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By Sam Sheringham
What\u2019s that I hear you cry? \u201cNot another five one-dayers between England and India?\u201d Trust me, I feel your pain. But then again, I guess your view of this series probably depends on whether you are a glass half-empty or half-full kind of person. And just for the moment, I\u2019m going to fill my tankard to the brim and drink to the prospect of a fascinating re-match on Indian soil. With the hosts hell-bent on revenge for their 3-0 defeat in England and Alastair Cook\u2019s men looking to upstage the world champions in their own backyard, it should be a cracker. Here\u2019s hoping anyway.
On Twitter: "Test Match Special commentary box today has an en-suite bathroom. So could be some interesting background noises today!!"
Breaking news from Hyderabad. England have left out Ian Bell. Full team and toss news on its way.
India have won the toss and will bat. No TV pictures at the moment because of a dispute between the Indian government and broadcasters apparently. Handy.
So Ian Bell out and Jonny Bairstow in after his brilliant century in the second warm-up match. Remember, those big-wigs at the ICC have had another tinker with the ODI rules in a latest bid to spice up the 50-over games. A new ball from each end and powerplays must be used between the 16th and 40th overs. All the most reasons for big-hitters like Bairstow to come in early.\u00a0
India: Dhoni, Gambhir, Parthiv, Rahane, Kohli, Raina, Jadeja, Ashwin, Praveen, Vinay, Umesh
England: Cook, Kieswetter, Trott, Pietersen, Bopara, Bairstow, Patel, Bresnan, Swann, Finn and Dernbach
Don't forget to hit me with all your news and views. You can text on 81111 (UK), send a tweet to @samsheringham or email us at tms@bbc.co.uk. I am a fan of your work. Still no pictures from the middle. Not sure if that's good news or bad news for you lot. It will certainly restrict my capacity for poetic descriptions of the colour of the Hyderabad grass. Word has it it's green by the way.
From Pandaman_cometh: "Picking KP over Bell & Buttler sends a clear message out to players that Flower is willing to pick the team on reputation."
We're about to begin folks. Or at least so I hear over the radiowaves. Incidentally, it's probably best if you send your emails to the TMS inbox, on tms@bbc.co.uk. I thank you. Still no pictures, this should be fun.
England are wearing black armbands today in memory of Graham Dilley. Bresnan bowls the first over and Parthiv Patel gets the scoreboard ticking over with a single down to fine leg. Rumours abounding that the TV dispute has something to do with India not wanting viewers to see Hawkeye replays. Drastic measures.
From Jim, TMS inbox: "Can anyone tell me why Patel continues to be picked for England? He\u2019s had a handful of good games and bucket loads of terrible ones. Still, hope he proves me wrong today. KP to get a ton!"
Steve Finn bowling the second over of the innings. Rahane edges to Trott at slip. and he puts it down! Regulation chance. Poor start from England. Rahane gets off the mark with a couple to midwicket. So, what do you reckon, has Bell been unlucky? Should the leggie Borthwick have been given a twirl? Get in touch folks.
An anonymous text - get involved on 81111: "Ian Bell dropped - a disgrace!! That man has been our best batsman for the last\u00a0two years... I'm also backing Bopara for another ineffective display!"
Patel turns one off leg stump for the first boundary of the innings, clipped away off his toes so I'm told. I'm going to throw my oar in and say Bell had to go. You can't have him and Trott in the same ODI side, and Trott's average is far superior to Bell's. Bairstow has the potential to take England's batting to another level.
As Primal Scream once sang "I was blind, now I can see." TV pictures are up and running. We are in business. And now we have an appeal. England think they have run out Rahane, with Finn deflecting the ball onto the stumps at the non-striker's end. I think he's a goner...
Patel is the man out. That has to be the unluckiest way to fall in cricket. Finn got the lightest of touches on the ball but it was enough to deflect it onto the stumps.
"I don't know what Patel was doing there with his bat in the wrong hand."
From Andy in Worcester: "Totally agree with Bairstow getting a spot, he is the perfect run machine we need. But dropping Bell, wrong call. Bopara shouldn't be playing, nice player that he is, I just don't think he has moved to the international stage well."
From Charles Kane, TMS inbox: "I\u2019m backing Andy Flower to have made a good call on selection. He has a reasonable track record of improving England sides."
England haven't won an ODi series in India since 1985. Twenty-six years of hurt?That's probably over-stating it a bit but certainly a chance to show they can mix it in the-continent. Gautam Gambhir is the new batsman - having missed the series in England with concussion - and he cuts for a single to get off the mark.
From Nick in London, TMS inbox: "Wow, knives out for Bopara already despite a rather good home series with the bat all of, what?, a couple of weeks ago. Give the guy a break!"
\u00a0
Rahane opens the face and guides Finn between cover point and extra cover. A fine bit of scampering from Tim Bresnan keeps them to three. Finn serves up a bit of width to Gambhir too and he doesn't need a second invitation to drive to the fence.
Bresnan is steaming in again, his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal some impressive guns. Like looking in a mirror really. This is poor though from Bres as he serves up two wides down the leg side, then drops short and is clouted to the boundary by the left-handed Gambhir.
From Ben Bluemel, TMS inbox: "Discussing at work the implications of applying the rules of one-day cricket to an office environment. General consensus is that it would be an unmitigated success. When raining: Start later, go home earlier and reduce the amount of work you have to do by the Duckworth/Lewis method."
