India v England, third Test, day five as it happened

England, having been 8-3 chasing 41, beat India by seven wickets in Kolkata to take a 2-1 series lead into the final Test.

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As it happened

In Summary

ENGLAND WIN BY SEVEN WICKETS
Tourists lead four-Test series 2-1
India 316 & 247 ; England 523 & 41-3
Eng were 8-3 - Cook, Trott & Pietersen out
Anderson bowled Ojha to end India innings
Ashwin unbeaten on 91

Reporting by

Sam Sheringham, BBC Sport

0503:

So while England go off for a celebratory beer, India get their heads down for some serious soul-searching. Will there be changes for the third Test? Will we hear any kind of announcement from Sachin Tendulkar? Will Dhoni and Fletcher survive beyond the end of the series? Perhaps those are questions for another day, but make no mistake, India will rarely have been under more pressure than they will be in the fourth Test in Nagpur.

For England, it will be a case of "more of the same" as they seek to put the seal on a historic triumph. We'll be live from 0315 on Thursday to bring you all the build up the series finale. Be there.
Geoffrey Boycott, BBC Test Match Special
"All this talk about Sachin Tendulkar's future is destabilising. They want to shut up about it. He can play for another year or two, but you have to play differently. He's been such a great player, and all that experience, knowledge and maturity is there, and if you can accept that your best is gone, you still have something to offer."
Paul Simmonds on Twitter: "Well done chaps and thank you Bell for finishing the job and showing us how Cricket is a team game!

Henry Walmsley on Twitter: "I stopped watching after the third wicket as I was adamant it was my fault. I was right."
England captain Alastair Cook: "We really appreciate all the support from the Barmy Army and the text messages from back home. It means a lot to us. We will enjoy tonight but we are not going to Nagpur to make up the numbers. We are going to win the match, which we know we can do."
Geoffrey Boycott, BBC Test Match Special
"We seem to do daft things when chasing small totals. Alastair Cook running down the pitch to get stumped, that was crazy. History shows that small totals can be difficult but if it been 140-150 we might have had a panic, like we did in the UAE. England were the best side and their attitude was better, particularly in the field, and look more resilient and determined than the India players."
England captain Alastair Cook: "It's a great performance over 4 1/2 days. Everyone performed from one to 11 there and that is what you need in those conditions. Our bowlers were fantastic in the first innings and then to get six wickets in middle session yesterday was a great effort.

It was a tough morning session yesterday. We wanted to build our lead but we struggled and that momentum carried into our bowling. We knew we needed to strike early after lunch and that is what Graeme Swann did.

"I've been hitting the ball all right on this tour. I had a bit of luck but I managed to cash in."
MAN OF THE MATCH
Alastair Cook wins the award for his first innings 190. Stand by for his words of wisdom...
India captain Mahendra Dhoni: "We need to give the bowlers a few more runs, on this wicket we should have scored something close to 450. When the slide started in the second innings, we couldn't stop and that's where the game was lost. Everybody needs to pull up their socks, give their best and back each other, that's where you show your character. England played good cricket but we need to retaliate."
0441:

Stand by for the post-match presentation. Cook for man of the match?
England all-rounder Luke Wright on Twitter: "Huge congratulations to all the England boys and staff on a massive Test win in India. Boys are on fire! Lets make it 1-3 now."
0438:

More stats for you on England's brilliant win. It's India's first defeat at Eden Gardens since 1999 and England's first win in Kolkata since 1977. If England can avoid defeat at Nagpur, they will have won a series in India for the first time since 1985. Roll on Thursday.
OptaJim on Twitter: "6 - @JimmyAnderson9's match figures of 6-127 are the best by an overseas paceman at Eden Gardens since @glennmcgrath11 took 7 in 2001. Swing."
Vic Marks, BBC Test Match Special
"The mood must be very buoyant in the England dressing room. They have worked harder than India more than anything. The biggest gulf was probably the seamers, Finn and Anderson, and when your fast bowlers are on top it doesn't half make life easier."
Contrasting reactions from supporters of the two sides:

Gordon Pal on Twitter: "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to see England win away."

