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“Dwayne was injured so he is probably out for the first two games,” coach Stephen Fleming said after the opening match

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2020Dwayne Bravo is injured and will probably miss at least one more game, Chennai Super Kings’ coach Stephen Fleming said after his side made a winning start to the IPL season by beating the defending champions Mumbai Indians. Bravo didn’t bowl in the CPL final on September 10 either because of his knee injury.Sam Curran, chosen in place of Bravo, turned out to be an inspired selection as he backed up his bowling effort of 4-0-28-1 with a six-ball 18 at the business end of the chase. “Dwayne was injured so he is probably out for the first two games,” Fleming said. “But Sam’s performance was a big positive. His attitude is quite infectious. His performance today was quite outstanding. Straight off the plane yesterday.”If Dwayne was fit, it would have been a toss-up if he [Curran] had played at all. So he has taken this opportunity and put some pressure on.”It wasn’t necessarily a toss-up between Curran and Bravo, though. Lungi Ngidi was the other quick the Super Kings used. He went for more runs, but he too staked a claim for an overseas spot with three wickets. Fleming didn’t rule out both Curran and Bravo playing together, but he said they were yet to assess all the conditions they will encounter in the UAE.The Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, continued their trend of a surprise pick in the season opener, choosing James Pattinson this time for his first match for any franchise outside Australia. This was the first T20 he was playing outside Australia since 2012. He, too, returned impressive figures of 4-0-27-1, but he, too, was more a forced pick than an inspired selection. At the toss, Rohit Sharma revealed that Nathan Coulter-Nile had a niggle, which is why he wasn’t available for selection.There was no update from the Mumbai Indians on the nature of Coulter-Nile’s injury and when he might become available.

‘Perfect team man’ Ajinkya Rahane responded positively to Royals’ leadership change, says the new captain

Shashank Kishore in Jaipur20-Apr-2019Leadership was far away from Steven Smith’s mind when there was a knock on his hotel room door on Friday evening in Jaipur. It was a member of the Rajasthan Royals team management, and the message was simple – he was the captain of the team. A day later, Smith admitted to being surprised by the update, and said his first act was to have an “honest chat with Ajinkya Rahane”, who he described as the “perfect team man”.”I think Ajinkya has done a terrific job for the last year-and-a-half. Obviously, he got the boys to the playoffs last year, but the management called me in yesterday and said they wanted me to captain for the rest of the season,” Smith said after steering Royals to a five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians with an unbeaten half-century, his first of the season. “I was a bit surprised by it at the time, but yeah, that’s their decision.”I wasn’t going for the captaincy or anything like that. The management just called me and told me this was how it’s going to be. So I had a chat with Ajinkya, he’s a terrific guy. He said ‘whatever’s best for the team, I’ll support’. You just have to see the way he came out. It’s never easy being told those kind of things but he came out today and played some nice shots at the start, got us off to a good start. He’s a terrific guy and always does what is the best for the team.”It’s the latest upturn in what has been a rollercoaster few months for Smith, during which an elbow problem – and the after-effects of a surgery on it – have been constants. He has been playing with an elbow guard, both while batting and while fielding, to help curb the flexing of the muscles near the area that was affected. While this has impacted his throwing and forced him to curb certain shots, Smith said the good news was that he was “only two weeks away” from complete recovery.”I still have to play quite heavily strapped, there’s still a few issues with throwing, but I am getting there slowly,” he said. “I can’t throw full tilt yet, but in a couple of weeks, I should be able to throw at full pace, which is going to be nice. I haven’t quite enjoyed hiding in the field, it’s not my sort of way around things. I like being in the midst of the action, around the hotspots, and get involved.”The elbow is coming along nicely. Since I’ve been in India, I haven’t felt any pain batting. It’s more about just getting used to the fact that I can’t straighten my arm, which took some time to get around, but I’m feeling good, better with each and every game that I play.”Riyan Parag played an important hand•BCCI

