Good morning and welcome to day four of our live blog of the third Test between India and England. Ben Duckett was good value on Radio Five on Saturday morning, saying that England are undaunted by chasing down whatever it is that the hosts set them: “the more the better. They can have as many as they want and we’ll go and get them,” said the first-innings centurion. It puts me in mind of the old joke about a minister seeing nuns putting petrol in a car via a bedpan and saying “Sisters, I may not share your religion but I do admire your faith”.
England are already 322 runs behind and India still have eight wickets in hand as day four begins. Seems to me that India can cook England any way they want to: fast or slow, or start them in the slow cooker and finish them off on a high heat. With two full days left, India could make England labour until tea today, or wallop them around. Obviously England could produce something sensational with the ball but they’re going to be set 400 at a bare minimum and you’d have to say it doesn’t feel likely. I guess the absence of Ravichandran Ashwin is a bit of a straw to cling on to but India have the bowling, and England have the out-of-form batters, to make a huge chase on day four seem highly unlikely.
But before England get to bat, India will resume on 196/2 with Shubman Gill on 65* and Kuldeep Yadav, promoted up the order to bat five, keeping him company on 3*. Yashasvi Jaiswal had retired hurt on day three with 104* to his name so he could resume at some point if his back’s okay. Play will start at 4am UK time and will go on until around half eleven this Sunday morning.