ENGLAND LEAD BY 233 RUNS
Sam Curran, what a man. Some of Kohli’s tactics were bizarre and the Indians, for the first time in two Test matches, looked slightly flat in the last two sessions. England may think they have enough on the board. Shami was excellent and so were his fast-bowling colleagues. Meanwhile, there is always the Virat Kohli factor. What the Indian captain does will dictate the outcome of the game.

WICKET! A Rashid c Pant b Shami 11 (22), ENGLAND 260/8 in 91.5 Overs
Shami picks up his third wicket in the last ball of the day’s play. Rashid is cramped for room as the ball angles in late. Rashid could only nick it to the keeper, who takes a simple catch.

ENGLAND 253/7 in 89 Overs (Curran 35, Rashid 6), lead by 226 runs
Curran continues to be adept at playing the new ball. Not a single delivery from Ishant, Bumrah or Shami have beaten the 20-year-old’s edge so far. The scoreboard continues to tick away at a good rate. Curran is compact and Rashid is giving him good company.

ENGLAND 241/7 in 86 Overs (Curran 30, Rashid 0), lead by 214 runs
Curran is clearly playing on a different pitch compared to the rest of his teammates. His bottom hand is rock solid as he punches Bumrah down the ground for back-to-back boundaries.

WICKET! ENGLAND 233/7 in 85 overs, J Buttler lbw b Ishant 69 (122), lead by 206
There comes the new-ball magic that we had mentioned earlier. The reverse swing does Buttler in. This was classic Ishant in that sense, bringing the ball back in from a length and rapping the pads. Umpire Dharmasena raises his finger. England also lose a review.

Bumrah is back in the attack...no surprises there.

ENGLAND 228/6 in 83 overs (Buttler 65, Curran 20), lead by 201 runs
The Curran show continues to be a thorn in India’s flesh. Ashwin pitches it up, the left-hander makes room and drives through mid-off.

The second ball is taken

ENGLAND 223/6 in 82 overs (Buttler 65, Curran 16), lead by 196 runs
More frustration for India. The new ball is due but the runs continue to flow. The two batsmen are calmly finding the gaps and rotating strike.

Two more overs before India can take the second new ball

ENGLAND 214/6 in 78 overs (Buttler 59, Curran 13), lead by 187 runs
Manjarekar and Bhogle in commentary get into a bit of a debate about whether the four-minute hold up in play was necessary. We think it was, Pant was injured. Meanwhile, another lose delivery from Pandya is tucked away to the third-man fence by Buttler. The lead inches towards 200.

ENGLAND 206/6 in 77 overs (Buttler 52, Curran 12), lead by 179 runs
Buttler reaches fifty by tonking a full toss to the cover boundary. Yet another timely knock from the England keeper. We had mentioned the odd one from Ashwin ball spitting from a length. Here, the ball surprises Curran and Pant, who needs treatment after the ball hits him on the chest.

ENGLAND 201/6 in 76 overs (Buttler 47, Curran 12), lead by 174 runs
Pandya is a lot flatter in this Test match and yet again, England harmlessly negotiate the India all-rounder and get a couple of singles. That takes the team score past the 200-run mark.

ENGLAND 199/6 in 75 overs (Buttler 46, Curran 11), lead by 172 runs
Curran shows that he is batting on a different wicket compared to his teammates. Here again, he uses soft hands to combat Ashwin and England inch towards the 200 mark.

ENGLAND 192/6 in 73 overs (Buttler 44, Curran 8), lead by 165 runs
Ashwin troubles Buttler when he dragged back his length a bit. A puff of dust comes out as it spits out from a length. The change in action, though, may be taking a toll on Ashwin who has just completed 29 runs.

ENGLAND 190/6 in 72 overs (Buttler 43, Curran 7), lead by 163 runs
Pandya is not getting the kind of swing that he was getting at Trent Bridge and the Curran show is underway. The all-rounder cuts away with authority and it goes to the fence.

ENGLAND 185/6 in 71 overs (Buttler 43, Curran 2), lead by 158 runs
Ashwin beats Curran’s outside edge twice in the over. There are a few more runs added to the lead – three of them – as England’s lead swells.

