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Yeah but it's hardly a biggie - IMO anyway. Cricket ain't a dynamic sport and there's no reason why the fourth umpire shouldn't be able to overrule and make the correct decision where necessary. Anyway to the current Test, the Aussies have the upper hand altho' looking at bet365 the majority of punters would seem to disagree as India are currently at a shorter price - draw shorter odds than either team winning sensibly.

Great ODI between England & Windies yesterday - shows it doesn't always have to be crash, bang, wallop! Meanwhile back in Test Cricket India have fought their way back into the Second Test, currently 33 ahead of Australia with 3 wickets down in their second Innings.

Australia vs India - 2nd Test at Bengaluru Stumps: Day 1 India 189 Australia 40/0 (16.0 ov) Woke up to find it had been another good day for Australia in the subcontinent. ****************** West Indies lost the first ODI against England last night - looking increasingly like the Windies will be outwith the Top 8 for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.

Nice to see Australia overturning the perceived wisdom that the series was a foregone conclusion.

New ball available in an over and a bit. Sixteen Candles overs to go and three wickets left. ********** My mistake, India will bowl more than the minimum requirements, that's why it's important to keep the scoreboard ticking over - it eats up time. New ball taken and Rashid's out even as I type, I suppose it eats up a few minutes, though not in a good way for England. Broad used to have aspirations to be a proper all rounder - can he turn the clock black and save England? ********** Last man in............... Last man out - ouch!

Big day tomorrow for England. Secure a draw and a 3-0 defeat away from home and on pitches prepared to suit India is not a disgrace but lose and the positives will be less easy to find. Cast your mind back to India's 2014 Tour of England - they drew the First Test, won the Second at Lords (the last neutrally prepared pitch in the world!) and lost the last three by increasing margins on pitches designed for English seamers (although IIRC Ali had a good series as good as any of the Indian spinners trusting to memory here so don't slate me too hard if I'm wrong). For me this is a fairly similar scenario, where the touring side was sussed and eventually worn down in unfamiliar conditions.

Feel England should try to bat positively tomorrow. They're 269 behind and although that will take them most of the day, maybe all of it on a fifth day pitch, I reckon they've more chance of getting a draw if they play a few shots rather than just occupying the crease.

FFS - Jadeja out with Nair on 299 and 1 ball left in the over which Nair will face as the batsmen crossed! Edit - No run! One less over for England tonight. Editx2 - That's the triple and the declaration leaving England with 5 overs to face tonight. **************** England must be feeling demoralized after posting a decent First Innings total but the Test is still saveable if they bat well.

Yeah I think Kohli is more interested in letting him get a triple century than winning the current Test - might turn out to be a let off for England.

Yes - India 666/6 even as I type! ************** On a more serious note - if/when England are put in before close of play (12 overs currently left taking off 2 for the Innings changeover) and a coupla wickets fall Buttler should come in ahead of Ali, Bairstow or Stokes.

Close but not quite for Pakistan, Smith's declaration turned out to be a bit more sporting than he thought. ******************************** Meanwhile back in Chennai India have taken the lead and look to be pushing the score along - batting to come for India and to state the bleedin' obvious it could be a tricky final session for England out there after a long, long time spent in the field.

Yeah kinda forgot about him - Leach would have been a brave selection, a strong finish to the season on some spin friendly tracks (although that was always going to be the case in the subcontinent too) he was playing 2nd XI cricket as recently as July. Maybe it would have been better to go for a guy on a streak for the big team rather than take the safe option of putting him in the Lions. ************* Disappointing finish to the Test from England's POV this morning losing their last 4 wickets for just 13 runs. I don't see them winning the last Test (don't see them getting a dead rubber bounce away from home) but making India bat again would have given them something positive to take out of the Test other than Jenning's century.

England's 400 First Innings total was the bare minimum they should have got on that pitch - all of the top six got into double figure but only Jennings went past 50. When you get in on subcontinent pitches you have to score big to win Tests. Decent innings by Buttler but like I said in the previous Test if picked solely as a batsman he should be played in the Top 4. My personal opinion is that Root is adequate for the third spinner job, there is no other English spinner whose ability is screaming out to be included in the team. Having said that Cook again showed that when Plan A doesn't work he doesn't have the Machiavellian instincts of a great captain. Unless England can skittle the last three wickets cheaply tomorrow morning it's gonna be a tough Second Innings for them.

Unimaginative captaincy by England once more - with Hameed injured they should've moved Buttler up the order. After hard stints in the field Bairstow and Stokes could've done with a bit of protection. Hard to see anything else but another convincing win for India.

Close of Play: Day 2 England 283 India 271/6 (84.0 ov) ************** All to play for, India should manage a first Innings lead but they'll have to bat last. If you're only gonna give Batty 5 overs it might have been better having Root as the third spinner, even if he was just bowling to a defensive field, and play another batsman, although the obvious flaw in that plan is that England don't have another they trust.

Another option I've seen mentioned would be to let Buttler open with a license to attack, if it doesn't work then you've got Hameed coming in at No.3 - not a great option, but possibly the least bad one.

Moving down under SA cap'n Du Plessis has been fined his entire match fee for ball tampering in the second Test. Edit - Faf finds out who shopped him!

Would be the second highest winning total in a fourth Innings IIRC.

Shows how much I know! Test firmly in India's favour.

I'd disagree with you over that and more importantly I reckon Alastair Cook would too, we're approaching 80 overs and of the spinners only Rashid's had a decent bowl - Ali's just been brought on for a pre new ball cameo. Turning into a mirror image of the First Test when England finished the first day on 311/4. As ever in the subcontinent it'll probably be a runfest until the last two days and we see how much the pitch deteriorates. I find something comforting that apart from the run rate being closer to 3.5 rather than 2.5 this Test probably isn't that different from many of those played 30/40 years ago. ******************* Edit - Ansari gets a bowl too as Cook's not taken the new ball straight away it's turning into one of those quiet passages you get in Test matches with the batsmen looking to go in, not out (I'm sure there's a joke in there). Ooops, there's the 300 up! Second Edit - Cook should have had a gully in for the nightwatchman - 7 balls before close of play and obviously looking to protect Kohli from the last over. Missed a chance to go in almost evens, gully in now for Broad but there's no way Ashwin will be looking for a single in the final over.

Great result for cricket! Bangladesh were already a danger in the shorter formats but it's great to have another country capable of competing in Tests. No doubt a mid-May Test at Headingly is being pencilled in for retaliation even as I type............

I'm not so sure the questioning at the inquest is that misguided, Hughes' weakness facing shortpitched bowling was well known as far back as his international career began. England certainly targeted him this way in the 2009 Ashes series and after losing his place two Tests into that series he was always on the fringes of the Australian team. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/5751588/The-Ashes-England-bowlers-will-target-Phillip-Hughes-with-bouncers-warns-Simon-Katich.html For me he was the archetypal player who was going to get injured by a bouncer - not quite top class as a batsman, aggressive in the way he played the game so the he was more likely to try and attack his way out of this type of bowling than use evasive tactics (Mike Gatting and Phil Simmons are two others that spring to mind). Obviously what happened was a tragedy that no-one wanted but if the alleged sledging did occur it was pretty tasteless. How far to you go to win?

Cans of worms being opened at the Inquest into Phillip Hughes death. http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/1061630.html http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/1061224.html

Well, that was a bit of a turnaround!