Well, here we are at The Oval for a match that India must win to keep the series alive. I think team selection is important. India have got away with using 2 spinners so far, but I think it is a very risky strategy in the two London games because it can be achieved only at the expense of a weak batting or pace bowling line-up.

Now that Ganguly has shown that he can "do a Collingwood" with the ball and Yuvraj is more than useful, India can safely assume that those two can bowl 10 (or more, if the situation demands) overs between them. So, IMO they should go for Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Powar and R P Singh, bringing in the latter in Chawla's place. The young leg-spinner caught several top batsmen off guard in the earlier games - as leg-spinners often do with English batsmen - but there are signs that they are beginning to get Chawla's measure.

I'm still not sure why Agarkar was preferred to R P Singh in the last game: I've not followed too closely... but from what I've gathered here and there.... Agarkar has bowled a lot of dross... with most of his wickets coming off pretty ordinary deliveries... whilst R P Singh has been looking pretty promising.

For the Oval, however, I'd stick with Chawla: bowling seam-up at the Oval is, as a rule, only rewarding to the extent that the new ball will swing - beyond that... if you've got even half decent spinners they should be on... if nothing else then just trying to buy a wicket on a pitch that offers no bowler a decent chance of beating the bat.

What a start to the game. WIcket on ball1. Cook gone to Khan.

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My computer can beat me at chess.....but its no match for me at kick boxing.

And the next ball goes for 4.

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My computer can beat me at chess.....but its no match for me at kick boxing.

I'd be very interested to know why England haven't had the bottle to open with Wright. If Prior must be in this side, he'd be better off coming it and seven with ten overs to go where he might do a job. Thirties and forties are only enough at the top of the order if they are scored very quickly.

Watch Prior go out and score a ton now I've said that...

Well given all Wright's success this season has come batting at 3 exploiting the fielding restrictions shoving him down at 7 (one assumes) and expecting him to fill in 5-6 overs later in the day is gormless in the extreme. Especially when he has a list A average of around 160 (at about 7 an over) with the ball this season. If Broad and anderson don't take early wickets then Mascarenhas and Wright coming on as first change versus Tendulkar and Ganguly looking to tee off should be fun .

Really should have been Plunkett called up .

quite, talk about round pegs and square holes. Oh, and Prior's out. Please, please, please, let that be his penultimate match for England.

I am pleased Wright has been called up,it means he isn't playing in the crunch match between Sussex and Yorkshire which could decide the championship.

Good start to this match with lots of runs and wickets too.If it is a sign of things to come it could be a great game.

I think you'd have rather seen one of the (English qualified) Mushtaq's called up in his stead .

Any Sussex player missing is a help but i fancy Inzamam might be a little pumped up to do well against those 2.