A warm welcome to Ed Smith in the TMS commentary box. A gentleman, a scholar and a very bright man indieed. Finn is in again - that's a full toss and Gambhir slashes it behind square on the offside. KP is there - no he isn't! The ball slips under his frame and goes for four more.
From anonymous: "Just found out that Tim Bresnan has never lost an ODI or Test match with England. So now I've said that I apologise for his first loss."
Not surprised you stayed anonymous. The mockers vutures are circling.
Jade Dernbach is brought in to the attack now - the king of the slower balls. He got that one all wrong though. The ball dribbles past off stump for a wide. Not a bad over all told, Rahane getting a bit tied down here with only nine off 29 balls.
From Jo, glass is at least 60% full, TMS inbox: "I have watched England play for 50+ years in all forms of cricket. Sometimes we have a great batting line up and sometimes a great bowling line up but rarely both. I look at this team and think of those left out and realise that maybe\u2026 just maybe, now we do. Of the top 6 we have Trott and Bopara who can hold an innings together and four batsmen who can take the game from the opposition in 10 overs. We have a good variety of bowling to offer with Pietersen as a possible 6th. I haven\u2019t been this optimistic for England in decades!"
\u00a0
"That over was classic Dernbach - four balls of regular seam bowling and then two slower balls. One of the great things about his arrival is that very rarely have we had specialist ODI bowlers. He's very different from the usual county seamer, he specialises in bowling different types of balls and bowling them under pressure."
Think this may be Finn's last over for the time being as he drags the seventh wide of the innings down the leg side. The batsmen dealing in singles at the moment, despite this being the final over of the mandatory powerplay. Stadium slowly filling up - warm buzz crackling through the tube. They love their one-day cricket in India remember.
From John, TMS inbox, warming to the idea of cricket rules being applied to office life: "Nice idea but not sure I like the idea of only 45 mins for lunch. Also, do we have to hang around during bad weather to see if it clears up? Quite like the concept of a day/night shift for when you fancy a lie-in. Not sure I\u2019d like to work under floodlights wearing pyjamas though."
Just seen another replay of Jonathan Trott's dropped slip catch and it isn't getting any better. The ball actually slowed down after the edge and looped to him at the perfect height. Maybe he wasn't quite warmed up, but that is being very kind. Rahane is still struggling out there - three more dot balls from Dernbach then a single from a mis-hit on the leg side. Luckily for India Gambhir is scoring at a run-a-ball at the other end. Just three from the over though.
From Neil in Oxford: "Re anon (9 overs). Bresnan has lost 22 of 53 ODIs played with England. Do you not remember the World Cup?"
Swann is into the attack. And he strikes in his first over once again. Rahane is done in the air, missing with a big swipe. Stumper Kieswetter does the rest. No need for the third ump. That was miles out.
Where would England be without Swann, eh? Down the swanee I reckon. Enjoying this ODI rules in the office chat. What would a powerplay be? A mammoth tea round? Virat Kohli is the new man, off the mark from his first ball with a nudge into the leg side. Three more of Dernbach's next over, India struggling to really get hold of the Surrey paceman.
It's baking hot out there folks. But Kohli is a cool customer, and a great player of spin as well as he works Swann to mid-on to move keep the scoreboard ticking over. Remember, no powerplays until the 16th over so this already feels like middle over humdrum. Indeed, it's spin from both ends now with Samit Patel coming on.
From Colin, taking the office chat up a notch in the TMS inbox: "What of offices that have runners. Are they banned in overseas / international offices but permitted in local ones and regional ones?"
Runs coming a bit more fluently now, with three singles off the first four balls of Patel's over. Then Gambhir goes for the big hit in the air. Dernbach could catch this, but he is slow to react and the ball just beats him to the ground, before rolling for four. Hang on, there's a car on the pitch. Oh, it's got drinks in the boot.\u00a0
Office cricket dominating the TMS inbox - Damian backs the idea: "It does seem appealing. After 15 minutes of hard work I could be substituted off for a shower and a sit down for a few minutes while someone else does the boring bit.\u00a0 And I'd still get the same pay because I'm centrally contracted.\u00a0 That's a win win situation."
"I think this is the tour when we find out about Pietersen. If he doesn't perform I don't think we'lll see him playing 50-over cricket for England again."
Very nearly a run-out as Gambhir calls Kohli for a risky single. The throw goes to Kohli's end and misses. Direct hit would have been out there.
England take the bowling powerplay as Bresnan returns to the attack. Pringle thinks Bres is out of sorts - maybe that 30-minute warm-up in the baking sun was a bad idea after all. Ball on leg stump - just 80mph - and Kohli works it through midwicket for a single. Then a short one and Gambhir dances down the track before cutting over the infield. A poor throw from Swann turns one into two.\u00a0
Barb in the school office in Hythe, TMS inbox: "Re office cricket. Can we use cameras for any possible dodgy decisions or do we have to abide by the new directive that DRS is no longer available?"
Dernbach to Gambhir, leading edge, but it just drops short of Graham Swann running in from midwicket. Then a looping slower ball, Dernbach appeals for lbw - he's out! A brilliant piece of bowling - that was well-disguised and so much slower. It looked to be heading for Gambhir's rib cage but dipped dramatically and actually caught him just above the foot right in front of leg stump.
