Mohammed Shami

Trailing 2-0 in the series, and with captain Pat Cummins returning home for personal reasons, Australia welcomed back Mitchell Starc from a finger injury as the only full-time pacer bowler in the line-up.

Also coming into the visiting side is all-rounder Cameron Green, with the injured David Warner joining Cummins as the outs, leaving Travis Head and Usman Khawaja to open the batting. Matt Renshaw had replaced Warner mid-game in the second Test as a concussion sub.

Retaining their places are the spinning trio of Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnemann, while the addition of Green for Warner gives the Australians another weapon in their pace attack.

For India, K.L. Rahul was dropped and Mohammed Shami was rested, with opening batsman Shubman Gill and fast bowler Umesh Yadav taking their place. India won the toss and elected to bat.

Joe Root won the toss and elected to bat on a Nottinghamshire surface that promised assistance to the seamers and the tourists took advantage with a masterful performance.

Only Root offered any significant resistance with a fluent 64 as Jasprit Bumrah (4-46) and Mohammed Shami (3-28) excelled to skittle the hosts for 183.

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul guided India to 21 without loss at stumps, showing far more aptitude than England's top order.

Rory Burns was brilliantly set up in a first over examination from Bumrah, who pushed deliveries across the left-hander before bringing one back in to trap him lbw – the first of four ducks on the England card.

Virat Kohli's excitably erratic reviewing can prove a hindrance at times but he was vindicated in going upstairs to discover Zak Crawley, who appeared in good touch en route to 27, got a faint inside edge behind off Mohammed Siraj (1-48).

Dom Sibley shovelled Shami to short midwicket in the second over after lunch to curtail a painstaking 18, uniting Root with his great friend Jonny Bairstow for a solid stand of 72 that suggested England might have got to grips with a considerable task.

But Shami successfully reviewed to have Bairstow lbw for 29 on the stroke of tea and Dan Lawrence, Jos Buttler and Ollie Robinson all came and went without scoring around Root being trapped in front by Shardul Thakur (2-41).

From 138-3, England had slumped to 155-8, whereupon a breezy 27 not out from Sam Curran offered some brief respite. Such moments might be few and far between in this series for Root's men on this evidence.

Hosts India have waltzed serenely through the competition, while Australia have rediscovered their fighting instincts after a slow start.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key issues ahead of the winner-takes-all battle.

Can King Kohli be stopped

With over 300 million followers on social media, Virat Kohli transcends his sport. But with 711 runs in 10 matches to date, he has also proved that he masters it too. Kohli has been in majestic form over the past few weeks, standing up remarkably to sky-high expectations. He has passed 50 eight times and celebrated three centuries. Having failed to deliver a global title as captain, it increasingly appears to be his destiny to deliver one for successor Rohit Sharma. If they are to win, Australia simply must prevent him holding court.

Seam supremacy

Both sides have pace bowlers who can wreak havoc when they are on a roll and an unplayable spell from any one of them could be decisive. In Mohammed Shami, India boast the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with the wily quick claiming a staggering 23 wickets at 9.13 despite sitting out four group matches. He has stolen the spotlight so far, but Jasprit Bumrah is built for the big occasions and will fancy leaving his mark on the final. Australia, meanwhile, lean heavily on the ‘big three’ of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who dovetail brilliantly with their distinct set of skills. Keeping them out of the wickets while maintaining a strong scoring rate remains one of the trickiest challenges around.

Pitch imperfect?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India caused a controversy ahead of the semi-final against New Zealand, switching the pre-agreed pitch for an alternative strip at the eleventh hour. The International Cricket Council’s independent pitch consultant Andy Atkinson was understood to be angry about the barely explained change and flew to Ahmedabad to oversee matters ahead of the final. His recommendation, pitch number five at the Narendra Modi Stadium, has been followed this time but once again it is a used surface having previously hosted India’s game against Pakistan on October 14. A fresher track would be fitting for a game of this magnitude but a worn surface favours the home side, who boast greater spin options. Australia will be paying close attention to how well it plays.

