Cheteshwar Pujara © Getty Images
Cheteshwar Pujara © Getty Images

Jul 19, 2014

 

Catch Live scorecard of India (IND) vs England(ENG) here

(England managed to claw back in this game thanks to a ton by Gary Balance but they are still some distance away from erasing the lead. Catch all the live cricket score and live updates of the match here)

 

 

Read the Day Three report

Stumps: India lead by 145 runs. It was a tricky third session for India. They were cruising along when the twin strikes of Pujara and Kohli softened them up. And the horrible decision by Oxenford only piled on the frustration for India. But Murali Vijay stood tall amongst all and saw India to stumps with MS Dhoni. Hard fought innings from Vijay. Tough hour or so for Dhoni, facing some short balls from broad.

 

Play has been extended till 6:30 local time. Another 15 minutes left in the day. Murali Vijay and MS Dhoni have steadied the Indian innings after the middle-order collapse.

 

 

 

 

 

Excellent innings from Murali Vijay. 162 balls for his fifty. This has been a solid innings from Vijay fighting his way through. He curbed his aggressive instincts and remained unfazed while the Indian middle-order collapsed. He left very well outside off-stump early in his innings. He will continue to be the key if India have to post a target anywhere close to 300.

 

 

Stuart Broad and MS Dhoni providing some ‘thrills and spills’ of Test cricket. Broad is testing the Indian skipper with short balls and Dhoni remains unperturbed. He even took a blow on his biceps. Dhoni has survived some close leg-before appeals. He is in no mood to stay on the defensive. India lead by 116 runs.

 

 

Horrible decision!

 

 

 

The variable bounce is eating in to the Indian middle-order. Rahane faced some of them and finally gets one that rise from Broad and Prior covers good ground takes a diving catch. Poor decision by the umpire, that had come straight off the arm-guard.
OUT! A Rahane c Prior b Broad 5(8)

 

 

 

 

 

Is this the turning point of the match? Liam Plunkett has struck twice in two balls. He induced Pujara to come forward and prod tentatively, finds the edge and Prior takes a regulation catch. But the bigger punch comes the next ball. Kohli raises his arms to one that came in to him and clips the bails. Big blow for India, two of their solid batsmen dismissed in consecutive deliveries. Is there another middle-order collapse on offer?
Plunkett on hat-trick to Rahane: Too wide and Rahane leaves it alone for the keeper.
OUT! C Pujara c Prior b Plunkett 43(83) & V Kohli b Plunkett 0(1)

 

 

100 up for India. The lead now is . Vijay brought up India’s hundred with a fluent cover drive. He is slowly loosening up and playing more shots. On the last ball of the over he plays his favourite glide past thirdman for four. It’s evident now that Cook dislikes thirdman field position.

 

 

The uneven bounce is making its presence felt. Pujara on that occasion got hit on the right glove after the Stokes delivery bounce more than expected. India looking steady, inching closer to a three-figure total. On the last ball of the Pujara dispatched the short and wide delivery past point for four.

 

 

As mentioned in the tweet below, the pitch is much easier to bat on. The sun is out, not much swing and the batsmen finding comfortable to play their shots. 50 partnership between the two in 131 deliveries. Shows the temperament to hold on. Credit to Vijay for holding back his aggressive instinct.

 

 

 

The weather department had predicted otherwise!

 

 

First over post tea is bowled by Ben Stokes. Extra bounce for him on the first ball. Since then he has been solid and rotated the strike with a single. Vijay on the last ball clipped it towards deep midwicket for one more.

 

 

 

Tea: Moeen almost got Vijay by the one that went away. Hit him high above the pads and umpire Bruce Oxenford turned down the appeal. This session goes clearly in India’s favour taking a lead of 60 and losing the wicket of Dhawan. Patient innings from the two batsmen. Looked in no hurry to play any big shots. The last session will be they key. A good one there will clearly see the momentum shift in India’s favour and put them on course for a setting a big target with two days to spare.

 

 

James Anderson and Moeen Ali bowling. The batsmen have been watchful against Anderson while the singles and twos are on offer against Moeen. Vijay is once again showing his aggressive intentions against Moeen. Anderson has bowled more to a middle and leg line. Last over to come before tea.

 

 

A healthy partnership building here between Pujara and Vijay. In the previous over, Pujara hammered two boundaries off Plunkett. The first was down the leg-side and easy pickings for him. The next one was sweeter, pitched up, driven past the covers. Everything right about that shot. Pujara has started using his feet against Moeen Ali, coming down the track and trying to place him in the deep.

 

 

 

 

Pujara and Vijay have made solid progress since Dhawan’s dismissal. Pujara has played some delightful shots towards thirdman and through the covers. England pacers looking a tad ineffective now, Cook might want to experiment a bit here.

 

 

Vijay is yet to score a run since the dismissal of Dhawan while Pujara has looked solid from the word go. Drinks break taken and India still hold the game under control losing just one and the ball is relatively older now.

 

 

Gone, once again, Dhawan gifts his wicket away when he looked in sublime touch. This one was wide from Ben Stokes and Dhawan cuts it straight towards point. Root takes a fine catch diving to his left.
OUT1 S Dhawan c Root b Stokes 31(45)

 

 

The sun is out and the wicket is not assisting any lateral movement. James Anderson has switched sides bowling to Dhawan round the wicket, getting the ball to swing away from him. Broad has been replaced by Ben Stokes. Indian openers are looking steady leaving the ball confidently. There’s a bit of uneven bounce but no harm done so far. Dhawan is inching closer to his highest score of the series.

 

 

India begin their innings now with a lead of one run. The field is virtually empty in front of the wicket. Dhawan did well to cover the swing of Anderson and punched it straight past the bowler to get three runs. Vijay on the last ball of the over, pushes it gently past mid-off for three more.

