INDIA NEED 406 TO WIN
The visitors have a mountain to climb and with Kohli back in the pavilion, many Indian fans may have already given up on the result. Rahul, meanwhile, has done his reputation no harm by playing some gorgeous drives and cut shots and has raced away to 46. Anderson and Broad once again showed their class after Cook and Root probably batted India out of the contest. India have a monumental task from not letting England win 4-1.

STUMPS

INDIA 58/3 in 18 Overs (Rahul 46, Rahane 10)
Moeen Ali has men around Rahane as he bowled the last over of the day. Moeen was trying to get the ball to spit back in off the rough but the India vice captain watchfully sees it out.

INDIA 58/3 in 17 Overs (Rahul 46, Rahane 10)
Stokes and Anderson were taken to the cleaners by Rahul, who continues to grow in confidence. Rahane, on the other hand is watchfully seeing out this phase and lending strike to his partner.

INDIA 40/3 in 10 Overs (Rahul 30, Rahane 9)
Rahul continues to be fluent with his drives and runs are coming thick and fast for India. The opener has shown great hands while combating the in-swinger from Broad. Rahane is following suit and is biding time at the crease.

INDIA 24/3 in 7 Overs (Rahul 19, Rahane 4)
Rahul sticks to the same approach that brought him runs in the first innings. He plays a lovely square cut, not for the first time this series, off Broad. Anderson over-pitches slightly and Rahul plays a cover drive. The India opener is batting with a little more freedom.

INDIA 8/3 in 5 Overs (Rahul 7, Rahane 0)
REVIEW LOST It didn’t look like there were two sounds but Cook, who took a catch, and Anderson were convinced that was a bat-pad shout. There was no leg-before either as the ball was going high over the stumps. Anderson continues to offer a lot of venom.

INDIA 2/3 in 4 Overs (Rahul 1, Rahane 0)
Broad steams in and brings Rahane forward. It’s an important innings for Rahul and the India vice-captain. Root is attacking with multiple slips. Difficult times for India.

WICKET! V Kohli c Bairstow b Broad 0 (1), INDIA 2/3 in 3.2 Overs
They are falling like nine pins and Kohli falls for a rare golden duck. It was probably a reflection of his morale as the Indian captain fends lazily outside off. He gets a faint nick and Bairstow takes a safe catch. The Oval crowd is rocking and Broad is cock-a-hoop.

WICKET! C Pujara lbw b Anderson 0 (3), INDIA 1/2 in 3 Overs
England and Anderson are on a roll. Pujara doesn’t get forward enough and counter the deadly seam movement. Just like Dhawan, Pujara also has no answer as the ball jagged back in by just a touch. Pujara also runs out of time as he thought about taking a review. India are in tatters and Anderson is roaring. The ball was crashing on middle.

WICKET! S Dhawan lbw b Anderson 1 (6), INDIA 1/1 in 2.3 Overs
Oh boy, Dhawan’s poor series continues. He swings across the line and is beaten by the late seam movement, with the ball coming back in. Umpire Wilson raises his finger and England have the start they needed. Dhawan thought about taking the review but once again, ran out of time.

INDIA 0/0 in 1 Over (Rahul 0, Dhawan 0)
That was an OK start for Anderson. There were a couple of deliveries that beat Rahul’s outside edge. He started with a lose delivery outside-off, allowing Rahul to drive on the up.

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Cook leads the English side on the field. Anderson to bowl to Rahul.

England set India a target of 464
India need a record score to win. Anderson, Broad and Co will have around 20 overs to bowl. The Indian bowlers, sans Ishant Sharma, were sent on a leather hunt. There are no demons on the wicket but we witnessed some bounce and carry for the spinners from the rough.

ENGLAND DECLARE AT 423/8
WICKET! S Curran c Pant b Vihari 21 (30)
Curran was trying to heave everything out of the park. He hammers Vihari for a magnificent straight six. Vihari tosses it up and reduces the pace on the ball, and this time, the England all-rounder skies it and Pant makes no mistake. Vihari gets his third wicket; what a debut for the 24-year-old.

Huge cheers from the crowd as Root calls for the declaration.