Varun Vachar: "It all started for India here at the Eden Gardens in 2001 and it looks like it will end right here too. Sad but inevitable."
Vic Marks, BBC Test Match Special
"England have beaten India at their own game, having lost the toss in their last two matches. They have been playing on subcontinental style pitches, but have emphatically outplayed India. Seven wickets does not really flatter England but that won't matter. It's a terrific turnaround from the first Test."
0430:

England head off to pay tribute to the Barmy Army, who are running through their repertoire of celebratory tunes. Two wins in a row in India. Heady, heady stuff.
CHAMPAGNE MOMENT- ENGLAND WIN BY SEVEN WICKETS
Bell clips to Tendulkar at square leg and runs through for the winning single. Joy and relief on the England balcony as they gather in a group hug. KP and Cook are high fiving, Monty has a Cheshire cat grin and even the stoic Andy Flower looks reasonably pleased. Forget the wobble, that was a great win.
0425:

Eng 40-3
Bell cuts the first ball of Ojha's next over to the fence then gets a single to level the scores. The Barmy Army are singing Compton's name - can he score the winning runs? He wants one here ... but Bell sends him back.
0423:

Eng 35-3
Bell uses his feet to turn a flighted Ashwin delivery into a half-volley and steer it through the covers for four. Then a single to keep the strike. Almost there folks. I definitely reverse-mockered Bell.
0421:

Eng 30-3
Ojha is at his miserly best today, giving up just a single from his latest over for figures of 5-3-5-1. England are only 11 runs away from the finish line now.
Sam Johnson on Twitter: "Nothing is ever Plain Sailing when your an England cricketer. Well I'm just relieved that this isn't 141."
Minnen Lamm on Twitter: "All part of a cunning plan to convince the Indian selectors to keep the same lacklustre XI for final Test, I'm sure."
0417:

Eng 29-3
Prakash leaves the TMS box after what Vic Marks terms "one of his deadliest spells". Aggers is back and as if by magic England take three major strides towards their target. Bell belts a full toss down the ground for four then pushes for three through the off side. Compton then opens the face and collects four through the vacant third man area.
0414:

Eng 18-3
Single to Compton into the covers before Bell gives big Sharma a chase and picks up three runs. TV putting up graphic after graphic of lowest Test match totals, England's lowest fourth innings scores etc.
0411:

Eng 14-3 (Target 41)
Another maiden. England aren't going to take any chances now so this could take a bit longer than planned. Put the cooked breakfast on hold...
Gordon Pal on Twitter: "This is not what we stayed up all night for, England. We regret asking for entertainment. Win the game. Please."

Michael Banks on Twitter: "My money is on Monty to score the winning run now."

David Langton on Twitter: "What is going on with England!? It can't be possible to lose from this situation, can't it?"
0408:

Eng 14-3 (Target 41)
Just seen an England fan at Eden Gardens holding a lucky mascot in front of her face. The Barmies are very quiet at the moment as Compton smothers six dot balls from Ojha.
0406:

Eng 14-3
Bell steadies the nerves with a quick tickle round the corner for two, then puts away a full toss past midwicket for four. The ball is in the air but is just wide of the fielder. I always said Bell was a man for a crisis.
WICKET- Pietersen c Dhoni b Ashwin 0 (Eng 8-3)
I am struggling to type. Not sure if this is really happening or just a terrible dream. Pietersen opens the face to Ashwin and gets a nick through to Dhoni, who takes a low catch. What was I saying about Bell? Here he is...
Daniel Hunter on Twitter: "Only England could make this target difficult. Already down to my nail beds... Can't take much more."
0401:

Eng 7-2
Ojha keeps up the pressure by fizzing one past Pietersen's outside edge. I really hope Ian Bell isn't going to have to come out here - he can hardly even hold a bat at the moment.
Vic Marks, BBC Test Match Special
"Don't panic! KP doesn't look to be relishing this, having to come out here. He wouldn't have thought he'd have to bat. They are not counting any chickens now in the dressing room. This will give a boost to the India set-up in that they can un-nerve the opposition."
WICKET- Trott lbw b Ojha 3 (Eng 7-2)
Oh my days.... Trott prods forward to a ball that goes straight on with the arm and is trapped in front of middle stump.
Eng 7-1 (Target 41)
Trott propels England another couple of runs closer to their target with a two from outside off stump for two, before picking up a single to keep the strike.
0354:

