STUMPS on day 1
Despite Curran’s gritty 78, India will feel it was their day. England won the toss and chose to bat first but could not make the advantage count as India’s pacers dominated proceedings. Once again, Bumrah sets the tone but he needs to cut out the no-balls.

INDIA 19/0 in 4 Overs (Dhawan 3, Rahul 11)
Buttler too encounters the same woes as Pant. Broad once again struggles with his rhythm and the keeper’s desperate dive was not enough from stopping the ball from reaching the boundary. Meanwhile, Rahul and Dhawan play a couple of crisp shots on the off side to keep the scoreboard moving.

INDIA 7/0 in 3 Overs (Dhawan 0, Rahul 6)
There is swing on offer and Indians, by that we mean even Dhawan, is watchful. Broad and Anderson haven’t made the batsmen play much. Most of the deliveries have pitched on a good length and zipped miles away from the batsmen.

WICKET! ENGLAND 246 in 76.3 Overs, S Curran b Ashwin 78 (136)
Ashwin slows it, tosses it up, Curran swings and misses as the numbers game (wickets left) finally caught up with him. Yet again, he was his side’s saving grace with the bat. England wuill have 15 minutes to bowl at. India were excellent with the ball as their pacers continue to soar.

ENGLAND 245/9 in 76 Overs (Curran 78, Anderson 0)
Even Anderson is not interested to take strike. He just sent back Curran, who was looking to take a single after running the ball to third man. However, the over ends with Bumrah delivering a good bouncer, which Curran has to duck out of. Maiden over.

WICKET! S Broad lbw b Bumrah 17 (31), ENGLAND 240/9 in 74 Overs
Broad had one ball to face in the over and Bumrah, from around the wicket, rushes one into the batsman from around the wicket. That had pace and came back in. Umpire Dharmasena had no hesitation there.

Meanwhile, Curran is terrific behind square on the off-side, once again showing lightening quick hands to thump Bumrah for a boundary. Curran is in his seventies now.

ENGLAND 228/8 in 72 Overs (Curran 63, Broad 15)
The Indians continue to leak runs and Broad brings up the fifty partnership between the two with a gorgeous cover drive. Runs

ENGLAND 221/8 in 71 Overs (Curran 61, Broad 10)
REVIEW LOST! Broad misses a sweep and the ball hits his back leg. India take a review and the ball was pitching well outside the line of off-stump. Not out given. The over ends with Broad trickling the ball to the fine-leg fence, four. That missed first slip only by a whisker.

ENGLAND 217/8 in 70 Overs (Curran 61, Broad 6)
More woes for Pant as he fails to collect the ball yet again. Four leg-byes. Meanwhile, Curran and Broad go after Pandya and get 11 runs from the over. They are coming thick and fast for England and it must be a frustrating spell for Kohli.

ENGLAND 206/8 in 69 Overs (Curran 59, Broad 1)
FIFTY for Curran! Curran goes hell for leather, swatting Ashwin for a six over deep mid-wicket for a six to get to his second fifty of the series. Some of the English top-order batsmen would be wishing they could boast of that kind of a milestone. Curran continues to slog, getting a couple with a thick edge that luckily beat Kohli and another slog that went past mid-on. 12 from the over.

ENGLAND 194/8 in 68 Overs (Curran 47, Broad 1)
Bumrah goes slightly short against Broad but the England no 10 sees it out for a maiden. He had a short mid-wicket and a short-leg in place for the uncomfortable short delivery. Drinks called.

ENGLAND 194/8 in 67 Overs (Curran 47, Broad 1)
Curran moves closer to his half-century with yet another booming drive through the covers. That was preceded by another four byes. Yet again, Pant dived full stretch to his right but the result was the same. India have now conceded 22 byes in total. It has largely been the ball zipping and swinging around, leaving Pant no chance.

ENGLAND 185/8 in 66 Overs (Curran 43, Broad 1)
More four byes for England. Bumrah swung it late and yet again, it went well beyond the reach of Pant down the leg side. He leaped full length to his right but still couldn’t get a touch on the ball. There is a loud shout for a leg-before in the final ball of the over too off Broad but that was missing leg-stump.

WICKET! A Rashid lbw b Ishant Sharma 6 (14), England 177/8 in 64.3 Overs
Ishant strikes with a big inswinger. That was too much for the tailender, who saw the ball jag back in from a fuller length and smash his pads. Umpire Bruce Oxenford waits before raising his finger. There are no reviews left.

