73rd over: England 185-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 111, Bell 12) Zaheer is varying his line, and his line of attack, coming from around the wicket and both wide of the crease and close to the stumps. He's chucking the thing down at an average of 80mph. Bell nudges a single off his hip, then Cook works another sharp one to go to a personal Nelson.
72nd over: England 183-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 110, Bell 11) An immediate change of bowling, Ashwin comes on for Ojha. He bowls a full length to Cook as the batsman steps out and smothers him. Nasser Hussain thinks he's bowling too full on Sky and, certainly when he drops one a shade shorter, Cook looks less sure of himself. Still, that's another maiden safely navigated. Hold onto your hats, this is what we're in for now.
71st over: England 183-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 110, Bell 11) Zaheer Khan bowls from the other end and it's a credit to his nous that he's getting the ball to reverse a touch. This is surely one of the greenest outfields ever seen in India - a ploy to blunt the England seamers? - but Zaheer is still finding movement. Cook blocks, leaves and becalms him before clipping the ball to leg for a single.
70th over: England 182-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 109, Bell 11) Ojha continues, three wickets shy of a 10-wicket haul. Bell manages not to dance down the wicket and chip his first ball down Tendulkar's throat. Good, good. He does cut a pitched-up ball on middle stump though, less convincingly, before offering his bat uncertainly at a slower ball that nips past the edge.
The umpires are back out, as are the India fielders. The home side still have a strangehold on this game, with England still a long way off the pace, trailing by 148. Can Bell stay with his skipper for the afternoon? Let's find out.
A stat I missed, so sue me*: Cook's century makes him the first Test captain to score three hundreds in his first three Tests as captain.
* Don't sue me.
Housekeeping dept: I'm grateful to Uthra Ganesan who clarifies: "It's not Ghambir's mother, it's his grandmother who has passed away. He was closest to her, grew up at her place." While Rohit Negi tweets to say "In India, the Test must compete today with 1) the funeral of politician Thackeray; and 2) shootout death of a famed mafia don." Yikes.
A thought to leave you on, while your OBO correspondent has a lie down and some breakfast: "Is it possible to clone Cook?" emails Kevin O'Rourke, somewhat smugly on the deck with a glass of wine in Sydney. "Maybe we could get the Skelmersdale and Bassenthwaite crochet circle to knit some more for the next test. I reckon with Captain Cook and three pearl and plain cross stitched clones we stand a chance. We could use the wool in KPs and Bells skull; plentiful supply apparently unstressed." If they could knock up a Paul Collingwood while they're at it, we could airdrop him in at six and relax for the next day and a half.
69th over: England 182-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 109, Bell 11) The first runs for three overs come when Cook clonks a full toss from Ashwin to leg. A push to leg from Bell keeps things ticking over. That Bell lbw shout in the last over looked as though it just pitched outside leg, fortunately for him something that was spotted by Aleem Dar. With that over done, should come lunch.
68th over: England 178-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 106, Bell 10) Ojha drops one just outside Bell's off stump. He couldn't leave it but didn't want to play it either. He's lucky to miss it in the end, the ball turning just past his outside edge. Two balls later Ojha bowls him another beauty which clips on the back pad and might have been given by another umpire. Fantastic over from Ojha, who is finding a bit of bounce.
"Thinking about it, we may be treating KP with undue harshness," reckons that man Chris Bourne again. "Perhaps playing a full part in the traditional middle order batting collapse is a necessary part of his reintegration process?"
67th over: England 178-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 106, Bell 10) Ashwin is back on, and Dhoni has surrounded the bat again. Cook is watchful, resisting the urge to play against the spin.
66th over: England 178-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 106, Bell 10) Bell continues to play Ojha with the same caution. If he was chucking snakes at him, he'd hardly be more careful.
"Following on, no pun intended, from Stephen's predicament (52nd over), here's one of Ganguly's cheeky secrets," emails Toby from Calcutta. "Which explains that despite his run of form he has never made a run of form."
65th over: England 178-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 106, Bell 10) Cook times a leg-side flick to the deep midwicket boundary beautifully. He could bat all year at this rate. Dhoni suspects as much too and tells his slips to do one. Then, just as I type that, Yadav strikes him on the shin just outside the line of the off stump. That was close.