Before this game, Smith has been unable to put up a really big score, or impact the result of a game in a big way. Smith expressed relief at doing that on Saturday, and sounded happy with where his game was at.”I feel like I’m getting better and better, the way I’m hitting the ball,” he said. “More importantly, my mind is probably getting better and better, the decisions I’m making. I base my batting around the decisions I make, and I’m clearer in my mind. I’m getting clearer and clearer about the way I play.”I’m happy where things are at, currently. Hopefully, things can get better for the Royals over the next few games. That’s what I’m thinking about for the moment.”Smith reserved special praise for Riyan Parag, the third youngest after Prayas Ray Burman and Mujeeb Ur Rahman to feature in the IPL. Smith shared a 70-run stand with the 17-year-old to help Royals recover from a mini-slump and canter to victory. Parag’s audacious shot-making, particularly off Lasith Malinga and Hardik Pandya, had Smith run up to him to exchange high-fives.The new Royals captain said Parag had taught even the experienced players, including himself, a few lessons. “He’s a terrific young kid,” Smith said. “He works very hard, he’s a fit and strong young kid. The way he batted, even in the first game that he played, he taught a lot of the experienced players a few lessons, including myself. He played with a really cool head, just came out and played with freedom.”He saw the ball, hit the ball and didn’t worry about anything.”On Parag’s bowling – full of tricks and variations – Smith said, “He’s also got terrific skills with the ball. He bowled really well against Chennai (Super Kings) and bowled really well here. He only started bowling the stuff that he’s been bowling three weeks ago, before that he was just a genuine offspinner. The kid learns very quickly, sign of a very good player, someone who has a bright future. There’s no doubt about that.”

The former team director was hired back by Cricket West Indies without an interview process

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Feb-2018Desmond Haynes was right. The West Indies opening great had publicly questioned the process behind Richard Pybus’ return to cricket in the West Indies as high performance director – a post newly created by Cricket West Indies (CWI). The much-travelled coach returns just over a year after he had left as team director.”It would be great to ask the [CWI] president [Dave Cameron] about this appointment and when was this position advertised,” Haynes posted on his Facebook account. The answer, ESPNcricinfo can confirm, is that it wasn’t: the post was not advertised and Cameron did have a direct hand in Pybus’ appointment, without interviewing any candidates.Haynes was not the only skeptic. Darren Sammy, the former West Indies captain who led during Pybus’ tenure as director, expressed disbelief at his return on Twitter. “Lies lies lies… Must be fake news,” Sammy tweeted on February 9. A day later, in response to a reply, he tweeted: “Well I’m still hoping that nightmare is not true #fakenews he’s not coming back at CWI.”Johnny Grave, the CWI chief executive, would not comment on Cameron’s role in the matter but confirmed that Pybus’ appointment was approved by the board of directors. “Everyone, including the senior management at CWI, is behind Pybus’ appointment,” Grave told ESPNcricinfo.According to Grave, Pybus was headhunted and the Englishman will play a consultant’s role, working about 200 days a year over a two-year contract. Pybus is expected to be the “bridge” between Jimmy Adams, the director of cricket and the man who succeeded him, and Graeme West, who is the manager at the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Antigua.”It is a strategic appointment,” Grave said. “It is a two-year consultancy role and it is specifically to do with establishing the HPC at the Coolidge Cricket Ground [in Antigua]. And ensuring the franchise-based Professional Cricket League that Richard set up four years ago becomes an even more elite, professional environment.”Grave believes that even though players from the Caribbean have professional contracts to play regional cricket, a lot of work remains in order to create the elite environment of the best domestic competitions overseas. Pybus’ extensive experience, including his previous stint in the West Indies, makes him, in CWI’s eyes, the right choice. “Richard is specifically coming in to work with our franchise teams, establishing the HPC in Antigua, and to allow us to produce better cricketers on the international stage,” Grave said.Pybus’ first stint with CWI, which ended in January 2017 after three years, was a controversial one. It was Pybus who made it mandatory for a player to participate in the domestic first-class and one-day cricket tournaments to qualify for selection for West Indies. Many senior players vehemently opposed the policy and instead opted to solely operate in overseas Twenty20 leagues.Pybus, who was recently shortlisted for coach by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, did not react to Sammy’s tweets, but did defend his track record in reply to Haynes.”Hi Desmond, as I’m a FB friend I presume it’s for my attention too,” Pybus posted on Facebook late on February 14. “To clarify a couple of points, I was invited by Bangladesh to go and meet their board, I didn’t apply or was shortlisted for any positions. I’ve coached for nearly 30 years, I started the junior provincial program[me] at Border [in South Africa] with Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini and Justin Kemp. Went on to set up the Border Academy and coach Border. Mark and Makhaya both played in that team. Coached Pakistan at two Cricket World Cups, including the final in ’99. Fast forward through nine championships won across all formats in South Africa, 3 x double in three consecutive years, Steyn, Morkel, du Plessis coming through those winning set-ups.”And although WICB [CWI] doesn’t seem to get much credit for the three World Cups [World T20, Women’s World T20 and Under-19 World Cup] won in 2016, they weren’t an accident, the U-19 and women were run by the HP program[me]. I wasn’t replaced by Jimmy, I’d declined an extension. Regards Richard.”

