England V India: Fourth Men’s Cricket Test, Day One – Live

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It’s overcast successful Manchester – [insert gag here]. I retrieve staying successful Broughton Park pinch my gran arsenic a young kid and noting that a) it was ever raining and b) nan chat was ever astir who’d died recently. I’ve been much popular.

Otherwise, nan transportation looks for illustration it’s beautiful dry, truthful location should beryllium a spot of uneven bounce and possibly thing for nan spinners later; nan outfield is lush, truthful boundaries mightiness beryllium harder than accustomed to travel by. Stuart Broad would bat but thinks Ben Stokes will want to bowl.

Preamble

It’s been 17 hours and 8 agelong days since you took your emotion distant …. aaah aaah aaah aaah aaaaaaah. But we sewage done it, flowers that we planted successful nan backyard contriving not to dice – chiefly because we didn’t really works them to statesman with. Clever, eh?

Earlier this week, we learned that sports sum is to beryllium prescribed connected nan NHS for group struggling pinch slump – a move that makes cleanable sense. Sport is organization and athletics is company; athletics is communicative and athletics is inspiration; athletics is joyousness and athletics is love.

As it happens, nan specified endeavour was football, but that only lasts 90 minutes. On nan different hand, we person successful beforehand of america a afloat 5 days successful which our world ascends, expands and intensifies. The elemental truth of being america is better; truthful overmuch better.

And that’s moreover earlier we see nan peculiar brilliance of this series, now animated pinch prize needle. Somehow, England clasp a 2-1 lead contempt having mislaid much days and sessions than they’ve won, a hardened squad increasing astatine important moments, revelated by nan funny conception that winning thumps losing.

India, meanwhile, are – connected nan look of things – successful trouble, needing to triumph nan past 2 matches to return nan series, shorn of nan injured Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy. But wherever there’s Jasprit there’s hope, and nan transportation astatine Old Trafford mightiness conscionable beryllium successful their favour: if it’s dead, arsenic has been nan measurement this season, it’ll favour nan fastest bowlers and champion spinners; if it’s a much accustomed OT way pinch bounce and turn, it’ll favour nan fastest bowlers and champion spinners. Nor should it beryllium forgotten that, aft nan achy nonaccomplishment astatine Headingley, India retorted by clobbering England astatine Edgbaston and now, fired by a consciousness of unity and injustice, they will beryllium coming to get it, trying to person nosy nary matter what they do.

Test cricket, thing compares to you.

Play: 11am BST