England's Winter of Cricket 2023/24

First topic message reminder :

After the disappointment of the World Cup, can England be the first away team in 11 years to win a test series in India?

Three ODIs v West Indies (3rd December-9th December)
Five T20s v West Indies (12th December-21st December)
Five Tests v India (25th January-11th March)

That was a big wicket : Rohit had been very careful until that rather careless glance.

Unfortunately from an England perspective, Hartley has now produced a seriously rotten over to gift a dozen runs and rather lessen the pressure on the new batsman . Not the backup you really want after a breakthrough. 55/1.

This is a good spell from Bashir. Very few loose deliveries ; some turn ; and just managed to induce an uncontrolled sweep from Jaiswal which fell safely but wasn't that far away from bringing him undone.

Better over from Hartley now. 61/1 from 23.

Indians have a consciously decided to not hit aerially.
Stokes' in and out field means 2 to 3 singles every over and put the bad balls away.

Rohit will be kicking himself for not remembering there was a leg slip

I do like the way Jaiswal bats, he looks so elegant to me.

Jimmy threatening again.

And Jimmy gets Gill

Anderson gets the break ! Had already had Gill twice edging wide of the one slip for boundaries...but this time a thinner edge and well taken by Foakes diving in front of Root.

Gill had been looking good - had just taken Bashir for a couple of well struck fours and was 34 from just 46 balls... Ends a promising partnership for 49.

Anderson 1/15 from seven overs , 89/2 after 29.

Hi eirebilly...you picked a good time to tune in ! How's life ?

Eng's session ...they kept India under control and plucked 2 wickets .....one too many to Ind's liking.
Anderson produced 2 good spells and a wicket taking delivery.
Rohit was dumb to give away his wicket like he did.
Indian batting is inexperienced and lacking depth.
Pitch has nothing.for spinners....Jaiswal needs to convert .....get a 100 and then a daddy 100.

103/2 from 31 overs.at lunch. Even session. Decent over rate for once .

Jaiswal has been a bit mixed , 51 from 92 : long periods of seeming a bit timid ? Then a couple of bursts of scoring. Still he'll be happy to be there with fifty on the board and resuming after lunch

Anderson the pick of the bowlers. Spinners have all had the odd over where they've lost their control of length , though Bashir definitely the most dangerous looking.

Back in half an hour or so...

alfie wrote:Hi eirebilly...you picked a good time to tune in !  How's life ?

All good brother, was out of action for a few months but getting back. Hope all is well with ye?

I would say session even there.

Pretty good here , enjoying retirement and lots of cricket to watch

Cant beat retirement can ye

So back after lunch and Jimmy has resumed tidy as ever. Root just one over ; and now Hartley on at the opposite end to his earlier spell. Fields fairly conservative : singles on offer , but boundaries less easy to obtain.

Jimmy is doing plenty of work early - that was his tenth . 112/2. 35 overs gone.

Hmm. Hartley mustn't have been happy that end - Root back on and he's back at his original end as Jimmy has a rest.

They had a bit of a go at Iyer with the short ball - and he narrowly missed chopping one on with a very loose slash . But no joy and you can't ask Jimmy to keep that up for long.

India progressing calmly enough since the break. 125/2 , forty overs.

This really does seem lime a track where 400 should be very easy...

Gill cannot play spin and he cannot play seam movement
Rest is all good with his batting.

Hi problem is he plays down the initial line of ball too far ahead of his body...and does not cover the late deviation of the ball by way of spin or seam movement.
In defence head should be above the ball...his is too far behind the ball.

His test career is coming to an end unless he cracks a 100 in 2nd inning which because of aforesaid severe flaws he is unlikely to be able to do.

Other than KP & Shastri , rest of the commentary is unintelligent and cliched
Even DK has dumbed down

Bit of cat and mouse here as Hartley has twice now halted in his delivery stride as Iyer advances out of his crease before the ball... Iyer seems to want to get on with it , though he hasn't had too many opportunities to tee off so far. He got out a bit softly last week and won't be wanting to throw it away on this benign surface.

On closer look that tiny bit of green tinge due to very very finely cut grass rolled in coupled with sea side moisture and some sea breeze is about the only help available to bowlers in the game so far.

Bit harsh on the commentators there , KP_fan ! "Inoffensive " , I'd call it

Anyway not to worry as we are all here to raise the standard

Jaiswal motoring now...raced from 73 to 93 off just a couple of overs. Dabbed one a bit close to Root at slip but since has hit them all in the middle..

Score ticked up to 163/2 off 47. England won't mind a drink break.

Bashir is erring in length and unable to give eve limited  the revs /ripp that he could at the Start.
Looks tired .....not experienced in bowling long and multiple spells.

Rehan  isn't the fittest ....few misfields today
Eng missing a second seamer

alfie wrote:Bit harsh on the commentators there , KP_fan !  "Inoffensive " , I'd call it  

Anyway not to worry as we are all here to raise the standard

And you've done that again through our early hours, Alfie! Thanks once more.

