but both England and umpire Alex Wharf recognised that it had hit the knee roll of his pad first. Jadeja reviewed the decision, but the on-field call was upheld.
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Shardul Thakur made twin fifties at The Oval PA Photos/Getty Images
Three balls later, the out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane was pinned on the pad while shouldering arms to a nip-backer, but successfully reviewed Wharf's decision, with the DRS showing that it would have bounced over the top of the stumps.
Rahane had no such luck in Woakes' following over: he was set up perfectly, with Woakes gradually pushing his release point wider until Rahane played around another nip-backer that would have crashed into the top of his leg stump. His duck meant his Test average dipped below 40 for the first time in six years and his place will be under severe pressure in Manchester.
Kohli struggled to score as fluently in the second hour of the morning session, tied down by Woakes in particularly, and fell six runs short of his half-century as another England bowling change worked perfectly: Moeen Ali's sixth ball of the day drifted away, spun in and took the outside edge to give Craig Overton a straightforward catch at slip.
That left India leading by 211 runs with four second-innings wickets in hand and with their last two recognised batters at the crease in Pant and Thakur. Both men would have been tempted to play in their usual counter-attacking style but instead batted through to lunch with composure, as England burned their final review on a hopeful appeal for a bat-pad catch.
England toiled after lunch with little success. Moeen struggled for consistency, dropping short with regularity, and while Pant stayed within his shell, Thakur was more than happy to wait for the bad ball and pick off runs with controlled aggression.
Anderson and Robinson were both asked to bowl more than 30 overs in the innings and Thakur treated them with disdain, a straight six off Robinson's offcutter the pick of his shots before he brought up his second half-century of the match. There were occasional chances, with Moeen making a mess of a run-out opportunity and Pant surviving a tight lbw shout when attempting to reverse-sweep Anderson, but they brought up a 100-run stand after taking the lead beyond 350

They fell within six balls of each other. Thakur was suckered into a drive outside off when Root brought himself on, and after bringing up a measured half-century, Pant skipped down the pitch to try and thump Moeen back over his head but only managed to offer a return catch. His reaction was one of self-flagellation, despondently dragging himself off after smacking his pad with his bat.
Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah had some fun either side of tea while keeping England's bowlers out in the dirt, hitting 25 and 24 respectively in quick time, but both were caught in the infield by Moeen as Woakes and Overton boosted their figures with late wickets. It left England with two hours to bat in the sunshine and facing a record chase.
But aside from one hopeful lbw appeal from Mohammed Siraj against Hameed, which was turned down both on the field and by the DRS, they struggled to create chances in the evening session. With four members of support staff self-isolating and two senior players in Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara off the field nursing niggles, Kohli will need to step up as captain on the final day.