240 I would say. 275 would be 2/1 India.
28 overs, 59 runs, 3 wickets.
Neither side would be too satisfied with that.
I think India are just putting themselves into a stronger and stronger position. Sure, England could chase 300+, but they haven’t looked like doing so so far, and they’ve been fragile under pressure. India could declare now and I still think they’d win.
Great effort by Pant. Playing sensibly as required by the circumstances.
What is India’s strategy here? Aren’t they in danger of not leaving England enough time to get all out?
I’m assuming England’s play is to go slow and careful, not worry about runs and push for the draw?
Or is this Yank just not getting the finer points…
And @penultima_thule - Got your postcard! Super cool! One will be headed back your way soon!
120 overs should be plenty to bowl them out. If England can bat out 120 overs they’d probably be able to chase 300.
If the weather is the same tomorrow, this almost looks like an easy chase for England; notwithstanding that it would be their highest ever.
It will not be an easy chase, but getting to the close today without losing a wicket will have helped. I am very glad they do not have Ashwin.
90 overs to get 291 is over 3 an over, and they might struggle with that.
Just over 3.2 in fact. So far this innings, England’s RR is 2.4, so they would need a 33% increase in RR to catch. To this newbie, that says they’ll either have to take more chances or stay super-conservative and hope to have wickets in hand when time is called.
I, personally, would have my 1-2-3 guys get aggressive early. If they eat into the lead substantially, keep it rolling. If they get bounced quickly, go conservative and hope for the best.
But all of that is probably wrong. 
You underestimate, with modern T20 thinking, how fast you can score with wickets in hand.
I haven’t heard any reports that the pitch is starting to seriously misbehave. In which case ENG are about as well placed as they could be, given IND have banked about 100 runs more than they should.
If ENG were no more than 2 down, chasing 150 in the last session would be doable. No fielding restrictions is a limitation but if India start to set deep, defensive fields and the target becomes manageable with singles and the odd boundary then Kholi will become progressively more unspooled and start moving the field to cut off the last boundary.
It’s still a very big chase.
It is a big chase, but to paraphrase @Cumbrian from further up this thread, if a team anywhere is ever going to chase a total like that, it’ll be under the following conditions:
- Enough time
- Good batting weather
- Pitch not doing much
Add to that “playing an opposition who decided not to use their world class spinner” and the chances are as good as they’re going to get.
On the pessimist side
- It’s still a very big chase
- Hameed and Burns have to start again this morning
- India have a chance to regroup and get some plans made
- This is a classic “add two wickets to the score and see how good you think it is then” situation
They’ve put on 15 in the first 7 and I don’t expect them to accelerate much unless they get to lunch at something like 135-0 (having put on 58 in 26). Then they will feel comfortable being more positive.
But my cricketing nous is a running joke among my friends, so….
From the overnight to now, the odds on India winning have gone down slightly, England win down from 5-2 to 11-2, and the draw has gone from 4-5 to 8-13.
The pitch must be really dead.
With Hameed and Pope falling quickly ENG now 4-146 I think the win is probably gone and likely the draw too.
Good game but runs from the much undaunted IND tail have been the difference.
Ironically a counterattack by Bairstow might be the best hope here.
(See my previous declaration about my cricketing brain)
Perfect timing.
This is my one issue with test matches. All that careful planning and preparation for every ball, and matches are so often decided by tail-enders slogging away.
Funny how easily hope evaporates
Some thoughts, after India wrap up a relatively easy win -
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Lack of variety in England’s attack. Vaughan was banging on about this, but he’s right - once the pitch flattened out and there was no movement, England’s attack looked toothless. I hope Wood plays the next game, and maybe even Leach.
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England’s batting still can’t handle pressure. They go a first innings lead here, yes, but India then went on to show how many England could have got. A score of 350-400 would have taken India out of the game, and that is not a massive first innings total.
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England’s catching has been poor all summer.
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India didn’t need Ashwin after all.
I think Kohli’s captaincy and selection has been fully vindicated.
His decision not to declare.
Decision to play Thakur instead of Ashwin. Two fifties and 3-76 is a pretty good return for a #8. India probably lose this match without either of those two knocks.