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Aha! Ali Martin\u2019s report is with us:<\/strong><\/p>\n Which means we\u2019re done here. Thanks all for your company and comments, sorry I couldn\u2019t use them all \u2013 we\u2019ll see you at the Oval. It\u2019ll come quicker than you think, I promise.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.05 EDT<\/p>\n THERE’S BEEN A DEVELOPMENT IN BASEL!<\/p>\n Goodness me, Chloe Clutch-Kelly with the cross, and what an eader from Alessia Russo!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n On Sky, they\u2019re rhapsodising Joe Root, who now sits between Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting on the list of all-time Test-match run-scorers.<\/strong> It\u2019s amazing really \u2013 there was a time when Smith, Williamson and Kohli, the other greats of the era, looked to have left him behind, his difficulty in converting fifties the major difference \u2013 but post-Covid and especially since relinquishing the captaincy, he\u2019s somehow, in his 30s, improved by several order of magnitude. It\u2019s so unreal that, if doping helped batsmanship, you\u2019d be suspicious, but the only drug he\u2019s taken is his own genius.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that Bumrah has had a couple of days off already;<\/strong> I can\u2019t see a situation in which he\u2019s not demanding to play, unless he\u2019s really hurt. India need to take 20 wickets, hard enough with him, never mind without \u2013 he\u2019s not had a great series and most of his wickets have been tailenders \u2013 but he remains the best bowler in the world, and England would love him to be absent \u2013 on a pitch that should help him more than any of the others we\u2019ve seen in the series.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Player of the match is \u2026 again, Benjamin Andrew Stokes for his 141 and six wickets.<\/strong> I\u2019d have gone for Jadeja, but fair enough. He\u2019s give the award back for the win, of course, but asked how his body is he can only laugh; he asks his players to run through brick walls, so it\u2019s incumbent upon him to do the same. \u201cPretty sore,\u201d he concludes.<\/p>\n He then explains further that, getting through the overs, things catch up with you and, \u201cas I keep saying to the bowlers, \u2018pain is only an emotion\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, on England\u2019s inability to force the win, he says that it was difficult for the right-handers, but the two lefties put together a brilliant partnership, so credit to them.<\/p>\n On England\u2019s batting, he praises Crawley and Duckett for giving them the start they needed \u2013 the plan was to bat once \u2013 but ultimately two very good teams are playing excellent cricket, throwing punches at each other, and he always knew the quality India had, if they could get themselves in, they\u2019d be hard to dislodge.<\/p>\n Asked about offering the draw, he says the batters played incredibly well but he wasn\u2019t going to risk his bowlers, explaining that Dawson was cramping, so he had to go with part-timers.<\/p>\n Finally, England will have to recover, assess things, and then make the call about who plays at the Oval.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Gill looks seriously smug, and he\u2019s really proud of his side; he should also be really proud of his hairline.<\/strong> India wanted to take the game as deep as possible, he explains, then asked about not taking the handshake, he says it was left up to the boys in the middle and both were in the 90s, so.<\/p>\n Every day and every match he learns something different about captaincy but also the group are learning and, told he\u2019s there with Bradman and Gavaskar as having captained and made three tons in the series, he says it never matters what you\u2019ve done, just what you\u2019re doing in the moment.<\/p>\n In the first innings, he laments batters getting set but not going deep to take the game away, but is really pleased with the second innings. Then, asked about Bumrah at the Oval, he says we\u2019ll have to see, and finally asked if he\u2019ll call heads again, having lost 14 tosses in a row, he laughs that this is what he thinks about most.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Righto, <\/strong>it\u2019s presentation time.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Also going on: <\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019m getting various emails complaining about England\u2019s churlish reaction to Jadeja\u2019s century, but come on: this is top-level sport.