ENGLAND 417/7 in 112 Overs (Curran 15, Rashid 20)
Rashid goes inside out, down the ground, and behind square – all of which yielded runs. Expensive over from Jadeja as 12 came off it. England’s lead is now well over 450.

ENGLAND 405/7 in 111 Overs (Curran 15, Rashid 8)
Rashid is also having a bit of fun, carving out Vihari for a couple before stepping out and hammering a full-toss through the covers for a four. The lead is closing in on 450 and England have crossed the 400-run mark – the first time it’s happened in this series.

WICKET! B Stokes c Rahul b Jadeja 37 (36), ENGLAND 397/7 in 109.4 Overs
Stokes’s breezy cameo comes to an end. He had just moved to white-ball mode, hammering Jadeja for a six and a four before being caught at deep mid-wicket, trying to slog the bowler for a second maximum. Rahul picks his 14th catch of the series. No declaration yet from Root.

ENGLAND 380/6 in 108 Overs (Stokes 22, Curran 9)
Nasty. Stokes goes for a full-blooded sweep shot off Jadeja and the ball hammers Vihari on his grille. The debutant was stationed at short-leg, and he needs some treatment, but resumes fielding.

Play resumes and Curran cuts the ball handsomely into the boundary ropes after Jadeja goes marginally short.

ENGLAND 373/6 in 107 Overs (Stokes 20, Curran 9)
Stokes punches a full delivery down the ground from Shami for a boundary. Meanwhile, the Indian pacer’s rotten luck continues after beating Stokes and Curran outside off-stump with in-swingers.

ENGLAND 366/6 in 106 Overs (Stokes 14, Curran 8)
Two runs of the first over after the break. Curran announces his intentions by stepping out but Jadeja drags it short and nothing comes off it.

Jadeja will bowl the first over after Tea

TEA TIME, ENGLAND LEAD BY 404
The lead continues to swell. India will hope of getting rid of the England tail quickly for once. Kohli might be encouraged with the pitch looking good for batting. India’s body language changed towards the end of the second session after picking up four wickets in the space of seven overs. That, though, was after Cook and Root sent them on a leather hunt.

ENGLAND 364/6 in 105 Overs (Stokes 13, Curran 7)
The lead goes past 400 but Shami still cannot get more on the wickets column. Stokes and Curran had a number of deliveries jagging back in and hissing past their outside edge. At the stroke of Tea, Shami stood on mid-pitch, wondering how much more he has to soldier on for wickets. One feels for the Indian pacer.

ENGLAND 358/6 in 103 Overs (Stokes 12, Curran 2)
Fine over from Shami. He brings Stokes forward and twice in the over, the ball somehow falls short of Kohli at first slip. Shami’s tryst with bad luck continues. Agonising that for India.

WICKET! J Buttler c Shami b Jadeja 0 (2), ENGLAND 356/6 in 101.3 Overs
England have lost their fourth wicket in seven overs. Buttler tries to hit against the turn, gets a top edge and Shami at short third-man gobbles up a simple catch. India now have a spring in their step. This delivery might have easily been called a no-ball but Jadeja beat it by a whisker.

WICKET! J Bairstow b Shami 18 (27), ENGLAND 355/5 in 101 Overs
Shami gets his man. The pacer went for nine off two deliveries, one of which was five-byes after Pant spooned a regulation take (not a catching opportunity). Shami then went full and straight and the ball seamed back in a touch. Bairstow chopped on. Another opportunity goes begging for the England wicketkeeper.

ENGLAND 343/4 in 99 Overs (Bairstow 12, Stokes 10)
The diktat from the England dressing room must have been to go after the bowling. Being two hard-hitting batsmen, this situation is right up Stokes and Bairstow’s alley. Shami drags it marginally short outside off and Stokes pummels it outside off for back-to-back boundaries. England have 300 in sights.

ENGLAND 326/4 in 97 Overs (Bairstow 5, Stokes 0)
Shami drops it short and wide after being brought back on and Bairstow gets some much-needed breathing space with a boundary. England’s lead has moved to 366

Cook has left behind an enormous legacy. Truly, he is a one-in-a-generation Test batsman.

