Close India 71 for 2 (Das 41) trail England 407 (White 121, Trescothick 99, Kumble 7-115) by 336 runs
scorecard

A gloriously unexpected Craig White century - his first in Tests - and two late wickets made England improbable favourites with three days to go in dusty Ahmedabad. White crafted a superb 121 as England reached 407, before Ashley Giles and Andy Flintoff removed India's openers in an evening session bedecked by golden sunshine. Sachin Tendulkar is still there, and Virender Sehwag is due in as low as No. 7, but if England bowl well tomorrow on a pitch that is dusting more and more with every over, they have a chance of going to Bangalore all square.

India had looked as if they would get to the close unscathed as their openers compiled 54 careful runs for the first wicket. But Giles marked his return to Test cricket with a wicket in his ninth over when Deep Dasgupta top-edged a sweep to Nasser Hussain at short fine leg for 18, and it was soon 64 for 2 when Shiv Sunder Das, dropped on 24 by Mark Ramprakash at silly point, edged Flintoff to Mark Butcher at second slip for 41. Flintoff jumped for joy and the ground shuddered.

But this was White's day. A career that finally looked as if it had taken off a year ago in the subcontinent but then stalled in the path of the Aussie juggernaut underwent another resurrection here with an innings full of cover-drives, caresses and catharsis. There was patience too, and White's post-tea trickle to his century was made up of 12 carefully chosen singles. Eighteen months ago he lay dazed and confused in a Scarborough gutter after mysteriously blacking out; today he was on top of the world.

White had emerged in the morning knowing that another 75 runs would give England a total of 350 - and a chance of putting pressure on India. But he and James Foster did better than that. They had sown the seeds of recovery the previous evening, and now flourished while the Indian fielding wilted. Dasgupta fluffed a stumping chance off Harbhajan Singh when White had 45, and White's grateful response was to launch Harbhajan over long-on for six to bring up his half-century.

Worse was to come for India. With the score on 318, White edged Javagal Srinath to Dasgupta's right, only for the ball to pop out as if his gloves were made of tungsten. Two balls later White hooked Srinath to deep square leg but Anil Kumble's sprawling effort brought only a dirty grass stain and a pile of abuse from the crowd. Srinath wasn't exactly chuffed either.

It proved to be White's wake-up call. He hooked Tinu Yohannan for a thunderous four, then stroked him through the covers - the brute followed by the ballerina. And the 100 stand came up when he nicked Srinath, who deserved better, to third man for another boundary.

Shortly after establishing a new seventh-wicket record stand for England in India, the alliance was over when James Foster, very much the junior partner, flicked Kumble to midwicket where Sachin Tendulkar leapt athletically to his left. Foster had made an invaluable 40 (look, no sweeps) and England were 344 for 7.

White went into tea on 88, but soon lost Ashley Giles, bowled by Kumble's googly for 7 (360 for 8). Would White get a century? Could Kumble nab a nine-for? These questions were put on hold while White and Dawson played the spinners as if their lives depended on it. Ten overs in a row White pushed a single; ten overs in a row Dawson responded to White's faith in him, pushing forward, left elbow high, head down, foot to the pitch. The textbook fluttered in appreciation.

Dawson played out two maidens from Kumble, and White inched to 99. But there was to be no repeat of Marcus Trescothick's rush of blood, and a simple nudge to fine leg off Kumble brought up the three figures. White punched the air in mid-pitch, saluted first his team-mates then the crowd, and kissed the badge on his helmet.

Dawson fell soon after for 9 (391 for 9) when Dasgupta finally clung onto an edge off Srinath, who barely had the energy to smile. But Matthew Hoggard, without a run in four Test innings since his debut in June 2000, hung around, worked Kumble for three and almost cricked his neck watching White smash Harbhajan into the stand at cow corner. Two balls later Harbhajan bowled White who had swaggered down the wicket with murder in his eyes, and a great innings had come to a do-or-die end.

England pinched themselves. At 180 for 5, another total of 230 had looked all too likely, and Kumble was on the rampage with 13 of the last 15 England wickets to fall. Today he added two more, but thanks to White, England tamed him for the first time in India. A day of only 201 runs was never less than gripping.

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

England 1 Mark Butcher, 2 Marcus Trescothick, 3 Nasser Hussain (capt), 4 Michael Vaughan, 5 Mark Ramprakash, 6 Craig White, 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 James Foster (wk), 9 Ashley Giles, 10 Richard Dawson, 11 Matthew Hoggard.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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