Bumrah is back into the attack

ENGLAND 174/7 in 63 Overs (Curran 41, Rashid 3)
Kohli has moved closer to Curran in the gully region as the southpaw continues to be uppish around that region. Two from the Ishant Sharma over.

ENGLAND 172/7 in 62 Overs (Curran 40, Rashid 2)
Curran is not hanging back and is looking to play his shots. He went after the deliveries dropped even marginally short by Ashwin but couldn’t pierce the field. Ishant is handed an extended run in this spell.

The partnership between Moeen Ali and Sam Curran was worth 81 runs.

WICKET! ENGLAND 167/7 in 59.3 Overs, Moeen Ali c Bumrah b Ashwin 40 (85)
Inexplicable shot selection from Moeen Ali. He tries to go for a slog sweep off Ashwin and only ends up top edging it. Bumrah, mid-wicket, comes running in and hangs on to the ball. Fantastic take from the 23-year-old, who can do no wrong. Ashwin gives Ali a bit of a sending off too.

ENGLAND 167/6 in 59 Overs (Moeen Ali 40, Sam Curran 37)
Another four-byes for England. Welcome runs this as Pant yet again fails to grasp the the swing. Curran gets another four to his tally in the meanwhile, cutting away with authority.

Ishant is brought back into the attack

ENGLAND 156/6 in 57 Overs (Moeen Ali 40, Sam Curran 30)
The lights are on Southampton and Shami bowls a wayward one down the leg side and it’s four byes. Otherwise, it was another tidy over where Ali was happy to leave deliveries outside off stump.

ENGLAND 152/6 in 56 Overs (Moeen Ali 40, Sam Curran 30)
REVIEW! Moeen Ali survives. Ashwin rapped Ali on the pads and umpire Dharmasena ruled it not out. Kohli takes the review and replays showed that the ball was just about clipping leg stump. The line belonged to the umpire and England survive. Maiden over.

ENGLAND 152/6 in 55 Overs (Moeen Ali 40, Sam Curran 30)
Shami beats Curran with a peach outside off stump. Every now and then, Shami is troubling the batsmen with an unplayable delivery. Just a single from the over.

ENGLAND 151/6 in 54 Overs (Moeen Ali 40, Sam Curran 29)
SIX! Moeen Ali steps out and hammers Ashwin back over his head and that’s a maximum. That was a bolt from the blue that takes England past the 150-run mark.

ENGLAND 144/6 in 53 Overs (Moeen Ali 34, Sam Curran 28)
Shami’s length is slightly off, swinging it on leg stump and that doesn’t trouble the English batsmen. Four runs from the over.

Shami to bowl the second over after lunch

ENGLAND 140/6 in 52 Overs (Moeen Ali 31, Sam Curran 27)
Moeen Ali pushes the ball down the ground to get the first run of the session. Ashwin attacks Curran around the wicket, bowling an off-stump line and the all-rounder sees out the danger. Encouraging start for Ashwin.

Ashwin to bowl the first over after tea. This will be a longer session as we are nine overs behind.

Tea time: Poor Moeen Ali and Curran, who have been left to pick up the pieces after the Indian pace trio left England in complete disarray. The introduction of Pandya saw the batsmen cut lose – it was a gamble that paid off. However, the two batsmen smartly dropped anchor in the final half hour, a phase when Bumrah and Ashwin were reintroduced. India still on top.

ENGLAND 139/6 in 51 Overs (Moeen Ali 30, Curran 27)
Ali and Curran bring up their fifty-run stand with a quickly-taken single off Shami. Much needed for England. In the final over before tea, the English duo make a dash for a quick single.

ENGLAND 135/6 in 50 Overs (Moeen Ali 28, Curran 25)
India continue with the spin-seam combination of Bumrah and Ashwin. After going hammer and tongs for a passage in play, the two batsmen have dropped guard. Overall, though, this has been steady batting from the two Englishmen.

ENGLAND 132/6 in 47 Overs (Moeen Ali 26, Curran 24)
SIX! First of the match as Ali’s pull carries the ball over the fine leg boundary. The batsman was lucky on this occasion. Bumrah, though, continues to beat the outside edge consistently.

ENGLAND 122/6 in 44 Overs (Moeen Ali 19, Curran 21)
There is turn for Ashwin but Sam Curran plays out the over with minimum fuss, a maiden. Most of the deliveries were pitched on middle and leg stump.

ENGLAND 122/6 in 43 Overs (Moeen Ali 19, Curran 21)
Bumrah continues to trouble the left hander with the odd one moving away. Pant’s struggles behind the stumps continue. The session run-rate is four.