64th over: England 174-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 102, Bell 10) Ojha tosses it up outside off to Cook and he spends the over either leaving or smothering the spin. He clips a lazy single to mid on to complete the over.
63rd over: England 173-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 101, Bell 10) Cook continues as he has done all morning, solid, quiet and focused. Bell then clumps a wide ball elegantly to the third man boundary. He survives an appeal for caught behind - there was certainly a noise but it appears to have come off either thigh pad or box. Fortunately he's not Stephen Horner of the 52nd over. Next, he leaves one outside off that cuts back and misses the stumps by a whisker. Looking at the replay of the KP dismissal, it's impossible to know what he was thinking. Clearly it was a premeditated shot that he played to completely the wrong ball. Has the man got no defence at all?
62nd over: England 168-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 100, Bell 6) Bell plays Ojha as if he's bowling him hand grenades. Which is as at it should be.
"Kevin must be one of the few batsman in the world who can be relied on to play the only shot that's likely to get him out against a left-hand spinner just because he thinks he can. And then gets out." says Chris Bourne. "I am now deeply sorry for my suggestion that it might be nice if we didn't see Ian Ronald until tomorrow."
61st over: England 168-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 100, Bell 6) Cook is in a bubble. Barring a disappointed flicker at both Trott and Pietersen's dismissals, it's just him and the clock out there. Despite this, he nicks safely to slip then works the ball to leg for two for his century. It's a stunning knock in the context of the game and he salutes it in very measured fashion, the job nothing like done yet. What powers of concentration. I know KP is anti-Cook but, still, he could do with some of his captain's mental stamina.
60th over: England 166-3 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 98, Bell 6) Bell prods forward at his first ball, edging safely to slip. That has to go down as an improvement. He follows it up with a sweetly timed four, driven through the covers. Which is much, much better than swaggering down the wicket and holing out to mid off. A neat two follows.
"Did we learn nothing from last winter?" barks John Goldstein, spittle flying. "Apparently not. It's not difficult is it? Two spinners and stop playing the bloody sweep shot."
WICKET! Pietersen 2 b Ojha (England 160-3) Oh dear. A full ball on leg stump has KP groping forward for an unlikely sweep. He played down entirely the wrong line, the ball going right through him and bowling him round the legs. Here comes suicide's Ian Bell.
59th over: England 160-2 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 98, Pietersen 2) Cook squirts a thick edge to point for a single, moving inexorably towards that ton. It was a full, wide ball too - one that you might expect a more dashing batsman to fling the kitchen sink at. It's a credit to him that he didn't. Pietersen played the first innings as if he had firecrackers in his boots, leaping about all over the place, and survives an optimistic lbw appeal that had everything going for it apart from the fact it came off the middle of the bat. He mistimes a short ball to leg to scamper off strike again.
58th over: England 158-2 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 97, Pietersen 1) Pietersen sets off for his traditional helter-skelter, off-the-mark single. He'll be delighted to have come in to face a left-arm spinner of course. Trott made his 17 from 43 balls incidentally - exactly the sort of scoring rate necessary, only it would have been nice if it had been 170 from 430 balls, from England's perspective.
WICKET! Trott 17 c Dhoni, b Ojha (England 156-2)Ah, Ojha was simply changing ends. He drifts one outside Trott's off stump, he pushes and edges to a ball turning away from him and Dhoni does the business behind the stumps. Here comes KP...
57th over: England 156-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 96, Trott 17) Yadaz comes on, with Ojha not finding much. Dhoni reverting to the chop and change tactic which worked so well in the first innings. It gives Cook something to think about for a moment, the ball arrowing in to the stumps at pace now. He waits for one to bounce onto his hips, then simply pushes it through the leg side for four. A perfect piece of timing.
56th over: England 152-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 92, Trott 17) Ashwin bowls with slip, gully and silly point, attempting to force Cook into getting out the same way he did in the first innings - i.e. driving outside off and nicking to slip. Four singles from the over, including one from an attempted leggie so poorly disguised Ashwin may as well have yelled 'Leggie!' as he bowled it. Next, Dhoni manages to punch the ball past leg slip for a bye. "Hey! Blame the victim," howls Steve Mason, of 51st over fame.
55th over: England 147-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 90, Trott 16) After a drinks break, Ojha continues. He's not finding the fizz he had in the first innings, the pitch having died somewhat. Trott is happy to push and prod until piercing the field with a an off drive for four. Meanwhile, Guatam Gambhir is not on the pitch having returned to Delhi after the death of his mother. He'll bat at No.7 if needed.