The Supreme Court of India has allowed the BCCI to release INR 1.33 crore per Test and INR 25 lakh per match to the state associations for hosting the final two Tests and the three ODIs and T20s next year

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Dec-2016The Supreme Court of India has allowed the BCCI to release INR 1.33 crore to the state associations of Mumbai and Tamil Nadu for hosting the final two Tests of the England series. The fourth Test starts in Mumbai on Thursday and the final match is scheduled from December 16.On Wednesday morning the BCCI filed a plea seeking funds to host the remaining matches of the England series after the court in its interim order of October 21 had curtailed the boards’s financial freedom by asking to “cease and desist” from disbursing any money to the state associations till they complied with the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. In November, the court had granted an amount of INR 58.66 lakh (USD 86,000 approx) for each of the first three Tests of the England series.On Wednesday, TS Thakur, the chief justice of India, told the BCCI that it would need to provide an elaborate list of expenses incurred during the five Tests, which he said would be audited. Thakur also rejected the BCCI’s request to release an amount of INR 3.79 crore as advance money for the limited-overs leg of the tour. Instead, the court allowed a maximum of INR 25 lakh per match for the three ODIs and three T20Is that will be played between January 15 and February 1.”We allow this application to the extent that the BCCI shall be free to incur an expenditure of Rs. 133.82 lakhs in connection with two test matches scheduled to be played with the English team. We also permit the BCCI to incur an expenditure up to Rs. 25 lakhs per 3 match for six matches scheduled to be played with the English team in the month of January and February, 2017,” the court order said.The BCCI had also asked the court to allow it to release funds to cater to expenses incurred by state associations hosting various domestic tournaments, but Thakur did not permit that.During the hearing, Lodha Committee secretary Gopal Sankaranarayanan observed that all the state associations hosting the England matches had incidentally refused to comply with the court’s order to implement the reforms in toto. Aksed if that would benefit these state associations, Sankaranarayanan said it would, considering the venues were getting ticket money and sponsorships.”We further direct that the BCCI shall file an affidavit indicating the total receipts on all counts in connection with the matches already played and those scheduled to be played and the share of receipts which has fallen to BCCI’s lot out of the total,” the court order said. “We make it clear that no part of the amount which we have authorised shall be handed over to the cricket associations whose stadia are used for playing the matches and that the amount shall be disbursed only by Account Payee’s cheque. Needless to say that proper accounts of the expenditure so incurred shall be maintained by the BCCI.”

The jury at Chris Cairns’ perjury trial has heard how the former New Zealand allrounder reacted with exasperation and anger when confronted by police with allegations of match-fixing

