Key events
74th over: India 193-3 (Gill 90, Washington 4) A punch wide of mid-on for two by Washington, two close fielder crouching either side of the stumps. Drifts wide, and Washington defends awkwardly.
73rd over: India 191-3 (Gill 90, Washington 2) We now have injured Stokes v injured Gill, both playing at the highest level. Both survive the rest of the over.
“I think you’re being over-generous calling Stokes’ haircut a mullet,” says Boyce. It’s more of a David Lynch swept back thing, nothing over the collar of his shirt. Thommo’s was a proper mullet, and a helluva bowling action too, maybe where Jasprit took his inspiration from ? “Knock ‘is f**kin’ ‘ead off” Thommo was the fastest I ever saw live. We could do with some of his spikiness today, eh ?”
Injury for Gill
A horrible ball from Stokes explodes up and hits Gill first on the bottom hand, then into the helmet. Gill immediately pulls away and shakes his finger in obvious pain. The physios comes out and everyone takes a break – I think he’ll be ok to continue.
72nd over: India 191-3 (Gill 89, Washington 2) Dawson has his left hander. England have left the covers open, says Ponting, to encourage Washington Sundar to drive and the ball to dart through. He doesn’t take the bait.
71st over: India 190-3 (Gill 89, Washington 2) No Pant, but a chance for Washington Sundar to sew his shadow to Old Trafford. Stokes continues to bowl magic beans, but grimaces in pain again at the end of the over that broke the partnership and the end of a wonderful innings by Rahul.
WICKET! Rahul lbw Stokes 90 (India 188-3)
Rahul is walking before the umpire has even risen his finger. Stokes with more magic, a nasty, brutish ball that keeps low, jags in and traps Rahul like an American CEO in the spotlight.
70th over: India 188-2 (Rahul 90, Gill 89) An appeal for caught behind against Rahul – Dawson wants it, Root agrees, Smith looks unsure. Stokes goes for it, but the hunch was wrong – the noise was from a brush of the pad. That’s England’s final review burned. In this match – ten reviews have been taken but only one overturned. Advantage (and congratulations) umpires.
69th over: India 183-2 (Rahul 89, Gill 85) Stokes has one more – wisely or not, I wouldn’t dare say. This time he seems to be clutching at his right hamstring as he bowls, and massaging his right shoulder as he walks back to his mark. Still causing all sorts of problems though, until the last, when Gill nudges him behind for the first boundary of the day.
Hello Dan! “Less a hunch than a dream maybe, because I could happily watch Gill and KL driving in the arc all day long, so I’ll go for a draw at the expense of my allegiance.”
Agreed, they are fabulous to watch.
68th over: India 180-2 (Rahul 89, Gill 85) Another careful, probing, twisting over from Dawson.
66th over: India 180-2 (Rahul 89, Gill 82) Ooooof! A drop! It would have been an amazing catch – Ollie Pope at cover leaps, seemingly six foot off the ground, gets two hands to a rich Gill drive, but parries it to the ground. Stokes, tips his head to the sky. And at the end of his over massages, massages his shoulder.
66th over: India 179-2 (Rahul 89, Gill 81) Rahul patiently plays through a Dawson over.
”Is it a bit (or lot) of schadenfreude that SKY have Ponting on their team and keep asking him about 2005 Ashes?” asks Anand.
“I know this because, come every world cup, Kapil catching Viv in ‘83 runs non- stop and the Great Viv is asked about that one shot!”
Ha! I guess he knows what he has coming! But also, Old Trafford was, he says, his greatest innings. So bitter-sweet I suppose.
65th over: India 177-2 (Rahul 87, Gill 81) In he runs from the Jimmy Anderson end – looking outrageously fit and bowling up at 86mph. He’s following through a long way, points out my companion on the sofa, so he’s being careful. And there, with a two, Gill goes past 700 runs for the series, averaging a perfectly formed 100.00. Then a huge lbw shout against Gill, looks tasty, jags back quickly, keeping horribly low – but going down leg. Immediately, Stokes is a threat.
64th over: India 175-2 (Rahul 87, Gill 79) With a puff of dust, Gill pushes Dawson away into the leg side. We get a close view of the crease, dotted like day old stubble. Just a single from the over, and then ginger haired man with a mullet hands his jumper and his cap to the umpire…
As the players skip out, there’s a decent enough crowd but still spaces if you’ve got a spare day and £26 in your pocket (£6 for juniors).
As the punters settle into their seats, climb the skeleton steps to the party stand, what is your OBO hunch? I love these final days.
“The anticipation is such a buzz,” writes Dean Kinsella, “I love the photo of OT in the sunshine but the sky looks like some kind of AI intervention. Perhaps AI is what it might take to separate the two fine batters at the crease.”
An AI Ben Stokes is a terrifying prospect.
Last question: “who is going to be England’s principle spinner for the the first Test of the Ashes”? asks Athers. Shoaib Bashir, says Ali.
Can Liam Dawson change that narrative today?
Hello there, Andrew Goudie.
“Yes, it’s the 20th anniversary of that Ashes series, but I’ve had enough of Sky telling me how popular cricket was with everyone back in 2005. I wonder why people didn’t watch so much live cricket on TV after that?”
ouch.
Enjoying watching our Ali Martin discussing the papers on Sky in a maroon carpeted conference room at OT. Very interesting on Stokes and his captaincy – no croissants though, like there used to be on Cricket writers on TV.
“Good morning Tanya,” Lovely to hear from you Ram!
“We are on the way to OT. Quite a murky morning . Don’t think there’s any mercy or miracle in store for India. Could be a walk in the park for the bowlers. However India anything better than/= 3-1 scoreline is a better result for this inexperienced/injury prone India.”
Hope you have a lovely time. And I reckon it might be closer than you think, this Old Trafford pitch has been a tricky old beast for bowlers in the Championship. And there is rain possible at lunchtime…plus I do think that Rahul and Gill could bat on and on.
Sky play through some highlights of Gill’s innings yesterday – he strikes the ball like beams of sunshine on a lake.
The latest pitch report: “It looks like day one,” says Mel, “if a little bit lighter and with general wear and tear. The pitch will get a little slower. Ravi says Dawson has to occasionally bowl slower and wider, and then hope to get the Indian left handers in.
Ben Stokes bowls!
News! Ben Stokes has been spotted bowling this morning in his maroon warm-up top: ”gentle, but moving more freely than yesterday” in the words of Ian Ward.
And a lovely piece on England’s captain fantastic by Taha:
Something to mull over…
No team, including England, has managed to bat 100 overs in the 3rd innings at Old Trafford in the last 23 years…
— Abhishek AB (@ABsay_ek) July 27, 2025
Preamble
Hello! A wishy-washy but dry dawn at Old Trafford, and if the buzz isn’t quite as buzzy as it was in 2005, there’s definitely a retro vibe in the air. Then Lancs were charging £10 a ticket, this time it’s £25, then England’s biggest immovable object was Ricky Ponting, this time is is the glorious Rahul/Gill double act.
In a game where the new ball has done most of the talking, England will be counting down the 17 overs till they get a shiny and new Kookaburra Dukes. Will Pant bat? Will Stokes bowl? All this and more when play starts at 11am. Do join us!