54th over: England 143-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 90, Trott 12) A little while ago, if you wanted two batsmen to play for your life, then these would be the two. While Cook is still Mr Reliable, Jonathan Trott's average has slumped to 32 in his last 15 Tests, from 64 in his first 20. Meanwhile, Cook blocks out an over from Ashwin with hardly a worry.
53rd over: England 143-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 90, Trott 12) Cook heads into the 90s with a chop to leg. Ojha is tempting Trott forward, his great barn door pads coming down the wicket like a great barn door coming down the wicket. He drops one short and wide, though, and Trott latches onto it with relief, thrashing the ball to the point boundary.
52nd over: England 138-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 89, Trott 8) You suspect Cook could not give a flying one about a ton, instead batting for the clock. He's nine away though, which has probably jinxed him to the hilt.
"Morning! On your subject of unpreparedednesses (?)" chirps Stephen Horner. "There's never an excuse for wearing loose boxer shorts to a cricket match yet I manage it at least twice a season. Of course I don't realise until I head out to bat; box goes in, box slides out. I find my innings then largely consists of shuffling around, one hand on my crotch turning down singles at every opportunity. I've learnt that if you stand very very still, you're safe. Next season, emergency tight pants are key." This might explain Inzy's entire career.
51st over: England 137-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 88, Trott 8) First change of the morning and Ojha comes into the attack, Khan heading off to give his aching bones a break. Trott pushes a lazy flick to leg for two.
"I didn't find Ahmedabad to be unfriendly," emails Steve Mason. "Though I was mugged in the ground by a gang of locals in the 2001 Test. Surely New York is the unfriendliest place? They seem to pride themselves on it. Failing that, I've been beaten up in most places I've been to in Yorkshire." That might say more about you than them, Steve.
50th over: England 135-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 88, Trott 6) Cook and Trott rotate the strike nicely, with Ashwin attempting to get both of them driving outside off stump while he aims for the rough on either side.
49th over: England 131-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 86, Trott 4) Trott plays straight and crisp and even to Khan, who has given up on his tactic of trying to get the batsman to play across his front pad. He does have a go at a couple of bouncers though, the first barely bouncing above waist height, the second whizzing harmlessly down the leg. Realising there's not much for him on length, Khan keeps changing his line of attack. He finishes the over by going round, always trying variations.
48th over: England 131-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 86, Trott 4) Ashwin, who got Trott in the first innings, continues. He has men around the bat - leg slip, slip, short leg and silly mid off. Trott pushes a single through the offside, driving from the rough - much to Ashwin's glee. The spinner comes over the wicket to Cook, landing the ball on his leg stump for the rest of a quiet over.
47th over: England 130-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 86, Trott 3) Trott gets off the mark first ball, with India trying to get him to play across his pad and either chip to a short midwicket or be caught lbw. Dhoni goes charging down the other end to have a word with Khan, who then bowls from very wide in the crease and around the wicket. Trott works him to leg again. Meanwhile Compton can surely take heart from that innings. He must never have faced anything as tricky as following on in India so to do so in his first Test - and to stick around so long - counts as a plus for him.
46th over: England 127-1 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 86, Trott 0) That was a lovely ball from Zaheer Khan, pitching on leg and catching Compton low on the shin. Meanwhile, at the other end, Cook takes his life in his hands with a swished sweep. He gets four, while a miss would have had him out lbw.
"Along the lines of Trott and catches not taken," fibs Matthew, who has a good story anyway so what the hell. "I once managed to insert my foot into the front wheel of my bicycle and fly head over handlebars onto the pavement. Convinced my parents that the neighbour kid did it to me."
WICKET! Compton 37 lbw Khan (England 123-1) Khan goes back to over the wicket and catches Compton full in front of the stumps. Slight question of whether it pitched outside leg but, no, the replays show that was fine. Dhoni must be breathing a sigh of relief after that missed stumping. Here comes Trott, on a pair.
45th over: England 123-0 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 82, Compton 37) Khan comes round the wicket to Compton and the batsman is late and beaten on the inside edge. Dhoni takes a tumbling catch behind. More than a whisper of reverse now. But then ...
