Survival depends on old guard with suspect record

England, whose massive total owed much to Alec Stewart’s 87 and Craig White’s 94 not out, looked in total control when Virender Sehwag, who scored a century in the first innings, fell for a second-ball duck as he shuffled forward and was hit on the boot by a Matthew Hoggard full toss just after tea. Moments later Wasim Jaffer fell lbw for five to Andrew Flintoff’s fourth ball.

Tendulkar, who failed to make an impact in his first three innings of the series, strode out and played clinical, vicious shots from the outset to set up an intriguing final day on a perfect pitch.

It was a wretched start, however, after the Indians, already 1-0 down in the four-match series, had spent the first two sessions of the day chasing leather thanks to the English lower order which defied the Indian attack.

But while Saurav Ganguly’s attack appeared toothless and his field placings uninspired, his team could justifiably feel all the luck on offer had gone the hosts’ way. Stewart’s 92-ball innings, in particular, would have stuck in Indian throats. The wicketkeeper batsman, mixing good fortune with good strokes, had reached 48 when an edge to third slip off medium-pacer Ajit Agarkar was claimed low down by Sehwag.

Stewart followed the modern convention by standing his ground and the third umpire gave him the benefit of the doubt after reviewing the video evidence. Khan was the most successful with three for 110 while Harbhajan took three for 175. (Reuters)