Close England (15 for 0 and 407) lead India (291; Tendulkar 103, Laxman 75, Giles 5-67) by 131 runs.
scorecard

A century of sheer genius from Sachin Tendulkar wasn't enough to prevent England taking a chunky first-innings lead of 116 after Ashley Giles had returned the outstanding figures of 43.3-16-67-5. India lost their last six wickets for 80 on a wicket that gave the seamers nothing. But it turned occasionally and Giles exploited it as if he had been bowling in India all his life. To 17 wickets in Pakistan a year ago, he can now add five first time round here. It could be the performance that helps England square the series. By the close, they had extended their lead by 15.

Giles was great, but Tendulkar was greater, and for virtually the whole afternoon session he had reigned supreme. In the morning he had played like a genius in a bottle, hemmed in by a niggardly England attack, and added just 33 to his overnight 2.

But after lunch he threw off the shackles and made England look as if they were the ones in chains. He dipped into his box of tricks and plucked - at will - a different stroke every ball. Breathtaking doesn't quite do it justice. Tendulkar moved to his half-century when he square-drove Hoggard for four, and swept Giles for four more as the run-rate for the innings finally crept above two.

Tendulkar then applied his wrists with the touch of an illusionist, working three off-stump deliveries from Hoggard into the empty on-side spaces for 11 runs in an over, before sauntering down the pitch and delighting the crowd with a casual six over long-on off Richard Dawson.

So mean before lunch, England were now leaking runs generously and had conceded as many in the 12 overs after the interval (55) as they had done in the entire first session. Laxman pushed a single to bring up a century partnership in which his share had been a reverent 23. Tendulkar moved to 91 with a flick to fine leg off White, and was on 96 as Hoggard ran in with the crowd baying for a century. He obliged with a pull for four to move to his 27th Test hundred, and his fifth against England. The noise was deafening, and Tendulkar's second fifty had taken just 55 balls.

Then, in an instant, he was out. Hoggard barged in for the fifth over with the second new ball and Tendulkar, on 103, chipped carelessly to mid-on where Nasser Hussain, in his excitement, almost spilled a simple chance. But he clung on (211 for 5), and, for the first time in his career Tendulkar had been dismissed between 100 and 111.

The atmosphere wasn't quite the same after that, and only Laxman managed the right combination of adrenalin and concentration as India folded after tea. Virender Sehwag bashed Dawson for six over cow corner, and timed Craig White through mid-off with a trademark drive that dripped with left elbow. But when White brought one back into him, umpire Jayaprakash upheld the shout for leg-before - even if it might have been heading over the stumps - and Sehwag was out for 20 (248 for 6).

Laxman, the last of the recognised batsmen, got his fifty when he scooped a waist-high White full-toss over mid-on for four. It had taken him 15 minutes short of four hours, but with only the bowlers left, he had to step on it. He never really got the chance, as Giles started to turn it on.

He bowled Anil Kumble for 5 with a beauty that pitched on middle and off and turned past a lunging blade to hit off (268 for 7). He then dismissed Harbhajan Singh for 0, caught at extra cover by Andy Flintoff after a lazy drive (272 for 8). And he made it three in three overs when Javagal Srinath bat-padded straight to Butcher at silly point for 0 (274 for 9).

Laxman chanced his arm a couple of times, and found a stauncher ally in Tinu Yohannan, but after 19 runs had been added for the tenth wicket, Laxman picked out Butcher in the deep for 75, and Giles had his second five-for in Tests. Not bad for a man who had spent most of the tour hobbling around like an extra from Gladiator.

In the morning England had bowled with discipline and determination as India managed just 55 runs in 28 overs for the loss of Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly. Dravid had struggled to 7 in an hour and a half, before nicking a straight one from Hoggard to James Foster behind the stumps to make it 86 for 3. Seven runs later Ganguly was out too, edging one that seamed away from his arch-rival Flintoff to the substitute Martyn Ball at second slip for 5. India never quite recovered, despite Tendulkar's brilliance.

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 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Craig White, 8 James Foster (wk), 9 Ashley Giles, 10 Richard Dawson, 11 Matthew Hoggard.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd