Key events
WICKET! Pope c Rahul b Washington Sundar 71 (India 341-3)
Flight, drift and a Pope poke to slip! Sundar strikes in the second over after lunch. India needed that, a familiar dismissal for Pope who stomps off furious with himself, there was a ton for the taking out there.
75th over: England 341-2 (Pope 71, Root 71) Here come the players for the afternoon session. India need wickets. Jadeja starts to Root who flicks his very first ball behind point for a couple and then rocks back to a shorter ball and times it through midwicket for four.
Ali getting his statto on:
Joe Root moves to 50 for the 104th time in his Test career. Only Sachin Tendulkar, 119 times, is fiftier @englandcricket
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) July 25, 2025
A very serviceable chicken curry in the Old Trafford press box and then a check of the emails… Neil Gibson is having a bad day, he doesn’t really mean this, I hope.
“Sorry to say it but this is now a boring Test match”
There’s no pleasing some people.
Lunch – England 332-2 (trail by 26 runs on first innings)
Root reverse sweeps for three and exchanges a couple more singles with Pope to take England serenely to lunch. 107 runs added in 28 overs, no alarms and no surprises.
Time for some scran, back soon.
74th over: England 332-2 (Pope 70, Root 63)
73rd over: England 327-2 (Pope 69, Root 59) Root and Pope are picking up singles and rotating strike at will. After a few scares from balls spitting and scudding in the first half hour this has been a relative cakewalk for England so far on day three.
72nd over: England 323-2 (Pope 66, Root 58) Jadeja drops short, Root rocks back and angles away for four more.
71st over: England 318-2 (Pope 65, Root 54) Bosh! Root steps down to Sundar and clatters a drive back past the bowler for four. England trail by just 40 now. India are hurting at the moment.
70th over: England 313-2 (Pope 64, Root 50) Pope drives Jadeja for another single.
“Hi James, Rowan Tewari’s mate passing comment on England’s greatest ever run scorer reminded me of my only included OBO missive during the immortal ’05 Ashes series, which can still be found on page 172/173 of the marvellous Is it Cowardly to Pray for Rain:
“My wife – forced to assume some interest as the cricket was on all day – asked me genuinely “That blond one is getting hit all the time – is he no good because he’s fat? He doesn’t look like a professional sportsman.”
I don’t think we even need to say who she was referring to, do we? RIP.”
Lovely stuff from Ben Heywood.
69th over: England 312-2 (Pope 63, Root 50) Here comes Washington Sundar for his first bowl of the innings… he’s welcomed by a Joe Root reverse sweep for four and a scampered single into the covers that takes Root to another half century. Death, taxes… Root and Pope pick off more runs, more singles than a Thursday night in Clapham out there right now.
68th over: England 305-2 (Pope 61, Root 45) Root dabs past point for a couple off Jadeja, who then goes too straight and is clipped square on the leg side for two more. Lunch can’t come soon enough for the visitors at the moment.
67th over: England 301-2 (Pope 61, Root 41) Shot! Pope leans into a high elbowed straight drive and pings the ball back past Kamboj for four. That brings up the 100 partnership between this pair as England close in on 300. More brisk running sees the 300 hundred breached, India being run ragged at the moment.
66th over: England 292-2 (Pope 53, Root 40) Death by a thousand cuts for India at the moment as Root and Pope exchange quick singles off Jadeja.
65th over: England 290-2 (Pope 52, Root 39) Pope scurries a single to mid-off. Since drinks England have really been hustling the quick ones.
64th over: England 289-2 (Pope 51, Root 39) Pope passes fifty with a perky single. These are big runs for him after his scores have tailed off since that ton at Headingley. If he scores a century here it will be the first time he has two tons in the same series.
63rd over: England 285-2 (Pope 49, Root 37) Kamboj continues and Jurel comes up to the stumps to try and keep Root and Pope confined to barracks. DROP! Pope gets a meaty-ish inside edge and the ball hits the keeper on the thigh. It was a tough chance stood up to the stumps but you’ve seen them taken.
62nd over: England 281-2 (Pope 47, Root 35) Grease applied to the knuckles as Jadeja does indeed rattle through five dots, Pope drives to mid off to scamper a single off the sixth.
