England v India/Dravid: The Fourth Test, Day 4

Those with tickets to day 5 were very much hoping that today would be the day that India would turn up in the series. They did. Sort of. If your name is Rahul and your last name is Dravid. Here's what happened at The Oval on day 4:

Dhoni, having looked massively uncomfortable at the crease, finally departs to Anderson.

He pushes at an Anderson outswinger outside off and can only nick it behind to Matt Prior. India are 137-6 and the loss of their captain, even though his form has been pretty naff this series, is a blow.

Dravid is still going as the whole series becomes essentially England v Dravid. 

He gets a four off Swann to take him to 98 and ever closer to his third century of the series. 

And he reaches it with a two off Bresnan.

Anderson and Swann give chase...

But Dravid can come back comfortably for the two and raises his wings to The Oval crowd.

He reaches his century off 168 balls. It's India's third century of the series by the same centurion. 

Well played, Jammy. 

Mishra, proving more useful with the bat rather than the ball, hits an enormous six off Swann.

India reach the lunch break on 218-6. 

As is the plan against tail enders, Bressy Lad bangs one in short and Mishra ends  up mistiming a pull behind square leg.

You'd expect it to be safe, but the spirit of Paul Collingwood's gingerness lives on in the form of Ian Bell and he pulls off an extraordinary catch to dismiss Mishra for 43.

Bell's catch reduces India to 224-7, way shy of the follow on target. Dravid is still in and Gambhir has finally decided he can bat.

He doesn't last long and he only makes 10. 

He spoons a catch to KP in the gully to reduce India to 264-8. Can they finally make 300?

Dravid is still going. He brings the Indian total closer to that elusive 300 mark...

As he gets one through the covers for a four.

RP Singh plays a quick 25 off 23 deliveries which has helped India reach 300 for the first time this series, but soon he cannot decide whether or not to play at a ball from Bressy Lad. 

Instead, he ends up unintentionally guiding it to Anderson at third slip. 

Sreesanth lasts only two balls. 

He drives straight to Eoin Morgan. India have finally scored 300. But they're all out.

Dravid finishes on 146 not out and, despite batting for a day will probably be forced to bat again as Gambhir struggles with concussion/his various ailments/being unable to leave Sharma for too long.  

England do indeed enforce the follow on. They have a session and a day to bowl India out.  India survive the remainder of the afternoon session without losing a wicket. They reach 25-0 at tea.

On 25-0, Dravid gets a scare. 

The ball passes very close to Dravid's bat and loops up to Cook at short leg, who takes the catch. England appeal. 

Dravid is given out, but wants to review. 

And his decision to review is justified, as the ball clearly came off just pad. India remain on 25-0. 

Then on 49-0, it's England's turn to use a review. 

The ball passes very close to Dravid's inside edge and is once again caught by Cook (although he almost makes a complete hash of it). England claim the catch, but Rod Ducker is not impressed. 

Strauss reviews. 

And Dravid is given out. He falls for 13 and England have the breakthrough. It is probably Dravid's last Test innings in England, but it is the 146* that people should remember, rather than the 13 made as he was knackered after batting for 378 minutes when the next longest time someone was at the crease was 85.

Sehwag, feeling his way back into Test cricket after a shoulder injury, has a start.

But Swann bowls him through his defences as he gets some spin off the pitch. 

Sehwag goes for 33 and in comes the man of the moment, Sachin Tenduckar.

Tenduckar responds to the pressure from Anderson by driving him for a boundary. 

Quaxman's poor tour comes to an end as he receives another beauty from Jimmy. 

His off stump is sent cartwheeling and India are 118-3.

England need 7 more wickets to claim a 4-0 whitewash. 

India reach the close on 129-3. Tenduckar is still there, meaning that day 5 tickets are hot cakes and if you got yours on Friday and spent the weekend worrying about whether or not there would be play, you can feel suitably smug, despite the £53 rail fare (thanks National Express EA). Could England win? Would Sachin finally get that 100th 100 so everyone can stop going on about it? Would India put up a fight? 

All that and more in the day 5 duck cricket blog that's almost a week late soon. 

England v India: The Fourth Test, Day 3

Apologies for the massive delay. I've had a fairly hectic week, most (actually, all) of which has been cricket related. You know what happened, but here's day 3 from the third Test, in which Ian Bell could forget when he got out to Geoffrey Boycott's favourite player for 199...

Bell kickstarts the day with a boundary off Sreesanth. 

Bell will want to go on and make his maiden Test double hundred something which he, having played so beautifully yesterday, deserves. 

The nightwatchman of James Anderson departs for 13.

He nicks Sreesanth to Quaxman at second slip...

And Sreesanth stares him off.

Apparently Sreesanth called Anderson a fisherman. Answers on a postcard and sent to the Spiritual Seagull in the Sky, please.

Eoin Morgan is the next man in, but Sreesanth has his tail up.

Morgan has a poke outside off at a wider delivery and can only nick it into the gloves of Dhoni. England are 487-5.

Bell (and everyone else) is soon able to put his Lord's 2008 memories behind him.  He gets a four off Sreesanth...

And his double hundred comes up. 

He salutes The Oval crowd as England's first innings total continues to grow.

Bell finally departs for 235. He misses a straight one off Raina...

And Simon Tailfeather has no choice but to raise his wing. 

Bell trudges off for 235 and England are 548-6, scoring over 500 in an innings for the third time in the series. India still have not reached 300.  

Prior joins Bopara and England reach lunch at 591-6. Bopara is 44 not out and Prior is on 18.

The rain comes down during the lunch break though and washes out the entire afternoon session.

Swanny takes advantage of the situation and grabs the remote to watch a bit of Sunderland v Newcastle. His Mackem abuse soon gets tedious for the rest of the team, so they all have a nap.

And England decide to declare. They warm up on the outfield before the start of the Indian innings. The only time the Indian team are seen is when they come down the steps to take their place at the crease. Poor show.

Sehwag, having bagged a king pair at Edgbaston, survives the first ball and gets off the mark with a four.

But Sehwag cannot last the first over. Jimmy raps his pads...

England roar for the wicket...

And Sehwag is gone for 8. They are 8-1 and it's not the ideal start with such a mammoth total to face.

Quaxman, who has unfortunately not had the best of series, soon departs for only a couple.

He nicks it outside off and is caught behind by Prior. India are 13-2.

If ever there were a man for this kind of situation, Rahul Dravid is it. 

He tucks Bres round the corner for a four as he looks to keep the Indian innings together, once again.

Swann, required to bowl and presumably pleased to finally have a friendly pitch,  gets the massive wicket of Tenduckar. He was looking troubled at the crease and ends up getting a glove on a sweep...

And it pops up to Anderson at slip. Tenduckar is gone. India are 68-3 with three of the big four back in the pavilion. The next man in is Raina. 

And Tenduckar's wicket means that his search/the media's desire for his 100th 100 goes on and on and on. 

Dravid is still going.

He gets a (blurry) quick single off Broad...

And brings up his 50. 

Raina, yet to get off the mark after 28 balls, gets a 29 ball duck.

Raina overbalances and Prior takes the bails off.

England appeal and Rod Ducker goes up to Seaduck Davis in the third umpire's chair.

And Raina is put out of his misery as replays show that Raina was just out of his crease. India are 93-4.

Sharma comes in as nightwatchman, but doesn't do the best of jobs. 

He pops a catch to Cook at short leg, who actually takes it, and India are 95-5 and in deep, deep trouble.

Dhoni comes in and survives the day, along with Dravid. India close day 3 on 103-5 with a lot of hard work to do, otherwise this Test could be over by tea time tomorrow.