India v England, 1st Test, Nagpur

England needed to make the most of the bit of luck that finally went their way this morning. They didn't, but that was half the story.

Of stars and size-12 sneakers

Dileep Premachandran looks back at the day one comparing it with another opening day at the same venue, two years back against Australia.

Two tales from Nagpur

Paul Coupar's verdict on Alastair Cook's impressive debut

Rookie Cook's tasty treat

Paul Coupar reflects on Paul Collingwood's first Test century and the steady Indian reply that followed on the second day at Nagpur

Collingwood makes the right noises

Paul Coupar tells how Matthew Hoggard helped put paid to some cricketing cliches on a good day for England

Reversing the cliches

Rahul Bhattacharya considers a wholesome day of Test cricket and one which involved fightback after fightback

A day of fightbacks

England's bowlers and Mohammad Kaif reaped the rewards of keeping it tight

Discipline wins the day

Dileep Premachandran considers how Matthew Hoggard's swing did for India's batsmen on the third day at Nagpur

Succumbing to swing

Today showed that `the boys got their flannels dirty' is no longer a barometer of a side's fielding

Taken to the cleaners

Rahul Dravid is an outstanding cricketer, the most classical batsman in the world today. And he is one of the good guys - polite, modest and thoughtful. But at Nagpur, in a Test that had more twists than a racetrack, the biggest twist of all was that Drav

Nice guy spoils thriller

Matthew Hoggard was such a massive influence and really, for a team missing four of its Ashes heroes, England's ascendancy was nothing less than astonishing

'England's ascendancy was nothing less than astonishing'

It was a bizarre end to a bizarre match: brilliant in its own sort of way,always kicking against expectation, writes Paul Coupar

Kicking against expectation

Andrew Flintoff, England's captain, today said his team was not unnerved by the late assault launched by India

Flintoff applauds England's character

Wasim Jaffer's exquisite touch on the leg side was the highlight of his maiden century

Lighting up the leg side

India's brave attempt at a run chase was ended by Steve Harmison and bad light as the first Test ended in a draw

Audacious India light up the draw

This was a Test match dominated by an under-strength English side

Under-strength England expose Indian weakness

A hundred and twenty nine runs came from the final session at about a run-a-ball but the game was never realistically on

A daring surprise at the end

Yuvraj Singh is expected to be fit for the second Test against England

Yuvraj winning fitness battle

Alastair Cook showed he has the talent and technique to survive and prosper with his debut performance of 60; in the second innings, he showed he has the appetite for runs too

Cook confirms his class

While more or less admitting that an Indian win was unlikely, MohammadKaif  was quietly confident that India could save the match

"Dropped catches don't help" - Kaif

Paul Coupar describes how Alastair Cook booked his place in history with a ton on debut for England

Easy Cook books place in history

Alastair Cook cut Harbhajan Singh past point for four to go to a brilliant maiden Test century, as England's lead extended past the 350-mark at Nagpur

Cook's debut century drives England

Matthew Hoggard took the morning plaudits with a peerless display of swing bowling; Mohammad Kaif and Anil Kumble earned the afternoon honours with an invaluable eighth wicket stand of 128, but it was the debutant Monty Panesar who stole the headlines

England seize the day with late strikes

From workhorse to hero

After the first day, England would have settled for a first-innings total in the vicinity of 300. If they managed to get nearly 100 more than that, it was largely due to the effort of Paul Collingwood

Collingwood the saviour

A brilliant momentum-seizing 134 not out from Paul Collingwood rescued his team-mates from the mire on the second day at Nagpur

Jaffer and Dravid revive India's day

Cooking up a storm

Across the border cleaning up has been the eternal woe.

End games

It wasn't the most fluent innings that Wasim Jaffer's ever played but this unbeaten 73, with the prospect of many more, will mean the world to a man who has spent some of his best years on the fringes

A case for specialists

Alastair Cook arrived arrived in India as a raw, 21-year-old but within two sessions of the opening Test, he showed just why he is so highly rated in England

Cook's impressive debut

India enjoyed the best of the opening day of the series, despite losing the toss and an impressive 60 by Alastair Cook

India tighten the screw

Expectations from this contest have fallen pretty sharply. The grand theme, the battle for no. 2, is barely audible

Of cliches and a charity-match ambience

The exodus of big-name players, including Chappell, nearly crippled Australian cricket in the early '80s, and he has often spoken of the need to avoid something of that nature happening to this Indian team

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