Powerplay positioning

Despite the strength of the new-ball attacks, both teams are built to attack in the first 10 overs. India lead off with their fearless captain Rohit Sharma and the incorrigible driver Shubman Gill, while Australia look to dominate through the trailblazer-turned-veteran David Warner and the in-form Travis Head. All four openers have the ball-striking ability to take the game away from opponents and it will not have escaped anybody’s notice that the team who bosses the powerplay head-to-head is the team that typically wins in these conditions. Of the quartet, 37-year-old Warner is in the most interesting position as he retires from the format at the end of the match. Nothing would vex this tigerish competitor more than bowing out without getting his punches in first.

Shami recently revealed during an Instagram live chat with team-mate Rohit Sharma that he thought about ending his life three times a few years ago.

The 29-year-old was tormented by personal problems and was also suffering from a knee injury, but has been able to come through some dark days.

Shami had company 24 hours a day during such difficult times and is grateful for the support his family provided.

"Depression is a problem that needs attention. It was unfortunate to see such a brilliant actor like Sushant Singh Rajput lose his life," Shami told the Hindustan Times.

"He was a friend and I wish I could talk to him had I known about his mental condition. In my case, my family pulled me out of that low phase.

"They took care of me and made me realise that I needed to fight back. There were times I felt suicidal but my family ensured I was never alone.

"Someone or the other would always be around, talking to me. Spirituality also helps you seek answers. Talking to your close ones or counselling is the best way out."

Shami says his international team-mates also played a part in helping him through a tough period in his life.

"Mental pressure definitely interferes in your physical wellbeing. At the same time, if you seek help from others and talk about it, you can get rid of such issues off the field," he added. 

"I was lucky to have the team's support staff along with Virat Kohli and other players backing me. We are like a family.

"My team-mates always insisted I vent my anger and frustration out on the field. I am happy that phase is over."

Gill gets the nod at the MCG ahead of Prithvi Shaw, who failed twice at the top of the order in an embarrassing defeat in the first Test at Adelaide Oval.

Seamer Siraj comes into the attack after Mohammed Shami suffered a fractured right arm in the opening match of the series, which Australia won by eight wickets following the tourists' capitulation to their lowest ever Test total of 36 all out in the second innings

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were also named in the team on the eve of the match.

Pant comes in for Wriddhiman Saha, while spinner Jadeja's selection gives stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane a five-man attack to call upon. 

Rahane steps in to lead India for the remainder of the series after Virat Kohli returned home for the birth of his first child.

Australia are set to be unchanged as they bid to take a 2-0 lead.

India team:

Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

The quick bowler, the third fastest man to reach 150 wickets in the format, was originally named for the three-game series, only to pull up with a shoulder injury.

Malik, who only made his ODI debut last month against New Zealand, will be his replacement for the tour.

"[Shami] is currently under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team and will not be able to take part in the three-match series," read an official statement.

Shami will hope to recover in time to feature in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh which follows, for which he has also been named.

India are hoping to pick up a first white-ball win since their T20 series with New Zealand last month, after the pair's ODI encounters were heavily affected by rain.

After Monday's play was washed out at a sodden Southampton, New Zealand finally moved on from 101-2 to post 249 in their first innings, captain Kane Williamson pointing the way with 49.

There were also useful runs from the lower order – Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee contributed 21 and 30 respectively – as the Black Caps managed to overhaul India's total of 217.

Trailing by 32 as they came out to bat for a second time, India lost opener Shubman Gill, trapped lbw by Southee for eight, before they had erased the deficit in the final session.

Rohit Sharma also fell to the same bowler for 30 in the closing stages of proceedings, leaving Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli to see their side to the close. They will resume on 12 and eight respectively.

New Zealand will hope to make early inroads on the sixth and final day, which was added by the International Cricket Council as a provision for time being lost to bad weather.

Mohammed Shami helped restrict New Zealand's advantage with 4-76, including dismissing BJ Watling and Colin de Grandhomme as the Kiwis slipped to 162-6.

Yet the resolute Williamson remained, producing a crucial 177-ball knock that included six fours. His vigil finally came to an end when he was well caught by opposite number Kohli at a wide third slip off Ishant Sharma when one shy of a half-century.