"India's approach has intrigued me - they come from the wham, bam, thank you mam IPL but they seem to have a total in mind and have been happy to just knock it around."
From Guy, more a 40% glass full guy, in the TMS inbox: "Not sure I fancy spending half the day watching two colleagues who are better than me, work for half the day while I wait pen in hand ready to go should they make a mistake!"
Bresnan to Virat Kohli, who nudges off his pads and they run two. Suresh Raina is the new batsman and it looks like he wants to play himself in. He's tempted by a hook shot but thinks better of it. Good chance for England to put India on the ropes here if they can split these two.
Dernbach drops one in short and Raina is on to it early, pulling to deep square leg for a single. Kohli hasn't hit a single boundary yet but he's plodding along, and the hosts will be looking to him to bat through now. That's a huge heave from Raina and it goes high into the Hyderabad sky, but somehow lands safely. Two (very jammy) runs.\u00a0
From MichaelOsolcock: "re office cricket, can we use the stump mike or snicko for certain behind closed doors meetings?"
England looking very hot and sweaty out there. Derek Pringle reckons their dark blue kits are a bad idea in hot weather. Any scientists out there care to agree or disagree with the big man? Three off the over. Better from Finn. Evenly poised?
From Daniel, TMS inbox: "I would like to raise a few concerns about the introduction of one day rules to the office environment. Would this mean that we would be required to work at a faster rate? If so that could severely cut into time normally set aside for following the live cricket feed."
Swann is back now and he is keeping it very neat and tidy here. Kohli is cramped on his crease but finally dabs the last ball away behind point. Just two from the over, India struggling to get any momentum in this innings.
From ex_tu: "The elastic band ball we used for office cricket got plenty of grip and turn off the carpet in the corridor."
"England have made really good use of their powerplay and are bowling really well. Only 20 runs came off the five overs and India lost a wicket as well. India haven't got a start. They got used to getting off to electrifying starts - even in England - but here they haven't had the push they needed."
Not a huge amount of batting to come for India. Dhoni next, then Jadeja and what looks like a long tail. Samit Patel can't quite match Swann for control, conceding six from his over as the Indian pair look to step it up.
From Dan, TMS inbox: "According to Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park (the novel) black is an excellent colour in heat. So I guess that works with dark blue. However I am in Cairns, in a dark blue vest and I am very sweaty indeed."
Raina pushes into the covers to take India to 100 and bring up his 3,000th ODI run. Kohli is becoming more aggressive now, smacking Swannee for two through the offside, then another couple wide of Patel at cover. A much better over from India but they could do with a boundary or two. Only five of them all innnings and Gambhir got four of those.
KP, that is shocking. Raina slaps Patel to long-on, where Pietersen really should stop the ball. It bounces in front of him and he sticks out a left hand but the ball bounces off his wrist and goes over the rope. Hold on, this might be another run out...
A Kohli drive shaved Patel's finger-tips before striking the timbers, but was Raina's bat down in time? It's very close. The third umpire Sudhir Asnani takes a long time over his decision, watching many a replay, before giving him NOT OUT!
Swann is in his element here, leading the batsmen a merry dance on a pitch receptive to tweak. Maiden over to Kohli. \u00a0
"It would have been an unfortunate way to be out - two ways batsmen don't like to be out, one is run out backing up, the other is caught down the leg side. Normally a batsman doesn't like having to wait for a decision as it can interrupt their concentration but on a hot day like this I think they'd welcome the break."
Pressure building on the Indians now. Kohli almosts runs himself out with a charge down the track. He dives back with his bat out-stretched and just saves his own bacon. England well on top at the moment.
Kohli has a hack at Swann and gets away with it as a bottom edge flies to deep midwicket. Raina lofts over the infield for a single but still you feel Swann is in control. Debate in the TMS inbox over that run-out decision. Consensus seems to be that as it was unclear, batsman had to be given the benefit of the doubt.
Kohli's timing is well off as he attempts to up the momentum off Patel. Finally, after a couple of singles and with frustration building, he tries to hit the spinner over the top but only manages to pick out Pietersen on the fence at long on.
Respect - that's the word for how Raina is treating Swann, watching every ball safely on to the middle. But this is an ODI and runs are needed so he rushes the fifth ball and chips into the off side for a single before new man MS Dhoni dead bats the final delivery. Pressure building by the ball.
From NeilAdam: "Just wondering whether @ex_tu (22 overs) is bowling in the corridor of uncertainty - might the boss appear any minute?"
Still only six boundaries for India and we are into the 31st over as Dernbach comes back into the attack. You would expect Dhoni to be all about boundaries but he is watchful early on here as he blocks a couple before nurdling into the leg side for a single.\u00a0
That's a bit more like it from Raina. Bristling with purpose he dances down the pitch to Swann and fires a lofted drive for a one-bounce four. "The best shot of the match" says Lord Smith in the TMS box, and I think he's probably right. A nice little paddle round the corner from Dhoni for a single and that's drinks.
From Sally, TMS inbox: "Can anyone tell me statistically if wickets are more likely to fall during the shipping forecast? I always have my heart in my mouth whenever Radio 4 listeners go because things always seem to happen."