61st over: England 280-2 (Pope 46, Root 35) Frustration for India and Kamboj as Pope is beaten on the inside edge attempting an elaborate drive but then picks up five off the next ball as an errant throw from – who else – Mo Siraj evades the keeper and slips and races to the fence. India need to dig in here, they are looking a bit ragged.
Gill summons some spin from Ravindra Jadeja, love the guy but with his warp speed overs he is an OBOers worst nightmare.
60th over: England 275-2 (Pope 41, Root 35) Runs beginning to flow more freely for England now as Pope survives another ball that keeps low from the Statham End from Siraj, a toe end jabbed down and past Jurel for a couple followed by a sublime cover drive all along the Old Trafford baize for four. England trail by 83 runs.
The players take drinks after an unthreatening over from Anshul Kamboj that is taken for five runs – the first hour belongs to England and Joseph Edward Root.
“Hello there James”
Back atcha Rohan Tewari.
“Watching the cricket with a mate who has no real proclivity for cricket. “Not much impressed with this Root chap” he says. “Celebrating getting to 30, hasn’t clubbed the ball once and the crowd seem to boo him everytime he does scores from an attacking shot!” he cries out incredulously. God I love Test cricket.”
59th over: England 266-2 (Pope 32, Root 35)
Joe Root goes to number 3 in the all time Test runs list!
58th over: England 261-2 (Pope 32, Root 31) A nudged single to deep third takes Root past Dravid and level with Jacques Kallis. Pope returns the strike and Root glides with velveteen hands into the covers to get the single that takes him to 13,290 Test runs and number three on the list! If he gets to 120 in this knock then he’ll have Ricky Ponting’s scalp too. A true great.
57th over: England 259-2 (Pope 31, Root 30) Shot of the morning from Root who stand tall and punches Bumrah off the back foot and in the gap square on the off-side for four. Glorious. That boundary takes Root level with Rahul Dravid in the all time runs list.
56th over: England 253-2 (Pope 30, Root 25) Siraj has been at his bustling best this morning, making Root and Pope play and targeting stumps and pads. Pope plays another jabby jabby jab at a length ball that he suggests keeps low but his footwork was nowhere, man.
Apologies my emails were seemingly on the blink but they are back up and running now and a flurry of correspondence has landed in the OBO mailbag. Johno from Melbourne has been getting his simian stroll on Down Under:
“Aside from the Edgbaston heist, yesterday felt like the first day that England had properly won all series. Not only that, Cousin Zak finally found himself as the rock and roll star he can ben and some might say that the Indian bowlers acquiesced. England’s masterplan of losing whole days but winning the odd session, rather than just rolling with it, seems to, little by little, be making the Indian men slide away.
Whatever.”
55th over: England 252-2 (Pope 30, Root 24) Better from Pope, he gets on top of a short ball from Bumrah and pulls away decisively for four. That brings up England’s 250 and reduces the first innings deficit to 106.
54th over: England 247-2 (Pope 26, Root 23) Root plays and misses to Siraj outside off stump and then has a stern word with himself. Close! Siraj gets one to pop from the Statham End, the same one that he got one to scud through at shin height a few overs back. Gulp. Root then gloves another lifter wide of point and Pope calls him through for a quick single, Root was on the back foot and scrambling for his ground… the throw misses but he was a goner there had it it. It’s all happening.
53rd over: England 246-2 (Pope 26, Root 22) Pope gets a leading edge to Bumrah that somehow lands safe! Another spitting delivery from Bumrah but Pope jabbed at it unconvincingly. Lucky lad. Root pulls into the leg side to bring up 1000 Test runs at Old Trafford. Chalk it up.
52nd over: England 240-2 (Pope 25, Root 21) Siraj pins Root on the pad and it looks a close call! The ball flies away for four byes and India mull going for a review. Siraj is keen, of course he is. Root did wander across his stumps. Gill makes the T-sign and they go upstairs. NOT OUT! The ball was sliding down and India lose their second review.
51st over: England 240-2 (Pope 25, Root 21) Bumrah gets one to spit sharply at Pope from the Statham End. Pope has a flirt at it and it whistles past the edge. I’ll say it again. There’s plenty in this pitch. Maiden.