ENGLAND 181/6 in 70 overs (Buttler 40, Curran 1), lead by 154 runs
The field is spread out for Buttler but Curran has men around his bat, including a gully that is brought in close for the square cut. Again, England don’t have any trouble facing Pandya.

WICKET! B Stokes c Rahane b Ashwin 30 (110), ENGLAND 178/6 in 68.1 overs
Finally, Ashwin gets his reward. As for Stokes, he is frustrated falling to that trap set by the off-spinner after putting in all the hard work. It’s a neat catch by Rahane at first slip and boy, isn’t Ashwin delighted?

ENGLAND 178/5 in 68 overs (Stokes 30, Buttler 38), lead by 151 runs
Buttler drives on the up off Pandya and that reaches the boundary. More frustration for India as the batsmen settle into a nice rhythm. The pacers have taken a break as well.

ENGLAND 174/5 in 67 overs (Stokes 30, Buttler 34), lead by 147 runs
India lose both their reviews. That was a rather tame one for Kohli and Co. Pant thinks there was a nick off Buttler but there was no bat, as the ultraedge showed. Ashwin, meanwhile, continues to suffer with his rhythm and struggles through the rest of the over.

ENGLAND 169/5 in 66 overs (Stokes 26, Buttler 33), lead by 142 runs
After waiting an age, Pandya comes into the attack and is on target. Three runs come off it but creates a couple of openings outside off-stump. Stokes was beaten by the one that came back in.

ENGLAND 166/5 in 65 overs (Stokes 26, Buttler 31), lead by 139 runs
The Sky team try to analyse Ashwin. He gets one on the footholes and then darts one into the batsmen. The latter is certainly not affecting the two out in the middle and are ticking it around easily.

ENGLAND 165/5 in 65 overs (Stokes 26, Buttler 29), lead by 138 runs
Buttler tucks away a lose delivery from Bumrah on leg stump to the boundary. Five from the over and this will frustrate India. England’s lead swells and the batsmen are now knocking it about with a little more confidence.

ENGLAND 160/5 in 63 overs (Stokes 26, Buttler 24), lead by 133 runs
The leg slip is out for Ashwin and there is a feeling that this partnership may have made India a touch restless. The duo are getting runs whenever an opportunity presents itself. Stokes continues to use his feet to upset Bumrah’s rhythm.

ENGLAND 156/5 in 61 overs (Stokes 23, Buttler 23), lead by 129 runs
Watchful start by England. The battle between Ashwin and Stokes is turning out to be an intriguing one. Still no signs of Pandya being introduced. Spin on offer but these two are proving to be more than resilient in blunting the Indian attack.

ENGLAND 153/5 in 59 overs (Stokes 21, Buttler 22), lead by 126 runs
Stokes nearly edged one to first slip but it went just away from first slip. England only get a single for that. Solid start for India and Ashwin after tea.

ENGLAND 152/5 in 58 overs (Stokes 20, Buttler 22), lead by 125 runs
Bumrah bowls the last over before tea. England, if they lose this match, will look bat at the careless dismissal of Root. The England captain, on his part, was lazy while grounding his bat. Buttler gets a couple of runs more and this contest is placed delicately.

ENGLAND 150/5 in 57 overs (Stokes 20, Buttler 20)
Ashwin once again gets sharp purchase from the rough and has Buttler defending of his back foot, very nervously, though. There is a lot in it for the spinners here.

ENGLAND 146/5 in 54 overs (Stokes 18, Buttler 18)
After Ishant, Shami beats Buttler with a jaffa outside stump. Stokes, who has played risk-free cricket so far, plays a crisp cover drive to keep strike. He will face the last over before tea.

ENGLAND 140/5 in 52 overs (Stokes 14, Buttler 16)
Buttler flashes outside off-stump and the late away swing nearly saw the ball clip his bat on its way to the keeper. The England keeper, though, shows the intent to pick up quick runs.

ENGLAND 136/5 in 51 overs (Stokes 12, Buttler 12)
Ishant’s continues to bamboozle the English batsmen. Twice in the over, he beat Buttler’s outside edge thrice in an over with balls pitching on the corridor of uncertainty.

ENGLAND 130/5 in 49 overs (Stokes 12, Buttler 8)
Ashwin is turning it square. There were atleast three deliveries in the over that pitched outside leg stump but missed the off stump comfortably. Maiden over.

