County cricket: Worcestershire v Somerset, plus Essex v India – live!

• Durham and Northants chase victories in Division Two
• Root’s bowling blitz earns Roses win for Yorkshire
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1.06pm BST

India reached lunch on 100 for three after enduring a torrid opening morning of their only warm-up match ahead of next week’s first Test against England at Edgbaston. They were five for two against Essex after the early losses of Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara and then 44 for three after the dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane. But in what could be an ominous sign for England, Virat Kohli, the India captain, has been in fine touch as he reached lunch on 32 from 34 balls. Kohli did offer one chance, when he edged Paul Walter on six and saw the ball fly perilously close to the outstretched glove of Essex wicketkeeper James Foster. Other than that, though, he has looked untroubled, hitting six boundaries in a fluent knock that bodes well for his prospects in the upcoming Tests.

This is an Essex team missing six first-team regulars as well as England opener Alastair Cook, who is here at Chelmsford but resting up after he hit 180 for England Lions against India A in Worcester last week. It means as good as Kohli has been, he is facing an attack shorn of Neil Wagner, Jamie Porter and spinner Simon Harmer.

12.43pm BST

Alex Milton (18) and Ross Whiteley (38) are holding Somerset up at New Road. They have shared 62 and counting for the seventh wicket to steady the ship following that clatter of four wickets. They are currently 133-6 chasing 443. It is surely only delaying the inevitable defeat for a Worcestershire side pinned to the foot of Division One and needing something remarkable to escape the clutches of relegation. Having said that, I recently watched a re-run of that Nathan Astle double century which nearly de-railed England at Christchurch in 2002. So, with Whiteley there, I guess you can’t 100% write off a home fightback just yet as unlikely as it is.

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