England get Ballance right as third Test opens

A climbing wall has been installed at the Rose Bowl, alongside the Shane Warne stand: they want to make the Test attractive to young families and all day there were kids scrambling and scrabbling their way to the top. It might just have served as a reminder, for those who needed it, of the tribulations of Alastair Cook.

For a year now he has been not so much clambering up such a wall as driven up it by the cruelties of the game.

He almost made it to the top, the summit of his first Test century in more than a year tantalisingly close when, deep into the final session of the first day of the third Test against India, he attempted to paddle-pull (if that is the right expression) a legside delivery from the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and managed only the thinnest edge down the leg side.

Cook had made 95 on the path to redemption that had been threatening this past fortnight. Yet as Cook trudged off, he will have been heartened in his disappointment; for all round the ground the crowd stood and cheered him back to the dressing room.

For most of the while Cook was reacquainting himself with his batting he had for company Gary Ballance.

The focus was always going to be on Cook but unobtrusively, though with massive efficiency, Ballance reinforced his status by making his third century in five Test matches.

Driving seat

In the process he shared a second-wicket stand of 158 with Cook that put England in the driving seat.

Ballance will resume on 104, with Ian Bell on 16, although the latter, as much in need of runs as has been Cook, was fortunate to survive an excruciating start in which, to his 16th scoreless delivery, he ought to have been lbw to Pankaj and the second new ball had Rod Tucker been on his game. England closed on 247 for two.

Earlier Cook and Sam Robson had added 55 for the first wicket, their best start together, before Robson nibbled away from his body so that this time Jadeja was able to hold the catch. – Guardian Service