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You can bet your bottom dollar Jimmy Anderson is straight back in for that next Day/Night Test Freeze!

Freezin wrote: If the pitch was doctored, how did Ashwin make a 100 then?...Eng batted poorly in both digs....just goes to show get a side under the pump and that's when the true test of ability begins. India got contributions right across the board with the bat...bar Pujara and Gill across both digs....Eng got none...Ali and Leach took wickets, same as Ashwin, Patel etc....just India's batsmen dug in more......luck of the toss perhaps...day nighter now, so I guess the spin won't be as much a factor....as much as India improved, England regressed.....that's cricket I guess.

Fully agree with you, Freez.
India was far superior and I see the First Test result as an aberration.
Massive turnarounds are the nature of Test cricket.
We only have to think of the 1975-76 Australia-West Indies Test series discussed on another thread, when the Windies flogged the Aussies at the WACA but proceeded to lose the series 5-1.
England is not immune to producing doctored Test wickets, with the classic example being the Headingley wicket for the 1972 Ashes series.

www.espncricinfo.com/story/rewind-the-fu...d-the-aussies-901241

Yes, I know this is 49 years ago, but most Test nations play to their strengths when it comes to wicket preparation (think the traditional WACA pitch).
However, England has an unhealthy dependence on Joe Root to score runs and when he misses out, so, invariably, do the To and Froms.
I'm not being lewd when I say: "No Root, no England."

OK so here we go again with the series poised at 1-1 and the prospect of a pink ball test. As always is the case in India, the pitch will play a major role. You would expect India to bring Bumrah back and also the return of Anderson and Archer (if fit) for England. You would think that the spinners will still be a big factor in this game. Bess will come back for Moeen Ali who has gone home for some reason.
Ashwin will once more be crucial in this contest.
India need to win the series 3 - 1 to qualify for the World Test Championship final so they will be going all out for a result in this game.

it's going to turn square pretty early on after the shine disappears - England in trouble already

This left arm spinner Axar is very impressive, he is going to be a nightmare to play on Indian pitches.

Interesting to see Eng play one specialist spinner plus Root...whilst India play3 spinners and 2 fast bowlers....even with winning the toss Eng look farked...no doubt Vaughan will complain about the state of the pitch after Eng piss poor 1st dig....India just needs to get to 250 odd and a lead of 150 odd should be enough to win the game....thank fark Axar was injured for the Aust series....definitely looks the goods.

Freezin: Moen has gone home to rest; reaading the BBC, it appears against the captain's wishes; from there, as you said, England have forgotten the test is in India.

One point on the Indian commentators, such as Gavaskar, whom seem to have given up fair wickets. He has always resented green tops in England and Australia, never recognising, that, green tops dry and become good for batting. Is he seriously suggesting that this pitch will get better to bat on?

AR Gavaskar has always been a spoilt brat.
I will never forget one day after being given out lbw to Lillee at the MCG in 1980/81 he spat the dummy and then demanded his opening partner Chetan Chauhan walk off the ground with him which would have then forfeited the Test, until the Indian Manager met them at the gate and told Chauhan to get back to the crease.

That wicket was powderising well forward of the creases after less than 20 overs - the dust plume was very obvious
Not a good look for fair cricket and even the polished mud surfaces in the West Indies hold up better than that

Baffled as to why England didn't play Dom Bess as their second specialist spinner.
Given that Virat Kohli is back in the pavilion, the To and Froms are still a chance of restricting India's lead to under 100.
However, it will be a tough ask setting the home side a challenging run chase.
I think most countries play to their strengths when it comes to pitch preparation.
Certainly, Australia always relished playing Test matches at the WACA because most visiting teams struggled with the pace and bounce.
Quite possibly the most doctored wicket (and well before my time) was the Ashes pitch at Old Trafford in 1956 (Jim Laker 19-90).
It will never happen, but maybe they should do away with the coin toss and given visiting teams the option of batting or bowling.
English cartoonist Roy Ulyett produced a clever picture of a tombstone reading "Here lies the Aussies of '56, skittled by Laker for next to nix."
Tied to the shoes of a kangaroo next to the grave was a note saying "Never forgotten. Sorry you thought our wicket rotten. Love from the groundstaff."

www.espncricinfo.com/story/rewind-when-l...d-the-aussies-897043