Only a miracle could have saved Indians

Crawley and Vaughan took the fight to the Indian bowling and they were in complete contol while the visitors looked ragged on the field. Alec Stewart showed that there is still plenty of petrol in the tank, as he piled on the agony on the Indian bowlers.

On the other hand, when the Indians returned to bat, they were up against an attacking field and aggressive set of bowlers. Nasser Hussain showed that he is a ruthless captain with the best English bowling resources in recent years. Though the Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer got off to a good start, punishing the English bowling, the mammoth target that their team has been set, made the runs virtually irrelavant.

When the promising Simon Jones made the first breakthrough by disrupting Sehwag’s stumps, England had a major step towards breaking India’s back.

The cynosure of all eyes continued to disappoint his numerous fans. Sachin Tendulkar was bowled for sheer pace by Hoggard. His dismissal seemingly sealed the match. Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly followed soon afterwards.

When Rahul Dravid fell to the persistent Ashley Giles and Ajay Ratra succumbed to Hoggard, defeat within four days seemed in prospect.

But Ajit Agarkar seemed to have rediscovered the batting skill that has earned him the epithet of all-rounder. Laxman’s wristy elegance kept India afloat till stumps. It will take an extraordinary effort by these two if India win. (TheWicket.com)