<\/strong> I can understand why India wanted their men to get hundred; I can understand why England wanted to finish; I can understand why they wanted to devalue their opponents\u2019 achievements; I don\u2019t really know why anyone would care. This contest has been played in excellent spirit with just the right amount of needle; it\u2019s serious out there and, in the heat of battle with a crucial match to come, theres not going to be cooing and cuddling.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n England will be disappointed, <\/strong>but they were beaten by the pitch as much as India\u2019s excellence and their own shortcomings. They\u2019d have taken dormy one if offered it at the start of the series, but India look renewed and refreshed; the narrative they tell themselves won\u2019t include complaints about the pitch, we can be sure of that. Three tons in the innings tell them all they need to know, and they\u2019ll surely be facing a very different attack at the Oval; surely England can\u2019t force Archer through another five days, while who knows what Stokes\u2019 body will accept.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Washington records maiden Test century and the match is drawn<\/p>\n 142nd over: India 425-4 (Washington 95, Jadeja 107) <\/strong>Washington twizzles Root for two around the corner, then ends the over with a single which keeps strike, while Brook, bowling, suggests he get on with it. So Stokes brings the field up, looking to end the match while devaluing the moment, and the batter goes over extra for four, raising the 200 partnership and taking him to within a single of his maiden ton. And there it is, flicked to midwicket, and what a knock this has been; what a moment this is! He removes his helmet, runs about celebrating, and that will be that; well played old mate, well played Jaddu too, and well played both teams. The series gets the final Test decider it deserves, and can we just skip over Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get to Thursday, please?<\/p>\n Washington Sundar rather sheepishly celebrates his maiden test hundred as the match is drawn. Photograph: Gareth Copley\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.48 EDT<\/p>\n Ravindra Jadeja completes his century!<\/p>\n 141st over: India 416-4 (Washington 92, Jadeja 107) <\/strong>Jadeja drives but picks out the fielder, so he dances down, leathers Brook down the ground for six, and that completes a glorious century of unremitting bottle. He celebrates as well as you\u2019d expect though, despite incitement from his captain, there\u2019s no sword-swish; he then pulls four more, the bowler offering him whatever shot he pleases, and a pull for two completes the over. On the balcony, the India players gather to greet the inevitability of Washington\u2019s maiden Test ton, and it\u2019s not just a match or a series India have saved this afternoon; they\u2019ve switched momentum in the contest and will bounce down to London, elated, while England will trudge, irritated.<\/p>\n Ravindra Jadeja celebrates his century. Photograph: Stu Forster\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.46 EDT<\/p>\n 140th over: India 404-4 (Washington 92, Jadeja 95) <\/strong>Five dots from Root, then Washington chases a wide one, spanking for into the gap between cover and mid-off \u2026 then again. His highest Test score is 96 not out and, though I understand why Stokes, the definitive team-man uninterested in personal milestones, is irate, I\u2019m with Gill on this one. All the more so when Root tries a bouncer, Washington pulling it for four; surely once both batters reach three figures, he\u2019ll agree to call it off.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 139th over: India 392-4 (Washington 80, Jadeja 95) <\/strong>England respond by introducing Brook to the attack \u2013 he\u2019s bowling off-spin, not seamers \u2013 Stokes no longer willing to flog his bowlers. So, when offered a full toss, Jadeja goes over the top but doesn\u2019t get all of t \u2013 they run two \u2013 then a half-tracker is given the treatment it deserves, laced to the fence for four. Jaddu is nearly there and frankly, he and we deserve the celebration when he gets there.<\/p>\n Harry Brook has a go with some off-spin Photograph: Stu Forster\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.32 EDT<\/p>\n 138th over: India 386-4 (Washington 80, Jadeja 89) <\/strong>Washington drills four through cover, then hammers into Duckett at short leg; it\u2019s a sair yin then, at the end of the over with 15 remaining, Stokes offers a handshake and is less than gruntled when it\u2019s refused. These batters want their tons; cut to Gill chuckling in the dressing room. That\u2019s drinks and, while they\u2019re taken, sentiments are exchanged on the pitch, Crawley vocal in offering his thoughts.