Been watching since the start of this middle session and have also seen the two wickets. Typical Jimmy by the look of things and a snare by Bashir on debut aided by a sharp take from Pope and smart captaincy from Stokes.

Even first session, maybe even England's? However, this one looking good so far for India. Jaiswal advancing on 3 figures.

No reviews taken so far, is that right? Glad at least they haven't all been wasted like last time.

No Rehan either so far. Is GSC pulling Stokes' strings?

Jaiswal 100
He needs to convert this to a double 100...nothing in the pitch nor bowling....he needs to bat on, until end of day

Against the run of play iyer gives it away again.
Wk's wicket this one.....not easy at all to take underedges

KP_fan wrote:Against the run of play iyer gives it away again.
Wk's wicket this one.....not easy at all to take underedges

Yes, very good take. As well as keeping low, it wasn't a good ball - pitched a bit short and the natural expectation was for it to be walloped to the boundary.

Well that all happened quickly while I stopped posting for supper...

Loved the stylish way Jaiswal went to his excellent hundred with a six

Boy did England need that wicket ! Very sharp low catch by Foakes to see off Iyer - who never looked totally convincing. The young spinners are taking a bit of tap on a pitch that really won't offer them anything today...a good test for their temperament. Guess we already know Hartley is pretty resilient.

That partnership has given India a great platform ; but they'll want to make the most of it on this. 195/3 off 54 so the run rate has really picked up thanks to Jaiswal

Patidar has looked compact and comfortable.
Found middle or bat, good defense and tried to manuvre the ball into gaps so far.
From what I saw of him in ODI in SA...he flicks across line to seamers balls pitched on middle and bringing lbw into play.

Opens up as I write to reverse sweep and inside out cover drive.
Is not putting long hops away though

225/3 at tea. India's session.

As several here - Alfie, KP-f and Duty certainly - were saying before the start, this is undoubtedly a good toss to have won. Increasingly looking so every over.

Finn in the UK tv studio commented at lunch today how ''wasteful'' India were in the first innings of the first Test. That was very true then and, in line with KP-f's earlier post, has again been the case today for some of their batters. Importantly for the hosts though, not Jaiswal as he advances to 125. He's been very assured and sensibly confident. His wicket looking very significant.

India's session. Nothing in the pitch and nothing in the bowling that looks benign barring Anderson
India will hope to get to 450ish and then overcome pitch thru Bumrah and kuldeep's guiles

Looks a good pitch for the bats this so far - maybe more in the traditional sub continental style than we saw last tour over here. England plugging away but India really should make their dominance pay here with a big score against an inexperienced spin lineup without Leach.

Agree with Duty/Alfie/KP_F - good toss to have won this one

Anderson is getting a shade of reverse but since he is bowling generally 126kph....he needs to pitch it up to induce an error

Important wicket for Renan, England just hanging in at the moment

Patidar gave a good account of himself....not one wrong step while there until that unfortunate dismissal.
Big stride forward defended from middle of bat....ball rolled back..
Eng have plugged away to their credit and have had 3 lucky dismissals out of four

Axar promoted and I think a good move

Akashdeep and Yash Dayal crumbled Lions out for just a 7 run lead in whats becoming a single inning shootout
Sai Sudarshan is n.o and if he gets a 100 he will be in , in T3 squad.
The way siraj has been "released from squad" without announcing an injury suggest some kind of disciplinary issue.
Both Arshdeep and Akashdeep could be in line for an India call up

Hmm. Had to leave the game for an hour or so and see that Jaiswal has taken India into a strong position with an hour to go today. Rehan got himself a wicket , eh ? Root seems to be going for rather too many runs today - as has Hartley ; though you wouldn't say anyone except Jaiswal has really dominated the bowling ...quite an innings from him !

New ball due. Wonder if that can bring any joy for the fielding side ?

Rehan has bowled generally nicely in this spell - India on top though, good batting track and they have taken advantage almost exclusively via the wonderful innings of Jaiswal.

Every Indian wicket has delivered atleast 40 run partnership.
T1 dravid complained no one carried on and yet India scored 435
Jaiswal has carried on...and let's see if they can beat the 435 which would be only about par for first inning.
In the last session ball has gripped just a bit more and quality of kuldeep and Bumrah should stand if the batters can put 450ish here

Yes I've liked what I've seen of Rehan today. Nothing in the pitch for him - or anyone - but he's not been collared today , and has managed an important break. Looking at the figures all round you do have to wonder if a second pace man might have been more useful today than one of the spinners (but which one would it have been ?) . But at the same time I imagine spin will come into its own much more in the second innings...

Key for England will be responding to whatever India end up with when they embark on their first knock.

And a wicket out of the blue ! Axar rather got himself out there but Bashir won't care

That one spun a bit more and bounced and axar trying to forced failed to ride the bounce.

