India v England, 2nd Test, Day 4 LIVE – Fast-scoring England stumble in hunt for 399

TNT Sports have the rights to broadcast this full series in the UK, so tune in to TNT Sports and discovery+ right now to see the day’s play unfold.

England require 234 runs to win

England need a partnership here, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to stop playing shots, and Bairstow drives beautifully to put Axar away for four.

The bowler fires back with a turner that beats the outside edge next ball.

England require 243 runs to win

It’s a maiden for Ashwin, who is one wicket away from his 500th in Test cricket.

England require 243 runs to win

The original Bazball batting superstar Jonny Bairstow is out in the middle with Crawley, with a rebuild required.

They take two off Axar’s latest over.

England require 245 runs to win

Joe Root caught by Axar Patel bowled Ravichandran Ashwin for 16 (10b)

What an odd innings from Joe Root. Is he more significantly injured than we thought? Or has he just attacked too much?

He looks to heave Ashwin away for six into the leg side and top-edges a skier that Axar Patel catches. England are on the ropes now, it’s a long way to get to 399 from here.

England require 250 runs to win

Root has come out with huge attacking intent and he charges Axar and unleashes a big drive that flies over long-off and all the way for six.

Axar almost gets his man off the last ball of the over, reviewing an lbw that catches Root pad first, but the decision was not out and the England batter survives on DRS thanks to umpire’s call on impact.

England require 259 runs to win

Ollie Pope caught by Rohit Sharma bowled Ravichandran Ashwin for 23 (21b)

India get the wicket that they so wanted to halt the England momentum and it’s a brilliant catch from Rohit at first slip to remove Pope.

The India skipper throws up his left hand to grab an edge as Pope looks to cut Ashwin off the back foot, and he holds on.

The players take drinks with Joe Root heading out to the crease.

England are three down and they still have a long way to go, but Root starts with a bang, reverse-sweeping twice for four in his first three balls, with the second giving some hope to Rohit at slip but racing away to the boundary.

England require 267 runs to win

Axar is kept on and Pope shimmies down to one and drives to the long-on boundary, just beating the fielder on the rope.

India’s faces suggest that Sir Alastair Cook was right… they are a bit ‘scared’ of Bazball.

It’s incredible really that India are concerned about this situation, with so many runs still to get in a chase that would break all records. But it’s clear that they are a bit worried.

England require 273 runs to win

England did well to get through that testing first spell from Bumrah, and they will undoubtedly have more challenges against India’s strike bowler later in the day, especially if there’s any sign of reverse swing.

Spin at both ends continues, and the dangerous Ashwin yields just one single from a tidy over.

England require 274 runs to win

Axar continues and so does the flow of runs for England.

Crawley brings up his half century with a lovely shot, lofting the left-armer back over his head and away to the boundary.

And Pope gets in on the act with a sweep to the role and a glance to the fine leg boundary, as 13 runs come off the over.

England require 287 runs to win

Ravichandran Ashwin gets a first bowl of the day and his first over is an entertaining one.

Pope comes down the trick and doesn’t control a drive, squirting it in the air and wide of midwicket.

And Ashwin is convinced he’s got Pope next up, getting one to bounce and beating a reverse-sweeping Pope. It looks like it catches something and is superbly caught by Bharat, but Rohit opts against the review and wisely so. Replays show that the ball didn’t take an edge or glove.

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England require 290 runs to win

England haven’t used the sweep as much in this Test, but Pope does get the reverse-sweep out of the bag and plays it well, angling Axar away for four more.

England require 294 runs to win

The 100 comes up for England with a nudge into the leg side by Crawley for two off Bumrah, which also brings the required runs down under 300.

That target of 399 is still an extremely long way off, especially on a worn pitch against an attacking of this quality. But England will be happy enough with the start they’ve made to this fourth-innings effort.

Crawley reads one that swings back into the pads and he plays a beautiful shot through midwicket and all the way for four.

Bumrah beats the outside edge with the last ball of the over and comes down the pitch for a bit of a word with the England batter.

England require 300 runs to win

Rehan Ahmed lbw to Axar Patel for 23 (31b)

There’s a life for Rehan, as Axar gets one to grip and turn and a thick edge offers a chance to a diving Rohit at first slip. He gets fingertips to what would have been a superb catch, but can’t take it and the ball runs away the boundary.

But Axar does get his man, and it’s so plumb that Rehan starts to leave the crease almost before the finger goes up. He rocks back looking to whip one through the leg side, misses the ball, and is hit straight in-front. Rehan’s 23-run effort up the order comes to an end and India have their breakthrough.

