India v England, third Test LIVE – Ben Stokes’ England pick up early wickets on day two in Rajkot

It’s time for a spot of Hartley in the England attack and he gets one to keep extremely low on a length. That was a real shooter, and will be a slight concern to England’s batters, who are going to want to score big in the first innings on this pitch, which will break up quickly when it starts to go.

Ashwin squirts a slightly out-of-control prod into the infield and England react with interest. Another wicket here would make it England’s morning for sure.

England stick with Anderson as they look to break this partnership which would expose India’s tail.

He gets the edge from Ashwin too, but it drops short of Crawley in the slips. It’s a maiden for Anderson, but India will take that.

Jurel’s first boundary in Test cricket is a ramped six off Wood. That is serious confidence from the debutant.

Eight runs come from the over in total and India are ticking over again after those early setbacks.

It’s another over for Anderson with a few slips, a gully, and a pretty traditional field to the new pair.

Two singles come from the over, meaning that Jurel now has his first run in Test cricket.

Oof. Wood serves up a gimme for Ashwin first up, and he drives beautifully to the rope. But the comeback is fierce, as a bouncer fizzes past the right-hander’s grill. The pace is high from Wood and he follows up with another short one into the body. Intimidating stuff.

One more single comes from the over as Ashwin makes it through the test.

First impressions of the new batter Jurel is that he’s got a solid defence, and also excellent facial-hair game. Not quite as impeccably full as Jadeja’s, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Stay tuned for more such searing insights.

Anderson’s latest over is a maiden and Wood is warming up ready for a crack at the two new batters.

TNT Sports have the rights to broadcast this full series in the UK, so tune in to TNT Sports and discovery+ right now to see the second day’s action unfold.

Ravindra Jadeja caught and bowled by Joe Root for 112 (225b)

Huge for England as Jadeja chips a catch straight back to Root and has to go. That is exactly what England needed at the start of play, getting the centurion as well as the nightwatchman.

Jadeja departs with his head bowed, but credit to him for a knock of 112 that has given India a decent platform in this third Test.

Ravichandran Ashwin is the new batter, and we know he can bat. He’s got five Test centuries and loves sticking it to England. Can he swing momentum back in India’s favour?

He blocks out his first delivery and it’s a wicket maiden for Root.

Kuldeep Yadav caught by Ben Foakes bowled James Anderson for 4 (24b)

Jadeja has already been involved in three run-outs in this series and there’s a bit of hesitation as he tries to pick up a quick single against Anderson, with Kuldeep heading back.

He does get that run he wanted later in the over, but that exposes Kuldeep, and the nightwatchman is nowhere near good enough to defend a classic Anderson delivery that nips away just a touch from the perfect length and takes the edge through to Foakes behind the stumps.

Kuldeep did his job last night and has taken a touch more hardness out of the new ball today too. It’s a second debutant appearance for India in this Test as Dhruv Jurel strides to the crease. He was picked partly for his ability with the bat, so this is a big wicket in the context of the game.

Root continues, with Bairstow fielding in that unusual kneeling close-fielder position we see sometimes from England.

It’s a way of getting a very low catcher in the action, although if you’re being unkind you could say it’s also a way of taking Bairstow’s hobbled leg out of the equation. He’s been moving like a 70-year-old in the field in this series.

Anderson does indeed take the ball from the other end with Jadeja on strike, and there’s a strangled appeal as the centurion goes for a flick off his pads and it takes a feather through to the keeper. Unfortunately for England the feather was off the pad, outside the line, with no bat involved at all.

On commentary, former England spinner Graeme Swann is pointing out that some patches of rough are starting to form, with a few cracks also widening for the quicks. This might be a flat pitch right now, but it will get pretty lively in the last few days, so you don’t want to be a long way behind the game after the first innings.

Root takes the first over of the day, which is a slight surprise, and nightwatchman Kuldeep picks up two runs.

The ball is only a few overs old, so you’d expect pace from at least one end in this first half hour, with a hint of haze in the air.