"India haven't played the dominating innings you'd expect but the doubt is the wicket. If it starts off dry, crumbly and likely to turn that's only going to increase. It's like a chess match waiting to see who is going to attack. India might not have much to come but in Dhoni and Raina they have players at the crease who can change a game in five minutes so this is a period in which England have to be super watchful."
Drinks downed, we're in action again and Ravi Bopara is having a bowl. As Lord Smith implies, it's difficult to tell what a good score would be on this turning pitch, but India will definitely be looking for a sprint finish here. Bopara's first effort is a tidy one, just the two runs coming from it.
Another Swann over passes in a flash as the England offie finishes with figures of 1-35. Bopara drops a tad short to Dhoni, who breaks the shackles with a characteristic bottom-handed drive to the backward point fence. A Bopara appeal for lbw is given short shrift (the ball was missing off stump) and Raina clatters one to the fence. India just starting to go through the gears.
"This is the best time of day in India, the hour before sunset. Even the traffic jams look nice in this light."
A final word on office cricket from Robin, TMS inbox: "I think the problem with ODI rules being applied to the workplace is that offices would become flooded with a plethora of bits and pieces workers resulting in specialists becoming marginalised."
India have taken the batting powerplay - in fact they had to as we have reached the 36th over. New rules state they have to be taken between the 16th and 40th overs remember. Good start from Bresnan as he slams a yorker into the blockhole and Dhoni gets his blade down just in time as if he was playing a seaside game of Bash the Rat. Bresnan repeats the trick four times in a row but then gets one slightly wrong and Dhoni thrashes it for four through extra cover.\u00a0
From Liam: "I'm checking updates in the Shetland Islands, where I live. Is there anyone further north on the UK rooting for England? I seem to support them in cricket but no other sport. Looking forward to KP hitting it out of town!"
This is nothing short of dross from Dernbach. Two wides followed by a full toss, hip high, and Raina creams it round the corner for a boundary to move to 42 with his fourth four. Dernbach finishes with a dot ball, but India will be happy with nine runs from the over.\u00a0
"India will want this pair to carry on because it's the only time in the innings they've had some sort of momentum. But they'll also know that there isn't too much to come."
Bresnan continuing to get plenty of joy from a mixture of yorkers and low full tosses. Dhoni and Raina are restricted to singles until Raina clears extra cover to bring up the fifty partnership. Then a straight six to take him to his 18th ODI half-century! Wonderful shot, wonderful scenes as the crowd erupt into ear-piercing screams.\u00a0
India are making hay as Dhoni clouts a Finn half-volley for another four. The next ball is smacked over the covers for four more and India are motoring. Finn looks a bit ruffled here and is rightly called as a no-ball after a high full toss. Raina has the strike now and he goes down on one knee before heaving a full length ball for another SIX. Then he smacks one straight up in the air and is caught by Jonny Bairstow at backward point.
Ravindra Jadeja is the new man and he almost edges his first ball from Finn. Eventful over - 16 runs but a crucial wicket too. That makes 46 runs from the last five overs, but the five before that only went for 16.
From jmannick1: "India can still easily make 300 from here, if Dhoni gets his skates on!"
From Rachel in Hyderabad, TMS inbox: "In response to Derek Pringle's comment about traffic jams, they don't look at all lovely if you are sitting in one in Hyderabad, if you're trying to get across town after work to catch the 2nd innings."
Dear oh dear, Dernbach is maddeningly inconsistent. A slower ball goes horribly wrong, flopping down the offside and catching Kieswetter by surprise before running away for five wides. Jadeja gets his own score ticking along with a lovely punch through the off side for a boundary.
Samit Patel is brought back in a bid to stem the flow of runs. And the tactic pays off. Jadeja, in particular, struggles with the change of pace and India take just two from the over.\u00a0
Jadeja deals expertly with some chin music from Finn, dabbing it away with soft hands for a single to third man. Another short ball, and Dhoni takes a different approach. He's a bit hurried on the pull shot but a top-edge sails over the wicketkeeper and bounces once before clearing the rope.
From rakpradhan: "Not for the first time poor glove work by Kieswetter despite playing in these conditions with Somerset in the champions t20."
Through the eye of a needle - Dhoni somehow finds a tiny gap on the off side to help himself to another boundary. Brilliant from the India skipper, who averages a shade under 50 from 191 ODIs.
From TheRealTopGunn: "When i hear the words Samit Patel has come back on to stem the flow of runs i start to worry."
"The main difference between the best ODI players and others is the ability to hit both sides. Most can hit to the leg side and very few favour the off side like someone like Kieswetter but the really good ones can hit in to out and score through the both sides equally. Dhoni tries to hit controlled in-to-out shots through the offside and when you can do that there are boundaries with very little risk. He has looked a class act since he came to the crease."
Bopara can't get his line quite right and Dhoni takes advantage of a ball on leg stump to flick two more runs. Jadeja provides able support with singles to give his red-hot skipper as much strike as possible. And Dhoni works the last ball of the over for two to reach his fifty - his fourth in a row, and 42nd of his career. That one took 48 balls with six fours.
Who was that worrying about Patel being brought on? Jadeja joins the party in style with two successive sixes heaved over long-on. India take 15 from the over - this innings has been well and truly turned on its head.
