Its time for India to throw the bat.

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"Checkout the big brain on Brett" Pulp Fiction

I think its right for India to get us in tonight. Despite showing a bit of pluck in the last game Strauss is clearly not at the races and must be a realistic candidate for an early departure this evening

I have been surprised by Laxman playing so slowly when his team are in so much control,whether that is because he feels under pressure for place or not i don't know but he has the ability to score much faster than he has.

I expect we will be sent in for 10 overs tonight and will lose a couple of wickets.

Some harsh words exchanged by KP and Zaheer Kahn but not sure why resulting in Kahn pointing his bat at KP, and KP telling him to kindly go beck to the batting crease (I'm paraphrasing obviously). The best bit is that as Vaughan was off the field Strauss got carpeted by the umps and told to keep his team under controll

That has come to something if youre warned for sledging by a South African and an aussie!!

Kumble gone its time to declare.

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"Checkout the big brain on Brett" Pulp Fiction

RP Singh may have been unlucky with that one as Hawkeye which is never to be taken literally said it was just about clipping the top of the stumps,one that could easily have gone the other way.

For a team that was in dominating position, India scored very slowly on the third day. Another 50-75 runs would have ensured they do not have to bat again. But now England has got a realistic chance of not only going past the lead but declare on the last day setting India a tricky target...

Watching the highlights I'm generally impressed with all of the cricket on view... with the obvious exception: as flagged up at the time on the radio... Prior is exposed as beyond redemption.

CMJ noted that Prior was taking balls down the leg side with wild dives where a genuine 'keeper like Taylor would have been taking them on the move (implying a significantly greater range as the dive remains for even wider balls).

Sometime after he mentioned this... Prior failed to even get close to a ball Tendulkar clipped fine on the leg side (when on 59) and later on, Anderson got Laxman to glove one down the leg side... and watching the highlights it was no sitter: not something a second rater like Prior would get in 100 attempts... but a chance to a genuine gloveman.

And then this sort of thing:

119.5 Collingwood to Laxman, no run, slower ball - 62mph - and it finds the edge but at that speed it was never going to carry and Prior fumbled it on the bounce

I'm only singling this one out as it was easily identifiable on both highlights and the text commentary: any self-respecting gloveman would have been stood up and would have at least turned that into a chance... and this wasn't the only ball to die before reaching the fool pretending to be worthy of gloves.

Even the cricinfo commentators were move to comment:I'm equally unimpressed that he was back to Sidebottom and Anderson: surely unwarranted. Furthermore, even by "back" standards he was deep:

57.3 Anderson to Tendulkar, no run, outside off, dying on the bounce, but a crouching Prior manages to get some glove on it

I noticed at least one slip catch drop short... and as the slips generally position off the 'keeper that's arguably another chance he's responsible for blowing.

Last but not least... there was the general messyness: the delayed reaction on balls going down leg, the balls thudding into the heel of the hand, the funbles of return throws and stuff like this:

105.1 Panesar to Tendulkar, no run, wide outside leg, Prior makes a mess of the take

Surely today's performance brings to a close this inglorious experiment of giving a slip fielder the gloves.

I don't think more runs are going to help India's position. India's fortunes tomorrow will mainly depend on how dry the pitch is and whether Kumble can use the conditions to his advantage. As far as England is concerned tomorrow is all about patience and survival. If they can bat for four sessions and bowl at India for two sessions on the last day they could force an unlikely win. Sidebottom, Tremlett and Panesar are bowling well and the likely uneven bounce on day five should assist them.

Rachael, Prior has only played 5 Test matches so it's harsh and unfair to be so vehement with your criticisms. It would be more sensible to focus on more senior players who have greater expectations on them to be more effective. I'm talking about Jimmy Anderson who has played 17 Test matches but has struggled with his line in this match. He has given away many boundaries by bowling too wide and needs to bowl a consistently tight line to be considered a genuine Test bowler. Sidebottom is probably the best of the seam bowlers in terms of line followed closely by Tremlett. When Flintoff returns to the team Anderson will probably be the one to make way for him.