ENGLAND 129/5 in 48 overs (Stokes 12, Buttler 7)
Ashwin is getting prodigious turn at the moment and Buttler has had a rather shaky first few deliveries but latches on to a lose ball to get four runs to the total. Ishant has been impeccable.

ENGLAND 122/5 in 46 overs (Stokes 12*), lead by 95 runs
WICKET! Root run-out! Stokes scampers for a risky run. Shami is quick to the ball running in from mid off and hits the stumps at the striker’s end. England five down!
Root run out 48 (88b 6x4).

ENGLAND 117/4 in 44 Overs (Root 48, Stokes 7), lead by 90 runs
Ishant is in the middle of a gem of a spell, beating Root with gems outside off stump in consecutive overs. The Indian pacer bowls another maiden over.

ENGLAND 117/4 in 42 Overs (Root 48, Stokes 7), lead by 90 runs
Stokes, twice in the over, steps out the crease against Ishant and works the ball on the leg side. Three more runs to the total as England’s lead crawls towards the 100-run mark.

ENGLAND 114/4 in 41 Overs (Root 48, Stokes 4), lead by 87 runs
Ashwin is back into the attack and Stokes finally breaks his shackles by flicking the ball down the leg side. The batsmen run three. Root then dabs the ball to the third man region and the batsmen run a couple.

The hotspot shows that there was no edge off Stokes’s blade.

ENGLAND 107/4 in 39 Overs (Root 44, Stokes 1), lead by 80 runs
Rahane thinks Stokes has edged Bumrah through to the keeper. Pant, Kohli and even the bowler is not sure. India decided against going for the review. Replays show that there was a sound. We cant deduce if that came off the left-hander’s bat, though.

ENGLAND 106/4 in 38 Overs (Root 43, Stokes 1), lead by 79 runs
Stokes’s stonewalling continues. He has just one run from 21 deliveries. Shami now has his rhythm back and is not handing any freebies, bowling around the wicket and wide of the stumps.

ENGLAND 105/4 in 37 Overs (Root 42, Stokes 1)
Stokes is watchful and isn’t taking any risks against Bumrah as he continues to look closely at ball angling back into him. Maiden over.

ENGLAND 105/4 in 36 Overs (Root 42, Stokes 1)
Root moves across the stumps and flicks the ball to the fine-leg boundary. Much straighter bat shown by the English captain to the deliveries are pitched on middle and moving away. Six from the over as Root gets a couple of move runs with an on drive.

ENGLAND 99/4 in 35 Overs (Root 36, Stokes 1)
A bit of a lull here for England, and why wouldn’t they be? They have dropped anchor with the pacers doing so much damage. Maiden off Bumrah.

ENGLAND 99/4 in 34 Overs (Root 36, Stokes 1)
Bumrah continues to trouble Root, once again getting one to zip back in and hit his pads. The ball was going over. There was leg-before shout from Shami off Stokes. This time, the ball was going wide.

WICKET! J Bairstow b Shami 0 (1), England 92/4 in 32 Overs
What a ball straight up after lunch. The ball swung back in a long way and Bairstow had no answer, getting dismissed for his second golden duck in as many games. His leg stump went for a walk there. England are reeling again, India are flying.

The players are back after lunch

England lead by 65 runs The third wicket might have just tilted the match in India’s favour. Still a long way to go in this Test match. Reasonably good session for England despite losing three wickets. The pacers once again delivered for India. They can only go better from there.

WICKET! K Jennings lbw b Shami 36 (86), ENGLAND 92/3 in 31.5 Overs
At the stroke of lunch, Shami strikes. That ball kept a touch low for the tall Jennings and dipped in, breaching his defence. The ball thudded on his pads and umpire Oxenford’s finger went up. England also lose a review as replays showed that the ball was crashing onto middle and leg.

ENGLAND 87/2 in 31 Overs (Jennings 32, Root 29), lead by 60 runs
Ashwin was brought back and tried to trap Jennings from outside leg stump. The angles, though, didn’t aid the spinner as the batsmen calmly played the over out adding three more runs to the total.