From Tom in Edinburgh: "I spotted Jimmy Hill on the field at Hyderabad, do I win \u00a35? Oh wait, wrong publication. And anyway it wasn't Jimmy Hill, it was just Steven Finn with his dodgy new facial hair. Sort it out Steve, please."
Can Tim Bresnan bring some order to proceedings? A slower ball is well-intended but Jadeja spots it early and they run two. Pietersen is having an old-fashioned shocker here. The ball picks him out on the boundary again but somehow he slides past the ball and lets it through his mitts. I make that three costly mis-fields from KP. Not too costly! Dhoni sends Jadeja back - but it's too late. Bresnan hits the stumps and India are six down. \u00a0
From Nicholas, TMS inbox: "If Dhoni reaches 65 not out, he'll be averaging 50."
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Dernbach is back for the death and he cleverly fools Dhoni with a slower ball. Any dot balls are gold dust for England at the moment. But then Dernbach throws it all away with another wide down the off side. Dhoni gets another four via the outside edge and a single with a drive to long-off.
"England have been nicely in control for most of the innings but suddenly things have got away from them. They are looking for bowling options and don't appear to have many and you sense tempers are starting to fray."
Ravichandran Ashwin has a swing at a full ball from from Bresnan, the ball skewing off an inside edge and racing away for another useful India boundary. Dhoni blocks for a single and immediately calls for a new bat. Has he broken it or does he just want an even heavier one for the final onslaught? Methinks the latter.\u00a0
"India's innings has been like an old ODI innings, going back to the 1980s when the theory was to keep wickets in hand and then have a smash in the final few overs."
Dhoni puts his new blade straight into action with a stunning bottom-handed drive which flies through the oustretched paw of Ravi Bopara on the boundary and sails for six. Now he wants a single, but Finn is quicker than Ashwin and he throws down the stumps.
Praveen Kumar (he can give it some humpty) is the new batsman. He gets of the mark with a single. Here's Dhoni - ooh la la. That is sensational. There is nothing wrong with the ball but Dhoni has lightning-fast hands and slams his bat through it to collect another four. The next ball offers him some width and is carted square for Dhoni's 11th boundary. He has 80 from 64 balls now - what a player.
From James, TMS inbox: "I thought Dernbach was meant to be the 'specialist' ODI bowler? Admittedly he's had a good start to his England career in English conditions but today has been weak, powerfully weak."
Dernbach is bowling the last over and promptly serves up his fifth wide, a country mile outside Dhoni's off peg. Alastair Cook is not happy as Dhoni hits one into Praveen Kumar's pads and they run two. Unsporting? I reckon England would have done exactly the same. Cook and Dernbach both give Kumar an earful, with Billy Bowden having to intervene in the end. Dhoni is swinging at everything now, not quite timing his shots, but getting another pair of twos to take India to 299. He swings and misses at the penultimate ball but gets bat on a yorker to take India to the magic 300 mark.
"England leave with tempers frayed a little, their bowling suffered a little, their fielding suffered but that's what happens when world class players put you under pressure. Dhoni put on a masterclass."
Phew. Talk about a game (or an innings) of two halves. India were struggling on 126-4 after 30 overs but went medieval in that last hour and a half. Dhoni finished with 87 not out off 70 balls and was ably supported by Suresh Raina (61) and Ravindra Jadeja (27). Tough task for England to hunt down 301. We'll be back shortly to guide you through their run chase. Tune in to TMS for a bowling masterclass with Kapil Dev, Glenn McGrath and Makhaya Ntini.
Afternoon all. I hope you lunched well. Just seeing pictures of Craig Kieswetter and Alastair Cook taking guard in the middle. England need 301 to win at 6.02 per over under the lights. We are about to begin.\u00a0
From Peter, TMS inbox: "Playing three outright quicks on the subcontinent always looked a luxury. We should dispense with one of them for the next game and either get Bell back in (too good a player to be warming the bench) and use Bopara/Trott as the fifth bowler or go all out for it with Borthwick."
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Slight delay while captain Cook waits for some fans behind the bowler to find their seats. Praveen Kumar, the swing bowler dubbed the Snake Charmer by Phil Tufnell, is handed the first of the two fresh cherries (new rules remember) and promptly sends down a maiden. England's tough task just got that little bit tougher.
Slightly over-pitched from Vinay Kumar and Kieswetter slams it back past the bowler to get England moving with a four. Two more to fine leg, and a single off the last ball. The stadium in Hyderabad has a female announcer who calls out the score at the end of each over. Maybe they should introduce that to English grounds. Horses for courses though. I guess it would have to be someone like Lord Gower at Lord's and more of a Matthew Hoggard type at Headingley.
Kieswetter fences outside off stump. A nothing shot really but it takes the edge and he's caught behind!
Pietersen comes in at three ahead of Jonathan Trott and I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have happened if Cook had been the first to go. KP gets off the mark with a swat off his hips for a single.
From Paul, TMS inbox: "The Indian innings was like a good old fashioned innings. Start slowly and build up to a crescendo of big hits at the end.\u00a0Let\u2019s see how England\u2019s pinch hitting, stop start approach goes."
Lovely little battle developing out in the middle between Vinay and Pietersen. The England batsman is down the track but Vinay spots him and drops one short and wide, striking him flush on the bicep. I think there's be a bruise there but can't tell through his tattoos. Pietersen gets his own back, finding the boundary with a wristy flick.