Spin duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja wrapped up the innings, though New Zealand's wagging tail means they appear the more likely winners on Wednesday.

Go-slow approach sees Kane able to move up

During his battling knock, Williamson surpassed Stephen Fleming (7,172) to become New Zealand's second highest run-scorer in Test cricket on 7,178, only behind current team-mate Ross Taylor (7,517) on the list. The latter reached a personal milestone while making 11, bringing up 18,000 international runs across all formats.

Shami shines with leather but still comes up short

Despite Kohli giving him every opportunity, Shami was unable to register his sixth five-wicket haul in Tests. The pace bowler produced a beauty to dismiss Watling, bowling the wicketkeeper for just one as India sensed the opportunity to seize a first-innings lead.

No play was possible on day two due to rain, but the Proteas made up for lost time by bowling the tourists out for 327 in a dramatic morning session.

The brilliant Lungi Ngidi took 6-71 as India lost seven wickets for 49 runs, KL Rahul falling for 123 and Ajinkya Rahane 48 after they had resumed on 272 in Centurion.

Kagiso Rabada provided great support for his fellow paceman, claiming 3-72, but India quickly shifted the momentum when South Africa started their reply.

Shami was outstanding, helping himself to 5-44 as the Proteas were bowled out for 197 in 62.3 overs, Temba Bavuma top scoring with 52, Quinton de Kock making 34 and Rabada 25.

Jasprit Bumrah (2-16) spent a long spell of the field with a sprained right ankle, but was able to return and end the South Africa innings, while Shardul Thakur chipped in with 2-51.

India closed on 16-1, leading by 146 runs, after Mayank Agarwal edged debutant Marco Jansen behind but Virat Kohli's side are well poised to take a 1-0 lead following a day that saw a record number of wickets fall in a Test at this venue.

Ngidi and Rabada tear through tourists

Rabada started the India collapse when he had Rahul caught behind in the fourth over of the day and De Kock took another catch to give Ngidi his fourth wicket, sending Rahane on his way three overs later.

Ngidi had his third five-wicket Test haul as Rishabh Pant could only fend a hostile short ball to Rassie van der Dussen short leg, with Rabada seeing the back of Ravichandran Ashwin and Thakur.

India were all out in a flash when Bumrah became Jansen's first Test victim after the excellent Ngidi drew an edge from Shami and De Kock snaffled a fourth catch. 

Landmark for Shami as Proteas fold

Bumrah struck in the first over of the Proteas' reply, captain Dean Elgar edging behind, before Shami took centre stage.

Keegan Petersen chopped on to the third ball after lunch from Shami, who then produced a peach of a delivery to clean up Aiden Markram.

Shami's impeccable line and length, combined with a touch of movement of the seam, accounted for Bavuma caught behind just after he reached his half-century. Pant took another two catches for the 31-year-old, who became only the fifth Indian paceman to take 200 Test scalps.

India had held on for a 12-run win in the opening match earlier in the week, and it quickly became clear they would have little difficulty wrapping up the three-match series on Saturday.

The Black Caps were reduced to 15-5 in the 11th over, neither protecting their wickets nor scoring at a rate that might begin to trouble the home side.

A rally of sorts could only recover a score of 108 all out, their third-lowest total against India in the format, meaning Rohit Sharma's men could cruise to victory as they ended on 111-2.

Rohit scored a swift 51 and Shubman Gill 40 not out as the reply required just over 20 overs.

But much of the hard work had been done by the India attack, with Mohammed Shami (3-18) setting the tone when opener Finn Allen went for a duck in the first over.

Mohammed Siraj also had a key early role, giving up only 10 runs across his six overs, before Shami had Michael Bracewell caught behind for 22 as New Zealand attempted to belatedly gain a foothold.

When Mitchell Santner (27) and Glenn Phillips (36) went in consecutive overs, a hugely achievable target meant the result was inevitable.

India bowlers share the load

Shami led the way, but all six India bowlers ended with at least one wicket in a ruthless showing.

The entire group contributed to an extremely economical display, too. Only Kuldeep Yadav did not bowl a maiden over, although his dismissal of Blair Tickner concluded the New Zealand innings, while everyone other than he and Shardul Thakar had an economy rate of 3.00 or lower.

