Summary

  • England bowled out for 178 - India need 420 to win or to bat for just over a day

  • Root top-scores with 40; six wickets for Ashwin

  • England choose not to enforce follow-on but lose Burns first ball

  • Ishant takes 300th Test wicket by dismissing Lawrence lbw

  • Two wickets each for Leach and Anderson as India bowled out for 337

  • First Test, day four, Chennai

  1. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 09:06 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    #bbccricket

    Ali Campbell: Torn between wanting England to declare and wanting to see Buttler and Pope smash it around the park.

  2. Eng 123-5published at 28 overs

    Lead by 364

    Five dot balls follow.

    No immediate sign of fireworks from England.

  3. Eng 123-5published at 27.1 overs

    Shot!

    Ollie Pope sends the first ball to the cover boundary.

    Chris Silverwood likes that in the changing room.

  4. Postpublished at 09:02 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    Phil Tufnell
    Former England spinner on the Cricket Social

    Get another 40 or 50 as quick as you can, boys. We've still got a few guys who can swing the willow down the end. If you want to be ultra-cautious get to 420, 430 and then get bowling.

    If England get a win here it's going to mean so much. If they don't quite force the win, they will see that as a bit of a loss.

  5. Postpublished at 09:02 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    Right, we're back out in the middle.

    There are in theory 39 overs left today. Yep, good luck.

    Cooky reckons we'll bat for eight-10 overs.

  6. Postpublished at 09:00 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    Monty Panesar has joined his old mate Sir Alastair Cook on the TV coverage.

    It's a bit of love in.

  7. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 08:59 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    #bbccricket

    James Matthews: I think England will want a 400 lead. I don't want to be dangling a carrot to Rishabh Pant.

  8. Postpublished at 08:57 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    If you've followed us for the last four days you'll know how I've ranted about India bowling no-balls.

    They've bowled 26 now. Pathetic.

    If this game gets remotely close that could prove decisive.

  9. Uphill battle for South Africa as Bavuma fallspublished at 08:53 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    There's been another wicket in Rawalpindi, where Temba Bavuma has feathered Shaheen Afridi through to the wicketkeeper for 61.

    That leaves South Africa 117 behind with just four wickets remaining in the second Test - you can follow the live scorecard here.

  10. Postpublished at 08:51 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    I'm going to agree with the first half of Matt's prediction about England batting for half an hour or so.

    I'm not getting involved in when England may, or may not, win. Sorry.

  11. Postpublished at 08:50 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    Thanks Matt.

    People will view that session as an average/bad one for England but I actually think they'll be pretty content.

    Obviously they'd have liked to have scored more runs, and quicker, but they've still added 118 runs and they will be massively encouraged by the things they have seen from the pitch.

  12. Postpublished at 08:48 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    As I depart for the refreshed Callum Matthews I'm going to make a prediction.

    England bat for 30 minutes after tea, adding 40 more runs and bowl India out 40 minutes into the evening session tomorrow.

    Feel free to @ me when this goes terribly wrong.

  13. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 08:47 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    #bbccricket

    Adam Davies: Joe Root just playing his normal ODI innings here. Setting it up for Jos to have a go in the final powerplay..

  14. Postpublished at 08:43 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    Michael Vaughan
    Former England captain on the Cricket Social

    On this kind of wicket, with an England side that's full of confidence, it would take some incredible batting from India.

  15. Tea - Eng 119-5published at 27 overs

    Lead by 360

    Jos Buttler solidly defends.

    In a funny sort of way, although they lost four wickets, that was a good session for England.

    The ball did plenty but they still moved the score along.

  16. Eng 119-5published at 26.5 overs

    This will be the final ball before tea.

  17. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 08:40 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

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    Ryan Hewitt: Unpopular opinion. This Test was all about the toss. If India had won the toss they’d have won the game. It’s a shame tosses are still so important, why can’t the choice simply be rotated through the series?

  18. Eng 119-5published at 26.2 overs

    Nadeem has been banished from the attack. Ishant is back.

    I still maintain Bess bowled really well yesterday. Abhishek is a tough man to please.

  19. Postpublished at 08:37 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February 2021

    Abhishek Jhunjhunwala
    Former IPL batsman on The Cricket Social

    I think Shahbaz Nadeem has been what Dom Bess has been for England - without the wickets though! He hasn't got his lengths right and bowled a lot of long hops.

    What this could do for his career is he could never play for India again!

  20. Eng 118-5published at 26 overs

    Lead by 359

    One thing I will say is I feel for anyone who'll be working from home + home schooling + watching the cricket when England do declare.

    It should be fascinating.