 

 

Once again, Dhawan gets a thick outside edge and the ball runs between slips and gully for four. Picks a single on the fifth ball playing towards fine-leg.

 

 

Dhawan scores the first run post lunch with a single.Anderson finds the edge of Vijay on one occasion but it doesn’t carry. Vijay picks two with a drive to long-off.

 

 

Lunch Report: Day Three  India 11/0, England bowled out for 319

 

Lunch: 111 runs and four wickets in this session. Vijay yet to get off the mark while Dhawan continues to play a high-risk game picking a couple of boundaries. India conceded easy runs in the morning but thanks to Bhuvneshwar, the lead was restricted to 24. India still under pressure to post a healthy target here.

 

Stuart Broad starts off with a wayward delivery outside off. The next one is driven straight by Dhawan and the ball ricochets off Broad’s hand to hit the stumps, no harm done as Vijay was in his crease. The third ball takes the outside edge and runs past gully, couple to get off the mark. The fifth ball was guided past slips for four. Not a confident shot though.

 

 

James Anderson starts the innings bowling to Murali Vijay. Pitches around the off-stumps and gets to move it away. Vijay is beaten on the third ball. The batsman does well to read the swing on the next two deliveries. The last ball is on the leg and neatly defended by Vijay.

 

 

Here’s the match summary so far

 

 

Well… that’s how this innings ends, James Anderson dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja.Anderson goes for the reverse sweep and Rahane gets an easy catch in the slips. A big smile on the face of Jadeja. Lead by 24.
 
OUT1 J Anderson c Rahane  b Jadeja 19(21)

 

 

After posting his highest Test score, a maiden Test fifty for Liam Plunkett. The 10th-wicket stand has started to annoy India again. James Anderson on the other end is really giving some hard thought for the bowlers.

 

 

 

 

England in the lead thanks to the four from James Anderson. This was pitched up and Anderson went for it, missed Stuart Binny at mid-off by a whisker. Jimmy is swinging his bat around and eager to push for bonus runs here.

 

 

 

Stat: Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the third Indian to pick a six-for at Lord’s. The only others are Amar Singh (6/35) in 1936 and Bishan Singh Bedi (6/226) in 1974.

 

Click Here to see the complete list of Indians on Lord’s Honours board

 

 

And Bhuvneshwar Kumar enters the Lord’s Honours board. Pitched it full and went through the defence of Ben Stokes. The ball brushed past the pads as it went through. Second duck in as many innings for stokes. Chris Jordan would surely be fancying his chances for the next Test. Meanwhile, Stuart Broad is in at No 10 and gets off the mark with a boundary past gully. That’s it for Broad, the next ball is edged straight to Dhawan in the slips.
OUT! B Stokes b Bhuvneshwar 0(8) & S Broad c Dhawan b Bhuvneshwar 4(2)

 

 

Floodlights have been switched on due to the overcast conditions…

Lord's

 

40 minutes of play and eighth boundaries later, India have finally secured a wicket. Matt Prior goes for the pull off Shami and the top edge flies behind the slip cordon. Everyone converged towards it, looked like keeper’s catch but eventually Dhawan did well to take that one. Was swirling in the air and the fielder had to run backwards. Plunkett on the next ball almost saw the ball spinning on to his stumps after defending, somehow managed to kick that away.
OUT! M Prior c Dhawan b Shami 23(42)

 

 

India are leaking runs in the first hour. seven boundaries have been scored today. Liam Plunkett has hit four of them and two in ishant’s this over. The first one was pitched full and Plunkett hammered it through covers. Understanding the typical fast bowler’s mentality, he expected one to come short and the bowler did exactly the same. This one was pulled with disdain for four more. England are 34 runs behind now.

 

 

Good first over from Mohammed Shami replacing Ishant Sharma. He caught Prior off-guard with a well-directed short ball. And then mixes his length well to keep him puzzle. One edge failed to carry to the slips. Finishes off the over beating him outside off-stump.

 

 

Bhuvneshwar starts from the other end with three slips and a gully. Bowls accurately around the off-stump. Prior is solid in defence. On the fourth delivery the ball swung back in and he drives it past mid-on for a couple. In contrast to the first day, the pitch is completely brown and batting seems easy from now on.

 

 

Ishant Sharma starts off the proceedings on the third day. Overcast conditions but Matt Prior is up to the mark playing solidly. Gets a single on the penultimate delivery. Plunkett on the last ball almost nicked it to Dhoni.

 

 

 

Weather: Overcast conditions at Lord’s and play is expected to be delayed due to showers later in the day.

 

 

Hello and welcome to CricketCountry’s live blog of the third day of India vs England second Test at Lord’s. I am Abhijit Banare and I will be bringing the live updates of the match. In contrast to the proceedings on Day One, there was not much demons in the wicket on the second day. Yet, a discipline d approach from the Indian bowlers dragged England back despite a century from Gary Ballance, his second in a short Test career.

 

Indian pace attack will be eager to have a go this morning as the ball is still new and there will be some assistance on offer in the first session. England have sent Liam Plunkett as the nightwatchman. They would ideally want him to spend as much time as possible against the new ball. England have adopted a cautious approach overall in this innings to crawl to 219 for six.

 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was once again the star performer for India. More than the green wicket, it was his efforts to angle the ball in to right-handers and bowling at a nagging length to left-handers ensured that he had five wickets in his kitty.

 

The third day could be the deciding factor indicating which way this match is moving to. A substantial lead of around 80-90 runs would be ideal for England while India will feel unsettled if they don’t anage to bundle the last four wickets out.  Catch the Photo Gallery of the first day’s play here

 

Catch live score and ball-by-ball commentary of the second Test here

 

Catch all the coverage of India’s tour to England here