From anonymous: "Kieswetter failing again, give Butler a chance by the end of the series?"
Great over for England. First KP edges through the vacant slip area for four, then Cook finds the boundary twice himself before finishing the over with a three square on the leg side. Any other thoughts on who should call out the scores at English Test grounds. Bumble at Old Trafford? Stewie at the Oval? I'm pretty sure Rod Bransgrove would insist on doing it himself down at his Rose Bowl kingdom. \u00a0
"Dhoni has set an interesting field here because Alastair Cook's strength is square of the wicket yet he's packed down the wicket. If the bowling is short and wide he won't miss out."
Another painful one for KP as he takes a short one from Vinay Kumar full on the fingers. He scampers a single off the last ball before taking his gloves off and inspecting those digits. Still five there mate.
From Craig, TMS inbox: "Why do England insist on opening with a 'big hitting' wicketkeeper? Why not open with Bell and Cook and have someone like Prior who has shown in Tests time and time again to be a powerful hitter in the middle order. Or that Bairstow chap in the middle order, he's made a decent start to his International career."
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From Mark, TMS inbox: "Surely Geoffrey Boycott to announce the scores at Headingley?"
Pietersen is very much the pantomime villain here with the crowd loving the theatre of it all. He dances down the track before prodding back to Praveen who raised him arm and makes Pietersen flinch as he threatens to throw at the stumps. The last ball of the over is right in the slot for KP and he cuts hard to the rope.
From Lyra and Will: "Listening to the cricket via satellite radio in Svalbard, Norway, not in the UK, but definitely further North than the Shetlands!"
From infradigger: "Joanna Lumley at Lords, Sean Bean at Headingley and Katie Price at the Oval."
Pietersen is beaten by a ball from Vinay that keeps very low indeed. Signs of some uneven bounce out there and that won't make England's task any easier. Better from India. Just two from the six balls.
"Pietersen is making a bit of a fuss about his finger. At times it can hinder you but at others it can make you think "I'll have a go, I've got nothing to lose" and it frees you up to play some shots."
KP looks as busy as ever, unfurling a golf-style check finish to even the most routine of singles. Cook cuts to points and some sharp running gets them another single. Here we go again, with the Pietersen show! This time he steps away just when Praveen is about to release and then has a right old moan to someone in the crowd. Dhoni thinks it's hilarious.
Pietersen pushes to mid-on and charges. Great throw from Ashwin. The third umpire has a look - and he's out ... by a whisker.
"I think the dismissal of Pietersen could be a critical moment. There has been some debate whether he should be in the team but he looked in the mood and was just starting to time the ball. But it's important England remember that they would have seen India's bowling as a weakness and if they hang in there a very inexperienced bowling attack will come under pressure."
Trott is the new man, averaging 51 in ODIs but still very unpopular with plenty of you. Today, he has to score at a decent lick so let's keep an eye on his approach. Cookie has the strike at the moment though and after two dot balls he leathers one square on the off side for four.
From Alex, on celebrity announcers, TMS inbox: "Brian Blessed - at all venues!"
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From RaScBro: "Stephen Fry at HQ! He ought to be coaching England's South African contingent to speak with home counties accent."
Intriguing decision from Dhoni as he turns to the gentle dibbly-dobblers of Virat Kohli for the 11th over of the innings. Trott gets off the mark with a couple through gully and three more singles complete the over. Cook is developing a very useful habit of ticking along unnoticed at nigh on a run per ball. He has 23 off 25 thus far.
"England normally shape the innings around who is dismissed, so if Cook is out Trott comes in. With Cook and Trott now both at the crease it will be interesting to see who comes in next - will England promote Bairstow as he can certainly add some impetus."
Young quick Umesh Yadav is into the attack for his first game against England. He's bowling from a long way wide of the crease to angle it across the left-handed Cook. He seems a bit nervous though, sending down a wide from his second ball. Let's find out a bit more about the new boy from BBC Sport's resident statistician Jon Barbuti...
So who is Umesh Yadav, you might ask. Well, he's a 23-year-old seamer who is just at the start of his international career. This is his fourth ODI, from his previous three - two of those against Zimbabwe - he has taken one wicket at an average of 129 with an economy rate approaching six. The jury is very much still out.
India's fielding is on a differerent stratosphere to that which they produced during thei England tour. Rahane produces a brilliant sliding stop at mid-on to save a single before Raina pulls off a fine save of his own to keep Trott to a single.\u00a0
On Praveen Kumar's over-zealous reaction to the first wicket: "He made it personal to Kieswetter. There's no place for that in cricket."
Yadav lands one short and wide and Cook edges a cut shot through the vacant slip area for four. Another ball thuds into Trott's pad and sparks a stifled appeal but the ball would have missed leg stump by some distance.
Kohli to Trott as a Mexican Wave starts. Perhaps Mexican Waves could become mandatory during the middle overs. This one sounds like a leisure centre on a Saturday morning, must be lots of youngsters among the 40,000. Trott takes a couple of singles, Cook adds one, all the while people jump up and down.
"The critical question isn't so much how do you survive the bowling, more how do you keep scoring. It could come down to the final few overs."
Fifteen overs gone so on trundles the car for the drinks break. It's as good a time as any to compare the innings, India were 66-2 at this stage so England have the slimmest of advantages. India, though, had MS Dhoni to come.