If they can get Jaiswal or another wicket tonight, think England would be quietly happy with their work today...

alfie wrote:Yes I've liked what I've seen of Rehan today. Nothing in the pitch for him - or anyone - but he's not been collared today , and has managed an important break.  Looking at the figures all round you do have to wonder if a second pace man might have been more useful today than one of the spinners (but which one would it have been ?) . But at the same time I imagine spin will come into its own much more in the second innings...

Issue is the worst spinner today has been Root...and can't drop him

Quite like the look of Bashir - he mixes up his pace and flight well, and clearly with his height does get the odd one to rear up. Definitely see what they like in him

Suppose we can't expect Root to shine as a "proper" bowler every week... But he was unfortunately missing his length a lot , right from the start today.

Two for Rehan

Same as Axar : ball there to hit , just slashed to point and Bashir pays his mate back by catching one for him. England chipping away...

330/6

Bharat falls like Axar mirror image of each dismissal of the other.

Balls definitely been spinning in last hour
STOKES has not bothered to take new ball into the 92nd over

Pitch was turning in the last hour .....not alarmingly but sharply and with some bounce...and Stokes did not take the new ball still after 93 overs
It's not the same easy to bat pitch of first two sessions.....and hence I would call it an even day, although Eng did well to pluck out 6 wickets.

Rohit's was captain's field placement wicket.
And Iyer was WK'S wicket.
Axar  & Bharat threw away their wicket...but there was an elemnt of extra spin in those dismissals and Patidar's was a freak unlucky one.
Anderson's was the bowlers wicket.

India has runs on board and since this is not a seaming bouncy pitch lowers order can be expected to score 20s and 30s and 40s
400+ will be good and 450 excellent.....as pitch is likely to turn more tomm.

Dravid & Rohit could have added Washington to the 11 for sure and Samson / Kishen should have been first choice WK
Bharat is juts a 20s / 30s guy

336/6 . Considering the pitch I make it England's day : but for Jaiswal it would have been massively so ! Magnificent innings of 179 no

I say England's day ; but they will still need to do two things tomorrow. Take the last four of course - will they get any more gifts like the two in that last ten overs ? And then make sure they bat big themselves because they'll want a lead on this - reckon the fourth innings might be tough in those last couple of days.

Nice to see 93 overs today ! Especially as there seemed to be a few delays just in that last session or it might have been even more.

Jaiswal's day though

336-6 at the close, Jaiswal with a wonderful 179* to have India slightly ahead at this point - but think from what I saw, England plugged away decently there, and while some of those wickets were definitely donated, they were not missed by the English fielders and there is a shot in the morning with a new rock and just the tail to come after this partnership, that India could be bundled out for a score around 400...which would have England in the game, if they bat well in their first innings.
Up against it, having lost the toss of course though - batting fourth on this won't be fun!

I tend to agree with Olly that India are slightly ahead but nonetheless and particularly given that England lost the toss and the option to bat first on this track, an impressive showing from the visitors.

A few highlights - and, yes, the last two show me for the saddo I am:

* 28 overs on day one in India from Bashir on debut and ending with two wickets - wow! Two is always massively more than one for a bowler.

* Foakes for once justifying his place as a stand out gloveman to snaffle Iyer.

* The evergreen Jimmy who made his Test debut before Bash was born using his skill, experience and cricket brain so well and effectively.

* As far as I'm aware, no reviews used up and squandered unlike last time.

* 93 overs bowled in the day (that's good in itself) and only 1 extra yielded.

The last point above is a strong indicator of a good, disciplined performance. If this had been the opening Test, we would have been surprised and delighted.

As it is and in line with Olly's post, it can't though be denied that India have runs on the board. A few more conceded than I would have liked. Just the 4 maidens in 76 overs of spin - the ''old school'' in me wanted more. That for now makes them shade it in my book but only narrowly.

Looking forward to day two already.

I only caught bits and pieces this morning. From what I saw, it seems a flat track and when reading the closing score I felt a touch of relief as an England fan. I kept having a peek at the score and a few overs and thinking, "if one guy stays with Jaiswal here this could be 500-600 dec sort of 1st innings". England under Stokes have become really good at chipping away with regular wickets on days such as this though.

I'd agree with others that India are ahead courtesy of runs on the board and winning a vital toss. Given the pitch will break up later in the game that is a big toss to win with Ashwin, Axar and Kuldeep. Particularly with Kuldeep coming in for Jadeja. It lengthens the tail and removes an element of control. Kuldeep won't keep it tight like Jadeja but he can be lethal if it rips.

KP_fan wrote:Bharat falls like Axar mirror image of each dismissal of the other.

Balls definitely been spinning in last hour
STOKES  has not bothered to take new ball into  the 92nd over

One day, maybe in retirement, I might come back through the archives of these boards and try to use AI to break down KP_f's use of capitalisation. At times it seems random but I'm convinced there must be reason there. Like playing Beatles records backwards and finding out that Paul McCartney died. I'm not sure the technology is there yet. It's coming though.