50 for Pantpublished at 15:17 British Summer Time 5 September 2021

15:17 BST 5 September 2021

Well batted, Rishabh Pant.

He reaches his half-century with a drive out to deep cover for a single.

It has taken him 105 balls, which is quite frankly snails pace for the India keeper. It is good to see, though. Well, not if you're an England fan, but yeah.

Here comes Moeen - hopefully this is the sublime version, rather than the ridiculous.

Simon Roue: Moeen might have got Kohli and a useful 30, but he threw his wicket away and just had a howler with that run out… is there a player who jumps from the sublime to the ridiculous so regularly?!

Umesh Yadav blocks out the final ball of Joe Root's over.

England really need to go bang, bang, bang now to finish this innings.

Daniel Norcross
Commentator on BBC Test Match Special

Image source, Getty Images

Shardul Thakur has done for India what Sam Curran did for England in the last series between these sides over here.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport at the Kia Oval

This is concerning. Root is bowling at our end. It's not out of the question for Pant to hit one into the press box.

Joe Root has had enough. He's bringing himself on.

Here is that missed run out opportunity.

Where was the composure? Where was the communication? We've heard Jonny Bairstow non-stop behind the stumps for 136 overs, but is he shouting loud enough here?

Talk on the TV has turned to why isn't Moeen Ali bowling?

England are again flogging James Anderson and Ollie Robinson into the ground. Anderson has bowled 33 overs, this was Robinson's 32nd. Moeen has bowled 22, Overton just 16.

Shardul Thakur picks another boundary, as he spanks Robinson back down the ground. He's up to 60.

Darren Fox: This is very painful to watch.

Daniel Norcross
Commentator on BBC Test Match Special

Image source, Getty Images

I'm on Haseeb Hameed watch - I am intrigued how he's keeping himself going on this hot day knowing he may be batting later. Every now and again, he does something strange... like a stealth panther move, or a little dance.

Before today Rishabh Pant had scored less than 100 runs in the series.

He is facing arguably the greatest pace bowler in Test cricket, certainly the most successful, and is charging him and swotting him through the covers.

The disdain. The confidence. It beggars belief.

I told you to buckle up. Rishabh Pant is charging James Anderson again.

He smashes it to the cover boundary.

This is going to be carnage.

Daniel Norcross
Commentator on BBC Test Match Special

The wheels have well and truly come off England.

Shot! James Anderson over pitches slightly and Shardul Thakur whacks him back down the ground to take the India lead past 300.

Buckle up. The shots are coming.

Andy Zaltzman
BBC Test Match Special statistician

Image source, Getty Images

Thakur is the ninth player in Test history to make two fifties batting at eight or lower in the same game.

Jonathan Agnew
BBC cricket correspondent on Test Match Special

Thakur has really shone in this partnership. He was violent in the first innings but this one has been more sedate.

This partnership is putting the game beyond England.

Thanks Tim.

Today has summed up this England side pretty well, hasn't it?

They are capable of good periods/sessions of cricket, but too often they can't back them up, and put a sequence of them together.

A victory surge is quickly turning into a match-winning battle.

Image source, Getty Images

Here we go!

Thakur plonks Robinson back over his head for six. Are they going to 'go nuclear', as Alan Partridge might say?

Next ball, and ball strikes pad but again it's not given.

They run a leg bye, and to make it worse the next ball is inside edged by Pant past Bairstow for four.

Shardul Thakur then brings up his second half-century of the game, with a single into the on-side.

I'd say that is a good time to send a hospital pass to Callum Matthews, who is all set to steam in off his long run.

Image source, BBC Sport/Getty images