CRICKET:The game is up. Totally without remorse, India yesterday batted England out of the third Test and thus the series. Even that supreme optimist Peter Moores, a man who would regard a rainy day as an opportunity to sell umbrellas, will have his work cut out convincing his charges it is worth getting out of bed in the next three days.
The Indians, 316 for four overnight, batted on throughout the morning, then the afternoon, and finally deep into the evening session until all the England bowlers were on their knees, with the exception of Ryan Sidebottom, who was in the casualty ward instead nursing a side strain.
By the time the innings ended, after 170 overs of torture for England, India had reached 664, heights previously unscaled against England, mightier even than the 628 for nine that ran England ragged at Headingley five years ago and bettered only thrice against any opposition.
There was a century too, and a very good one at that, but it came not from one of the stellar quartet (that prospect disappeared when VVS Laxman edged Chris Tremlett to the wicketkeeper for 51 and Sachin Tendulkar marked what may now prove to be his last Test innings in this country by edging James Anderson to a solitary slip for 82). Nor did it come from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, The Entertainer, who lived up to his soubriquet by batting first of all with the same skill and restraint he showed in the great survival at Lord's, and then with the verve that has made him second only to Tendulkar in Indian marketability.
But showmanship triumphed over statistical awareness: twice successively Dhoni heaved Pietersen into the OCS stand at the Vauxhall end, but then perished for 92 going for a fifth six to go with his nine fours. He is a delight.
Instead, it was Anil Kumble, India's indefatigable fighter, a bowling giant often overlooked in the spin-bowling pantheon dominated by Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. On four previous occasions, he had made half-centuries, once against South Africa going on to reach 88. This time, with considerable panache, and worthy support from the tail end, he took it further, making an unbeaten 110, with 16 fours and a six.
He reached three figures in bizarre fashion by charging down the pitch to Pietersen, finding himself all but yorked, and somehow chopping the ball through the barn-door legs of Matt Prior to the boundary.
It encapsulated the innings for Prior, who, having dropped Tendulkar on the first day and adding Laxman to that yesterday, was en route to letting through 33 byes (many of them by no means his fault), just three short of a record. This can be a chastening game.
Overnight: India 316-4 (K Karthik 91, R Dravid 55).
India - First Innings
K Karthik c Prior b Sidebottom 91
W Jaffer c Pietersen b Anderson 35
R Dravid b Anderson 55
S Tendulkar c Strauss b Anderson 82
S Ganguly lbw b Collingwood 37
VVS Laxman c Prior b Tremlett 51
M Dhoni c Cook b Pietersen 92
A Kumble not out 110
Z Khan c Anderson b Panesar 11
R Singh c & b Anderson 11
S Sreesanth c Vaughan b Panesar 35
Extras (b33 lb13 w2 nb6) 54
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Total (170 overs) ... 664
Fall of wickets: 1-62, 2-189, 3-199, 4-276, 5-354, 6-417, 7-508, 8-570, 9-591.
Bowling: Sidebottom 32-8-93-1, Anderson 40-5-182-4, Tremlett 40-6-132-1, Panesar 45-5-159-2, Collingwood 7-1-11-1, Pietersen 6-0-41-1.
England - First Innings
A Strauss c Sreesanth b Khan 6
A Cook not out 12
J Anderson not out 5
Extras (nb1) 1
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Total 1 wkt (8 overs) ... 24
Fall of wicket: 1-12.
Bowling: Khan 4-2-12-1, Sreesanth 3-0-11-0, Kumble 1-0-1-0.
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