ENGLAND 84/2 in 30 Overs (Jennings 31, Root 26), lead by 56 runs
Fifty-run stand between Jennings and Root. Once again, Kohli and Co ponder over taking their only available review after Shami rapped Root on the pads. Yet another good call by India as it was going well over the stumps.

ENGLAND 77/2 in 29 Overs (Jennings 30, Root 21), lead by 50 runs
The hosts’ lead now moves fifty. Ashwin once again had Root in a spot of bother with a leg-before shout. The ball spun back into him sharply and there was a loud appeal. The Indians wisely decide against using the review.

ENGLAND 75/2 in 28 Overs (Jennings 29, Root 21), lead by 48 runs
Root moves into the twenties – a first in four innings – as England’s lead moves towards the fifty-run mark. The England skipper played a lovely late cut that beat the fly slip on its way to the boundary.

ENGLAND 71/2 in 27 Overs (Jennings 29, Root 17), lead by 44 runs
Maiden for Ashwin. The off-spinner went short and Jennings was happy to see it out for a maiden. There was little width on offer for the left-hander.

ENGLAND 71/2 in 26 Overs (Jennings 29, Root 17), lead by 44 runs
Root nearly pays for a lose cut shot outside the off-stump. That could have so nearly clipped the edge of his bat. Shami’s length is full and England see it out.

Shami comes into the attack.

ENGLAND 70/2 in 25 Overs (Jennings 28, Root 17), lead by 42 runs
Ashwin errs with his length by a touch yet again and it allows Root to play an easy sweep shot to the fine-leg fence for a four. The off-spinner, though, comes back well and raps the England captain on the pads. Umpire Dharmasena is not interested.

ENGLAND 66/2 in 24 Overs (Jennings 28, Root 13), lead by 38 runs
The awkward bounce continues to torment Pant behind the stumps. Another four byes there as the keeper’s desperate lunge down his left goes in vain. There is a touch of assurance about Jennings while facing Bumrah.

ENGLAND 61/2 in 23 Overs (Jennings 28, Root 12), lead by 38 runs
Ten runs from the over. Jennings has a spring in his step and even plays a reverse sweep against Ashwin. He then cashes in on a full delivery and sweeps it away to the deep mid-wicket ropes. Fruitful over this for England.

ENGLAND 51/2 in 22 Overs (Jennings 18, Root 12)
India lose a review. It was clear in real-time that the ball was going over. Bumrah and Kohli are convinced and go upstairs. Replays showed that it was easily going over the stumps even though the ball jagged back into Root by a foot. The last ball of the over was driven confidently through the covers by Root for a boundary.

ENGLAND 45/2 in 21 Overs (Jennings 18, Root 6)
Ashwin bowls another maiden. Here, he was trying to turn the ball into Jennings from outside leg stump. Safe from the England opener.

ENGLAND 45/2 in 20 Overs (Jennings 18, Root 6)
There is no respite for England pacers as Bumrah continues to zip the ball away from the left-hander. Jennings continues to hang his bat outside the off-stump. Truth be told, the ones coming back into him were nearly unplayable. Outstanding stuff this from Bumrah.

ENGLAND 38/2 in 19 Overs (Jennings 16, Root 3)
Root gets a couple of runs but is increasingly troubled by Ashwin, who is getting turn from the rough. The last ball of the over saw the England captain go for a wild heave on the leg side and was lucky to see the ball clip his bottom edge but roll wide of the stumps.

ENGLAND 36/2 in 18 Overs (Jennings 16, Root 1)
Ishant Sharma gets his second warning for running on the danger area. Kohli looks on with a bit of concern and the Indian pacer immediately moves over the wicket to Jennings.

ENGLAND 34/2 in 17 Overs (Jennings 13, Root 0)
Kohli goes up to Jennings and Root and is seen chirping around with the batsman as he sets his field. Nervy start for the England captain as Bumrah continues to jag the ball back in from a slightly short of a length. Testing times this for England.

WICKET! Moeen Ali c Rahul b Ishant 9 (15), England 33/2 in 15.4 Overs
Brilliant from Ishant there and Moeen Ali pays for hanging the bat outside the off-stump, little foot movement there and Rahul takes another catch, diving forward. The soft signal is out. Replays show that Rahul had got his fingers underneath the ball on time. India are on the march here.

