England faced a difficult challenge to secure an unlikely draw against India on the final day of the first Test in Ahmedabad on Monday.
An impressive bowling performance in the morning from the hosts saw the partnership between Alastair Cook (176) and Matt Prior (91) broken before India wrapped up the tail to bowl their rivals out for 406.
That total meant India only required 77 to secure victory and although Virender Sehwag departed for a fluent 25, Cheteshwar Pujara (41*) and Virat Kohli (14*) guided their side to the target with ease.
Read how India took a series lead below.
Good morning everyone. England fans will have taken encouragement from the partnership between Prior and Cook. However, there is a long way to go until the tourists can think about claiming a draw. This pair need to stay together for a considerable amount of time today.
I'm not sure how many people predicted this match would last until the final day. India's bowlers looked tired yesterday and England must continue to pile on the pressure this morning.
What about captain Cook yesterday? We can't begin today's coverage without mentioning his incredible innings (168*). The opener seems to be getting better with every match he plays and this is certainly up there with one of his best performances in an England shirt. Cook won't care about the plaudits unless he can guide his team to a remarkable draw in this game.
Due to the first innings deficit, England effectively begin today on 10-5. They must play positively because Virender Sehwag has the ability to knock off any total quickly.
The Indian players are out on the field now. Big day for Dhoni, he must lead his side well today and make sure that they attack the England batsmen. A draw for the hosts would be such a disappointing result after getting themselves in the position they did.
Cook and Prior are ready for the day and it will be Zaheer Khan who bowls first.
Great start from Zaheer as he beats Cook's outside edge, he'll take encouragement from that delivery. No fielders in close for the first over of the day, which seems strange to me. No runs either and Zaheer starts with a maiden.
It will be Pragyan Ojha who takes the ball from the other end this morning. Solid defence shown from Prior and he earns the first run of the final day with a push to cover to keep the strike.
First boundary of the morning as Prior latches onto a wider delivery from Zaheer to earn four runs through point. Good response from India's experienced seamer as he gets one to hold its line to beat Prior's outside edge. A single follows and it's five runs from the over. Prior into the nineties now.
Hopeful appeals from India's fielders when Ojha strikes Prior on the pads but there's not much going for that. Beauty from Ojha as he comes only a couple of centimetres away from Prior's edge. Maiden over.
Cook drops and runs on the off-side to give Prior the strike at the start of Zaheer's over but he has it back when England's wicketkeeper guides the ball to third man for a run. Zaheer does hit Cook's pads later in the over but the ball was definitely going past leg-stump.
Tendulkar does well at mid-off to prevent Prior from picking up some runs. Ojha has been very accurate so far today and it's another maiden from the left-arm spinner.
Good delivery from Zaheer to get one to come back midway through the over but Cook does well to flick the ball of his pads and earn a single. Zaheer has looked dangerous this morning but it's been a good, solid start from England.
Ojha's decent start to the morning continues and he only concedes a single. It's wickets that India need, though.
Zaheer is so close to knocking over Cook's off-stump with the skipper stuck between playing or leaving. Poor keeping from Dhoni gives two byes to England. The over gets better for England when Cook clips a full ball off his pads to earn four runs at fine leg.
Wicket! Prior (91) c & b Ojha
Prior has looked superb against the spinners in this innings but his knock ends in an awful way. The ball seems to stick in the pitch slightly and Prior proceeds to lobbing the ball straight at Ojha, who takes a simple catch. Massive wicket for India! Bresnan in next.
Bresnan gets off the mark immediately with a nudge to point. Disappointing over for England, Prior deserved a century.
Bresnan is no amateur with the bat and he once again gives the strike to Cook with a push to point at the start of Zaheer's new over. There's a single on offer to Cook at third man and it's just three runs from Zaheer's over. Could be time for Ashwin to come into the attack.
Too short from Ojha and Bresnan easily adds two runs through mid-wicket but there's a superb response from the left-arm spinner as he beats Bresnan's outside edge. Three runs from the over.
