Live Blog: England vs India, Day 3, Lord's

Question for readers: Can India come out on top today?

Mukund cops one in the visor from Tremlett.

Make. Them. Play.

Bowl. It. Full.

It takes 14 balls for Stuart Broad to do what Ishant Sharma struggled to do for 32 overs.

He bowls a full one to Gambhir, who shapes to drive it through mid-on. The ball lands, swings in just enough, Gambhir goes over his off-stump, the ball eludes bat and pad and makes a mess of the stumps.

Then there was Mukund.

With a push there, a nudge there, a knock on the visor, a flash through gully, a punch down the ground, he had held his own and was unbeaten on 49. Then he tried the glory route to his first Test fifty.

Broad served up a full ball outside off-stump. Mukund threw his bat. The pitch did the rest. The inside edge crashed into the stumps.

For India, too many Test openers have come and gone. Mukund knows he's only keeping the seat warm for Sehwag. But it is scoring hundreds that separates the boys from men. It is the only way Mukund will remain in public memory.

Meanwhile, Parvez Sigan is upset about the events of Day 2.

I fail to understand why Harbajan is selected. He has not performed even in the last series with West Indies. Imagine Raina taking a wicked and Bhaji has become a joke. He needs to be dropped and Ashwin needs to be taken. Please selectors stop being bias and get rid of Bhaji until he proves his worth. He seems to have become obsolete.

Can't say I disagree with you. Here's a previous blog post on the subject when Harbhajan took his 400th wicket.

Reader Suresh:

IT is a shame dhoni had to bowl. I guess it would have really put Ishant, praveen, harbajan to shame. As a bowler the worst thing you would want is your keeper keeping his kit off to bowl your team to rescue! And we call ourselves no.1 team in the world.

Not exactly, Suresh. India were one pacer short because of Zaheer's injury and the conditions suited seam bowling. Dhoni bowls a bit in the nets and he was an obvious choice — sad as it may seem. Can't understand why you would fault Praveen, though Ishant and Harbhajan could have done better.

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