Rohit ramps up the scoring

Bracewell's middling strike rate of 73.33 was New Zealand's best, but Rohit, scoring at 102.00, showed the tourists just what was possible in his destructive innings.

The India captain hit nine boundaries, including two sixes. New Zealand as a team had found the boundary on only 13 occasions without a single maximum.

Rohit was trapped attempting to play another shot, but by then he had reached his half-century and put India in complete control. They were 57-0 at the point the Black Caps had been five down.

The tourists had failed to win a Test in Centurion in their two previous matches, but bowled the Proteas out for 191 to draw first blood in the three-match series.

Jasprit Bumrah (3-50) and Mohammed Shami (3-63) were the picks of the bowlers, with support from Mohammed Siraj (2-47) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2-18).

Battling knocks from Dean Elgar (77) and Temba Bavuma (35 not out) were in vain, with India sealing only their fourth Test win in South Africa just after lunch on Friday.

Bumrah got the breakthrough 10 overs into the morning session after the Proteas resumed on 94-4, trapping captain Elgar lbw with a ball that nipped back off the seam.

Quinton de Kock got a start but fell for 21 when he chopped on attempting to cut Siraj.

Bavuma continued to dig in, but India took lunch closing in on victory with South Africa 182-7 after Wiaan Mulder nicked a textbook probing delivery from Shami through to Rishabh Pant.

India only needed two overs of the afternoon session to finish the contest, Shami removing Marco Jansen before Ashwin got rid of Kagiso Rabada and had Lungi Ngidi caught by Cheteshwar Pujara at leg slip first ball.

Bumrah a tormentor on tour

India paceman Bumrah struck a massive early blow by seeing the back of South Africa skipper Elgar.

The dismissal of the gritty opener was Bumrah's 100th overseas in 23 Tests, making him the fastest to reach that landmark for India.

Bumrah produced a brilliant delivery to clean up Rassie van der Dussen on day four before also making a mess of Keshav Maharaj's stumps.

Battling Elgar and Bavuma show Proteas are up for the fight

South Africa have never lost a home Test series against India and although that record is seriously under threat, they have shown plenty of fight this week.

The Proteas have shown their potency with the ball and although they failed to make 200 in both innings, Elgar and Bavuma showed the sort of application that will be required if they are to mount a fightback.

India's relentless attack could not find a way to dismiss Bavuma, who faced 80 balls and batted for over two hours in the second innings, while Elgar led by example in a four-hour knock before falling to Bumrah.

It is understood the world’s number one-ranked Test bowler did not travel with India’s squad as the two teams travelled from Rajkot to the Jharkhand capital on a charter flight on Tuesday afternoon.

While there has been no definitive confirmation Bumrah will miss out, he has been the only frontline fast bowler from either side to be an ever-present in the series so far and there is just a four-day turnaround between the end of the third Test and start of the fourth.

It was widely reported that Bumrah would miss out in Rajkot after his starring role earlier this month in Visakhapatnam, where a nine-wicket match haul helped India level the series.

Bumrah featured in the third Test but had a more understated role with just one wicket in each innings on a flat pitch as India claimed victory by a record 434-run margin to move 2-1 up with two to play.

Despite being without several regulars in this series, including Virat Kohli because of personal reasons and injuries sidelining Mohammed Shami and Rishabh Pant, it seems India will leave out Bumrah this week where conditions are again unlikely to be in his favour.

Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 17 dismissals at a stunning average of 13.64 and it is thought the more seam-friendly conditions in Dharamshala – the venue for the fifth Test – will be much more to his liking.

England head coach Brendon McCullum anticipates a wicket which will turn as they take a step into the unknown later this week at the JSCA International Stadium Complex.

The venue has played host to just two Tests, the most recent in October 2019 where India beat South Africa by an innings and 202 runs, while England’s only previous visit to Ranchi was 11 years ago in an ODI.

Joe Root is the only survivor from that match in the current England squad. The Yorkshireman has struggled with the bat in the past few weeks, yet to reach 30 in six attempts although he has had a more prominent bowling role, sending down 107 overs so far.

