Close India 262 for 3 (Dasgupta 100, Dravid 78*) lead England (238) by 24 runs
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When a team decides to lay the foundations for victory, it isn't always very attractive to watch. And for much of today, India were more concerned with the end than the means. There were moments for the aesthete - a couple of Rahul Dravid late-cuts, and Sachin Tendulkar's scorching off-drives - but this was pragmatic cricket played by an Indian side determined not to throw their advantage away as England had.

By the close of a second day that gathered momentum as the sun set, India led by 24 runs. The best batsman in the world was at the crease, and a powerful middle order had barely flexed its muscles. What will worry England most - apart from the fact that they took only two wickets all day - is that they were blunted first by Anil Kumble, a nightwatchman with a Test average of 18, then by Deep Dasgupta, a wicketkeeper who answered the call to open and duly scored his maiden Test century. Oh, and England missed three chances, none of them impossible. Apart from that, it was a perfect day for an England fan.

India set off in grim mood this morning: survival was the name of the game. Dasgupta added just 15 runs in a morning session in which almost half the overs (13 out of 30) were maidens.

Kumble was more adventurous against some equally dogged bowling, but when he had reached 37 he cut at Richard Dawson's 12th ball in Test cricket and James Foster held on to the top edge. That was 76 for 2. Lunch was taken five overs - and three runs - later, but the game was still in the balance.

But the movement England found in the morning had disappeared by the time the players emerged after the interval, and Nasser Hussain went on the defensive, sticking all but one of his slips in the outfield. A game of cat-and-mouse ensued, but India were always on control. Dasgupta moved to a three-and-a-half-hour fifty with a nick for four off Dawson, who was bowling an attacking line outside off, and then induced a fruity oath from Andy Flintoff when a lifter brushed his glove on the way to the boundary over Foster's outstretched glove.

Dravid had spent most of the afternoon playing himself in, taking 21 overs to reach 11, but now cut and flicked Dawson for consecutive fours. He never looked back, except to watch Foster spill a high leg-side chance off Flintoff just before tea, which was taken at 150 for 2.

Flintoff deserved better, but his luck was about to get worse. Three overs after tea, Dasgupta (on 75) edged him at waist height into the slip cordon, where Mark Butcher muffed the catch diving across Marcus Trescothick from second slip. Dravid reached a serene half-century with a lovely straight push for four off Matthew Hoggard, but in the next over Dasgupta got another life. He pushed at Dawson and the outside edge dropped just out of reach of Flintoff's left hand at first slip.

England's latest blunder signalled a mini-avalanche of runs, as 42 came in six overs. Dasgupta paddle-swept Dawson for four, then fetched him from outside off through square leg to move to 96 and bring up India's 200. In the next over, Dasgupta reached his first Test century in just his fifth innings when he squirted Hoggard to third man for four. But Craig White was reverse-swinging the ball, now 83 overs old, and shortly after got one to move back between bat and pad and bowl Dasgupta for 100 (212 for 3).

The crowd now got what they wanted as Sachin Tendulkar moseyed to the crease, oozing intent. White caused him some trouble in an excellent spell of offcutters and late swingers with the old ball, but the script soon ran along more familiar lines as Tendulkar crashed White behind point for four, drove him to the right of mid-off, and then tucked into Flintoff, who was given the new ball ahead of Hoggard.

The floodlights were turned on for the first time in a Test involving England, but the only team glowing were India, who did as they pleased towards the close. The first session had brought 55 runs, the second 75, and the third 112. India had built their supremacy with patience and increasing flair. And there was very little England could do about it.

India 1 SS Das, 2 Deep Dasgupta (wk), 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 7 Sanjay Bangar, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Anil Kumble, 10 Iqbal Siddiqui, 11 Tinu Yohannan.

England 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Mark Butcher, 3 Nasser Hussain (capt), 4 Graham Thorpe, 5 Mark Ramprakash, 6 Andy Flintoff, 7 Craig White, 8 James Foster (wk), 9 James Ormond, 10 Richard Dawson, 11 Matthew Hoggard.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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