India 8-1 v England
Stuart Broad marked his return from injury with an early wicket to give England a fine start on day one of the second Test against India in Mohali.
England, who lost the toss and were offered the ball, recalled Broad in place of Steve Harmison.
It was their only change from the defeat in Chennai and paid immediate dividends as Sehwag edged behind for a duck in the second over of the day.
India were unchanged, giving an off-form Rahul Dravid another chance.
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By Ben Dirs
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606: DEBATE
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INDIA FIRST INNINGS
0442 - 8-1 Dravid blocks his first ball from Broad. A very solid stroke. But that's a beauty from Broad, another full delivery that lures Dravid into the drive. Big lbw appeal from Broad, but Umpire Harper reckons that was just going over the top. Good shout that, and Hawkeye says so too. Good pace from Broad - high 80mph and Dravid jabs his bat down hurriedly. Cracking opening spell this from Broad.
0437 - 8-1 Sehwag's dismissal brings Dravid to the crease. 'The Wall' is having a rough time of it lately with the bat - indeed, he's more like a shower curtain than a wall at the moment. Gambhir clips Anderson off his hip for a couple. Gambhir is beaten outside the off-stump, Anderson getting one to angle away from the batsman. Good start this from England, Anderson and Broad using the conditions well.
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It's Broad to share the new ball with Anderson and Gambhir tucks him away for a single to long-leg, where Monty fields. Sehwag faces his first ball, fishes slightly and is beaten. Very loose from Sehwag, driving wildly at his second ball faced... AND HE'S GONE FOR A BIG FAT DUCK NEXT BALL! Full delivery from Broad, Sehwag drives again and feathers a catch to Prior behind the stumps. That's why Broad's in the team - a little bit of swing and wobble.
0428 - 5-0 Appeal from Anderson first up, but that was sliding down Gambhir's leg-side. That's a peach of a drive from Gambhir off Anderson's second ball, a cover-drive for four. Gambhir dead bats into the off-side and scampers one more. Five from the first over. Carl (see below), I once wore a pair of my brother's trousers over my own trousers to a youth club disco in the hope that his (more fashionable) trousers would help me attract women. They didn't. I just looked like I had elephantitis.
"I just changed from Internet Expoliter to Fire-dog, in the vain hope it may change all my/our fortunes. Have you ever done anything as drastic to change the outcome of your life/a Test match?"
Carl Evans, France, in the TMS inbox
0421: A little burst of Jerusalem from the Barmy Army goes ricocheting around the ground - the attendance appears to be about 19. Remarkable scenes - the ball is being changed before a ball has been bowled. Bore off lads and get on with it.
0420: We've got some umpires at last and David Lloyd giving us the lowdown on the pitch - some grass on a length, but otherwise it's very dry with crevices all over it. Here come India's openers, Sehwag and Gambhir... cricket coming up...
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Gus Fraser on TMS
0409: Kevin Pietersen calls heads, it's tails, and India skipper MS Dhoni decides to have a bat... what do you infer from KP's comment that he likes the way Stuart Broad "carries himself"? A little dig at Steve Harmison maybe? Play due to start at 0420 GMT.
"I would have liked to have batted first. Reverse swing plays a huge role in the sub-continent, although I'm not sure how much we'll get in these overhead conditions. Stuart Broad brings in quite a bit in the way he bowls and carries himself and he adds a bit of batting down the order."
England captain Kevin Pietersen
0406: Play will start at 0430 GMT, skippers are on their way to the middle for the toss...
0400: Pungent words from Simon K first thing, and I have to agree. I just said pretty much exactly the same thing to the chap sat opposite me. Too much of that in the England team: half a season scratching about, one half-decent knock and a batsman's place is assured for another couple of series. I don't want to go back to the bad old Hick and Ramps days, but I can't help thinking this 'continuity' thing has gone too far. The toss may be happening in five minutes, says Jonathan Agnew on TMS... but that's unconfirmed...
"So, jobs for the boys yet again in the England upper order, with no place for Shah who is both in form and has a technique suited to the conditions. No doubt Bell will make an elegant 60 when the pressure is off and secure his place for another couple of years. I thought that Pietersen's appointment would end the culture of complacent mediocrity which has permeated the England dressing room, but perhaps not."
Simon K, Birmingham, in the TMS inbox
0355: Umpires Rauf and Harper tell us their light meters say 6, and they're not likely to start until they say 7. The problem is, will they ever say 7? It looks like Chelmsford in October out there at the moment.
0348: Apparently we've got a delayed start in Mohali - curiously, bad light has stopped play... at 9.15am. Where is Mohali, near Helsinki? I'll keep you posted, no chat yet as to when we'll be kicking off, or indeed when the toss will be. Just had a look at the pitch though - plenty of grass, looks like a bit of a seamers' paradise. India are unchanged from Chennai, which means Rahul Dravid has escaped the axe.
0343: Ian Bell retains his place in the England team. Not sure what Owais Shah has to do to get a run in the team, short of spiking Bell's pre-match vindaloo.
England: Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen (capt), Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Monty Panesar
0335: Morning duckies. Still waiting to hear whether Monty's been dropped or not, I'll just go and find out for you. Any Indians reading, thank your lucky stars you don't have to eat five Christmas dinners every December, I already smell of meat and stuffing and it's still six days until the big one. Hold the presses: Steve Harmison has been dropped for Stuart Broad. I have to say I agree with that decision wholeheartedly, it looked like Harmy wanted to be sipping hot Bovril back in Durham during the first Test.
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