Live Test Match Blogging / Andrew Hughes / 21 August 2011 /

With two days to go, there's plenty of time for England to take the fifteen wickets they need to wrap up a 4-0 series win. Andrew Hughes will be on hand throughout Sunday to bring us the best of the betting opportunities from the Oval

CLOSE India 129-3
Stubborn resistance from Tendulkar and Mishra sees India to the close. It has been a tough day of Test cricket, but a well-balanced one for a change. India trail by 162 but only have 7 second innings wickets left. Log on to betting.betfair.com tomorrow to see whether England can clinch a 4-0 series win.

WICKET Laxman b Anderson 24
Great persistence from Anderson, he must be pretty tired, but he keeps tearing in and that was a beauty. India still 173 runs behind and the draw is out to [3.5] the biggest price it's been all match. 5 overs to go tonight.

18:00 India 105-2
Now when the series is long gone and the game is almost lost, Laxman and Tendulkar are showing their class. They're scoring pretty quickly too, which could make it easier for them to get the draw tomorrow

17:35 India 71-2
England are probably one big wicket away from having this in the bag. That wicket, of course, belongs to the Little Master. Surprisingly, there is still some value in the England price. You can back them to win at [1.51]

WICKET Sehwag b Swann 33
That's a huge wicket, Sehwag's loose technique always leaves him vulnerable to that kind of dismissal and Swann spun that back beautifully. And now here is Sachin, for the last time in a Test match in England

WICKET Dravid c Cook b Swann 13
Finally Dravid is out. It was a close call, England rightly asked for a review and the not out decision was overturned. Now the remaining Indian batsmen will have to do it without their stalwart. Are they up to it? England [1.82] for the win and still plenty of time left. Sehwag and Tendulkar are the key wickets. Get them tonight and it's game over.

16:40 India 27-0
We're underway again. If Dravid is unbeaten at the close tonight, this has to be considered a heroic effort. Will England win this game, or will India survive? Have your say at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

TEA India 25-0
That's it for a fascinating afternoon session. Sehwag has survived more than an over, but there's an awful lot more work to be done to make this game safe. India trail by 266 runs and now Dravid gets to put his feet up. For 20 minutes.

15:50 India 5-0
And Dravid is coming straight back out to open the batting again. That is commitment. Rahul is single-handedly trying to save this for India. And it's about time he had some help, particularly from Sehwag who has been woeful this summer.

15:40 India 0-0
England have enforced the follow-on. They have 37 overs tonight and a whole day tomorrow to bowl India out for the 4-0 series victory, although India could conceivably get into the lead by tea tomorrow, which will delay an England win further. The odds on a Day 4 Evening finish are down to [6.0] now and the England win [1.89]

WICKET Sreesanth c Morgan b Bresnan 0
That's the end of that. Will England enforce the follow on? They are 291 runs ahead. There's a standing ovation for Rahul Dravid and rightly so.

WICKET RP Singh c Anderson b Bresnan 25
England keep chipping away though, another excellent catch, this time from Anderson at third slip. 91 runs needed to avoid the follow on.

15:30 India 300-8
India pass 300 for the first time in the series, I believe, thanks to some big hitting from RP Singh. The Indian tailenders are showing the seniors how to bat. It looks as though this will not be finished today and the market is now making Day 5 Evening the favourite in the Test Match End market at [1.11]

WICKET Gambhir c Pietersen b Broad 10
We see this a lot in T20, when a break produces a wicket, but not usually in Test matches. Gambhir played the previous delivery poorly and then another short ball has done for him. 12 wickets to go.

15:00 India 264-7
This is hard work for England and they will be enjoying those drinks. The new ball really hasn't done a great deal, but Dravid and Gambhir are in determined mood. If only they'd shown this much application earlier in the series.

14:40 India 259-7
England have taken the new ball and Gambhir can expect another battering. Punters are getting a little nervous about England's chances of forcing the win, which is now [2.4]but there's plenty of time yet. 13 wickets to go.

14:20 India 247-7
There's a bit of a lull out there at the moment, with spin on at both ends and these two batsmen playing it safe. Bresnan was bowling a few short at Gambhir and that poses the question: should England be targeting him like that, given that he has concussion? Let me know your thoughts at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

WICKET Mishra c Bell b Bresnan 43
Brave innings by Mishra, but superb catch by Bell. Hard to imagine anyone in the Indian team, with the possible exception of Raina catching that. And here, at last, is Gautam Gambhir. He may well have to bat twice today.

13:45 India 218-6
Welcome back. Ravi Bopara is on, bowling his mixture of gentle swing and the occasional cutter. This is another string to his bow that could just keep him ahead of James Taylor in the pecking order. Or should the youngster get his chance this winter? Let me know what you think at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

LUNCH India 218-6
The morning session finishes with a Mishra six and for the first time in a while, England know they will have to fight if they want to force a victory. You could even argue that was India's session, and when was the last time that happened? I'm off for a sandwich and a cup of tea, back in 40 minutes

12:40 India 183-6
India are showing some character here, Mishra is digging in and supporting Dravid. As we said at the start of the day, patience is the key for the England players and for England backers alike. The England win is now [1.91] which is worth considering if you didn't take the bigger prices on offer during the first three days.

12:25 India 172-6
Wonderful strokes from Dravid to bring him his century. He's scored 60% of India's runs this innings and he's the only Indian batsman to emerge from the series with any credit.

12:05 India 155-6
Beligerence from Mishra and solid application from Dravid. Where would India have been this summer without him. Indian fans, is he your player of the series? Or is it Praveen? There aren't too many other candidates. Get in touch at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk and nominate your player of the series

WICKET Dhoni c Prior b Anderson 17
As predicted, Anderson is a handful this morning and he beat Dhoni with a lovely outswinger. No sign of Gambhir yet.

11:45 India 137-5
Some strong resistance from India means that the price on the England win has gone out to [1.83] but it's only a matter of time before England get their win. News on Gautam Gambhir is that he has been in the nets this morning so should be fit to bat

11:25 India 113-5
There have already been some near misses this morning but India are hanging in there. Conditions are overcast, so Anderson could be dangerous when he gets the chance

11:10 India 108-5
Graeme Swann is into the attack straight away. England have been so dominant this summer that he hasn't really needed to contribute with the ball. Is he the currently the best spinner in the world? I can't think of anyone better, can you? Get in touch at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

10:55 India 103-5
Rain is not going to save India today, the forecast is for a dry day. With England's win price down to a more realistic [1.67] it's worth looking elsewhere for value. The Test Match End market is an interesting one and how you look at it depends on how quickly you think the tourists will crumble. I think there is every chance that they won't make it till tomorrow morning and Day 4 Evening at [4.6] looks a good price.

10:45 India 103-5
The end of the Oval Test is traditionally where the post mortems begin, but these days it tends to be the visitors doing the soul-searching rather than England. So who is to blame for this debacle, India fans. These appear to be the options: 1) The players 2) The lack of preparation 3) Duncan Fletcher 4)The IPL. Personally, I think it's mainly 1) with a side order of 2). Have your say at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

10:40 India 103-5
Morning all and welcome to what could be the last day of the series. How long this lasts depends on how much fight the Indians have left in them, so judging by yesterday's effort, it could be done and dusted before we tuck into our lunchtime sandwiches. On the other hand, this is Sachin's very last opportunity to bring up that landmark that we don't talk about anymore on his last trip to England.

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