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

Prior steams to 40 (with 30 runs coming in boundaries) with another meaty cut off Ojha for four. One more to go, England lead by 191.

Dhoni is rotating his bowlers here and Ojha is back to end Sharma's one-over spell. Clear signs of weariness though as a full toss is given the treatment by Prior, who moves to 36 off 40 balls. The partnership with Swann is worth 46 now - very handy for the England lead, which is now 183.

Sehwag tumbles forward to claim a low bat-pad catch but Ashwin's very hopeful appeal is dismissed out of hand by Umpire Tucker. I want whatever Matt Prior has been having. Another flick of the wrists and the ball shoots off at a frightening lick over square leg for four.

Sharma has bowled well today and Dhoni is giving him another dart before stumps. In fact he should have had two wickets but dropped an absolute dolly off his own bowling when Cook had 152. Swann shows him plenty of respect as he blocks out a maiden.

Reintegration latest - KP and Samit spotted chatting merrily in the England dressing-room. Anyone care to insert a punchline?

The spinners are getting through their overs quickly now, with Swann and Prior taking stock and perhaps starting to think about the close.

Prior pulls off another fine sweep shot, which is too fast for deep square leg and earns him another four. England's number seven has 25 from 28 balls and is taking the lead rapidly towards the 200 mark.

Swann fancies this you know. A little shuffle down the track, then a swing of the bat and the ball sails over mid-off for four. Ojha responds with a beauty as the ball grips and rips past Swann's edge and is taken by first slip! Swann won't mind that, he'll be thinking about India's second innings.

More Prior power as he middles a reverse sweep for four. "If you'd hit a regulation sweep with that power you'd be thrilled," enthuses Dravid as he signs off his TMS stint.

Finn is padded up on the England balcony so it looks like he's been preferred to Anderson for the number nine slot. Out in the middle Swann gets off the mark in slightly fortunate fashion with a slash over gully for four.

I know I said we'd closed the Tradesman's chat but that one from Darren was such a peach that, a bit like Marcus Trescothick to a ball pitched up outside off stump, I couldn't resist a nibble.

Dhoni moves almost his entire field to the leg side as Zaheer bowls to Patel. Zaheer tries to tempt Patel with a short ball but he mistimes the pull shot and only bottom edges it to square leg.

Off we go then for the final hour of play. India have been a whole lot hungrier in the field today, epitomised by a Gambhir chase and return deny Prior a boundary. Almost immediately, Sharma undermines my claim, by showing very little desire to break stride and prevent Prior picking up four over midwicket.

Super Samit. He leans into a drive and helps himself to four more. Then a nudge into space to keep the strike and move his score to 21.

The sweep shot is well and truly back in vogue among the England players at the moment. Prior picks up a single then Patel gets a bit lucky with a top edge that lands safely in a gap. Swann, Anderson, Finn and Panesar to come for England.

Zaheer Khan gives Matt Prior a warm welcome with a quick blast of chin music. Then Prior gets off the quacker with a single.

This feels like a really important innings for Samit Patel, who has looked good for his 12 runs so far. He has a highest Test score of 29 and you could even say he is playing for his place. Should he fail, the selectors may feel it's a good time to give Morgan or Bairstow another chance in the last Test, with the New Zealand tour in mind.

Ashwin looks a very relieved man to have finally taken a wicket in his 46th over. He wasn't exactly pulling up any trees in Mumbai either. Now then, can the England's lower middle order takes this lead towards the 200 mark or are India going to get themselves right back in the game?

Matty Prior blocks out the rest of Ashwin's over.

A ball from Ashwin keeps low but Patel watches it carefully and gets his bat down in time. Another one bounces to waist height and almost takes the inside edge on the way through to the keeper. Monty will be loving that.

Sharma strays slightly and is immediately punished by Pietersen who drives him majestically through the covers to move to 49. A slower ball from Sharma has the crowd appealing for a catch, only to realise that a) the ball hit the ground, and b) Sharma dropped it.

Patel is making a great start out there. He works Ashwin to deep square leg for two then cracks one high over midwicket for four.

Sharma to KP, who is watchful, respectful of the man who has just taken the wicket of Bell. Good, straight bowling from Sharma, refusing to give Pietersen any room and completing a maiden over.

KP tickles off his toes for two then gets one to move to 44. Samit on strike now and that's a sizzler of a square cut for four to take England past the 400 mark. Nicely done my son.

Samit Patel strides to the crease with England wobbling a touch. Sharma is fired up here and he oversteps to add another run to the England total. Cue the Bell-bashing...