ENGLAND 120/6 in 41 Overs (Moeen Ali 18, Curran 20)
The young pacer’s length goes slightly astray and Moeen Ali milks out a boundary behind point. Runs coming thick and fast for England here.

Bumrah is back in the attack

ENGLAND 116/6 in 40 Overs (Moeen Ali 14, Curran 20)
There should be a campaign in England to move Curran up the order. Fifteen from the over. Hardik offers him a hint of width and he goes hard on the off-side, cutting and driving fearlessly. Big over for England, who are having their best phase by a long stretch here.

ENGLAND 101/6 in 38 Overs (Moeen Ali 14, Curran 10)
Moeen Ali runs the ball to the third man boundary to bring up England’s 100. Shami went slightly fuller this over and Ali looked fluent driving on the up.

ENGLAND 95/6 in 38 Overs (Moeen Ali 8, Curran 6)
Pandya comes back into the attack but Curran continues to attack just the way he did in the first Test. He is leaving no prisoners on the off-side, covering the swing well.

ENGLAND 89/6 in 36 Overs (Moeen Ali 5, Curran 3)
Curran gets off the mark with a crisp cover drive but Ishant Sharma puts on the brakes once again. The senior Indian pacer has given almost nothing away so far. His figures currently read 11-6-11-1.

WICKET! ENGLAND 86/6 in 34.4 Overs, B Stokes lbw b Shami 23 (79)
Another one bites the dust. Injury? What injury, says Shami. He swings it late and Stokes, playing across the line, misses. The umpire raises his finger. England also lose a review as the replays showed the ball clipping leg stump.

ENGLAND 83/5 in 33 Overs (Stokes 22, Moeen Ali 3)
Shami is on the sidelines nursing an injury while trying to field a Stokes straight drive. He seems to be in a lot of pain, and it’s unfortunate for the visitors.

ENGLAND 82/5 in 32 Overs (Stokes 21, Moeen Ali 3)
More away swing for Ishant. Problems aplenty for England. More misses for Moeen Ali, who continues to look tentative in defence.

ENGLAND 82/5 in 31 Overs (Stokes 21, Moeen Ali 3)
Soft hands from Ali to get off the mark. Shami continues to operate on a top-of-off-stump line and the England No 7 runs the ball to the third man fence to take three. Shami then slightly stays in length and Stokes flicks it away to the deep mid-wicket boundary. Confusion between keeper and first slip gives England another boundary, byes.

ENGLAND 71/5 in 30 Overs (Stokes 17, Moeen Ali 0)
Ishant continues to go fuller. He continues to get movement away from the left handers and it’s yet another over of probe and parsimony for the beleaguered hosts. The final ball of the over got Stokes’s edge but fell short of slips.

ENGLAND 71/5 in 29 Overs (Stokes 17, Moeen Ali 0)
Shami is still cracking up solid pace, hitting the high-80s. Pant continues to have minor problems with his glovework with deliveries that are coming back into him. The over ends with Shami teasing the outside edge of Moeen Ali’s bat.

ENGLAND 69/5 in 28 Overs (Stokes 16, Moeen Ali 0)
Ishant is brought back into the attack and yet again, he gives nothing away outside the off-stump and Stokes goes on a leaving spree and plays out a maiden.

WICKET! ENGLAND 69/5 in 26.3 Overs, J Buttler c Kohli b Shami 21 (25)
Shami was driven down the ground in the previous ball and here, Buttler reaches out to a straighter one and edges it to slip. Kohli, stationed at second slip shows feline reflexes to pluck one moving quickly to his right. England are in dire straits.

ENGLAND 65/4 in 26 Overs (Stokes 16, Buttler 17)
Ashwin teases Stokes outside off stump but the left-hander was quick to read the arm ball in the final delivery of the over, clubbing it down the ground for a four. Neat start for the off-spinner, though.

Ashwin is given the ball

ENGLAND 61/4 in 25 Overs (Stokes 12, Buttler 17)
Well, well...that could have nearly been five-down. Shami was getting lovely away shape from Buttler, who got a leading edge in the fifth ball of the over but the ball intercepted gully and third slip. That trickled away to the fence but it was so close to another wicket.

We are back after lunch. India have a mountain to climb. Shami will start proceedings.

What a session for India
Yet another brilliant session for the Indians. Bumrah, Ishant, and Shami later were fast, clever and consistent. Bumrah’s meteoric rise continues. Yet again, he was India’s wrecker-in-chief. Ishant was probing the left handers at pace at a fuller length. India are on top and England need another lower-order rescue act to get out of danger. Poor from the top-order once again. They have struggled to buy a run all through the series.

LUNCH!

ENGLAND 57/4 in 24 Overs (Stokes 12, Buttler 13)
Bumrah was given another over, his tenth, as Kohli tries to get another one before lunch. There was an inswinger that hit him high on his knee-roll but the umpire turned down the appeal.

ENGLAND 57/4 in 23 Overs (Stokes 12, Buttler 13)
Dropped! Pant spoons one. Buttler was leaving one that was pitched outside off but somehow manages to get feather touch on it. The Indian keeper, surprised, can’t grasp it. No, problem says Shami. He beats Stokes with an absolute peach in the final ball of the over. That beat everyone at searing pace.

ENGLAND 53/4 in 22 Overs (Buttler 11, Stokes 10)
Hitting on a good length and hissing outside off stump, Stokes is well beaten in the first ball of the over. Bumrah was much slower than his previous overs and it’s another maiden.

Bumrah is back into the attack

ENGLAND 53/4 in 21 Overs (Buttler 11, Stokes 10)
There is prodigious swing still on offer, as evidenced by the last ball of the over that beat Pant after coming back in from a length.

ENGLAND 50/4 in 20 Overs
Two boundaries in the over by Buttler off Pandya. The medium-pacer over-pitches and then goes wide down the leg side, and were easily tucked away to the fence.

ENGLAND 42/4 in 19 Overs (Stokes 7, Buttler 3)
Good old Holding thinks that there is “exaggerated movement” off the seam. There was a caught-behind shout from India after Stokes decided to chase a delivery that was drifting down leg. The England all-rounder finishes the over with a couple of runs he gets with a flick towards fine-leg.

ENGLAND 40/4 in 18 Overs (Stokes 7, Buttler 3)
The rescue pair of England from the previous Test are back at the crease. Buttler gets off the mark by running the ball to third man region with soft hands and getting three runs.

WICKET! ENGLAND 36/4 in 17.1 Overs, A Cook c Kohli b Pandya 17 (55)
Another stunning catch from Kohli, picking it up from where he left in the previous game, plucking it low at second slip. Cook pushes outside off after seeing out the danger in the first hour. His tame shot is snaffled and England’s woes deepen. The hosts could fold up by lunch.

ENGLAND 34/3 in 17 Overs (Cook 17, Stokes 6)
Shami gives width outside off and Cook cuts it wide for a couple of runs. Not a shabby start for the Indian pacer.

Shami is handed the ball

ENGLAND 34/3 in 16 Overs
Hardik Pandya is getting some movement. However, he over-pitches and Cook pushes the ball past mid-on for a boundary. The opener keeps strike.

ENGLAND 29/3 in 15 Overs
More probing outside off from Bumrah, who continues to be full. Cook continues to play with a straight bat and sees out Bumrah’s eight over. No respite from the young Indian pacer.

Hardik Pandya is brought on

WICKET! ENGLAND 28/3 in 13 Overs | J Bairstow c Pant b Bumrah 6 (16)
More damage. England are in tatters. This is simply brilliant bowling from India. Yet again, Bumrah’s skiddy pace and ability to cramp the batsman at pace outside the off-stump pays off. Here, the ball was full and teased Bairstow outside off. The batsman was teased into poking at it and it’s a simple catch for Pant.

ENGLAND 26/2 in 12 Overs
Cook continues to leave anything that that bowlers are teasing him with outside off. On this occasion, Ishant was slightly wide outside off-stump but nearly snaffled him with a slow, full delivery, chipping it close to Rahane at point.

ENGLAND 21/2 in 10 Overs
Ishant this time has Bairstow in a tangle as he relentlessly hits a back of a length and gets the ball to seam back into the batsman. He nearly clipped the England wicketkeeper’s off-stump with another top delivery. Pant also shows good agility behind the stumps with the ball darting around for fun. Another maiden. “If Ishant holds his line, Bairstow is going to have a hard time scoring runs,” says Michael Holding in commentary.

ENGLAND 21/2 in 9 Overs
Cook gets his third boundary with a trickle towards the third man fence. Bumrah gave the left-hander a hint of room there. The pacer finished the over with yet another peach, squaring him up on its way to the keeper.

ENGLAND 17/2 in 8 Overs
Ishant is on the money once again and Bairstow nearly skied the ball to forward short-leg. The Indian pacer is full and getting the ball to come back into the batsmen. England get a couple of singles from the over.