When you score 326-5 on the first day of a Test you’re definitely on top, especially when you’ve done so after being 33-3… and even more so if you have a bowling attack behind you as strong as India’s.

But you could tell from Rohit Sharma’s reaction to the run-out of Sarfaraz Khan that he feels his side could have buried England on a pitch this flat, and they haven’t yet done so.

If India can kick on beyond 400 today then they will be in complete control of the Test.

But should England have a decent morning with the ball then they will have a way back into the game. It’ll take a good batting display from the tourists either way, but this first session is key – yes it’s a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason.

England captain Ben Stokes has joined an exclusive club this week, becoming the 16th player in England’s history to receive 100 Test caps.

He’s only the second genuine all-rounder to have done so, after Ian Botham (unless you count Joe Root), and his spectacular career isn’t done yet.

Will he finish his career as England’s greatest ever? Is he already?

Good morning. Everyone ready for another big day of Test cricket? India are well-placed after a strong showing with the bat on day one in Rajkot, but Mark Wood’s excellence means that England haven’t been batted out of this Test just yet, despite losing the toss on a bit of a road.

What happens in this first session will be massive – can England pick up wickets with the second new ball, which is just a few overs old? Or will India pile on more runs? We’ll find out soon enough.

India close on 326/5; Rohit Sharma (131) and Ravindra Jadeja (110*) hit tons; Wood takes 3-69

Rajkot served up a classic day of Test cricket, with India closing on 326/5 after day one and in a dominant position on a surface that looks excellent for batting.

Mark Wood was the star of the day for England, taking a brace of early wickets as India slumped to 33-3. And Wood finished with figures of 3-69 along with a brilliant run out.

But centuries from Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, aided by a fiery half-century from debutant Sarfaraz Khan, mean that India are well-placed to control this Test, with the series tied at one apiece.

India made four changes to their XI and opted to bat first after winning the toss, but it was England who enjoyed the dream start, picking up three wickets in the first hour of play on a decent batting surface.

Mark Wood, returning to the XI, took his first wickets of the series, removing both Yashasvi Jaiswal (10) and Shubman Gill (0) in an outstanding spell of fast bowling that left the home side reeling.

Both Wood and Anderson were excellent with the new ball, but the third wicket fell to the first over of spin in the day, as Rajat Patidar (5) chipped a simple catch to Ben Duckett off Tom Hartley.

At 33-3 England were well on top on a surface that looked perfectly suited to provide a big first innings score, but a dropped catch by Joe Root and an overturned LBW decision for an inside edge gave Rohit Sharma two early reprieves, and he helped make England pay.

With Ravindra Jadeja promoted to number five, India rebuilt through until lunch and then made England toil through a wicketless afternoon session as runs flowed on a wicket that offered little for the spinners, with Rohit and Jadeja putting on a partnership worth more than 200.

Rohit brought up his 11th Test century just after tea, but did eventually depart as he miscued a catch to Ben Stokes off Wood for 131.

But that brought debutant Sarfaraz Khan to the crease, and he lived up to his billing with a fiery first innings in Test cricket. Sarfaraz has a superb domestic record and has long been tipped for the Indian side, and he tucked into a tiring England in the final session of the day, scoring at a rapid pace.

Sarfaraz looked on for a century of his own, but was run out with Jadeja on 99 as the pair looked for a quick single, with Wood hitting the stumps with a brilliant direct throw.

Sarfaraz could barely hide his disappointment, and neither could a furious Rohit up in the stands, with the debutant departing for 62 from 66 balls.

But Jadeja did bring his fifth Test century in the same over, and finish the day unbeaten on 110 after a knock that has helped put the hosts in a strong position in Rajkot.

England gave up a sizeable first-innings deficit in each of the first two Test of the series, needing a miracle to win the series opener and failing to pull off a similarly unlikely comeback in the second Test.

And Stokes’ side face an uphill challenge if they are to get back to parity in this game, especially on a surface that will almost certainly break up in the back half of the Test.

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