Speeding through the 90s

Nervous 90s? What's that?: Most batsmen experience a frisson or two of nervous excitement as they near three figures. Some can get becalmed in the 90s. Not so Kevin Pietersen, who went from 89 to 93 with a whiplash cover-drive off Anil Kumble. The next ball was sent soaring straight back over the bowler's head for six, and after a one-ball breather, a powerful flick through midwicket sparked off the most frenzied, pumped-fist celebrations seen at this genteel venue since the days of Michael Slater.

The pursuit of happiness: Pietersen's celebrations aren't quite in the Monty class though. After trapping Sachin Tendulkar leg before with an arm ball, as he had on debut at Nagpur last year, Monty's if-you're-happy-and-you-know-it-clap-your-hands jig of delight took him as far as point. As for Tendulkar, he walked off towards the old pavilion for the last time having made just 149 runs in his four Tests here.

Weakest link: Rudra Pratap Singh was supposed to be the weak link in this Indian line-up. Instead, he followed up a tidy first-innings display [2 for 58] with an inspired one in the second innings. Along the way, he produced the ball of the match, a brutal lifter that caught Paul Collingwood cold. The result? Figures of 5 for 59, and a place on the honours board, something that has proved beyond Tendulkar and Dravid.

Hat-trick hero ... not: Having had Matt Prior caught behind and Chris Tremlett bowled via bat and pad, Zaheer Khan found himself on a hat-trick as India fought back superbly following Pietersen's onslaught. With Ryan Sidebottom not renowned for his batting prowess, the yorker was the likely option, and Zaheer didn't disappoint, delivering a magnificent one that was barely squeezed out.

Mixed loyalties: A sizeable crowd had gathered with their beer and snacks in front of the giant screen behind the Nursery End, and when Dravid was given out leg before, a shouting match broke out between two Asian men standing around on the grass. "Outside the line," said the first. The second took of his glasses and said: "Here, you need them. You're bloody blind. That was plumb." "How can you support England?" mumbled his friend. "It's my country," came the reply. Touché.

Away from the cricket ... : The betting tents outside were chock-full of punters that fancied a flutter on the British Open golf, and the tee-and-green bug afflicted plenty in the media centre as well. There were oohs and aahs as Sergio Garcia missed the putt that would have given him outright victory over Padraig Harrington, and the fighting partnership between Sourav Ganguly and Dinesh Karthik went almost unnoticed by some as the Spaniard and the Irishman diced it out at Carnoustie for the honour of becoming the first European major winner since 1999.