— Photo: S. Subramanium

ON TARGET: Munaf Patel traps Shaun Udal in front.

Mumbai: Sunday was the stuff of thrust and parry. Of many infinitesimal battles adding up bit by eye-riveting bit. England, embattled and under-strength, had through wilful accumulation put itself in a position — 272 for three — to dictate play after the first day.

India, having conclusively lost two sessions to the tourist on Saturday (England didn't quite run away with the first), needed to strike hard and strike fast. Despite dealing with catches with the efficiency normally exhibited by leaky sinks, the host — on the back of some fine fast bowling from S. Sreesanth and Munaf Patel — reined England in for 400, half an hour before tea on the second day.

English reply

Then England hit back. Matthew Hoggard unspooled two bouncers to account for the openers. It got worse: Sachin Tendulkar, in his record 132nd Test, spent a painstaking 21 balls for his solitary run before the barbed manacles the men from the Old Blighty had bound the master in, extracted their pound of precious flesh.

Then Rahul Dravid, not having had the best of hundredths, and Yuvraj Singh, who might one day lay claim to greatness, began extricating their team from a position that could have fast degenerated to calamity. When they started, India was at 28 for three. Seventy-eight minutes later, the home side ended at 89 for three — not safe by any means, but battling grimly so another day may bring a different fortune.

Not a good beginning

The day hadn't begun well for India. Andrew Flintoff showcased some imperious backfoot strokes on the up that showed just what he thought of the track. His partner, Collingwood, looked distinctly uncomfortable but hung on. The second new ball, taken after 94 overs, added much needed edge to the Indian effort, whose crispness till then had resembled a tea-soaked biscuit. Pathan had Collingwood plumb to a one that swung in, but strangely didn't appeal with conviction.

Munaf, who had switched ends, could have had Flintoff thrice. First, he forced the English skipper to edge — Sehwag at second slip reacted late and lunged to his left as the new ball slipped between his palms, conking first slip Dravid on the knee. Next ball, Flintoff sliced uppishly but Kumble couldn't hold on at gully. He was on 29 then, England was at 298.

Six runs later, the giant all-rounder couldn't control a hook off Munaf. Irfan Pathan, at fine-leg, back-pedalled and interrupted the flight of the ball. But he had stepped over the boundary rope during the process.

Sreesanth's double strike

Finally, Sreesanth broke through. All segmented jerks as he ran in, threw out his front leg, slammed it on the pitch and bowled over it, the Kerala speedster got Collingwood caught behind and Geraint Jones held at gully.

In between, Flintoff, who crossed 3000 Test runs, aimed a swipe at Kumble. Few stadiums can contain him when he opens his shoulders — evidently he didn't strike it as desired for Tendulkar ran around in front of the eponymous stand to accept the slice of fortune the big man had carved India.

After squeezing the grill of his helmet in anguish, Flintoff trudged off. Owais Shah, who had resumed his cramp-interrupted innings after Collingwood's departure, looked to shepherd the tail as England went to lunch on 345 for six. Munaf struck twice on the other side of the break. He attacked the woodwork — Shaun Udal got a pad in between, Hoggard couldn't jam a bat down in time. Eight for 356, and India was right back.

But Shah batted with sense and maturity, manipulating the ball with an adroit bottom wrist. So impeccable were the timing and placement of a cover drive and a flick that the spread-out field converged in vain. By the time, Dravid exhausted his slim length to his right to cling on to the nick Harbhajan had induced, the Karachi-born Middlesex man had made 88 (163b, 12x4, 1x6).

It probably helped that the edge occurred off the front foot — it gave Dravid that extra fraction, but it was the lone bright spot on an error-strewn catching day. England gathered all-important late runs.

Then Hoggard drew blood — a snorter to handcuff Sehwag, another not nearly as nasty but enough to caress glove as it passed Jaffer, looking to leave as he got inside the line — before Dravid and Yuvraj staunched the haemorrhage.

SCOREBOARD

England — 1st innings: A. Strauss c Dhoni b Harbhajan 128, I. Bell c Harbhajan b Sreesanth 18, O. Shah c Dravid b Harbhajan 88, K. Pietersen c Dhoni b Sreesanth 39, P. Collingwood c Dhoni b Sreesanth 31, A. Flintoff c Tendulkar b Kumble 50, G. Jones c Kumble b Sreesanth 1, S. Udal lbw b Munaf 9, M. Hoggard b Munaf 0, J. Anderson c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 15, M. Panesar (not out) 3; Extras (b-5, lb-7, nb-3, w-3) 18; Total (in 133.4 overs) 400.

Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-230, 3-242, 4-326, 5-328, 6-333, 7-356, 8-356, 9-385

India bowling: Pathan 17-4-64-0, Sreesanth 22-5-70-4, Munaf 29-4-81-2, Kumble 39-7-84-1, Harbhajan 26.4-4-89-3.

India — 1st innings: W. Jaffer c Jones b Hoggard 11, V. Sehwag c Shah b Hoggard 6, R. Dravid (batting) 37, S. Tendulkar c Jones b Anderson 1, Y. Singh (batting) 32; Extras (nb-2) 2; Total (for three wkts., in 37 overs) 89.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-24, 3-28.

England bowling: Hoggard 10-3-16-2, Flintoff 10-4-13-0, Anderson 6-3-15-1, Panesar 7-2-18-0, Udal 4-0-27-0.

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