WICKET! ENGLAND 15/2 in 7.1 Overs | J Root lbw b Ishant Sharma 4 (14)
What a start for India. Ishant swings it back in now and playing across the line gets the
England captain in trouble again. He goes for a review and England lose one. The ball pitched outside off but was crashing onto middle and leg. England are in all kinds of trouble. It is Ishant’s 250th Test wicket

ENGLAND 15/1 in 7 Overs
Cook is playing with a little more freedom after withdrawing into shell early on against Ishant. He hits two boundaries to get things going.

ENGLAND 6/1 in 5 Overs
INDIA LOSE A REVIEW Would you believe it? It’s a no-ball from Bumrah again and India could have had their second wicket. Bumrah raps Root on his pads with pads with a skiddy inswinger and the bowler has no hesitation in going upstairs. Alas, the replay shows that he had overstepped. That looked like it was crashing into middle and leg stump. Big let off for Root but Bumrah continues to steam in and have Root in a spot of bother.

ENGLAND 3/1 in 4 Overs
Ishant continues to be consistent with his length. Here, he dropped slightly short but didn’t give Cook any room to free his arms. He has not hit the 140s yet but is tidy and is asking Cook to play at it. That’s another maiden for Ishant.

ENGLAND 3/1 in 3 Overs
Root gets off the mark with a flick past mid-on and the batsmen run a couple. Bumrah’s pace, though, was constantly up.

WICKET! ENGLAND 1/1 in 2.1 Overs | K Jennings lbw b Bumrah 0 (4)
Jennings leaves a delivery that seamed back into him late and is caught plumb in front. The umpire had no hesitation raising his finger. His poor run continues. What a start for India.

ENGLAND 1/0 in 2 Over
Ishant Sharma starts well, beating Cook with a peach outside off-side off. The Indian pacer gets good shape and it’s a maiden over.

ENGLAND 1/0 in 1 Over
Bumrah immediately has Cook in a spot of bother with a delivery that angled away from the former England captain. He gets off the mark in the third ball of the match, tucking away a delivery down the leg side. Bumrah gets back his rhythm, though, beating Jennings with a peach.

3:28 pm: Jennnings and Cook are making their way to the pitch. Bumrah has the ball.

3:20 pm: Kohli has has had some wretched luck with the toss. Root has won it four in a row.

3:04 pm: Kohli said at the toss that he was looking to bat first too. Root said, “It’s an opportunity for Moeen to come in and prove the form he’s been in over the last few weeks. [Bairstow] will be fine at four.”

Ben Stokes has suffered a niggle, says Joe Root. The all-rounder, though, is still a part of the XI. Woakes, as reported earlier, suffered an injury. Kohli thinks it is the “best pitch of the series”.
Importantly, VIRAT KOHLI GOES WITH AN UNCHANGED XI – something that has not happened in 45 Tests, stretching back to 2014.

England win toss and Joe Root opts to bat first

It’s toss time

2:53 pm: “No major rain issues,” says Sanjay Manjarekar at the pitch report. The pitch has a few grass patches. He says the team winning the toss will try to bat first.

2:50 pm: India’s ‘best ever’ pace attack can make the tag its own if team clinches series win in England, writes Chetan Narula – READ

2:48 pm: Odds stacked against India as they look to plot series comeback in Southampton, writes Anand – READ

2:43 pm: India’s batsmen showed character at Trent Bridge but being consistent will be a tougher ask, writes Kushal – READ

2:33 pm: England announced their side yesterday. Moeen Ali makes his comeback while all-rounder Sam Curran returns as Chris Woakes misses out after suffering a niggle. – READ

2:32 pm: There is a tinge of grass coating on the wicket. There will be little surprise if the team winning the toss opt to bat first.

02:30 pm: Kohli has changed his lineup in each of the 38 Tests he has captained India. Yesterday, he hinted at not changing the side that won him the previous Test – READ

Hello and welcome to the live updates of day one of England vs India at Southampton. In the history of Test cricket, only Don Bradman’s Australia have come back from being 0-2 down to win a series. There is a new-found belief in Virat Kohli’s side after a thumping 203-run win at Trent Bridge.

Jasprit Bumrah’s comeback from injury played such a key role in India making inroads with the ball. Who can forget the pacer’s deadly spell late on day four, which virtually sealed the game in India’s favour. Meanwhile, Kohli, after doing a bulk of the heavy lifting in the first two Tests saw Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane return to form in some style.

There were runs from Shikhar Dhawan as well and KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, despite not contributing with the bat, impressed with their catching abilities. India’s improved catching behind the stumps played a key role in fortunes smiling brightly in the visitors’ favour.