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 137th over: India 382-4 (Washington 76, Jadeja 89) <\/strong>Sundar takes a single to point after which Jadeja, seeking his ton, drives into his own foot, the ball rolling just past leg stump. Four byes then complete the over, and it\u2019s probably time for me to direct you to open a second window in your browsers.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.22 EDT<\/p>\n 136th over: India 377-4 (Washington 75, Jadeja 89) <\/strong>Root starts with a bouncer; Washington swings and misses. Meantime, Broad reminds us that we\u2019ve already broken the record for centuries in an English series \u2013 previously, it was held by Gooch\u2019s Indian summer in 1990 \u2013 and we\u2019ve two more potentially to come this afternoon. If Stokes offers them a handshake with 15 overs left, will they accept it? One from the over, Sundar flicking to leg, and we\u2019re marking time now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 135th over: India 376-4 (Washington 74, Jadeja 89) <\/strong>This is Dawson\u2019s 46th over of the innings, most have come on a day-five pitch, and he\u2019s wicketless; ouch. This latest over returns five dots, then a single to Washington, and this is a draw, the partnership 154 \u2013 a special number, at least when trying to find something about which to talk.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 134th over: India 375-4 (Washington 73, Jadeja 89) <\/strong>Root sends his first delivery into the pad and there\u2019s an appeal, but really everyone knows it was going down. Then, after two further dots, Jadeja makes room by stepping to leg, then thunks Root back over his heed, well away from his desperate leap, then goes high over mid-off and the ball trickles into the rope. That makes the partnership\u2019s 150, and if I was Stokes, I\u2019d be tempted to shake hands with these two in the 90s. However he is not a petty, small-minded nause; 10 off the over.<\/p>\n Joe Root in action for England. Photograph: Steve Taylor\/PPAUK\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.12 EDT<\/p>\n 133rd over: India 367-4 (Washington 73, Jadeja 81) <\/strong>Dawson returns from the other end, still men around the bat, so Washington feels safe in driving him out of the rough to cover; they run two. What an effort this is from the batters.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 132nd over: India 365-4 (Washington 71, Jadeja 81) <\/strong>Four dots from Root, then Jadeja slams uppishly down the ground and, though there are shouts of \u201cCatch!\u201d, the ball is nowhere near Archer at mid-on. The lead is 54, overs remaining 21.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, nobody\u2019s saying it out loud,\u201d writes Bhaskar Agrawal, \u201cbut this is a bad pitch. Hardly anything for the bowlers in the last session of day five. Bazball may champion excitement, but they have really dulled the pitches in England.\u201d<\/p>\n We said it just a little earlier, but I agree, this is a disappointing effort for a track that has traditionally been one of the most sporting in the country. In general, they\u2019ve been a little slow this series \u2013 the brilliant, thrilling cricket we\u2019ve seen has been down to the teams, not the curation.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 131st over: India 361-4 (Washington 71, Jadeja 77) <\/strong>Archer goes short, so Jadeja drops hands, sways, and crouches; he\u2019s handled the short stuff really well in this knock. He then takes a single to deep square, the only run from the over, and even Stokes won\u2019t be able to conjure England a win fro this position, though he may give us yet one more spell of masochism, just because.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 130th over: India 360-4 (Washington 71, Jadeja 75) <\/strong>Dawson is rusticated once more, Root returning, and after five dots, when he extracts a little more bounce, Jadeja cuts three to deep point. We\u2019ve 23 overs remaining, though increasingly, my sense is that we won\u2019t bother with all of them.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 129th over: India 357-4 (Washington 71, Jadeja 73) <\/strong>Maybe if Archer took his chain off, he\u2019d find an extra yard \u2013 it looks like it weighs more than my entire self. He sends down four dots then, after Jadeja twizzles a single around the corner, he bangs in; Washington rides it well, knocking into the ground. Between overs, we see Root dropping Jaddu first ball; it was a valiant effort, but it looked vital at the time and now, looks like the difference.