ENGLAND 33/1 in 15 Overs (Jennings 12, Moeen Ali 9), lead by 6 runs
Seam and pace upright from Bumrah and Moeen works the ball to third man fence for a boundary. Kohli is not pleased. The Indian pacer continues to threaten, especially when he goes fuller to the left-hander. Five from the over and England now have the lead.

For the uninitiated, Moeen Ali, the captain of Warwickshire, plays at no 3 for his county side

ENGLAND 28/1 in 13 Overs (Jennings 12, Moeen Ali 4)
Bumrah troubles Moeen Ali with a couple of absolute jaffas. His first delivery went centimeters over the top of off-stump. That pitched and straightened viciously. The England all-rounder gets a streaky boundary to get off the mark, but Bumrah consistently beat his outside edge.

Lo and behold, Moeen Ali is sent in at no 3

WICKET! ENGLAND 24/1 in 12.1 Overs, A Cook c Rahul b Bumrah 12 (39)
Bumrah gets the breakthrough. After patiently negotiating the early part of the morning session, Cook fishes outside the off-stump. India nearly spooned the chance but Rahul takes it off the third attempt.

ENGLAND 24/0 in 12 Overs (Cook 12, Jennings 12)
Still no angles for Ishant and Cook has little trouble working the ball on the leg side. Three runs on the on-side and England just trail by three runs now.

ENGLAND 21/0 in 11 Overs (Cook 9, Jennings 12)
It’s a neat first over from Bumrah. He went back of a length and beat Jennings’s outside edge a couple of times. The opener, though, earned a boundary with a trickle towards the third-man fence.

Bumrah is brought on

ENGLAND 16/0 in 10 Overs (Cook 8, Jennings 8)
Ishant continues to pitch it up to the batsman and England add two more singles to the total. There is very swing on offer so far, though, something that bodes well for the England openers.

ENGLAND 14/0 in 9 Overs (Cook 7, Jennings 7)
Ashwin once again teases Jennings’s outside edge but the left-hander is not tempted to play at at. He gets a single, though, working the ball on the leg side to take a single.

ENGLAND 13/0 in 8 Overs (Cook 7, Jennings 6)
Ishant goes full and Cook flicks on the leg side, beating mid-on and reaches the fence. That was trademark Cook. Meanwhile, the Indian pacer gets a warning for running on the danger area, something that came up in his previous over as well.

ENGLAND 9/0 in 7 Overs (Cook 3, Jennings 6)
There is a loud shout for a leg-before by Ashwin in the last ball of the over. Umpire Dharmasena is not interested; perhaps the delivery had too much away swing and would have missed Jennings’s off-stump. Jennings, meanwhile, brought up his first runs of the day with a push through the off-side for a couple.

ENGLAND 7/0 in 6 Overs (Cook 3, Jennings 4)
Maiden over. Umpire Oxenford checks Ishant’s follow through as there are some footmarks in the danger area. The seam is upright and the deliveries are pitched up, Cook plays it out safely.

Ishant to bowl the second over of the day

ENGLAND 7/0 in 5 Overs (Cook 3, Jennings 4)
Ashwin immediately finds some turn that beats Cook’s outside edge as the off-spinner drags his length back, removing the pace on the ball a touch. The former England captain gets the first run of the day with a flick on the leg-side, which yields a single.

3:28 pm: The players have made their way to the centre. Ashwin wil start proceedings. Cook to take strike. It’s another warm, sunny day in Southampton.

3:12 pm: “It’s a dry pitch,” says Sanjay Manjarekar at the pitch report. The pitch should aid the spinners a bit and Ishant and Bumrah will also have prominent roles to play. Big day for England, this.

Hello and welcome to the live updates of the fourth Test between England and India at Edgbaston on day four. Cheteshwar Pujara undoubtedly stole the show on Friday with a brilliant hundred, one that would surely rank among the best of the fifteen centuries he has scored so far.

The question for England would be if the runs they conceded late in the Indian innings would prove costly with the ball still aiding the seamers. The last two wickets put on 78 runs with Pujara farming the strike and anchoring the innings along with tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma.

India bowled four overs towards the close of play and Bumrah build on the good work that he put in during England’s first innings. Jennings had to fend off a couple of jaffas outside the off-stump.