In reply to India's first innings total of 224, England are 84 for no loss with skipper Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook in the middle at stumps on Day One of the third Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Wednesday. Score | Photos
Earlier put in to bat, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored a resolute 77 helping India to 224 after being pushed to the wall with 92/4 on board.
England got rid of India opener Virender Sehwag on the first ball of the match. A short ball of Stuart Broad rubbed past Sehwag's gloves and wicketkeeper Matt Prior did the rest behind the stumps. India were down to 8/1 early in the innings.
Post the first ball loss, opener Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid, who opened for India in the Trent Bridge Test, batted with resolve. The two had put on 59 runs for the second wicket when Tim Bresnan decided to break their stand.
Bresnan, who had been sticking to the off-stump line, brought the ball in and it did the damage, uprooting Gambhir's stumps when he was on 38.
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Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who was looking iffy during his innings paid the price. He poked into a swinging ball off Stuart Broad and James Anderson made no mistake in the slips cordon. He fell for one and India were down to 60/3.Next it was the turn of the Mr Dependable to walk off the pitch. A cracking delivery from Bresnan rammed into Dravid's stumps when he was on 22. India were down to 75/4 as Dravid fell on the last ball before lunch.
Immediately into the second session, James Anderson struck again and Suresh Raina was seen walking back towards the pavilion on four.
India were down to 92/5 with little hope for a revival. But the misery for India was far from over as soon Laxman too departed on a Bresnan ball. He tried to pull the ball past the boundary, but ended up giving a catch to Broad at long leg. He fell for 30 and India lost their sixth wicket on 100.
Tail-ender Amit Mishra faced just 13 balls before giving up his wicket to Stuart Broad with keeper Prior performing the final honours behind the stumps. And India were reduced to 111/7.
Finally, India skipper MS Dhoni and lower-order batsman Praveen Kumar revived the innings for the visitors. The two batted with caution thwarting the England attack.
Just when the opposition bowlers were trying to wrap up the India innings, skipper Dhoni got into the zone and started dealing in boundaries and over-the-fence shots, delaying England plans.
But, England bowlers went ahead with their Plan B and got rid of Dhoni's partner Praveen Kumar and once again India were on the mat, though this time the situation was a little better as the score was 195/8. Praveen and Dhoni put on 84 runs for the 8th wicket with Dhoni leading the charge.
Dhoni gradually upped the tempo while Ishant Sharma, more famous for his exploits with the ball, did what the top-order batsmen failed to do - hold the bat straight. At tea India were 205/8 with Dhoni batting on 61 and Ishant trying hard to stay in the middle.
Post tea, however, the things turned sour for India and it was no other than Stuart Broad, who got rid of the man England wanted back in the pavilion.
Dhoni wanted to whack Broad past the boundary, but failed and an edge got carried to his counterpart in the England camp, Andrew Strauss. Dhoni fell for 77 and India lost their ninth wicket on 224.
Soon India innings came to an end on 224 all out when last man Ishant fell to Andreson.
In reply, England got off to a good start with skipper Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook taking the steam off India bowlers. Strauss raced to an easy half-century and the two were in the middle when stumps were drawn on 84 for no loss.
