Close Mumbai Cricket Association President's XI 373 for 5 (Jaffer 99, Kambli 109, Bahutule 52*): full scorecard below The England tourists may have thought that the security here was difficult to live with. But they learnt today that however burly the soldiers, however impressive their holsters, nothing is as frightening as classy Indian batsmen in the mood for a party.

While England's probable Test seam attack of Matthew Hoggard, James Ormond, and Craig White wilted in the steamy heat of Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, Vinod Kambli and Wasim Jaffer were batting like ice-men, seemingly unaffected by the heat, certainly unaffected by the bowling.

And this despite a bright orange pitch with green tufts that Nadim Memon, the groundsman, said suited the seamers. "Normally no wickets in India have any grass, but I left some on to give the Bombay players some experience of English conditions," he said. "But the English bowlers seemed to think that the pitch would do everything for them. It won't - you have to use your fingers and the mind also."

It's not that they weren't trying, their sweat-soaked shirts proved that. But effort alone wasn't going to work against Jaffer, a man who must have a chance to fill the cursed other-opener slot in the Indian team, or Vinod Kambli, who has a point or 12 to prove.

In the first hour Jaffer and Vinayak Mane put on 73, easily, beautifully and with more than a touch of class. Twenty-year-old Mane, an Indian Under-19 player and the apple of some selectors' eyes, didn't do so badly either, hooking and cover-driving Hoggard to the boundary twice in one over.

It was only the introduction of Richard Dawson, a lanky lad and still only 21, which stopped the run-glut. His first over was a maiden, his first seven went only for 12 and he turned a couple - really turned them, like English spinners aren't supposed to do. Especially on their debuts.

Mane was run out by Thorpe just before lunch (100 for 1), but that only brought in Kambli. He may be tiny, but he crunches the ball to the boundary like a madman pummelling a peanut with a hammer. He went on the rampage and destroyed any plans England had of a little post-prandial recuperation. Ormond's second over after the break went for 12 - an off-drive and a straight-drive off consecutive balls - and even Dawson came in for a little light murder.

At the other end Jaffer was beginning to look pedestrian, and eventually the pressure got to him. He had hovered on 99 for five balls when Craig White served up a full-toss and, under pressure from the crowd, and with visions of sugar-plums dancing in his head, Jaffer slapped the ball straight to Dawson at short midwicket (226 for 2).

England's fielding wilted under the strokes and the steamy sun. Kambli was dropped twice, once by Hoggard off his own bowling on 86, and shortly afterwards by White, another return catch. He eventually went for 109, scored at a run-a-ball, to a good and typically histrionic catch at mid-off by the substitute, Usman Afzaal, off Dawson (272 for 3).

After that, nothing was quite the same. Amol Muzumdar was well caught by Hussain at slip, again off Dawson, four runs later, and Bhakin Thakkar and Sairaj Bahutule drifted along at a rather more sedate rate.

Hussain, judging by his ostentatious watch-glancing, was hoping that Mumbai would declare - but no such luck, England had been sentenced to a full day in the field. They captured one more wicket, when Thakkar, on 46, skyed Ramprakash to Thorpe (336 for 5), but looked beaten men ... beaten by the sun, beaten by the skill.

Still, it was only the first day of a long tour. And things can only get better. Can't they?

Mumbai CA President's XI
V Mane run out 33
W Jaffer c Dawson b White 99
V Kambli c sub (Afzaal) b Dawson 109
B Thakkar c Thorpe b Ram'kash 46
A Muzumdar c Hussain b Dawson 4
S Bahutule not out 52
+A Shetye not out 10
Extras 20
Total (90 overs) 373-5

To bat R Powar, *P Mhambrey, N Kulkarni, A Salvi.

Fall 100, 226, 272, 276, 336

Bowling
Hoggard 14-4-54-0, Ormond 15-2-75-0, White 9-1-43-1, Dawson 24-4-81-2, Vaughan 18-2-70-0, Butcher 3-0-17-0, Ramprakash 7-0-26-1.

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

Tanya Aldred, our assistant editor, is covering the whole England tour of India for Wisden.com.

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