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 128th over: India 356-4 (Washington 71, Jadeja 72) <\/strong>Dawson continues with a slip, leg-slip, silly mid-off, short leg and short cover; Washington takes a single, then Jaddu clobbers over mid-on for four. A single and a two follow, the partnership now 134, and I really hope both of these get to three figures before the close.<\/p>\n \u201cIt needs a spell from Archer at 92mph+ rather than the pace he\u2019s been bowling all match,\u201d reckons Andy Flintoff. \u201cBut then, what\u2019s his motivation for doing so? It\u2019s the fifth evening session of a Test that\u2019s meandering towards a draw.\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a lack of motivation, rather unhelpful circumstances. If it was possible, he\u2019d be doing it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 127th over: India 348-4 (Washington 68, Jadeja 67) <\/strong>This, you\u2019d think, is it. If archer can\u2019t break the partnership, this match is a draw. He goes around to Jadeja, his loosener generating decent lift; nothing doing. His pace, though, is still in the 80s and, though we can understand why \u2013 he\u2019s been out a long time, it\u2019s day five, and the run-up isn\u2019t hard enough to generate momentum \u2013 it\u2019s not what\u2019s required here. Two singles come from the over and, with 26 remaining, India lead by 37.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 126th over: India 346-4 (Washington 67, Jadeja 66) <\/strong>Can England send Broad out to flip the bails? We\u2019re at that point, I\u2019d say. Dawson, seeking the rough he hits during his last over, takes a single, then Archer hurls in wildly, Brook diving in the slips to save buzzers. One from the over, and it\u2019s Jofra time.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 125th over: India 345-4 (Washington 67, Jadeja 65) <\/strong>Washington takes one to midwicket as the start of this latest Woakes over; increasingly, it looks like a burst from Archer is all England have left. Al the more so as four innocuous dots follow, before a single to Jadeja adds one more.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 124th over: India 343-4 (Washington 66, Jadeja 64) <\/strong>Bowling to a slip, leg slip, silly mid-off, short mid-on and short cover, Dawson gets a bit of extra bounce, hitting Jadeja on the thumb then, next ball, he hits the rough, hits the back thigh, and there\u2019s a monstrous appeal. No says the umpire, England have no reviews remaining, and we see that impact was outside the line; the officiating has been excellent in this match. Maiden and, for the first time in time, a bit of threat.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 123rd over: India 343-4 (Washington 66, Jadeja 64) <\/strong>Why has reverse-swing gone out of the game to the extent that it has? Is it just that bowlers aren\u2019t as good as generating it? Or is the ball not conducive? Pitches insufficiently abrasive? I imagine the answer involves a bit of all three, but England\u2019s inability to take wickets with the old ball has been a massive weakness in this series, and, looking to land a slower ball in the rough, Woakes ends up inviting Washington to step forward; he doesn\u2019t miss out, bisecting the two covers with a drive to the fence for four. Those are the only runs from the over and India lead by 32 with 30 overs remaining.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 122nd over: India 339-4 (Washington 62, Jadeja 64) <\/strong>As before: three singles followed by three dots, and India lead by 28. Dawson isn\u2019t making it happen.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 121st over: India 336-4 (Washington 60, Jadeja 63) <\/strong>We\u2019ve 33 overs to go in the day; is there a point at which we call it and say draw? Not yet, of course, and I doubt the batters mind putting more miles into the legs of the England bowlers but, as Stuart Broad noted during the interval, this is a draw-pitch. I guess one wicket, a right-hander in, and things might change, but in the meantime, three singles come from the first three balls of the over, then three dots. I don\u2019t know, I\u2019d think about asking Archer to bend his back and try some short stuff; we\u2019re at that stage of desperation.<\/p>\n \u201cGreetings from sunny Cephalonia,\u201d brags Colum Fordham, \u2018though I\u2019m working on a translation of a book on Pompeii, not reclining on a sun-bed (though following the OBO). Jadeja\u2019s temperament \u2013 extraordinary talent and doggedness \u2013 has been exemplary. And Washington Sundar has been superb too. But it does make you think: what if Joe Root had taken that catch to dismiss Jadeja first ball off Archer? Match would\/could have had an entirely different trajectory. But life \u2013 and Test cricket \u2013 is all about what actually happens, bit like Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius. It does look like the series is going to be decided in the fifth test now.