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2015The jury at Chris Cairns’ perjury trial has heard how the former New Zealand allrounder reacted with exasperation and anger when confronted by police with allegations of match-fixing.Cairns, who denies two counts of perjury and perverting the course of justice, relating to his 2012 libel action against Lalit Modi, listened to tapes of his statements to police in April and May 2014, in which he responded to allegations made by his former New Zealand team-mates Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum, as well as Eleanor Riley, Vincent’s ex-wife, all of whom have now given evidence in the trial at Southwark Crown Court.Cairns could be heard protesting on the tapes that the allegations had cost him work and left him in financial difficulties. He was especially angered by Riley’s recollection of a night out in Greater Manchester in 2008, in which she claimed that Cairns had attempted to calm her fears about her then-husband’s involvement in match-fixing by telling her that “everyone in India” was doing it.”Seriously? These are the accusations in regard to this?” Cairns told police in his statement. “This is why I can’t get money, this is why I can’t make a living? This is it?”I don’t want to seem like a whack job. I’ve been wracking my brains for months, I’ve been f**ked over.”Vincent, who has admitted to taking cannabis and medication to combat his depression following his axing from the New Zealand squad in 2007, had played under Cairns for Chandigarh Lions in the 2008 Indian Cricket League tournament.He was “always up and down, and that was without medication”, said Cairns, who claimed to have attempted to help his team-mate out during his time in the ICL, but that he had also had other players to worry about.Cairns and his fellow defendant, Andrew Fitch-Holland, are charged with perverting the course of justice after allegedly persuading Vincent to provide a false witness statement to support Cairns’ libel action against Modi. Cairns told police that Vincent had agreed to do it, but had indicated that he wanted payment in return.”He was looking for remuneration for providing something he felt would be helpful to me,” Cairns said. “He never said money, and I never said money, but without a shadow of a doubt we were talking about money.”The alleged approach, which was made in a Skype conversation in March 2011 that Vincent recorded, was played back to the court earlier in the trial.Fitch-Holland said he was unaware Vincent had “surreptitiously” taped the call, or that the player was involved in match-fixing, but did not accept that the tape served as evidence that he had been trying to obtain a false statement on behalf of Cairns, his then-client.At one point on the Skype call, Fitch-Holland tells Vincent: “we all know some of what is being said is clearly true”. This, he claimed, was a reference to Indian players who were involved in match-fixing in the ICL.”Lou Vincent is up to his neck in match-fixing and he’s trying to throw Chris Cairns under the bus … and I’m collateral damage,” Fitch-Holland said. “He is a self-confessed corrupt man and a liar.”McCullum, the current New Zealand captain, told the court last week how Cairns had called him to a meeting in a hotel room in Kolkata in 2008, ahead of the opening match of the Indian Premier League, at which he had raised the topic of spread betting over a room-service meal.Cairns, however, denied that any specific meeting had ever taken place.”I may have bumped in to him, there were a lot of the boys [New Zealand cricketers] in and out and around,” he said.Pressed on whether he had told McCullum “everyone was doing it [fixing]”, Cairns responded: “Brendon McCullum?”Asked if he’d told McCullum “not to miss out” on his chance to make money match-fixing, Cairms said “No. Brendon is misconstruing a discussion we might have been having. Baz is an inquisitive guy.”The trial continues.

When two wickets fell in three balls, Alastair Cook followed the last three overs courtesy of a running commentary by others in the dressing room

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland26-Mar-2013For most of the final day at Eden Park, Alastair Cook was tense but calm. However, when two wickets fell in three balls during the dying moments of the match, threatening to undo England’s attempts to salvage a draw, it become too much even for the England captain. He followed the last three overs courtesy of a running commentary by others in the dressing room although Monty Panesar’s brief innings brought some light relief.Cricketers are notoriously superstitious, especially in tight situations. As Ian Bell, Matt Prior and Stuart Broad pushed England closer to a draw Cook, whose role in the match ended when he was out on the fourth evening, stayed in the same seat until Broad edged to slip.”I was pretty good for the majority of it,” he said. “I watched 95 percent of it – the last 18 balls I didn’t watch, but I was having a running commentary. I sat in one place the whole day. Then we lost Broady, and I thought that position had run out of luck – so I thought I’d move.”The updates were provided by Jonathan Trott and Huw Bevan, the fitness trainer, and included some language you would not hear on TV or radio, especially when Panesar was sprawling towards his crease scampering a single to give Prior the strike.”There were a few ooh-arghs, and then a few expletives saying ‘What’s gone on there?’ Then we obviously had to sit and watch the replay and started laughing – probably the only thing you could do in that situation.”Jonathan Trott helped relay news of the last few overs to his captain, Alastair Cook•Getty Images

Watching England cling on for a draw was not a new feeling for Cook or, indeed, quite a few in the dressing room. The most famous also involved Panesar when he and James Anderson survived the final 69 deliveries against Australia at Cardiff in 2009. The following winter, Graham Onions twice batted out the final over against South Africa at Centurion and Cape Town.”With all of them, the tension is pretty much unbearable at the end,” Cook said. “Obviously, everyone remembers the Australia one – because of how important it was at the time. But there were the two in South Africa as well. This one, because it’s just happened, seems to bring back all those memories. It’s exactly the same feeling, exactly the same tension – people walking round, finding little spots to sit. It’s amazing what cricketers do in those situations.”However, while Cook could reflect with satisfaction on how England regained their pride on the final day and retained their No. 2 spot in the Test rankings with a series draw he could not escape the fact that in two out of three Tests his team had been distinctly second best.”Certainly, we came here to win,” he said. “So we’re disappointed we haven’t done that. We haven’t played as well as we needed to win a Test series. That’s the bottom line. We fought hard, but haven’t played as well as you need to beat anyone in international cricket. We’ve got to find out the reasons why that is and get back on that horse and get our standards higher.”We’ve got to give a lot of credit to New Zealand. They put us under a lot of pressure as well. It’s a combination of them playing well and us not playing as well as we know we can. We’ve just about managed to respond to the pressure, and hold on. But bowled out for 160 in the first innings in Dunedin and then here getting 200, on that wicket, is not good enough.”