Zaheer may have been taken off had Prior not departed but I think Dhoni fancies his seamer's chances against Bresnan. Good shot from England's number eight as he pick up a couple of runs through mid-wicket. Bresnan then does well to keep out a full, swinging delivery from Zaheer.
Wicket! Cook (176) b Ojha
England fans, look away now! Ojha gets a ball to turn enough to beat Cook's defences and crash into the opener's stumps. You won't see many better innings from an England player but it has finally come to an end and so might have England's chances. Stuart Broad is in next.
Broad survives Ojha's over but the damage looks like it's probably been done. Ojha now has nine wickets in the match.
Yadav is brought on by Dhoni for his first bowl of the morning. Bresnan guides a couple of runs through a gap in the covers and has four more with a clip off his hip to fine leg.
Don't be surprised if England start to attack more with these two at the crease. However, Ojha refuses to offer Broad room in the over and only a single is scored.
Dhoni certainly isn't the greatest wicketkeeper in world cricket and his poor glove work gifts four byes to England.
Wicket! Broad (3) c & b Yadav
England's woes continue as Broad offers a simple catch to Yadav while trying to turn a ball onto the leg side. Poor shot from Broad and India are closing in on victory.
Swann, the new batsman, looks surprised by the pace of Yadav from his first ball but he does survive the over. England's lead is 48.
The ever dangerous Ojha continues and almost beats Bresnan with some good turn. Runs for Bresnan when he clips the ball through mid-wicket for three. Swann somehow manages to keep a ball out that barely bounces on this fifth day pitch.
Big appeal from Yadav at the start of a new over but Tony Hill refuses to give an lbw decision against Bresnan. That looked very close on replay. There's a wide when Yadav attempts a bouncer and one more single follows in the over.
Plenty of variable bounce throughout Ojha's over but Swann and Bresnan do well to survive. The former takes a couple of steps down the pitch but he doesn't make contact with a big swing.
Poor delivery from Yadav at the start of the new over as he leaves Dhoni with no chances down the leg side. Four byes are the result. Yadav's line doesn't really improve for the remainder of the over so don't be surprised if there's a change soon.
Swann hasn;t looked too comfortable since his arrival at the crease but he does get off the mark with a huge slog-sweep for six over mid-wicket. Bresnan edges a turning delivery later in the over but the ball doesn't carry to second slip.
Here's the bowling change I mentioned as Zaheer comes back on to replace Yadav. There is four runs for Swann in the over as he clips the ball off his toes to find the fine leg boundary.
Ashwin comes into the attack to give Ojha a well deserved rest. Bresnan brings up the 400 with a push to point before Swann adds two more with a reverse sweep. Swann attempts the same shot from the next ball but he makes no contact and is almost bowled.
Zaheer continues and he manages to stem this duo's progress with a maiden over.
Swann plays the reverse sweep once again but this time it's successful and he earns four runs from Ashwin's second ball. Great work from Tendulkar at cover to keep Swann on strike following a powerful drive.
Wicket! Swann (17) b Ashwin
Swann attempts the reverse sweep one too many times and he is bowled by a full Ashwin delivery. Jimmy Anderson is the next and final batsman.
Dhoni decides to come up to the stumps to prevent Bresnan from batting outside of his crease to Zaheer.
Wicket! Bresnan (20) c Rahane b Zaheer
Zaheer ends England's innings when Bresnan middles a drive straight at substitute fielder Rahane at cover. What a performance from the hosts this morning. India need 77 runs to win the first Test
Lunch: A slightly early lunch is taken following the dismissal of Bresnan. We'll take a quick break but make sure you're here at around 6.35 with India surely about to take a 1-0 series lead.
Welcome back everyone. In a few minutes India will begin their second innings, chasing 77 to win the Test. Gautam Gambhir will not open the batting due to the amount of time he spent off the field yesterday. The batsman's grandmother passed away this weekend, which meant Gambhir flew back to Mumbai to be with his family.