Asked if Root could shuffle down the batting order by a place or two to make allowances for his extra workload, McCullum insisted the idea has not been discussed between him and captain Ben Stokes.

“I haven’t thought about it,” McCullum said. “I think Joe wants to be in the game. He’s totally invested in where this team wants to go. You see him on the field: he’s constantly going up to Stokesy.

“He’s incredibly invested. He spent a lot of time with his team-mates working in the nets on stuff as well. He wants a bigger role that he’s obviously offering. Honestly, I think Joe will be absolutely fine.”

The tourists, who trail the four-Test series 1-0 after an innings defeat in Nagpur, managed to reach 263 in Delhi after opener Khawaja made 81 and Handscomb 72 not out.

India skipper Rohit Sharma (13) and KL Rahul (4) guided India to 21-0 at the close of play on Friday to leave them trailing by 242 in the first innings.

Khawaja put on a 50-wicket stand with David Warner (15) for the opening wicket, but Ravichandran Ashwin – who finished with figures of 3-57 – dismissed Marnus Labuschagne (18) and Steve Smith (0) in the space of three balls.

Warner was struck on the helmet and elbow in separate incidents prior to being dismissed cheaply and was later unable to field.

The returning Travis Head could only add 12 runs before Handscomb joined Khawaja to share 59 for the fifth wicket, but the latter was caught by Rahul in the covers, shortly before Alex Carey went for a duck.

Australia were 168-6 at that point, though Handscomb put on another 59 with skipper Pat Cummins, who was sent packing lbw for 33 by Ravindra Jadeja, who also removed Todd Murphy (0) in the same over.

Mohammed Shami returned to remove Nathan Lyon and debutant Matthew Kuhnemann, seeing him finish with figures of 4-60, as Australia were sent packing inside 79 overs.

India managed nine overs in response, with Cummins, Kuhnemann and Lyon unable to remove Rohit and Rahul, who will resume play on Saturday.

Ravindra reaches milestone figure

Jadeja took three wickets in 21 overs to become only the fourth Indian, after Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev and Ravichandran Ashwin, to record 2,500 Test runs and 250 wickets in the format.

It leaves India in a good position to push on and record a third straight Test victory over Australia for the first time since 2013, when winning four in a row against their Border–Gavaskar Trophy rivals.

Khawaja keeps things interesting

After his double failure in the first Test, Khawaja was bold at the start of play in Delhi and his 81 runs came off 125 balls, though he looked devastated when Rahul's leaping one-handed snare denied him a century.

It could have been better for Khawaja and Australia, but it may yet be enough in the grand scheme of things.

"We actually don't know what a good score is on this wicket," the left-handed batter told BT Sport. "If we bowl well, then 260 will be a competitive score.

"There is something in the pitch and plates were moving already when we were batting. Tomorrow will tell the tale of where this game is going."

India, who trail the series 1-0, made the better start to the day at Hagley Oval, taking a seven-run first-innings lead after bowling the Black Caps out for 235.

New Zealand had resumed at 63-0 and appearing on track to charge past India's first-innings total of 242.

However, after their fightback, the tourists were reduced to 90-6 at stumps in their second innings, a lead of just 97, as the bowlers dominated.

Trent Boult (3-12) did most of the damage for New Zealand, landing the first blow when he trapped Mayank Agarwal (3) lbw.

A short delivery from Tim Southee (1-20) removed Prithvi Shaw, but India seemed to be steadying through Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli.

But Colin de Grandhomme (1-3) struck the huge blow, getting Kohli lbw for 14 to reduce India to 51-3.

De Grandhomme dropped Ajinkya Rahane on two but it did not hurt the Black Caps, the India batsman bizarrely playing a Neil Wagner (1-18) short ball onto his stumps.

Boult produced a beautiful inswinger to remove Pujara (24) before also bowling Umesh Yadav (1) as New Zealand closed in on victory.

Earlier, Mohammed Shami (4-81) and Jasprit Bumrah (3-62) had helped India fight back after New Zealand's bright start to their first innings.

Tom Latham (52) and Kyle Jamieson (49) top-scored for the Black Caps, while Ravindra Jadeja produced an incredible catch to remove Wagner (21).