From Jeremy, TMS inbox: "The commentary team were just remarking on Virat Kohli's somewhat unusual bowling action. It reminded me of reading Andy Zaltzman's blog on Cricinfo a few months ago, in which he said that Kohli looks as if he is trying to deliver the ball and remove his shirt at the same time."
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India take the bowling powerplay. Trott and Cook playing nicely now, running the singles before Cook cuts and picks up a boundary thanks to some Pietersen-esque fielding from Praveen Kumar. Two more pulled to the leg side and a well-run single and England have 10 off the over without taking a risk.
Praveen back on, no doubt keen to redeem himself after some sloppy work in the outfield in the previous over. Two dot balls to Cook and even a 68 MPH long hop only goes for a single out through midwicket. Ed Smith on TMS suggests Cook needs to take more of a risk hitting over the top although he's going along nicely at a run a ball, three more singles to finish the over.
From Matt in Devon: "Sir Noddy Holder for Edgbaston. What a crazee noize."
Ashwin into the attack as Dhoni turns to spin. Swann and Patel stemmed India's flow of runs in the middle overs so it will be interesting to see how Cook and Trott respond. One off the first three balls before the first shot in anger, a pull for two from Cook. Another single before Cook thinks "enough of this", takes a stride down the wicket, and drives straight down the ground for four, his seventh of the innings.
Thanks to Jon Barbuti for taking you through the last few overs while I got the teas in. That's just the kind of guy I am. I note that Cook is still ticking along at a run a ball and that Jonathan Trott is ... well ... being Jonathan Trott. Praveen thuds one into Cook's pads and screams an appeal. Nothing doing from Billy Bowden though. Cook helps himself to two more on the leg side and clips a single off his legs to reach 50 off 50 balls.
Here's the tall offie Ashwin for another over. Round the wicket to Cook, who misses a sweep shot. The ball strikes his front pad and there's a bit appeal, but I think it was too high, and so does umpire Tarapore. England scored 29 runs from that five-over powerplay.
From James: "Is Cook the best all round batter in the game at the moment? I can only think of AB who would be a challenger."
It's a big call James (below) but Cookie is certainly on a hot streak right now. Six more from a Jadeja over, including a pair of doubles to the England skipper.
From David, TMS inbox: "Would you please, please, please acknowledge that Trott\u2019s scoring rate is faster than Bell\u2019s. You never do, and it seems a lot of people out there are suffering from misconceptions about the two." Happy to, David - for the record - Trott's strike rate is 78.4 runs per 100 balls, Bell's 73.4.
I've just had to delete a vast swathe of text I had written about England ticking along nicely and keeping wickets in hand... Jadeja tempts Cook with a flighted delivery and he sends it straight down the throat of deep midwicket.
It would be easy to criticise the England skipper for a rash shot but he scored 60 off 63 balls at the top of the innings. New man Ravi Bopara gets off the quacker with a dab into the leg side for two.
The required run rate has just crept above seven per over so England are going to have to start finding the boundary with greater regularity. Trott tries to do exactly that, but swipes at thin air as Ashwin completes a very tidy over.
From Ushir: "Re Ed Smith's comments (13 overs). Maybe you should ask Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson to stop "personalising" dismissals. Both guilty of mouthing off and gloating smirks. Just as insulting as PK."
Jadeja fires through a flat delivery on leg stump. Trott goes for the big hit, misses, and is bowled. India jumping two-footed into the box seat now.
Speaking to BBC Sport a few days ago, Ravi Bopara revealed that he has benefitted from a change of attitude, trying to just focus on the next ball rather than letting the situation get to him. With more than 150 needed to win in front of a partisan home crowd that might be easier said than done today.
What kind of a mood is Jonny Bairstow in then? Hopefully a similar one to the other day when he smashed a century off 53 balls at this very stadium. Oh dear Mr Barbuti, that is a huge helping of Mockers Pie... Bopara was trying to drive the ball down the ground there but mis-timed his shot and served up an easy low catch to Ashwin.
England desperately need to rebuild here now. They have plenty of overs still to come. Scrap that. This could be over in no time. It's almost an action replay of the Bopara dismissal as Bairstow feeds a return catch to Jadeja! England have lost four wickets for 17 runs in the space of five overs.
"England have lost two wickets in exactly the same fashion - trying to ease the bowling for one and chipping it straight to the bowler. A few overs ago I thought England had a great chance to win as I didn't see where the threat was going to come from but England's batting has stuttered almost to a dead stop against the spin and they've been unable to play shots without getting out."
From James, on the bus home to Lewisham: "Ok so hands up who'd rather have bopara in the the side than ian bell?........yeah I thought not."\u00a0
You can tell Bresnan can't read Ashwin. He looks all over the shop out there, especially with Ashwin firing down the odd Carrom ball. But anyway, he survives an over and even gets a lucky four off a thick outside edge. England in a desperate state.
"I've seen Samit Patel play fantastic one-day innings. He can be very inventive but the first challenge is to stop the rot, keep the score ticking over without taking any risks and then maybe we can take it into miracle territory."
Patel is in bloacking mode here. Five dot balls, punctuated by a couple through backward point.