44th over: England 123-0 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 82, Compton 37) Dhoni has just missed the simplest stumping. Compton came dancing down the wicket and was entirely beaten by the flight. Dhoni simply didn't react, the ball bouncing off him and harmlessly to leg. A shocker from the Indian captain.
43rd over: England 120-0 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 80, Compton 36) Khan's not exactly roaring in, hurling the thing down at a lick under 80mph. But there is a suspicion of reverse, a whisper at this stage. Compton appears unperturbed and prods a sharp single to Yuvraj at point. Cook scraped home by an inch. A run out then wouldn't have been exactly ideal for England. Khan then brings one back sharply from outside off and, despite the fact it hits the bat first, Khan gives it a good appeal anyway.
42nd over: England 119-0 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 80, Compton 35) A silly point has come in for Compton now as Ashwin does the batsman with his other one, second ball. His third raps Compton on the pad, jagging back from well outside off but probably heading past the leg stump. Leg bye, followed by a couple of singles.
"Good morning Tom," chirps the unprepared Chris Bourne. "Not being a great cricketer, even at school, I was never very well prepared. But I suppose the nadir was coming out in suede hush puppies paired with one red and one yellow sock, on account of having to borrow boots, and discovering that nobody, but nobody, had feet as large as mine.
"Now that Hope is propping at the bar with her moth-eaten falsies and her come-hither pout, we are firmly into the jinx zone, so the least said about the match the better. It is, however, another opportunity for Ian Ronald to play a Significant Innings, as opposed to knocking off centuries at the fag end of a dead rubber. I hope we don't see him until tomorrow, though."
41st over: England 116-0 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 79, Compton 34) Cook chops Khan to the boundary. A full wide one outside off is not something Cook needs a second invitation for. He leaves the final ball of the over, which cut in from outside off and fizzed past his off stump.
"Re. getting into hopeless situations," emails a full and frank Harry Tuttle, at this time of the morning too. "The first time I had sex with my ex she cried. We stayed together for seven years."
40th over: England 112-0 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 75, Compton 34) Ashwin bowls from the other end, his wobbley-armed run-up sending a series of well-pitched-up deliveries to in and around Cook's feet. The batmsan forces a single into the leg side to remove the prospect of Nelson striking. It's a noticeably less attacking field now, with just a short leg and slip in to Compton.
39th over: England 111-0 (need 330 to avoid an innings defeat; Cook 74, Compton 34) Zaheer Khan opens proceedings coming over the wicket to Compton, with two slips waiting behind. His first three are sighters at or around the off stump, his fourth is a slower ball bowled out his knuckles which Compton blocks easily enough. An attempted yorker, with a touch of reverse, from around the wicket finishes a maiden. Nelson is is still on...
Apparently Matt Prior was in the altogether moments before he was called into bat yesterday, not expecting those above him to crumble quite so ineptly. A desperate scramble for pads, clothes and dignity ensued. So, what's the least prepared you've been before an innings - we're talking string jockstrap, and rolled up newspaper as a thigh pad? Also, in honour of Jonathan Trott, we may as well hear catches that were given that you know you didn't take too.
Early news is that the pitch has apparently not fallen apart overnight, with the weather not being quite so hot as expected. So that's something for England, who will no doubt find themselves hoping to simply bat defensively for as much of the next two days as they can manage. Which reminds me - when was the last time you got yourselves into something hopeless?
What passes for a preamble at this time of the morning: In 1999, a friend and backpacked around India in the mistaken belief (on my part) we were hippies. We arrived in Ahmedabad after 48 hours in the back of a jeep that bounced and bruised us sleeplessly over the desert. Tired, ratty and spoiling for a fight, we didn't take to the place and left as soon as we could. I wrote, in my somewhat pretentious diary, that it was "the most unfriendly place on earth".
It was a statement base on supposition, preconception and fear and is likely entirely inaccurate. Had I spent longer in town, I'm sure I would have come to have loved it. But I didn't. I high-tailed it to Bhavnagar.
I mention this not because my teenaged travelling is of interest but because it bears a parallel to England's travails. Turn up to the crease in Ahmedabad, freak out and go mad (Belly?) and you're out of there before you've had time to get the feel of the place. Take the time to stick around and soak in the atmosphere, and you might find yourselves on 111 without loss, thinking 'Bugger Bhavnagar, let's stick about'. Fortunately for England fans, that's just what Cook and Compton did last night.
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