ENGLAND 321/4 in 95 Overs (Bairstow 0, Stokes 0)
Would you believe it? It’s a double-wicket maiden for Vihari. Stokes had a nervous beginning, defending a few tricky full deliveries pitched on off stump.

WICKET! A Cook c Pant b Vihari 147 (286), ENGLAND 321/4 in 94.2 Overs
Vihari is living a dream and is on a hat-trick. Cook went for a cut shot and nicks it to Pant. Every Indian player congratulates him as Chef makes his way back to the pavilion. The crowd is on its feet.

Thanks for the memories, Cook – one of England’s greatest. What a career and importantly, he has put his side in the driver’s seat.

WICKET! J Root c Sub (Pandya) b Vihari 125 (190), ENGLAND 321/3 in 94.1 Overs
Vihari takes his first Test wicket and it was a silly shot from Root, given that his team was in cruise control. The England captain went for a slog sweep and it went straight down to the throat of Pandya, the substitute fielder. Yet again, Root misses on making a daddy hundred.

ENGLAND 321/2 in 94 Overs (Cook 147, Root 125)
Jadeja and Vihari continue to operate at either end. The scoring rate has dropped. The left-arm spinner, meanwhile, got vicious turn off the rough that surprised Cook. There was an appeal too for a catch but Dharmasena only had a smile to show for it.

ENGLAND 315/2 in 91 Overs (Cook 144, Root 122)
Kohli persists with Vihari but it continues to be a task to keep the run-flow in check. Two rank full-tosses from the bowler allows Cook and Root to paddle the ball down to fine-leg and rotate strike. The partnership has crossed the 250 mark

ENGLAND 311/2 in 90 Overs (Cook 141, Root 121)
Appeal. Jadeja raps Root on the pads after pitching it outside leg but umpire Wilson turns it down. On this occasion, Root missed the sweep. It looked close but it pitched outside the line and was going a touch over the stumps. Remember, India have run out of reviews.

ENGLAND 310/2 in 89 Overs (Cook 141, Root 120)
With confidence comes the ability to play with a little more freedom. Root has been quite effective with the sweep and yet again, he deploys it with much efficiency. The England captain then goes over the top and gets two more to the total.

Vihari is handed the ball again

ENGLAND 305/2 in 88 Overs (Cook 140, Root 116)
Once again, Jadeja goes slightly wide of off-stump and Cook runs the ball past short third-man. With that, the score goes past 300. Root is happy to give the strike back to the Chef.

ENGLAND 299/2 in 87 Overs (Cook 135, Root 115)
Bumrah is into one-day mode, searching for the yorker relentlessly. So far, it is a ploy that has failed for the pacer. Jadeja continues to soldier on at one end. India’s toil continues.

ENGLAND 293/2 in 85 Overs (Cook 133, Root 111)
As if having Ishant Sharma stay off the field was not enough, Shami, fielding on the boundary ropes also seems to be struggling with his knee. Worrying times for Kohli, who now only has Bumrah and Jadeja as frontline bowling options.

ENGLAND 289/2 in 84 Overs (Cook 132, Root 108)
Eight from the over. The run-fest may have taken a toll on Jadeja too. It’s either too full or short and Cook, once again, doesn’t miss out and gets two more boundaries to the total.

ENGLAND 281/2 in 83 Overs (Cook 124, Root 108)
Bumrah replaces Shami but the batsmen have little trouble rotating strike. Still no sign of Ishant Sharma coming back on the field. The lead is now 325 and declaration might be on Root’s mind by the end of this session.

ENGLAND 266/2 in 80 Overs (Cook 119, Root 106)
India’s body language has also taken a hit as the misfields continue to leak runs. Shami bowls another half-tracker and Root, who is in white-ball mode, hammered it away through point for a boundary.

ENGLAND 266/2 in 80 Overs (Cook 117, Root 100)
CENTURY FOR ROOT. He has been quite lucky but gets to a much-needed hundred with a tight single off Jadeja. The crowd is on its feet again and after what seems like an eternity, the Barmy Army lets out a shout of “Rooooooot”.

