Print

[Kulli]

Happy for Cook on a personal level, but he really should go as captain. I'd still pick him as opener, though the amount of chances he's had must make Compton / Carberry sick to the stomach.

he's done a bit more than they did to earn those chances to be fair.

[AverageCricketer]

As soon as England are doing well, everyone shuts up

[Gerry SA]

As soon as England are doing well, everyone shuts up

Doing well? Easy tiger...

10 Tests without a victory isn't corrected by flogging runs on a dead pitch.

[Giraffe208]

Seems the umpiring is continuing to set high standards!

Not giving Bell out LBW last night and now the Ballance wicket.

[AverageCricketer]

I'm an Australian. I don't know about English people, but I can assume that 'flogging runs on a dead pitch' would count as doing well

[Giraffe208]

I know about English people, 'runs on a pitch' would count as doing well

Corrected that quote for you

[joeljonno]

Doing well? Easy tiger...

10 Tests without a victory isn't corrected by flogging runs on a dead pitch.

Got to start somewhere though....

[petehosk]

Seems the umpiring is continuing to set high standards!

Not giving Bell out LBW last night and now the Ballance wicket.

That's Tucker on both occasions! Not giving Bell on the LBW, and giving Ballance on the catch that wasn't!
The Umpire panel will score him poorly!

To be fair India can't complain about that LBW decision! If they complain then they need to be told that DRS is available!!!

[uknsaunders]

Biggest issue I have is it encourages teams to appeal for anything again. I suspect it would of been tough in realtime to pick the trouser on the Ballance dismissal, but I do wonder whether they would appeal as strongly if they knew it would just get referred if it was a howler.

[Buzz]

Ballence nicked off when he was on about 20 yesterday and it wasn't given - there was a mark on hotspot (commentators said there wasn't, but it was clearly there!) and a noise on snicko so he can't  grumble too much now.

I think the mistakes have so far gone our way in this game - but were very even in the previous one.

In my view doing well on this pitch would be having scored 350 yesterday on this track rather than 250!!

still we can't complain, this is much better than it has been for a long time and it is giving our bowlers some extra rest after their exertions in the previous game.

India's team selection is extraordinary for it's lack of bowling options and the extra batsman.

[swamidude]

Wicket looks absolutely dead-good toss to win for England. You can't be dropping sitters in the slips at test level though, if just means the bowlers get more and more frustrated. Those drops were the difference between 300 and 540! Reckon 2 wickets to fall tonight and England will be smelling blood tomorrow morning.

[Sam]

Think the major problems with the pitches in the UK is the ECB don't promote lively and interesting pitches.

From a Hampshire perspective a few seasons back the groundsman at the rose bowl produced a fairly good turning pitch for a county championship (4 day match) that resulted in just over half the wickets in the game coming from spin bowling. If I remember correctly the match came down to the final few overs with a very tight and the most exciting finish I have ever seen in a domestic game where Hants just managed to defend their overall totals to draw the match, with Notts just requiring <10 more runs for the win . The club got fined a total of 8 points (half a win) for the pitch. The next match Michael Carberry and Neil Mckenzie put on a partnership of about 500 due to the flatness of the wicket resulting in a boring draw.

[Gerry SA]

Can someone really tell me India are being serious when they believe Jadeja is a better spinner than R Ashwin?

I've heard Ganguly say a few times 'Ashwin has a poor record away from India'

But the lad has only played 4 Tests outside India, hardly enough evidence to hang a man with...

Plus his 4 Tests have been in Australia(3) and South Africa(1). Neither of which are hardly spinning paradises.

Jadeja bowled well in South Africa but in New Zealand and England hasn't looked like getting anyone out.

Surely a lad with 100 Test wickets(Ashwin) deserves a go...

[cesare_in]

I agree!! I am confused with Jadeja's role in the eleven. Is he there to chip in with a 50 once in a while or expected to pick up 3 wickets every innings?

[Buzz]

one back for India
Ali to Rahane, no run, huge appeal, spontaneous too, but it doesn't do much good. This is a good length ball turning down leg side, Rahane looks to tickle it around the corner and Hot Spot says there is a bit of glove involved! Lucky escape

 - my view is that the "luck" will even out over the game with these decisions.