India dampen England spirits

27 July 2007

Paul Collingwood plays on to Shanta Sreesanth as England struggle © Getty Images

England's batting was torn apart by India at Trent Bridge as the positivity carried to the midlands from London earlier this week was doused in spectacular fashion.

Michael Vaughan's team closed a rain-delayed opening day of the second npower Test on 169 for seven.

The England skipper had talked up the positives of coming so close to victory on Monday at Lord's, and challenged his team to carry on the feelgood factor in Nottingham.

But they failed to deal with the challenging conditions on a day reduced to 55 overs of play.

Rain wrecked English chances of going 1-0 up in the three-match series four days ago, as India held on when nine wickets down in the final innings

But this time the wet weather conspired against England at the start of the contest as they lost a toss on a green-tinged surface which had spent the previous two days under cover.

Although India captain Rahul Dravid expressed his reservations about the ball getting wet after opting to bowl, it proved an inopportune moment for Michael Vaughan's run of five straight wins at the toss to come to an end.

Having punted on early success in favourable conditions, Dravid was not disappointed as England lost three wickets in a delayed first session, and stumbled further after tea.

Captain Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen succumbed to the ball at its newest after play got under way at 3pm, and England were in need of further repair work after Paul Collingwood and Cook shared a half-century stand. It did not materialise.

Zaheer Khan enjoys having Michael Vaughan caught at first slip © Getty Images

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Thursday’s heavy rainfall left the playing area saturated and meant, despite the brilliant sunshine, the ground was not deemed fit until deep into the afternoon session.

Umpires Simon Taufel and Ian Howell inspected regularly, and ground staff patched up some areas of the outfield with matting and sawdust.

Despite the need for early consolidation, Andrew Strauss unfurled an off-driven four in the first over.

Such abandon resulted in Strauss' demise, however, as an edge flew to a grateful Sachin Tendulkar at first slip off Zaheer Khan in the third over.

Tendulkar held his second catch in that position six overs later when Vaughan, whose helmet had been rattled two balls earlier, was drawn towards one outside off stump from Zaheer, bowling around the wicket.

Crucially, Zaheer's double strike gave India an early go at Kevin Pietersen, who drove positively down the ground for four off RP Singh early in his innings.

But the exaggerated seam movement on offer kept the batsmen honest and an inside edge saved Pietersen when Shantha Sreesanth appealed confidently for leg before.

Sourav Ganguly traps Alastair Cook, England's top-scorer with 43, lbw aiming to leg

Pietersen perished in exactly that manner in the next over, however, when Singh shaped one back in and Howell upheld the request, judging that the ball would have gone on to hit the top of the stumps.

Taufel adjudged Cook lbw for the third Test innings in a row, the left-hander undone as he played back and across his pads to one which curved in from outside off stump.

In between those two dismissals, Paul Collingwood, whose alliance with Cook appeared to be salvaging things from a position of 47 for three, chopped on attempting to force into the off side off Sreesanth.

England suffered from forcing shots throughout their innings and Matt Prior, whose patience extended to taking 18 balls to get off the mark, was well held by Dravid at slip off leg-spinner Anil Kumble.

That exposed the tail in just the 47th over and brought Chris Tremlett to the crease on the back of a pair on debut at Lord's.

India offered him a life this time, however, as Zaheer located the edge in his first over of a late spell only for Tendulkar's usually safe hands to spill the chance.

Undeterred, Zaheer gained a greater reward when Ian Bell was trapped plumb in front attempting to force to the leg-side five overs before the close.