Jadeja stuck out a hand as he jumped near the boundary to hold onto a powerful Wagner pull shot.

That moment of brilliance came as India looked on top, but New Zealand's finish to the day has them on track for a 2-0 series win.

Sachin Tendulkar was in his home city to witness first-hand Kohli set a new benchmark in ODIs with a typically assured 117 off 113 balls which laid the foundations for India’s mammoth 397 for four.

New Zealand then battled hard in the chase, but hopes of a third successive World Cup final appearance were dashed despite Daryl Mitchell’s fine 134 as they were all out for 327 as Mohammed Shami took a career-best seven for 57.

Rohit, though, admitted he had never taken victory as assured as the 1983 and 2011 champions kept on course for victory on home soil.

“I have played a lot of cricket here, any score on this ground, you can’t relax. Got to get the job done quickly and stay at it,” Rohit said in his post-match presentation interview.

“We knew there would be pressure on us. We were very calm, even though we were a bit sloppy on the field.

“These things are bound to happen, but glad we could get the job done.

“The form all the guys are in, top five or six batters, whenever they’ve gotten an opportunity, they’ve made it count.”

Rohit added: “Being the semi-final, I won’t say there was no pressure, whenever you play there’s pressure, but a semi-final adds a bit extra.

“We wanted to not think too much about it, just do what we’ve been doing like in the first nine games. Things came off for us nicely in the second half.”

After moving to three figures off 106 balls, Kohli leapt and punched the air, briefly sunk to his knees before rising and soaking up the acclaim from a frenzied crowd which included Tendulkar and David Beckham.

Tendulkar wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, he “couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record” as Kohli moved into a class of his own in his 291st ODI – 172 fewer than his former team-mate.

Reflecting on his achievement, Kohli said: “It is the stuff of dreams.

“It is very difficult for me to explain this, but if I could paint a perfect picture, I would want this to be the picture.

“My life partner, the person I love the most, she’s sitting there (in the stands). My hero (Tendulkar) he’s sitting there. And I was able to get the 50th in front of all of them and all these fans in such a historic venue. It was amazing.”

India gained a measure of revenge for being dumped out at the same stage of the 2019 tournament by the Black Caps.

Shami said: “It feels amazing. In the last two World Cups, we lost (in the semi-finals), so who knows when or if we will get a chance again.

“We wanted to do everything for this, one chance we didn’t want to let go.”

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was proud of his side’s efforts.

“Firstly, congrats to India, they played outstandingly well, probably their best game today,” he said. “400 was naturally going to be tough, but credit to the guys, proud effort to stay in the fight.

“It is disappointing to go out, but I am super proud of the effort that has gone in for the last seven weeks.

“The effort was there, but India are top class, have world-class batters who didn’t give us a sniff really.

“You come in and get 400, it’s a tick in the box. They deserve to be where they are, played outstandingly well.

“It wasn’t to be today, but it was nice to be out there to give ourselves a chance.

“It was a fantastic crowd, unbelievable atmosphere, slightly one-sided in the support, but special to be part of the tournament.”

The winners of Sunday's match would lead the competition through five rounds, with the big-scoring Royals in command coming into this meeting.

But their hopes of protecting that position were hit by the early wickets of openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler in reply to 177-7.

Shubman Gill (45) and David Miller (46) had led the Titans to that strong total, meaning Rajasthan required an improbable turnaround after losing their two leading scorers and initially struggling to get going thereafter

Captain Sanju Samson stepped up with a swift 60, though, and Shimron Hetmyer got them over the line despite a fine bowling performance from Mohammad Shami, who added to the dismissal of Buttler with two more late wickets.

Hetmyer crucially remained in the middle and completed the comeback with his fifth six to finish on 56 off 26, with the Royals 179-7 with four balls remaining.

Titans take out Rajasthan openers

Jaiswal and Buttler opened together for the fourth time this year, aiming to build on the success of those previous three matches, all of which ended in Rajasthan victories. Buttler made fifties in each of those matches, with Jaiswal joining him on two occasions, too.

