And Root is firmly in behind the first ball of day four, defending off the face of the bat with a checked drive.

Just a raise of the bat from Cook to acknowledge the crowd.

Root is on strike for the first ball of the day.

Ishant Sharma to bowl...

Jonathan Agnew
BBC cricket correspondent on Test Match Special

I saw Alastair Cook this morning, coming out of the lift, with his wife Alice who is on her due date. It will be the last day in which he bats for England today - whether that lasts five minutes or five hours, who knows?

Here comes Alastair Cook.

Standing ovation? Oh you betcha.

Chef strides out to continue his 291st and final Test innings.

A punch of the gloves with Joe Root, who had waited slightly behind to allow Cook to take the applause of The Oval crowd.

Now here is Cook, chatting with Root as they wait for India to finish their huddle.

Kohli again doling out words of inspiration.

As the old adage goes, two quick wickets and they're back in this.

Virat Kohli is gathering his troops on the edge of the outfield.

Joe Root is ready and twirling the bat in his hands up the stairs.

No sign of Alastair Cook yet.

Daniel Norcross
Test Match Special commentator

If England lose a couple of quick wickets, India will feel they are right back in this game on a pitch which isn't full of horrors by any means.

Josh: Rightly so Cook is attracting the attention today but this is a great opportunity for Root to grab a 100 and regain his form.

This was the reception for Alastair Cook when he came out to bat yesterday.

I make it he's had at least four standing ovations so far.

Another one this morning?

Amy Lofthouse
BBC Sport at The Oval

Never a dull moment when you turn up to the Test Match Special box. I’ve had a brief lecture from Daniel Norcross about the cleansing properties of eating pineapple for breakfast.

Jonny Winterburn: Would love Cook to get to a century, but I have a feeling that whenever he's not out overnight, he often falls very quickly the next day.

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

Conditions are perfect for Alastair Cook's final innings. It feels like a lovely morning to go out and score runs. It's all about Alastair Cook, particularly the first half an hour. Let's get to 50 first...

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Aggers apparently never did get to the bottom of why his wife Emma needed to know how to turn the smoke alarm off.

Join him and the rest of Test Match Special team for live commentary of day four now by clicking the tab at the top of this page.

Overseas listeners can tune in via YouTube here., external

Welcome to live coverage of day four of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval.

The focus will of course be on Alastair Cook and how he fares in his 291st and final Test innings.

But his successor as captain, Joe Root, is also still at the crease on 29 not out and looking for a significant score of his own and a summer of struggle.

The hosts are 114-2, leading by 154 runs as they seek to secure a 4-1 series win.

India need quick wickets to dismiss England for a manageable chase to make it 3-2.

Something tells me that the unflappable Alastair Cook got more sleep last night than a lot of England fans.

Or at least he might be less worried about signing off with a century in his final Test than many of you.

Feeling nervous? Cook resumes today on 46 not out, needing four runs for a career average of 45.00 and 54 for a 33rd and final Test century.

An added complication could be that today is Cook's wife Alice's due date.

Could Cook reach his century and then run from the field to be at the birth of his third child?