The ECB’s anti-corruption chief has said a number of players have come forward to report possible match-fixing approaches

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2012Chris Watts, the ECB’s anti-corruption chief, has said a number of cricketers have come forward to report information linked to match-fixing. Players have taken advantage of the amnesty window for reporting incidents linked to corruption that was opened in the wake of the Mervyn Westfield trial.Westfield was sent to prison for four months in February, for accepting or obtaining corrupt payments as part of a spot-betting scam, prompting the ECB to allow players until the end of April to report any information they had previously witheld (it is an offence not to report approaches about corrupt activity).”It is a confidential reporting window but there have been some reports,” Watts told BBC Sport. “One of the reasons we put in the reporting window is to actually understand what is going on out there and what the vulnerabilities are. Once we understand that, then we can refine and fine-tune some of the preventive measures we’ve put in place.”One of the measures could be using Westfield to speak to other players about his experiences of spot-fixing. Westfield accepted £6,000 to concede 12 runs in an over playing for Essex against Durham in 2009 and could be used as part of the ECB’s education programme after his release.”He has got to be willing to do that. He did say publicly through his QC in his mitigation at his sentencing hearing that he wanted to give something back to cricket,” Watts told the . “He’s the one that has got to stand up and do it. He’s made those soundings on intent but whether they come to fruition is a matter for him.”He’s got the inside knowledge about his experience so to hear that would be very powerful. For other players to hear at first hand would be very powerful but he has got to want to do it himself.”Watts also indicated that for the first time off-field staff employed by the counties will be included in the education process, alongside players and support personnel such as coaches and physiotherapists.Watts took charge of the ECB’s new anti-corruption unit in November. He was previously a specialist in murder investigations at the Metropolitan Police. The anti-corruption unit is working with the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) to root out corruption in English cricket. The PCA has asked every professional player to complete an online tutorial about preventing corruption; they hope overseas players will also complete the tutorial.But the problem reaches beyond English cricket. PCA chief executive, Angus Porter, recently expressed his concerns over the organisation of the Bangladesh Premier League and whether sufficient anti-corruption measures were in place.Edited by Alan Gardner

Durham fast bowler Steve Harmison is likely to miss the next three County Championships games after suffering a cracked forearm

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2011Durham fast bowler Steve Harmison is likely to miss the next three County Championships games after suffering a cracked forearm. X-rays revealed a crack had occurred when Harmison was struck on the forearm during Durham’s first innings against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl last week. “Stephen, at the non-strikers end, was hit by a drive from Phil Mustard,” Durham coach Geoff Cook told . “He’s going to be two or three weeks before he can play again.”Harmison bowled just two deliveries during Hampshire’s first innings and did not bowl for the rest of the match. Durham’s next three games are against Yorkshire, Sussex and Warwickshire. The arm injury is the latest setback in the career of the 32-year-old seamer, who last played for England in the 2009 Ashes.

Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed that India and Sri Lanka will tour the country for a tri-series between May 28 and June 9 this year

Cricinfo staff16-Mar-2010

Itinerary

• May 28: Zimbabwe v India, Bulawayo

• May 30: India v Sri Lanka, Bulawayo

• June 1: Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka, Bulawayo

• June 3: Zimbabwe v India, Harare

• June 5: India v Sri Lanka, Harare

• June 7: Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka, Harare

• June 9: Final, Harare

• June 12: Zimbabwe v India, 1st Twenty20, Harare

• June 13: Zimbabwe v India, 2nd Twenty20, Harare

Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed that India and Sri Lanka will tour the country for a ODI tri-series between May 28 and June 9 this year. Each team plays the other twice before the final at the Harare Sports Club. India will stay back for two Twenty20 matches at the same venue on June 12 and 13.The announcement follows the postponement of New Zealand’s tour of the country over security issues. The tri-series kicks off with the home side taking on India at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, which will host the first three games.India last toured the country in 2005 for two Tests and a tri-series, also involving New Zealand. Sri Lanka last toured Zimbabwe in November 2008, sweeping the five-match ODI series. India are also likely to tour Sri Lanka in July and August for a proposed Test series and a tri-series involving New Zealand. The respective cricket boards are yet to finalise a schedule.