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 120th over: India 333-4 (Washington 58, Jadeja 62) <\/strong>Nass notes that the most likely form of dismissal during this partnership has been the run out, which reminds me of something KP once told me: when England were gameplanning for how to dismiss Jacques Kallis, all they could come up with was \u201crun-out candidate early in his innings\u201d. Back to our match, though, with the field up and Dawson bowling from around, Jadeja smears over the on-side for four, then twinkles down the track and clobbers back down the ground for four to long-on. So the bowler goes back over, still unable to hit the rough.<\/p>\n Liam Dawson gets walloped for four. Photograph: Alex Davidson\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.22 EDT<\/p>\n 119th over: India 324-4 (Washington 57, Jadeja 54) <\/strong>Bowling with a short cover, Jadeja blocks Woakes\u2019 loosener nice and solidly, then forces a single to deep square; offered a straightun, Washington also shovels into the on-side for one. The only way I can see England breaking this partnership is if Archer or Stokes produce something, but perhaps Dawson, who\u2019ll bowl from the other end, can hit the rough \u2013 as commanded by his captain.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Nasser reckons India need to bat 25 overs to be safe. <\/strong>There are 35 left in the day, but we\u2019ll lose a couple if England clean up this innings \u2013 which does not look likely. But if they can just break this partnership, you never know, and Chris Woakes will be next to try.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Back come wa teams. <\/strong>When was the last time every Test of a series was still going on the afternoon of day five?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSongs called Helpless…\u201d begins Scott Blair.<\/strong> \u201cYou could save this one up for when there\u2019s a wicket. \u2018Ooh there\u2019s something happening…\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Over the years, recent ones in particular, we\u2019ve seen touring teams fade away as the weight of being away from home while losing matches takes its toll. <\/strong>But the way India have fought here has been really impressive, and says plenty about both the individuals and Shubman Gill\u2019s tough but quiet leadership.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 118th over: India 322-4 (Washington 57, Jadeja 53) <\/strong>Jadeja such an interesting character, excitable and confrontational yet with the resting pulse-rate of a table. He takes the final ball of the over for a single, raising the hunnert partnership, completing a session of 98 runs and no wickets. Brilliantly batted by both him and Washington and, as they walk off, Stokes hauls Dawson to the stumps to illustrate what he wants relative to what he\u2019s getting. See you in 15 or so; I can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 117th over: India 321-4 (Washington 57, Jadeja 52) <\/strong>Jadeja wants a single to cover but Washington sends him back; meantime, Archer runs in and loses both feet. He does, though, takes one to cover shortly afterwards, the only run from this latest Dawson over; the final delivery of it keeps low, but Washington digs it out. One over to go before tea, the lead 10 and overs remaining 36.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 116th over: India 320-4 (Washington 57, Jadeja 51) <\/strong>Five dots from Root, then a drive-ball \u2026 and Washington doesn\u2019t miss out, whamming high between point and cover for four. It\u2019s so affirming to see these two assaulted by pressure and responding by cussing its mum; they\u2019re having a great time.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 115th over: India 316-4 (Washington 53, Jadeja 51) <\/strong>Jadeja forces to midwicket, sets off, sees Stokes is the man fielding, and changes his mind. I meant to say, incidentally, when he recorded his fifty, that it\u2019s his fourth on the spin and his fifth of the series. Or, in other words, he\u2019s good enough to bat in the top six, meaning India can surely drop a batter to get Kuldeep into the side? Anyhow, a single to each batter keeps the score moving, India now in front by five, and there\u2019s no sense of imminent breakthrough as we near tea.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re heading home,\u201d confesses Allan MacDonald, \u201cadmitting defeat on potentially seeing a result tonight. Terrible part-timer behaviour but in my defence I need to drive to Inverness tonight and MacDonald Junior is too young to contribute at 15\u2026<\/p>\n Here\u2019s hoping we\u2019ve made a terrible decision and you get to breathlessly type out an unlikely England victory snatched from the jaws of defeat a draw.