But both batters were out before the end of the third over, a wicket maiden for Shami (3-25) that reduced the Royals to 4-2. At that stage, it seemed the Titans had halted the reply before it had even got going.

Royals rally to another big score

Even with Jaiswal and Buttler contributing only a run between them, the Royals retained some spectacular batting power. They have scored 175 or more in every one of their five matches this year, showing the scale of the task for any opponent looking to take them out of the game.

An England victory appeared most likely when India resumed on 181-6, ahead by 154 in their second innings – and certainly when Ollie Robinson (2-45) removed the dangerous Rishabh Pant (22) and Ishant Sharma (16) with the lead still below 200.

But seamer Robinson found himself out in the middle with bat in hand in the final hour alongside Jos Buttler as England lurched to seven down.

The turning point came when Jasprit Bumrah (34 not out) joined Mohammed Shami (56 not out) in an unlikely and unbroken ninth-wicket alliance of 89 before India declared on 298-8.

Shami crashed six fours and a huge six off Moeen Ali brought up his maiden Test fifty. Bumrah's 64-ball effort was also a career best and his very presence was arguably pivotal in England losing any semblance of composure.

The apparent desire for retribution after Bumrah gave James Anderson a working over appeared to outweigh to required cold-headed pursuit of the final two scalps of a tail that looked very inviting on paper.

Virat Kohli declared early in the second session and England's victory target of 272 became completely nominal after Rory Burns and Dom Sibley became their country's first openers to each fall for ducks in the same innings of a home Test.

Bumrah (3-33) had Burns caught off a leading edge in the first over and Shami (1-13) had Sibley caught behind. Haseeb Hameed at least occupied 45 deliveries for his nine but fell leg before to Ishant (2-13) and Jonny Bairstow perished in the same fashion on the stroke of tea.

England were staring down the barrel when captain Joe Root – again top scorer with 33 – edged Bumrah to Kohli at slip, The India skipper also pouched Moeen (13) before Mohammed Siraj (4-32) subjected Sam Curran to the first ever Test king pair at Lord's, although his drop when Buttler was on two looked like it might be key.

The white-ball master played with impeccable restraint for his 25 but lost Robinson lbw on review to Bumrah with 9.1 overs remaining and feathered a beauty behind three balls later from Siraj, who finished the job by emphatically bowling Anderson.

Familiar problems as Root fights a lone hand

Burns and Sibley's unwanted slice of history took them on to nine ducks between them in 2021 – the same amount suffered by Alastair Cook in his 161 Test career. The recalled Hameed also went for nought in the first innings and Bairstow's departure ensured Root was the only member of the top five to reach double figures. India's fast bowlers operated at a high level once again, but it is an utterly unacceptable return.

Pacemen give India a new dimension

India took a huge step towards a long-awaited series victory in England and should they finish the job over the next three Tests, their four-pronged pace attack will have had plenty to do with it. If the morning was about Bumrah and Shami's thrilling abandon, the conclusion was the story of four experts of their craft working in tandem to give an overmatched batting line-up no prospect of escape.

It is a defeat to rank among the ignominy of Adelaide 2006 and Trinidad 1994 for England and it feels virtually impossible to see Root's men plotting a recovery from here, having crumbled on the back of three days painstakingly working their way into the ascendency.

Bumrah was ruled out of the tournament earlier this month due to a back problem, which will keep the paceman out of action for around six weeks.

A BCCI statement on Friday confirmed Shami, who has not played at all over the past three months, has now joined India's squad in Australia.

Shami, who starred for Indian Premier League champions Gujarat Titans earlier this year, was included in India's squad for their T20I series against Australia and South Africa, only to test positive for COVID-19.

Mohammed Siraj was named the player of the series against South Africa, which India won 2-1, and has been named as a back-up alongside Shardul Thakur.

While Shami has not featured in recent months, he always seemed a likely option to replace Bumrah due to his experience of playing in Australia - he has played Down Under in two Test series and was one of India's best performers with the ball in the 2015 ODI World Cup.

The 32-year-old last played a T20I in last year's World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, taking six wickets in five appearances. 

Shami helped the Titans to an IPL title in their maiden season in the competition, taking 20 wickets and playing in all 16 of their games.