ENGLAND 263/2 in 79 Overs (Cook 115, Root 99)
Four dot balls to finish the over and Root is stranded on 99. India’s misery continues as Cook and Root’s partnership crosses the 200-run mark. The lead is over 300 and Karun Nair hurt himself trying to dive across in the deep to stop the ball from going into the boundary.

ENGLAND 253/2 in 77 Overs (Cook 109, Root 96)
DROPPED! Pujara spoons one at first slip after Root edges it yet again. Poor Shami, can you fault his efforts in this Test? To be fair on Pujara, Pant was diving across, which might have put him off. Nonetheless, that was a fairly straightforward chance and Root gets his second life.

ENGLAND 249/2 in 75 Overs (Cook 108, Root 93)
The runs keep on coming. Shami drifts it wide outside off-stump and Cook crashes it through cover for a boundary. Root and Cook, though, are nearly involved in a horrendous mix-up mid-pitch. Six from the over.

Play resumes

It’s Lunch, England lead by 283 runs
Batting has never looked this easy for England. Cook and Root have carved the Indian attack, which is clearly struggling with the loss of Ishant Sharma – the senior pacer has been off the field after suffering a minor injury. India now have a mountain to climb as the runs keep piling on. Rahane put down a sharp chance off Root, who is all set to break his run of poor scores during the series. The session, though, belonged to Cook. The former England captain broke a slew of records en route to getting his 33rd hundred.

ENGLAND 243/2 in 74 Overs (Cook 103, Root 92)
Cook leaves the last ball off Jadeja in the last ball of the session. Root, meanwhile, played another powerful sweep shot to get three more runs to the total. What a session this has been for England.

ENGLAND 240/2 in 73 Overs (Cook 103, Root 89)
Bumrah bowls yet another good over and had a close leg-before shout turned down by umpire Wilson. Replays showed that the ball was missing the leg stump because of the sharp seam back into the Root after pitch. Root, though, is clearly having the measure of Jadeja, sweeping with authority.

ENGLAND 238/2 in 72 Overs (Cook 102, Root 88)
Bumrah makes a good comeback over, beating Root’s outside edge and then almost finding Cook’s off-stump with one that seamed back in sharply. This could arguably be India’s best over of the session so far. That is how bad it has nosedived for India.

The records keep on tumbling

ENGLAND 231/2 in 70 Overs (Cook 101, Root 82)
COOK BRINGS UP HIS CENTURY WITH A BOUNDARY! What a fairytale finish. The Oval crowd is on its feet and applauds for two whole minutes. Root hugs him in delight and a visibly emotional Cook puffs his cheeks before getting on the task at hand.

ENGLAND 225/2 in 69 Overs (Cook 96, Root 81)
The runs keep on coming. Cook edges towards his century with a beautiful straight drive that reaches the fence. Bumrah was a touch full and straight on this occasion. Eight from the over.

Bumrah is back in the attack

ENGLAND 217/2 in 68 Overs (Cook 90, Root 80)
More turnover of strike from Cook and Root and the former now moves into the nineties with a cut shot off Jadeja. Root, after blazing away post scoring his fifty, is now happy just rotating the strike.

ENGLAND 214/2 in 67 Overs (Cook 89, Root 77)
Jadeja and Vihari are going through the motions quickly. With the field spread out, the singles continue to come thick and fast for the English batsmen. Pant was beaten by Vihari’s turn from the rough, conceding another bye.

The last 78 balls have yielded 75 runs for England

ENGLAND 210/2 in 65 Overs (Cook 89, Root 77)
The runs keep on coming and the lead has crossed 250. Jadeja almost deceived Cook with a ball that kept low and took his outside edge. The partnership between the two is also crossing the 150-run mark.

ENGLAND 205/2 in 63 Overs (Cook 86, Root 76)
Root is in cruise control and Jadeja is struggling a bit with his length. When he pitched short, the England captain is pulling in some style. When he went full, Root is paddling or sweeping around the corner. Jadeja’s runs have come at more than five runs an over.

Vihari is handed the ball

ENGLAND 188/2 in 61 Overs (Cook 78, Root 67)
Shami induces a false shot off Root but the England captain continues to be confident with his shot-making. The runs are coming thick and fast for the English and this are testing times for Kohli.