\u201d<\/p>\n I smell a grudge for the ages.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 114th over: India 314-4 (Washington 52, Jadeja 50) <\/strong>If India hang on here, both teams will have some decisions to make for the Oval. With the series in the balance, will Bumrah \u2013 though he\u2019s had a poor one \u2013 really sit it out? Needing a win and knowing they\u2019ll almost definitely field last, can the selectors really leave Kuldeep out again? I\u2019m obviously partial here \u2013 I\u2019d like England to win \u2013 but even I\u2019m even more partial when it comes to this thing of ours, and this contest of ours deserves a live final Test. Root replaces Stokes and rushes through a maiden.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 113th over: India 314-4 (Washington 52, Jadeja 50) <\/strong>Dawson replaces Carse and, on a day-five pitch, he\u2019ll know making a difference is in his job description. He begins his spell with five dots, then Washington turns to square leg for a single, England\u2019s lead now just three.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 112th over: India 313-4 (Washington 51, Jadeja 50) <\/strong>Ahahahaha! Stokes\u2019 first ball is short and Washington absolutely devastates it, pulling over deep backward square for six, then hauling the next delivery to the same fence for four, raising a fantastic fifty in the process. So Stokes goes short again, this time into the body; a poorly-executed pull squirts into the off-side for one, the England captain sharing some thoughts on the matter. But he\u2019s not quite making it work so far this spell, and after a leg bye, Jadeja cuts to the point fence fo fo mo. That\u2019s his fifty, and he celebrates with bat-sword swishing. Can Stoikes find his gun? Not right now, a dot completing an over which yielded 15 runs.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 111st over: India 298-4 (Washington 41, Jadeja 46) <\/strong>Two dots, then Jadeja cuts a short, wide one \u2013 ball, not person \u2013 to the fence at deep third. The partnership is 76, India\u2019s deficit 13, and the overs remaining 42.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the wide means India get a run and brings closer that England have to bat again and bat some of the remaining balls,\u201d notes Shantanu Karve. \u201cBut India have to face another ball! A wide should be an unambiguous advantage for the batting team and penalty for the bowlers. In this circumstance, it\u2019s not clear cut. Once upon a time, I\u2019d have had a bash at a game theory evaluation of this situation. Would someone like to have a go?\u201d<\/p>\n As long as that someone isn\u2019t me. But a beauty of cricket, and of pretty much every sport, is that things that appear disadvantageous can sometimes become advantageous. In football, say, a team might have a player sent off, not what they want, but it might alter the kind of game to one that suits them better, and so on.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 110th over: India 294-4 (Washington 41, Jadeja 42) <\/strong>Washington takes a single, then Stokes unleashes a spiteful bouncer; Jadeja collapses to get out of the road and, offered another short one, collars a pull for two, Root cutting off the boundary. A single follows, and I\u2019m going to say it again because it can\u2019t be said often enough: Ravindra Jadeja is a helluva cricketer.<\/p>\n \u201cAs someone who similarly endured the late 80s and 90s witnessing the search for the \u2018next Botham\u2019,\u201d begins Sean Clayton, \u201cI wonder if we\u2019ve broken the cycle over the last 20 years (with Flintoff then the likes of Bresnan, Moeen, etc). Alternatively, have we just been blessed with a good run-up to the current skipper, with a desperate search for \u2018the new Stokes\u2019 about to launch after the Ashes?\u201d<\/p>\n I guess multi-dimensional cricketers are almost a given these days, so when the time comes \u2013 and I\u2019d be shocked if it\u2019s post-Ashes \u2013 the problem of replacing Stokes won\u2019t be filling the spot in the team, but rather finding someone of similarly talismanic, shamanic qualities.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 109th over: India 290-4 (Washington 40, Jadeja 39) <\/strong>Carse is under a bit of pressure here \u2013 he\u2019s shown plenty across this series but he\u2019s not taken many wickets and, with Wood soon to return, his position is vulnerable. Paradoxically, perhaps all the more so if England win here, because if they do, they\u2019ll most likely rotate for the Oval. Maiden.<\/p>\n