This is going from bad to dismal. Bresnan stomps off down the track and misses a ball down the leg side. It's given as a wide, but Dhoni collects sharply and has plenty of time to whip the bails off.
Ashwin is all over the England boys here. This one is a bit slower and totally deceives Swann, but the ball shaves the edge and squirts away for a very fortunate boundary. A single to midwicket brings another eventful over to an end. Jadeja and Ashwin have taken 5-51 off 12 overs between them. Spin Kings.
From MCTachyon: "Massive wake up call for the World Cup this."
Samit Patel makes room for himself and plays with the spin to collect a boundary over extra cover. England still not halfway to their target and have lost seven wickets.\u00a0
From Richard, TMS inbox: "What a mess. Too many unproven players selected in an environment where inexperience will be exposed."
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England take the batting powerplay. Might as well. Not much else to do. Yadav is bowling, and Swann is doing his best to hit him out of the ground. The only thing that's out of the ground now is his off stump! The ball keeps low and does him like a kipper.
From Gurjeet, TMS inbox: "I say pay back time England! They can produce a world class spinner but that doesn't mean they can bat against one. A mountain to climb!"
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Stevie Finn at the crease now and he digs out a yorker for a couple of runs. Yadav thinks he's got him man as Finn is struck on the front pad. But umpire Tarapore says no. Not sure why as there was no inside edge.
Finn takes a full swing and gets a leading edge. The ball shoots into a gap in the off side field and lands safely. India look a totally different outfit on home soil, their bowling full of intent, their fielding sharp and athletic. On this evidence, England will do well to get anything out of this series.
From Lewis, TMS inbox: "This is hilarious! We just demolished India in our own backyard and when we fail after losing the toss on what is clearly a deteriorating pitch, one game into the series, we start calling for heads. Personally, I feel this is one of the most exciting ODI teams we have had, and this is without Broad and Anderson."
Yadav gives Finn a bit of width, and a lusty blow gets him four past third man. Then a more authentic boundary from Patel, making room for himself and cutting through a gap in the field. Now he tries an ugly heave across the line and is clean bowled.
Suggesting the fault does not lie solely with England's batsmen: "I think England's bowlers out-thought themselves today. They tried too many variations when all they had to do was pitch it in the right spot."
The fat lady is clearing her throat folks. I don't think I'll be detaining you much longer. Jade Dernbach is England's last man and he's off the mark with a single off Ashwin. Finn blocks out the rest of the over and England are clinging on...
Jadeja rams one into Finn's pads and is amazed when the umpire rejects his appeal. Then Finn comes over all Dilshan and tries a scoop shot, which loops up in the air and lands about a yard in front of him. That's a bit more like it. Finn middles one over long-on for SIX of the best.
From anonymous: "For whom the Bell tolls - bad decision to leave Bell out. Bairstow has shown promise, but him and Bopara are weak links in middle order. England of old performance today."
Wild heave from Dernbach, stumps rearranged. It's all over.
That was an old-fashioned thrashing really wasn't it folks. India started slowly but were given a turbo boost by their captain MS Dhoni to reach 300-7. England were going along nicely at 111-2 in the 23rd but the loss of captain Cook sparked a collapse of epic proportions to 174 all out. Three wickets apiece for Ashwin and Jadeja. England have to work out how to play the spinners on these pitches, and fast.
From TMS commentator Simon Mann: "Seen this from England before in India. Ball disappearing amid noise & heat and then batting folding against spin under pressure."
From Sid: "The series in England should have been called the Duckworth Lewis series as most matches did end that way. This is the real test for England in India."
From Ian Williams in Warrington: "Back on the Office cricket \u2013 is this England\u2019s way of getting an early dart on a Friday."
That was India's second biggest win against England in ODIs. Not much time for England to lick their wounds. The series resumes in Delhi on Monday. There will be a clamour for Ian Bell to be reinstated, but will the Durham leggie Scott Borthwick come into the reckoning?
From Sreenath, TMS inbox: "Much has been said about England being without Broad and Anderson. How about India playing a B team in England and a C team today?"
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England captain Alastair Cook: "It was an important toss to win, but fair play to India they outskilled us today in all three departments. We are going to have to learn from this, but that is the beauty of a five-match series. You have four other chances. We know playing spin is an issue and we will have to work hard on that over the next couple of days."
It\u2019s a very disappointing defeat on lots of levels. There was a good chance to make a big run chase. and a chance to make a big statement that they can bat under pressure and show the opposition that they can win in India.
There were lots of flaws. The inability to play spin confidently when it\u2019s keeping low. I think this England team is too good to make this kind of mistake.
But also there's MS Dhoni. There was pressure on him after what happened in England. He\u2019s a fantastic player for India and he has immense charisma and he imposed himself on the match, changed the match, and proved to be the difference between the sides.\u201d
India captain and man of the match Mahendra Dhoni: "We lost wickets at the wrong times but the batting was really good overall. You have to keep your head down and keep wickets in hand. When we saw the wicket and the way it was behaving, we thought 250 would be a good score but we batted really well in the last few overs."
So, after a wake-up call for England, it's time for me to say goodnight. Have a read of\u00a0Arindam Rej's match report and don't forget to join us again at 0930 BST on Monday for commentary of the second one-dayer in Delhi when Ben Dirs will be in the chair, fresh off the plane from New Zealand. Until then, it's au revoir.
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