England v India: Third Test, First Day

14th over: India A change in the bowling as the distinctively second-gear Andy Caddick is replaced by the sprightly already-in-third-gear Alex Tudor. The Surrey bowler hasn't yet pulled up lame yet (though give it time) and produces some nice deliveries - including one that darts back sharply to surprise Dravid. Ben Chadwick says: "Congratulations to Cath for leaving work! I too am finishing a week tomorrow! A year working in the IT Section of the National Gallery is enough for me, and I'm going back to Uni in Liverpool (where the beer's £1.10 and the Scousers still where shellsuits, white socks pulled over the trackie bottoms and their hands in someone else's pocket!). Oh, the old (completely untrue) jokes are always the best aren't they? Drinks.

13th over: India 23-1 Hoggard, who's beginning to look a touch weary now, is still struggling with his length. Dravid on four, Bangar on seven see the over off comfortably. Hara Ng-Nuer (Mr) says: "Sanjeev, could it be him Mr Ingle? Last saw about 1988, poor old friend, he fell on the bad times I was told! We played the cricket when at Bombay University. I was mean left arm bowler then. Do you understand the Chinaman? Not left arm googly as many followers of the good game believe!" A wind-up, surely?

12th over: India 22-1 It's fair to say that Caddick has not yet warmed up yet. New boy Bangar (insert and mash joke here), who's averaging 54 in England, isn't threatened by some gentle outswingers. "Just to say that Marcus Lloyd is an unjustified whinger," says David Hopkins. "I haven't even got as far as Corfu this year, and now my boss wants me to 'delay' my time off as too many of my slacker colleagues have booked holidays during the busy time of year." At least you're getting away David - I've only got as far as Luton this summer.

11th over: India 21-1 Hoggard's pace is coming - he's regularly around 86mph now - but his general length is still awry. His face is pure anguish at the end of another steady-but-rarely-threatening over. Meanwhile this over-by-over could about to turn into the Indian version of Friends Reunited. "Dear Mr Ingle," says Dr S.Pinola. "Is it possible that you put me in touch with Mr. Ng-Uer? I believe him to be the person I played cricket with at University in Bombay. I have not seen him for many years." Well, Mr Ng-Uer?

Tenth over: India 20-1 Caddick, who's countenance suggests that a life full of let down, disappointment, and Smiths' LPs, is again unable to get what he wants: a wicket. It's not that surprising though after another steady but unspectacular over. "Pah!" says Paul Jackson. "You think Marcus has got it hard? All I've got to look forward to is a three week trip to Oz starting tomorrow. Wahey!"

Nineth over: India 18-1 Headingley belches out its second biggest cheer of the morning for Alec Stewart, after he expertly takes a Hoggard delivery that strays down leg side. That ball sums England's morning in microcosm: the spirit is willing but the line isn't quite there. Yet. Still, you can't argue with 18-1. Meanwhile Paul Headon says: "While I agree with Mr Ng-Uer that discrimination is to be deplored, would it not be fair to say that you take the Michael indiscriminately - after all Giles has already been accused of not being a spinner, and Hoggard of gurning - surely as long as such abuse is light-hearted and liberally spread among both sides then there is nothing to complain about." Exactly.

Eighth over: India 18-1 Has a wicket spurred Caddick to shift into third gear? Not yet it hasn't. Another fairly sedate over from him allows Dravid to pinch a couple more. Meanwhile your emails continue to flood in. "Can you tell Marcus Lloyd to pull his socks up," says Cath Brady. "There's no point in dragging the rest of the nation down into such depths of despair just because he chose Corfu." "P.S." she adds gleefully. "I'm going on holiday in two weeks! But more importantly, it's my last day at work here a week tomorrow!" It's all right for some, isn't it Cath? Where are you off to?

Seventh over: India 16-1 Hoggard strikes! Virender Sehwag goes chasing a fullish delivery that leaves him and clips it to Flintoff who takes it expertly at second slip. If Freddy can move that smartly with a hernia (see new picture, expertly cropped by Paul MacInnes) then I want one too! Sehwag is out for 8, incidentally. Rahul Dravid replaces him and immediately gets off the mark with a risky single which Tudor fumbles.

