Harbhajan picks five, but is he too late? Harbhajan Singh’s second five-wicket haul of the series, to complement Anil Kumble’s ten-wicket match haul, was possibly the only highlight for India on a day when England, realising the golden opportunity in front of them, fought tooth and nail to keep the spinners out. Up by more than 100 runs after the first innings, Mark Butcher and Nasser Hussain frustrated a bowling attack already fed up with poor wicket-keeping and sloppy fielding. When they fell, however, they did so in a hurry; the last eight batsmen added only 79 runs. Only an ill Michael Vaughan could add anything substantial – 31 off 64 balls. Harbhajan finished with 5-71, but more impressive were his fire and obvious competitive spirit. Set 374 to win, India played out seven overs to reach 17/0 at stumps; the real test, however, comes tomorrow. Will India throw caution to the winds and engage in a hell-for-leather run chase?

Sachin Tendulkar - Lone Ranger yet again For a man who addresses many press conferences, Sachin Tendulkar keeps a fairly low profile; his only comments, thus, are gleaned at media scrimmages after a Tendulkar ton. His 27th century at Motera, Ahmedabad, saw him draw level with Allan Border and Steve Waugh, with only Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar ahead of him. Although the occasion was special, the circumstances of Tendulkar’s entry to the crease were fairly normal for India. "We had a lost a few early wickets, and they had set a big target for us; 400-plus is always a tough ask. We basically wanted to get as close as possible to the target. In trying to do that, I got a hundred," said Tendulkar, with a touch more humility than was absolutely necessary. England adopted a purely defensive field to the little master, setting eight men on the off and just one on the on. Tendulkar, however, had no complaints. "That is what Test cricket is all about. Every day and every innings you are not going to get the ball where you want. Sometimes the opposition works on your patience," he said. Having countered the strategy with first patience and then exceptional innovation, Tendulkar went on to add, "At other times you have to take calculated risks and make the opposition bowl to you." Tendulkar singled out the lack of partnerships as the main cause for India's less-than-convincing showing. "Except for my partnership with Laxman, we didn't have any big partnerships. Partnerships are so important in this game. Even England were 180/5, but they managed to put together a big partnership. That's where we lacked," observed the centurion. Get the full press conference here.

Usman Afzaal's 15 minutes "You can't enter here without a pass," said the policeman at the gate of the pavilion terrace to a man clad in England whites. The policeman, however, was in for a shock when the man, wearing the Three Lions team shirt, shot back in Hindi, "I'm an English cricketer, Usman Afzaal; I just came to the stands to check out the view." The Rawalpindi-born twenty-seven-year old left-hand bat moved easily among the crowds. Not for long, though. Once a couple of kids recognised him, Afzaal was flooded with requests for autographs. He began by signing the first few, but a mob soon gathered around him. In minutes a whole section of the stands was up and running down the aisle. For those who did not want the autograph of a cricketer, who averages a mere 16.6 from three Tests, there was nothing to do but wait until the excitement passed. There was no way one could watch the action out in the middle. Fortunately, a couple of security officers swooped in, whisked Afzaal away from the crowd, and returned normalcyto Motera!

Former India bat Woorkheri Raman analyses the first three days of a sizzling Motera Test in his mid-match column. Click Here England destroyer Ashley Giles talks to the press about his best-ever bowling performance. Click Here Ever wanted to get inside a visiting player's thoughts? Here's your chance, with Nasser Hussain's Captain's Diary.