Cheteshwar Pujara also fires to help visitors finish day three with significant lead

Matt Roller04-Sep-20215:31

Laxman: Rohit’s adjustments more in his mindset than technique

It was worth the wait. Rohit Sharma’s first Test hundred away from home took India into a dominant position against England at The Oval, leaving them well-placed to push for a 2-1 lead in the series.Rohit shared partnerships of 83 and 153 for the first and second wicket with KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara, pressing on through the third morning after seeing out 16 overs on the second evening. He batted within himself for most of the day in gloomy, overcast conditions but moved from 94 to his hundred by swinging Moeen Ali for six over long-on.

Rahul fined for dissent

India opener KL Rahul was fined 15% of his match fee for violating the ICC Code of Conduct by showing dissent at an umpiring decision.
The incident occurred during the third day of the fourth Test, in the 34th over of India’s second innings, when Rahul showed dissent on being adjudged caught behind following a review. He was also handed one demerit point for the offence, his first in 24 months.
The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Alex Wharf, third umpire Michael Gough and fourth official Mike Burns. Rahul admitted to the Level 1 breach and accepted the penalty imposed by match referee Chris Broad, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

He was eventually dismissed in bizarre fashion, heaving a pull straight to long leg when Ollie Robinson dug the second new ball into the pitch, and when Robinson had Pujara caught in the slips via an inside edge into his back thigh five balls later, England were back in the game. But Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja – retaining his spot at No. 5 – battled through before bad light brought an early close shortly before 5.45pm local time.Rohit rode his luck at times, offering two chances to Rory Burns at second slip, but neither was taken. The first came on the second evening when he had made only six: he edged James Anderson into the cordon, but Burns appeared not to pick the ball up against the backdrop of the crowd and only realised it had come in his direction once it had brushed his foot on its way to the boundary.Rohit Sharma deposited one in the stands at long-on to get to his century•Getty Images

The second came on 31, when Ollie Robinson had him poking defensively at a wide-ish ball on a good length. Third slip had been moved into the covers shortly before, meaning Burns had to fling himself to his right; he could only get a fingertip to it, pushing it down towards third man.Anderson made the breakthrough shortly after Burns’ second drop, inducing an outside edge from Rahul. Rahul had started brightly, driving Chris Woakes down the ground for four and pulling him for six, but England bowled dry to stem the flow of runs. Anderson found a hint of movement away off the seam as Rahul came forward to defend; the on-field decision was not out, but the DRS showed a healthy outside edge.Related

• Rohit Sharma walks the tightrope to his hundred

• Stats – Rohit Sharma's first overseas Test century

Rahul gestured to the umpires that he had flicked his back pad with his bat on the way through, but replays confirmed the ball had hit the bat after that. England reviewed an lbw appeal shortly before lunch with Rohit on 42, but DRS confirmed it was an optimistic shout.Pujara started his innings brightly, admittedly helped by some loose bowling from England’s change bowlers, but had to overcome an injury scare shortly after lunch. He rolled his ankle turning at the non-striker’s end and underwent seven minutes of treatment from the physio with heavy strapping before resuming.Rohit punched Craig Overton off the back foot for two to bring up his fifty and Pujara continued to bat fluently, cutting two boundaries in the space of three balls off Overton – the second a deft, late upper-cut over the vacant gully region. Rohit cruised through the 90s, pulling Anderson for four and then bringing up his hundred with a straight six, celebrating in restrained style.Rohit’s comparative struggles overseas compared to in India have often been used as a stick to beat him with but this was further proof that he is still one of the best all-format players in the world. This was his third 50+ score in the series and his eighth Test hundred in all – three of them brought up with a six.Cheteshwar Pujara brings out the upper cut during his knock of 61•Getty Images

Pujara brought up his own half-century – his second in three innings – by steering Overton away behind square after tea, as England tried out a short-ball strategy with the second new ball looming to no great effect. The crowd were subdued, with the partnership extending past 150 as Moeen and Root’s offbreaks were milked.But Robinson struck twice in the first over bowled with the new ball to change the complexion of the day and enliven the crowd. The first was an innocuous ball, a back-of-a-length loosener which hardly got up above waist-height, which Rohit inexplicably pulled straight to long leg; five balls later, Pujara was cramped for room playing off the back foot and inside-edged to third slip via the back thigh, given out on review.Jadeja walked out to join Kohli, keeping his position at No. 5 after his surprise promotion in the first innings, and the pair saw India through to the close with Kohli again looking in superb form, creaming two cover drives away for four. They will resume with a lead of 171 on the fourth morning and while the pitch appears to have flattened out, India will be much the happier side overnight.