Replays suggest that might have been pretty close on impact, but it felt out and Rehan wasn’t about to risk burning a review in such a scenario. Television says it would have been umpire’s call on impact, so Rehan would have had to go anyway.

Ollie Pope is the new batter and starts in style, driving a loose Axar delivery away through the covers for four.

England need to reach 399 if they are to win this second Test, with nine wickets in hand and 91 of those runs already knocked off.

If they were to do it then it would be the highest successful fourth-innings run-chase by any team ever in Indian conditions.

To put it in further context, no visiting team has got within 100 runs of such a target.

England require 308 runs to win

Bumrah searches for a yorker and spears one down leg side, which curves out of the reach of the keeper and away for four byes.

And Crawley draws a burst from the Barmy Army’s trumpet when he leans into one of those trademark drives, timing it beautifully down the ground to put Bumrah away for four more.

Eight runs come from the over.

England require 316 runs to win

It’s been a steady start to the day for England and Crawley prods Axar to mid-off for a single to keep the scoreboard steadily ticking over.

England require 317 runs to win

Bumrah gets a real crack at Rehan, which is the scenario India would have been hoping for this morning, and he has him in trouble straight away as he probes the line outside off stump, finding an edge that drops short of gully.

He’s getting the ball to talk this morning, and a big seaming delivery suggests there’s going to be some movement on offer all day from the cracks on this ageing pitch.

But young Rehan survives and it’s another maiden for Bumrah.

England require 317 runs to win

Rehan goes on the attack against Axar, swiping him away into the leg side for a boundary off the first ball of the over.

And he follows it up by drilling an over-pitched ball to the rope before knocking a single to get off strike.

His captain looks very happy with this from Rehan, as he watches on from the balcony.

England require 326 runs to win

Bumrah continues and beats Crawley twice in the over. He really is a phenomenal bowler, the best Test quick in the world.

But Crawley gets in a counter-punch as he creams a drive through the covers to finish the over with a beauty of a boundary.

England require 330 runs to win

It’s Axar Patel who takes the ball at the other end to start the day, with Rehan Ahmed, promoted up to number three as the ‘nighthawk’ on strike.

He’s going to play shots early on, that’s his role here, and he almost lofts a catch straight to mid-on first all.

But a punch to cover gets him going in the session with a single, and Crawley follows suit.

TNT Pundit and former England captain Sir Alastair Cook spoke of his surprise at India’s caution on day three, saying it showed that they fear England.

“This is the effect of Bazball,” Cook said, in conversation with Kate Mason and Steven Finn in the TNT Sports studio.

“I think we saw the effect in the last session there. I can’t remember an Indian side, ever, with last four or five overs to go, not having anyone around the bat to their spinners.

“Not to have a short leg or a silly point, it’s almost mind-boggling, the effect this has had on the opposition.

“No other side has got anywhere near this (target) on the subcontinent.

“Because of that impact that Stokes and this England team have had on world cricket, sides are so scared of the runs that they’re scoring, they’re not doing it. England are having it easy.”

England require 332 runs to win

There’s a hint of moisture in the air, as there tends to be in the first hour in Vizag. Anderson took advantage of those conditions with a beautiful spell early on yesterday, and unsurprisingly it’s Bumrah who opens things up for India today.

Crawley blocks him out for a maiden, only having to play one ball.

England were making all the right noises ahead of today’s play, despite being faced with a fourth-innings target that no team in history has ever chased in India. Here’s what James Anderson had to say about the state of the game yesterday:

“We feel we’re running the game,” Anderson told TNT Sports.

And he doubled down on the messaging in his press conference after yesterday’s play, saying:

The players are out in the middle and we’re ready for a fourth day that should provide plenty of entertainment whichever way the momentum swings.

TNT Sports have the rights to broadcast this full series in the UK, so tune in to TNT Sports and discovery+ right now to watch the start of the day’s play.

England will resume on 67-1, still needing 332 to win this second Test on a wearing pitch against one of the world’s best bowling attacks.

The only reason so many people think this game is still live is because of what Bazball England have done in the last couple of years.

But they are certainly making confident noises head of day four, and if they win it from here it will surely eclipse last week’s win in Hyderabad as the best of the Ben Stokes era, and one of the best in England’s history.

Good morning and welcome to live updates of day four of the second Test between India and England in Visakhapatnam.

We’ll bring you over-by-over coverage of the day’s play, with live coverage also available on TNT Sports and discovery+ throughout the morning.

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