50th over: England 240-2 (Pope 25, Root 21) Pope flashes Siraj away wide of the cordon for four and Root nearly forces the the indomitable bowler to combust with his own loosey-goosey drive that flies to the fence backward of point! I think Root meant the stroke but it was a little close to gully for comfort. A perky if a little risky start for England.
49th over: England 231-2 (Pope 20, Root 17) Bumrah it is after one over of Thakur. Root picks a full ball off his toes for four, he looks in decent nick does Joe. A majestic drive is unfurled later in the over but pings straight to the fielder. Be still my…
48th over: England 227-2 (Pope 20, Root 13) Mohammed Siraj opens up from t’other end and he bustles in to Pope, honing in on pads and stumps. Five dots are stitched together before the last ball of the over scuds through at no more than shin height and nearly scuttles Pope! That did not bounce at all, if that was straight then Pope was a goner and there’s nowt he could do have done about it. Pope wanders down and gets his Monty Don on, trust me, this pitch is going to go more up and down than a hormonal teenager on a paternoster.
47th over: England 227-2 (Pope 20, Root 13) Righto, the players are out there and let’s be havvin it. Shardul ‘Lord’ Thakur has the ball with two slips in place. This might just be a solitary over for ‘Lord’ so that Bumrah can switch ends. I’d be surprised if Gill has given Thakur the ball straight away though he does have something of a golden albeit military medium arm.
Root flicks for two off his pads to start England off, no doubt making Jacques, Ricky and Rahul (and Sachin!) a little more twitchy in the process.
Well, it turns out the downright doleful Robert Heath is in luck. John Stedman emails to say Zaltzman has been crunching the numbers (been emailing the Beeb too Bobby?)
Those numbers look prettay good to me:
Joe Root:
72 innings when not out overnight
3227 runs added
Average 53.7 added to overnight score (12 not outs)
Shubman Gill is currently on the outfield practicing his slip catching, he’s pouched everything FYI.
India need to make inroads this morning after their least incisive day with the ball yesterday. If England are still batting post tea then they’ll have a hefty lead and the series could well be slipping out of view for the visitors.
Catch up on yesterday’s action with Ali Martin’s report and Simon Burnton’s analysis:
Robert Heath pings in the first email of the day and its given me heavy boots:
“I promise I’m not predicting anything or tempting fate, but – I’d love to see the stat of how many times Joe Root has been not out overnight but has been dismissed in the first half an hour next day. It seems to me that it’s a thing for him!”
You’d love to see it eh Bobby? Well, you’re bang out of luck on this OBO. Smyth might indulge your entirely hunch based statistical pessimism later in the day. I won’t stand for it.
Ben Stokes has been a bowling colossus in this series:
Wonder how Rishab Pant’s foot is this morning? Bag of Petit Pois and couple of Ibruprofen pronto?
Taha Hashim was on hand to cover yesterday’s biggest sub plot:
Preamble
James Wallace
Welcome to Manchester. They do things differently here.
Alighting at Piccadilly Station this morning there was a gaggle of Crusading Knights, a handful of Hulk Hogans and four Richie Benaud’s queuing for a Greggs Breakfast. They were all headed to the same place…
It’s day three of England v India from Old Trafford. Moving Day. The sun is shiiiining and England are Definitely/Maybe going to enjoy batting in these conditions.
Ben Stokes’ side are 133 behind with eight first wickets in hand and will be looking to bat once and big on a wicket that has got some life in it and will likely offer some up ‘n’ down bounce and keep the spinners interested as the match goes deeper.
Ollie Pope is currently at the crease with plenty to prove to himself and the doubters after his average has once again turned thin and gruelly after a century earlier in the series.
At the other end there’s this fella called Joe Root, he’s got Messrs Dravid, Kallis and Ponting in his sights on the all time Test run scorers list.
Rob Key is currently playing keepy uppies with the England team (Hello fellow kids and mind those toes Brydon Carse!) play begins at 11am and as always do get in touch with your thoughts and theories. You and I are gonna live forever OBO till an hour after lunch before the Supersonic Rob Smyth takes over. Know what I mean?