England were under immense pressure this morning but in truth, they didn't play well and there was some soft dismissals.
Sehwag will open the batting with Pujara in this second innings. So, England must find a way to dismiss the two centurions from the first innings. Having watched Sehwag for many years, expect him to try and reach this total quickly. Anderson will open the bowling.
Sehwag is off the mark with a cut to point for a single and Pujara is then off the mark with a nudge to square leg. Three more singles follow in the over and it's a solid start from India.
It's Graeme Swann who will take the new ball from the other end.
Sehwag looks like he may attack Swann but doesn't make a good contact with a big heave first ball. Better Pujara as he whips the ball through mid-wicket for the first boundary of the innings. Later in the over, Pujara repeats his shot by scoring four more runs through mid-wicket. Big appeal for lbw when Pujara leaves the final ball but Aleem Dar isn't interested and it's nine runs from the over.
Pujara is a really classy player, he proved that in the first innings. It's a good over from Anderson but Pujara does have another boundary with a perfect cover drive.
This could be over very quickly. Swann is too full at the start of a new over and Sehwag takes advantage to drive powerfully through a vacant area on the off-side. A single brings Pujara on strike and he dances down the pitch to find the extra cover boundary once again. Another good over for the Indians, with nine runs being scored.
Anderson only lasts two overs and is replaced by Samit Patel. What an awful start! Patel delivers a hip-high full toss and Sehwag smashes the ball into the stands for six runs. It's like village cricket as Patel drops one short later in the over to allow Pujara to pull through mid-wicket for four more runs.
Sehwag and Pujara might just have a train to catch! Swann responds with a better over until Pujara creams a textbook cover drive for yet another boundary. Nine runs from the over.
Patel continues and it's a much better over from the Notts all-rounder. Just a single scored from the six balls.
Sehwag brings up the fifty partnership with a nudge on the off-side. Very impressive from this pair. Cook takes a painful one at silly point when Pujara hammers a drive directly at his ankle. Four runs from the over.
Patel has improved since that terrible first over and only concedes one run here. India need 23 to win.
Swann continues and the Indian pair are happy to rotate the strike at the beginning of the over.
Wicket! Sehwag (25) c Pietersen b Swann
Sehwag charges down the pitch but his big shot doesn't have enough on it. Pietersen takes the catch at long-on but is an inch away from stepping on the rope. Sehwag departs but the damage has been done. Virat Kohli in next.
Pujara ruins Swann's good over by rocking onto his back foot to pull through mid-wicket for four runs.
Kohli gets off the mark with a gorgeous cover drive for four from Patel's second ball of a new over. Five runs are scored and India are closing in on victory.
Better from Swann as he delivers the first maiden over of this innings.
Cook sticks with Patel and it's a decent over with just a single coming from it but you can;t help but feel the Notts all-rounder could miss out in Mumbai.
Pujara does not miss out on bad balls. Swann loses his length, allowing the right-hander to whip the ball through the leg-side for four runs. Six runs to win for India.
Brilliant shot from Kohli as he latches onto a full delivery from Patel to earn four runs straight down the ground. A hurried single follows and the scores are level. For some reason, Kohli decides it's a good time to change his bat. Unbelievable.
India win the first Test: A single pushed down the ground from Kohli means India take a 1-0 series lead.
Pujara ends unbeaten on 41 and Kohli finishes his innings on 11 not out. It's been a comfortable victory for India and they really have set the tone for the rest of this series.
The inquest into England's performance will begin following this nine-wicket defeat. Selection issues, bowling performance, batting performance. They've all been a factor in this loss but those problems must be resolved before the second Test begins on Friday.
That's all from me this morning. I hope you've enjoyed the coverage over the last five days and make sure you join us again from Friday morning for the second Test. Can England recover from this crushing defeat? Will India extend their lead in Mumbai? Find out on Sports Mole later this week. Goodbye!
Written by
Callum Mulvihill
Callum Mulvihill