Eng 4-1
Trott's the new man but Compton is on strike. And he brings a little sense back to proceedings by playing out an Ojha maiden.
Conor Thomson on Twitter: "Indian Test cricket's downfall coinciding with the rise of the IPL. It's where the money is for the young talent."
Andrew Samson, BBC Test Match Special statistician
"Cook was stumped for only the second time in his career. The previous stumping was against Sri Lanka in a Test match last year."
Rahul Dravid, BBC Test Match Special
"There are more English supporters than Indian. I never thought I'd see that here. It's great that they have come here in such numbers. It's a fascinating aspect of having England tour, even as a player, to see all their fans."
WICKET- Cook st Dhoni b Ashwin 1 (Eng 4-1)
Here we go then, England's reply gets under way with an inside edge for a single, then Compton paddle sweeps for two. But what's this? Madness from Cook! He charges down the pitch, is beaten by the spin and is stumped by a country mile. It couldn't happen, could it?
0346:

Glory days for England but as Mr Dravid has been suggesting these are troubled times for India. The papers have had their knives out for Dhoni and co this morning with the Times of India declaring that "Drastic times need drastic steps" due to the "disintegration of Indian cricket". The article went on to state that "this Indian team fields terribly, bowls pathetically and capitulates cravenly while batting" and called for selectors to give this "brave new team" a shot in Nagpur... Sehwag, Rahane, Pujara, Tiwary, Kohli (c), Jadeja, Saha (wk), Ashwin, Yadav, Dinda, Ojha.
ENGLAND REQUIRE 41 RUNS TO WIN
That's that then. It took precisely 10 balls for England to break India's last-wicket resistance and they will now need just 41 runs to win the Test match and take a 2-1 lead into Thursday's series-finale in Nagpur.
Jonathan Agnew, BBC Test Match Special
"It was a strange dismissal but it doesn't matter how you get them out. James Anderson has finished the job off but I feel sorry for Ashwin, who deserved a hundred."
WICKET- Ojha b Anderson 3 (India 247 all out)
Anderson slams one into Ojha's pads but his appeal is turned down. Then another appeal - what's this for? Oh my word he's bowled him, but in really bizarre circumstances. The ball shaves the stumps, but it's a good couple of seconds before the right-hand bail decides to tumble to the ground. Ashwin has to confirm to Ojha that he's out.
Philip Sparrow on Twitter: "C'mon England, I'd like to get some sleep before the Manchester derby."

Edwards Pearce on Twitter: "Has there ever been a series where each test has been so one sided? Cue a nail biting final Test!"

Christopher Lomas on Twitter: "England's winning run to be hit at 04:16am GMT."
David in Spain, TMS inbox: "Only cricket could keep me up till this hour in the morning to see England knock over one wicket and score a few runs to win. It's that "many a slip" nature of cricket that does it."
Rahul Dravid, BBC Test Match Special
"We have been outplayed in the spin department, which is the first time that has happened. That's a worrying sign because spin has been our strength and it opens questions as to the quality of the players coming through. The lack of ability is the more worrying thing because you can change attitudes but do we have the players coming through to replace them? How do we raise the skills of a lot of our players? The team is in transition with players coming to the end of their careers so it's about bringing through the next generation to play Test cricket."
0329:

Ind 247-9
The England fans are on their feet belting out "Jerusalem" as Steven Finn charges in for the first over of the day. But it's a great start for India as Ashwin belts the last two balls of the over for four, the first pushed through the off side and the second pulled to the fence. He's on 91 now - a heroic effort from the number eight.
Rahul Dravid, BBC Test Match Special
"The manner of the defeat is hurting a lot of people and with India there's always a lot of reaction and sometimes over-reaction. Players do care, there are a lot of proud people in that dressing room, but you need the skills to succeed at Test level and India have been found short."
Gareth Preston on Twitter: "If you're not back before your wife wakes up England will have seriously messed this up..."
0326:

A reminder of where we find ourselves as we go in the final day's play at Eden Gardens. India will resume their second innings on 239-9, a pretty hopeless position given that their lead is only 32. To all intents and purposes it should be a matter of when and not if England wrap up victory today. In fact I'm almost tempted to start a sweepstake on exactly what time the winning run will be scored, or would that be an enormous portion of mocker pie?
0320:

I'll level with you it's not been a brilliant start to the day here. My cab doesn't turn up at 2.15am so I panic and drive the car to work. On parking, I realise that our pushchair is in the boot, meaning my wife will have to spend the morning stuck inside with two small children. Anyone got the keys to the dog house?
0316:

Ever had to go to bed with a job not quite complete? Perhaps you were creosoting the fence but were thwarted by rain before you could apply the final coat? Baking a cake but didn't have time to apply the icing? England's cricketers couldn't quite finish the job last night but they are back at Eden Gardens this Sunday morning on the brink of a famous victory.