ENG VS IND 1ST TEST

That's your lot for this Test match. It was a thorough entertainer but unfortunately didn't reach the climax. We are expecting more similar action (minus the rain) in the coming games. The caravan moves from Nottingham to London as the Mecca of Cricket, Lord's will be hosting the second Test match from 12th August 2021. The first ball will be at 11 am local (10 am GMT) but you can join us in advance for the build-up. Until next time, it's goodbye and cheers!

JOE ROOT, THE ENGLAND CAPTAIN, IS THE PLAYER OF THE MATCH. He says that it was a great Test match and the weather has robbed them of a close game and hopes that they can take the good stuff from this week to the rest of the series. Believes that they would have had nine opportunities to take wickets, had they played, but it is a shame that the weather did not let them have any action. Tells that there are certain areas which they want to work on and they want to take all the chances they create and they have to show strong character. On the scheduling of cricket in England, with The Hundred going on and no First-class cricket right now, Root tells that they have to deal with this issue, until the schedule changes and for the experienced players, who had to come from white-ball cricket to the Test format, it would have been easier to adapt, but, for the younger guys, it is slightly tough. Stresses that this is not an excuse, but opines that it could be challenging. Root says that he enjoyed his hundred and there was a lot of enjoyment as to how he played in this game. Adds that India have a really good seam attack and from his point of view, he looked to attack the bowlers and feels like he got into a good rhythm early in his innings.

Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, says that this is a bit of a strange one and they wanted a crack at the total, but it is a shame that the weather did not allow the game to continue. Feels that they wanted to start strong and heading to Day 5, they felt like they had the chance to win and felt like they were on top in the game. On the way the openers played late on Day 4, he says that they wanted to play with intent and it was not about survival and their intent kept them ahead in the game. Shares that the bowlers have been in the nets for the last three and a half weeks and they got a lead of 95 just due to their effort and he thinks they did a tremendous job with the blade. On whether this team will be the template for the series, Kohli thinks that this should be the template but adaptability has been their strength. Hopes that they get some exciting cricket for the remainder of the series.

It's raining but we will have the presentation...

England also had a few positives from the match but there are more negatives for them. Their top order batting needs a serious look-in, while the middle order is also looking fragile. Only Joe Root stood up with the bat to take the challenge to the Indian bowlers. That's surely not enough if you want to take down a team like India. James Anderson is aging like fine wine and his bowling spell on Day 2 was incredible. Ollie Robinson is another bowler who continues to show that he belongs to this level.

Positives for India! The batting of their openers, KL Rahul in particular. If Mayank Agarwal recovers from his concussion, that would be a real headache for Virat Kohli, ignoring KL after such a good Test match will be tough. The quartet of Indian pacers dominated the show. Jasprit Bumrah led the pack with a 9-wicket haul but the other three pacers were equally impressive if not more. Ravindra Jadeja getting preferred over Ravichandran Ashwin didn't have much of an impact with the ball but his knock with the bat justified his selection in a way.

Who will be hurting more? India or England? You can argue for both sides here. 157 on the final day with 9 wickets in hand, you will have to back the batting team to do the job. Having said that, with the conditions being overcast and England possessing some great bowlers for this particular condition, you never know, 2-3 early wickets and that would have put the cat among the pigeons. It's hard to guess what would have happened and it's a really sad end to this intriguing Test match.

It was a fascinating Test match. The first day will be remembered for the English collapse in the last session when India seized the initiative. Day 2 brought us rain but in a little window of play, James Anderson roared to remove Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli off consecutive balls. The moving day was all about more rain and the Indian tail wagging to gather vital runs. The penultimate day of this Test match was very engrossing with Joe Root leaving his mark with a century and Jasprit Bumrah claiming a 5-wicket haul to make it nine wickets in the match. No one will argue that had there been no rain, this Test match would have become even more interesting as the rain gods snatched momentum from both teams at some point in time.

Right then, Day 5 has been completely washed out and this Test match ends in a draw. That means both India and England will get 4 points each in the ICC World Test Championship table. What a shame! It was one heck of a Test match and was heading towards a close finish but the rain gods decided to spoil the party and have robbed us of a possible humdinger. 157 runs were needed on the final day but not a single ball was possible.

Update 3.50 pm local (2.50 pm GMT) - MATCH ABANDONED! Our worst fears have come true. We were hanging by a thread of hope for at least 30-35 overs but the umpires have decided to call it off. Too much rain, to be honest.

Update 3.30 pm local (2.30 pm GMT) - TEA TAKEN! The intensity of the rain had gone down, but it has picked up pace yet again. The conditions are still murky, as ever. The umpires decide to take Tea and we will be waiting for some better news, post the Tea break. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, we have been waiting for some cricketing action to get underway in this game, there is some cricket going on in England, that you can catch right now. At the Oval, in The Hundred Women, Trent Rockets Women have won the toss against Oval Invincibles Women and have chosen to bat first. You could switch tabs and catch all the action from that game, but, ensure that you keep an eye out here for any and all updates.

Update 3 pm local (2 pm GMT) - Not promising signs, ladies and gentlemen. Images from the ground show that the rain is steady and is pouring down at Trent Bridge. The atmosphere is also very dull and murky. Looks like there is thunder and lightning at the ground right now, as well. Harsha Bhogle (on air) quips that the colour of the sky is somewhere between medium grey and dark grey. Since we have seen so many grey skies in the past 5 days, he jokes that he has forgotten how blue skies look like. Fingers crossed that we can bring you something positive.

We all know that Bumrah has had a good first Test with the ball, but did you know that Jasprit Bumrah, with 16 wickets at this venue, has the joint-fourth most wickets, by a visiting bowler at Trent Bridge. The great Shane Warne with 29 wickets leads the list.

Update 2.30 pm local (1.30 pm GMT) - Oh, nooo! Just seems like our luck has gone for a toss. This should have been the time when the inspection should be going on, but THE DRIZZLE IS BACK. Furthermore, the hover cover is back on too. No respite for us all. The waiting game goes on...

Update 2.08 pm local (1.08 pm GMT) - Oh, yesssss! Some more good news (touch wood)! The Twitter handle of Nottinghamshire CCC has tweeted that the umpires are going to hold an inspection at 2.30 pm local (1.30 pm GMT). Hoping that the inspection brings us some update regarding the start time. We'll bring you everything we get. Keep an eye on this space.

Update 1.50 pm local (12.50 pm GMT) - GOOD NEWS! The rain has stopped. The super Soppers are at work. The groundsmen are trying their best to ensure that the conditions improve (hoping that the run does not return). There is more movement in the ground as well. This is really positive news. But, the weather today has been very stop-start, so we'll be hoping that the rain stays away for a much longer time now. Stay tuned as we hope to bring you more positive news.

Update 1.10 pm local (12.10 pm GMT) - The Lunch period is over but the rainy period is not. It's lashing down at Trent Bridge. Plenty of water on the covers and there are many wet patches on the unprotected areas as well. The drainage here is very good but until and unless it stops raining, nothing can be done. Let's play the waiting game for now.

Did you know? India have never lost a Test match in England after gaining a lead of 75 or more runs. They have won 4 and drawn 4.

Update 12.30 pm local (11.30 am GMT) - EARLY LUNCH TAKEN. Looking at how the weather is behaving, the umpires have made the decision to take it early. The entire first session has been washed out. Not the start that we wanted on Day 5, but honestly, not much that we can do. Let's hope for better news after the Lunch break. Keep an eye for updates here.