India start their World Cup campaign against fierce rivals Pakistan at the MCG a week on Sunday.

India T20 World Cup squad:

Rohit Sharma (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chaha, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Suryakumar Yadav.

Australia captain Steve Smith won the coin toss and elected to bat on Thursday, as the tourists seek a victory to level the four-game Test series at 2-2, having won the third Test in Indore by nine wickets. Both captains indicated they would have batted first if they won the toss.

India skipper Rohit Sharma added that the Ahmedabad pitch is "not a surface which we saw in the first three Tests" which were dominated by spin.  

Australia maintained their three-spinner approach, with Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy, alongside left-arm quick Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Cameron Green.

The hosts have already retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy but can seal a place in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia if they win the fourth Test.

Australia captain Steve Smith won the coin toss and elected to bat on Thursday, as the tourists seek a victory to level the four-game Test series at 2-2, having won the third Test in Indore by nine wickets. Both captains indicated they would have batted first if they won the toss.

India skipper Rohit Sharma added that the Ahmedabad pitch is "not a surface which we saw in the first three Tests" which were dominated by spin.  

Australia maintained their three-spinner approach, with Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy, alongside left-arm quick Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Cameron Green.

The hosts have already retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy but can seal a place in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia if they win the fourth Test.

An England victory appeared most likely when India resumed on 181-6, ahead by 154 in their second innings – and certainly when Ollie Robinson (2-45) removed the dangerous Rishabh Pant (22) and Ishant Sharma (16) with the lead still below 200.

But seamer Robinson found himself out in the middle with bat in hand in the final hour alongside Jos Buttler as England lurched to seven down.

The turning point came when Jasprit Bumrah (34 not out) joined Mohammed Shami (56 not out) in an unlikely and unbroken ninth-wicket alliance of 89 before India declared on 298-8.

Shami crashed six fours and a huge six off Moeen Ali brought up his maiden Test fifty. Bumrah's 64-ball effort was also a career best and his very presence was arguably pivotal in England losing any semblance of composure.

The apparent desire for retribution after Bumrah gave James Anderson a working over appeared to outweigh to required cold-headed pursuit of the final two scalps of a tail that looked very inviting on paper.

Virat Kohli declared early in the second session and England's victory target of 272 became completely nominal after Rory Burns and Dom Sibley became their country's first openers to each fall for ducks in the same innings of a home Test.

Bumrah (3-33) had Burns caught off a leading edge in the first over and Shami (1-13) had Sibley caught behind. Haseeb Hameed at least occupied 45 deliveries for his nine but fell leg before to Ishant (2-13) and Jonny Bairstow perished in the same fashion on the stroke of tea.

England were staring down the barrel when captain Joe Root – again top scorer with 33 – edged Bumrah to Kohli at slip, The India skipper also pouched Moeen (13) before Mohammed Siraj (4-32) subjected Sam Curran to the first ever Test king pair at Lord's, although his drop when Buttler was on two looked like it might be key.

The white-ball master played with impeccable restraint for his 25 but lost Robinson lbw on review to Bumrah with 9.1 overs remaining and feathered a beauty behind three balls later from Siraj, who finished the job by emphatically bowling Anderson.

Familiar problems as Root fights a lone hand

Burns and Sibley's unwanted slice of history took them on to nine ducks between them in 2021 – the same amount suffered by Alastair Cook in his 161 Test career. The recalled Hameed also went for nought in the first innings and Bairstow's departure ensured Root was the only member of the top five to reach double figures. India's fast bowlers operated at a high level once again, but it is an utterly unacceptable return.

Pacemen give India a new dimension

India took a huge step towards a long-awaited series victory in England and should they finish the job over the next three Tests, their four-pronged pace attack will have had plenty to do with it. If the morning was about Bumrah and Shami's thrilling abandon, the conclusion was the story of four experts of their craft working in tandem to give an overmatched batting line-up no prospect of escape.

It is a defeat to rank among the ignominy of Adelaide 2006 and Trinidad 1994 for England and it feels virtually impossible to see Root's men plotting a recovery from here, having crumbled on the back of three days painstakingly working their way into the ascendency.