Like a man looking for his keys in the dark, Bell is feeling his way here, ducking one Sharma bumper then hooking another for a single. Sharma, his mullet billowing, then has a word as Pietersen pulls out an extravagant leave. My advice to a bowler whose team has been carted round for 369-3? Shut up.

A few comparisons are being made between Cook's run out and the situation that saw Ian Bell called back at Trent Bridge in 2011. They're different in that this was Cook's error, whereas Bell, on that occasion, had good reason to think the ball was dead. The aforementioned Bell goes back to take Ojha for a single.

How often do see a batsman on only 12 faced with a field that is completely slipless? That's what Pietersen has as Ishant Sharma comes into the attack in place of Zaheer. Sharma gets too leggy, allowing Pietersen to work off his hips for four.

Cook's scoring had slowed right down as he neared a double ton, but the arrival of a new man at the crease will delay England's acceleration further. Bell could do with a score, too. He respects an Ojha maiden. England playing for tea?

Cook was retreating back to his ground as Kohli's throw came in from square leg. He was reaching for his ground, but stopped just before grounding his bat, letting the ball pass under his arm. Only problem was, the ball hit the timbers and the skipper knew straight away that he was a gonner, putting his head in his hands. Credit to the umpires, they checked to see if Cook had grounded his bat at any point, but replays couldn't save him. Zaheer to Pietersen, a maiden.

My word, what do we make of all that? Plenty to talk about with that Cook dismissal. Before that, Ian Bell is the new man and is off the mark with a single off Ojha.

Ojha gets one all wrong and this time Dhoni has no chance of stopping it as it trickles down the leg side for four byes. Cook's scoring rate has almost slowed to a halt here. He does this sometimes when he approaches the big landmarks. I still remember his look of utter devastation when he was out for 294 at Edgbaston last year.

Another corker of a shot from KP, bludgeoning Yuvraj down the ground to the rope. If he stays in England could be 300 to the good come stumpies.

The spectators in the Eden Gardens crowd are taunting those of us stuck in freezing Blighty, lapping up ice lollies in the sun. Ojha is teasing the England batsman too, KP totally misreading a quicker ball which shoots through the gate and past Dhoni's left leg for four byes.

Yuvi floats one up well outside off stump and KP isn't going to leave this alone. His timing is spot on as he clatters it just in front of square on the off side for a boundary. KP connects again but this time Kohli is alert in the covers and stops the ball in its tracks.

Flags are waving and fans are screaming as Dhoni brings on another left-armer in the form of Yuvraj. And the tactic almost pays dividends straight away when KP almost edges onto his stumps. Another ball, another close shave as an inside edge cannons onto his boot. Don't go anywhere.

Another roar as Kevin Pietersen comes out to face the left-arm spin of Pragyan Ojha. How will KP play this one then? Plenty of intent as he pushes his first three balls firmly into the off side then gets off the mark with a cut for one.

Cook sweeps round the corner off the toe end of his bat, then Trott has a bit of a loose swing but manages to clear leg gully and pick up two runs.

Back to basics for the England duo after that brief flirtation with recklessness. Ashwin is milked for a couple before Cook takes a single off Ojha.

Two more to the Cooker, then a risk. A big one... Cook wants a single but Trott sends him back. Gambhir's throw lets India down and Dhoni has to flip the ball at the stumps out of the back of his hand. By the time he does, Cook's dive has saved his bacon. Phew mockers fears abated, for now.

Trott nurdles round the corner for a two to reach 77. Cook has 173. Who's your money on? Trott to get to his ton or Cook to his double first? Or is that a horrible dose of mockers?

Hope for India in the form of a thick edge from Trott, but the ball keeps low and absolutely races away to the boundary. More cheers and jeers from the Barmies as Sharma fumbles in the field. He's more like Titus Bramble than Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the moment.

Trott plays out another Ojha maiden. He is doing a very good job of hogging the strike at the moment, with Cook only facing five balls in the first six overs after lunch.

Another little slice of luck for Cook, who hasn't been quite as fluent today. He flashes a big drive at Ashwin, getting a thick outside edge that runs to third man for four. England grind past 300.

Ojha rattles through another over quicker than you could say Ravichandran. It's a maiden. Re Cook, what about a Chef's Special?

I'm quite proud of my "MasterChef" term for a big Cook hundred. Any other suggestions? Or other cricketers who nicknames could work in similar ways? The usual steady start post-lunch from these two, with just a single to Trott off Ashwin's first offering.

Trott gets the scoreboard moving after tea with a tickled single off Ojha. Cook and Trotters have now combined for 132 runs this series. I'm starting to get that Brisbane feeling.

An instant riposte to Greg as Yuvraj pulls off a fine piece of fielding. He darts along the rope and stops the ball with one hand to keep Trott to two runs.

Wow, stat gold from Andrew there. Is Cook superhuman? Half man, half Brad-man? Discuss. Ojha is on for Sharma and there is definitely a bit more turn in this pitch, which is another good sign for England.

The Barmy Army are now serenading Sharma with the Mitchell Johnson song. "He's bowls to the left..." and all that jazz. Ashwin's been by far the best of the India bowlers this morning and he vary nearly accounts for Cook as the England batsman almost sweeps onto his stumps.

No rest for Sharma as he's asked to bowl another over. I'm surprised he hasn't contrived a reason to temporarily vacate the field. England work him for three singles and the waiting game continues for India.

The TV directors are not being kind to poor old Ishant Sharma after that dropped catch. After every ball, they are zooming in on him as if searching for an explanation for his aberration. Cook's happy for another life, slashing to deep point for another single to move to 157 of the best.

Just noticing a thicker than average covering of facial hair on Trott's lower visage. Makes him look a whole lot scarier, almost wolf-like. He's in the the zone now, driving Sharma for another boundary to reach 60 not out.

I've going to stick my neck out and say that is the worst drop I have ever seen. But we move on. Single to Trott off Zaheer.

Just looking at a table on TV which tells me that Cook now has the fourth highest amount of runs by any visiting batsman in Asia. Top of the tree? Jacques Kallis since you ask. More sign of uneven bounce as a Zaheer ball scoots past Cook's blade at ankle height. England's pacemen will be licking their lips at the sight of that.

What do we reckon Dhoni said to his troops in that there huddle? "Keep calm and carry on?" "Anybody got a cunning plan?" "Is there a trap door in this stadium?" It's not the most auspicious of restarts for the hosts as Ashwin very nearly allows to a Trott drive to slide through him at mid-off. A little bit of extra bounce for Sharma surprises Cook, who takes his hand off the bat after gloving the ball down in front of him.

Ishant Sharma makes a bright start with a ball that whistles past Trott's off stump at a decent rate. Then a bit of width and Trott finds the boundary rop with a square drive.

Ashwin's carrom ball is more like a carrot ball for Jonathan Trott as he gobbles up a four through the covers. Yum yum.

Cook nudges a single round the corner to reach 146 not out. He has made 150 six times in Test matches and twice converted them into doubles. His highest score? 294 big ones against India at Edgbaston last year.

Boycott storms into the TMS commentary box, clumsily trips over a water bottle and repeats his assertion that England are going to bat all day. A thick outside edge gets Trott two to third man. Plenty more chat about Cook's claims to greatness....

Trott unveils a whole new sets of blocks and leaves before pushing the last ball of Ojha's over through the covers for two.

At last, a boundary, and it's a peach as Cook drives through the covers where Tendulkar quickly gives up the chase on this rapid outfield. Then a beauty from Ojha spins sharply past Cook's outside edge.

Cook steals a single and the strike with a push to mid-on. The new ball is due but with his spinners offering good control Dhoni's not going to take it yet.

Steady on Anna, it's a bit early for that kind of chat, isn't it? We have a veritable avalanche of runs in Ashwin's latest, as Trott sweeps for two, then repeats the shot two ball later to reach 27 from 102 balls.

Ojha is brought into the attack in place of Zaheer but the result is the same - a maiden, with Trott smothering any spin, of which there was very little. I really hope my cabbie isn't watching this or he'll be put off cricket for life!

Cook is gifted his first run of the day by the absence of a mid-on as he pushes down to Zlatan Sharma at long-on.

Ashwin to Trott, single to mid-on. On the way in this morning, my cabbie (who knows precious little about cricket) asked me if I expected today to be "entertaining". I did my best to explain that if Trott and Cook bat all day that wouldn't be the first word that springs to mind.

Trott was disappointed not to contribute to England's win in Mumbai and according to Aggers is hell-bent on scoring a big one today. He's biding his time early on, looking out for any sign of swing from Zaheer Khan. Just a single off the over, tucked wide of mid-on.

Ashwin delivers the first over of the day and the England scoreboard ticks round to 217 with a leg bye off Trott's pads. Cook defends the rest of the over, his bat gun barrel straight, his head still. He quite fancies a double.