ENGLAND 183/2 in 59 Overs (Cook 76, Root 62)
SIX! What a hit. Root dances down the track and hammers Jadeja straight down the ground for a maximum. Clear intent from Root to accelerate since he went past 50. England are not looking to play out a dull draw it would seem.

ENGLAND 174/2 in 59 Overs (Cook 76, Root 55)
Cook becomes the fifth highest run scorer in Test history, going past Kumar Sangakkara. The Oval crowd is on its feet to applaud him. England are in cruise control and that is summed up by Root’s confident forward press.

ENGLAND 167/2 in 57 Overs (Cook 73, Root 52)
Shami has been slightly erratic so far and Root gets to his fifty with a cut down to third man. That was short and wide from the India pacer. The match might slowly be slipping away from India’s grasp. Much needed fifty for Root.

ENGLAND 161/2 in 56 Overs (Cook 72, Root 47)
DROPPED! Rahane spoons his second chance of the match. Yes, the ball came sharply as Root, quite inexplicably, goes for the cut. Cook is edging towards Sangakkara’s run-scoring record and the partnership is closing in on 100. England’s lead, meanwhile, has crossed 200.

ENGLAND 141/2 in 52 Overs (Cook 65, Root 35)
Ishant Sharma is off the field after spraining his ankle. Cook is calmly going about with his task. Now, Jadeja was cut towards the third-man fence for a four. The former England captain is now hogging strike.

ENGLAND 133/2 in 49 Overs (Cook 57, Root 33)
Root, this time, was rattled by Bumrah bouncer. He was hit on the glove and the ball fell in the vacant gully region. Pant, though, continues to be rattled by Bumrah’s skiddy ones coming into the batsman. Two more byes to add to the total.

ENGLAND 129/2 in 47 Overs (Cook 57, Root 32)
We are not sure what Bumrah’s plan was. Kohli, at the slip cordon, was heard saying bahar daal but the pacer continued to test Root with bouncers. Bumrah was touching the 90mph case regularly, though.

ENGLAND 128/2 in 46 Overs (Cook 56, Root 32)
The duo are motoring along nicely. Cook punishes Jadeja, putting away an over-pitched delivery outside-off to the fence. Root then plays a clever late cut to get two more runs to the total.

ENGLAND 121/2 in 45 Overs (Cook 52, Root 30)
Second fifty of the match for Cook. In trademark fashion, Cook flicks off his hips and raises his bat, becoming only the second man to get twin fifties in his farewell test. Bumrah finishes the over well, attacking Root with a bouncer and a skiddy inswinger that hit the batsman in his box.

Bumrah to bowl the second over of the day

ENGLAND 116/2 in 44 Overs (Cook 47, Root 30)
Root gets the first run of the day and a huge roar goes around the stadium as Cook flicks on the leg-side to rotate strike. The deadly Ishant comes back well by beating Root outside off, slowing the pace on the ball by just a touch.

Ishant Sharma to start proceedings

3.30pm: Alastair Cook walks out to bat for the last time in his international career. The crowd in a fairly packed Oval give their hero a standing ovation. The batsman will be hoping to end his career the way he started with a century.

3:00 pm: Meanwhile, CoA are likely to hold talks with head coach Ravi Shastri after the England series – READ

2:55 pm: England assistant coach Paul Farbrace heaps praise on Ravindra Jadeja – READ

2:45 pm: ‘Just go out and enjoy’: How a phone call to Dravid helped Vihari score a fifty on Test debut – READ

Hello and welcome to the fourth day of the fifth Test match at The Oval. In front of a packed crowd, Ravindra Jadeja and Hanuma Vihari’s defiant display in the first two sessions gave India a fighting chance of taking the upper hand in the match.

However, India endured a fairly frustrating final session with Alastair Cook and Joe Root taking the lead past 150. With eight wickets in hand, England will be fancying their chances. The conditions are not too dissimilar from day four but one recons that the spinners will have a prominent role to play.

Jadeja should fancy his chances, especially after dismissing Moeen Ali with a peach of a delivery – a left-arm spinner’s dream, if you will. As for the hosts, Cook will continue to dominate the headlines. Can he become the highest-scoring left-hander of all-time, going past Kumar Sangakkara? He is not a long way away.