Indian cricket fans who had started counting their chickens yesterday evening were still waiting for them to arrive on the dinner table 24 hours later. After the euphoria of day three, the bowlers struggled today against an English batting line-up determined not to wave the white handkerchief prematurely. That Sanjay Bangar was the leading wicket taker said much about the Indian performance today, though it shouldn't detract from Nasser Hussain's gusty effort, poppadom fingers or not. Bangar got his two wickets with deliveries that were scarcely worth remembering – the first a wide, wide outswinger that Mark Butcher obligingly edged (Here you go, old chap) and the second a real hit-me ball that John Crawley did hit, straight to Virender Sehwag. He got the ball to swing appreciably at times, but the runs came pretty freely too. It's been a dream outing for him but a Kapil Dev he will never be. With the pitch not deteriorating in the manner of the minefields back home, it was a day of hard labour for Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. Bowling on fourth day tracks at home is a gentle breeze – just drop the ball in the cracks and watch it imitate an irritated rattlesnake. Though they tried their utmost, the little spark of inspiration was never there today. The last time India won a Test match in England, ironically at Headingley, Maninder Singh bowled beautifully to finish with 4 for 26 in the final innings, as England chased 408 in vain. Sixteen years on, as the clock ticked down and the shadows lengthened, you were left longing for that classical left-arm spin and the loop that was so beguiling. When Kumble did beat the bat finally, Parthiv Patel goofed up a legside stumping. Two days in the field have taken their toll on his young haunches and his collection – spot on yesterday – was noticeably less crisp. This should still be India's match, but England can take plenty of heart from India's miraculous recovery against Australia at the Eden Gardens 18 months ago. India ended day three at 252 for 4 then, but then strolled through the fourth without losing a wicket. Hussain and Stewart have a chance to emulate VVS Laxman's and Rahul Dravid's once-in-a-lifetime heroics, though something tells you India are only two good deliveries away from a rare Test victory on English soil.

Dileep Premachandran is assistant editor of Wisden.com in India.

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