Sixth over: India 12-0 A tidy over from Caddick who finally seems to be settling into his metronome rhythm. With the ball swinging around, England will be disappointed not to have troubled the Indians more though. Incidentally, Hara Ng-Uer (Mr) is back. "Now Mr Ingle, I plead of you, we make it to three overs and you start making jokes out of our man Sanjay Bangar. This must not be happening. We make no jokes about your meaty man the Butcher?" True, Hara, true. And I promise now not to make any jokes about Ganguly later on.

Fifth over: India 11-0 Hoggard grimaces and gurns like a good un, but the Indians are slowly beginning to read him. Vaughan at third man has to make an athletic dive to save a boundary, then Flintoff does the same next ball to keep the runs down. Meanwhile Marcus Lloyd writes in to say hello. "I'm reading this from a stuffy office in Manchester," he says. "I've already had my holiday for the year (Corfu since you ask), and I've got nothing to look forward to until the office Xmas party. Surely none of your readers are more unfortunate than me?" Well, let's put it to the floor Marcus...

Fourth over: India 7-0 Caddick's speeding up now (all the deliveries in that over are around 81-82mph) but, so far at least, he's not getting the seam or the swing that Hoggard has. Still, early days.

Third over: India 5-0 The first appeal of the day! Hoggard gets one to nip back and it goes through Bangar (Insert your own I've gone through the Welsh town too joke here). The big question is: did it get a nick? Alex Stewart, who's made a diving catch, certainly thinks so - but replays show that it merely brushed Bangar's shirt.

Second over: India 4-0 The first runs of the morning! Caddick starts with a very gentle first over (lots of deliveries slower than 80mph) which is perhaps not surprising since he usually takes an innings to warm up. Nathan Taylor says: "Good morning. Right lets start the day as we mean to go on. Can we have a picture of Andy Flintoff's hernia to rid us of the advert." My colleague Paul MacInnes is working on it as we speak.

First over: India 0-0 We're off! The good news for England is that the ball's a swingin' more than a jazz troupe in 1930s New Orleans. Hoggard's first delivery goes down leg-side, but he's soon finding his line - hitting off stump and outswinging in nicely through to Stewart. Indian supporter Mr Hara Ng-Uer has written to say: "I am greatly looking forwards to your commentating on this glorious day for our wonderful game of the cricket." Glorious day? For Yorkshire perhaps. He adds: "Could I beg of you sir, that you are more fair to the Indian team than that impolite Mr Rookwood was in the former Test Match?" That I can promise you Hara.

Play is set to start at 11am

Pre-amble Good news from Headingley. The clouds may hang heavy overhead but they're not spitting. Yet. As with Trent Bridge it looks a good toss to lose - the surface seems OK but they'll be something in it for the bowlers, I reckon. India win it though, and - as they're playing two spinners - not surprisingly they elect to bat.

That brings us nicely onto the teams. Andy Flintoff has come through a strenous workout, despite being diagnosed with a hernia earlier in the week, so he plays. Brave lad. And so does Alex Tudor (in for the injured Craig White), Andy Cadick (who takes over from Steve Harmison) and "spinner" Ashley Giles, who comes in for Dominic Cork. Can Giles, I wonder, become the first England spinner to take a wicket at Headingley since Michael Atherton against Pakistan in 1996?

India, meanwhile, have opted to field two spinners - with Anil Kumble recovering from the calf strain that ruled him out at Trent Bridge to accompany Harbhajan Singh. They've also made a change with their openers with Wasim Jaffer replaced by Sanjay Bangar. Will it be enough to bring them back in the series, I wonder?

England: RWT Key, MP Vaughan, MA Butcher, N Hussain, JP Crawley, AJ Stewart, A Flintoff, AJ Tudor, AF Giles, AR Caddick, MJ Hoggard.

India: Sanjay Bangar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Vangipurappu Laxman, Ajit Agarkar, Parthiv Patel, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan