No lack of resolve as England attack plays the long game

There were bound to be days like this.

There were bound to be days when the ball didn't reverse, when the batsmen didn't err and when the chances didn't stick. There were bound to be days when India's daunting batting line-up came out on top and taking 20 wickets in a match looked an almost impossible challenge.

The scoreboard doesn't really show it, but England bowled well on the third day in Rajkot. Chris Woakes, generating impressive pace from the sedate surface, struck Cheteshwar Pujara three times on the helmet or upper body, while Stuart Broad maintained an immaculate line and length and threw himself around in the field with admirable commitment. Both demonstrated fitness, control and resolve in delivering 43 overs between them for a combined total of 83 runs. Nobody could reasonably ask for more from either of them.

"Our seamers have done a fantastic job in tough conditions," England's assistant coach Paul Farbrace said. "Our plan was to stifle India. This is a very good batting pitch and they are outstanding batsmen, so our plan was to be patient and make it as hard as possible for them to score runs. We were never going to be attacking today. We made no excuses for the fact we tried to make it as difficult for India as possible.

"We gained late reward for our perseverance. We've had a very good day today."

The spinners were much improved, too. We know they are not world beaters but, by conceding between 2.93 and 3.25 runs per over, they proved no more expensive than their Indian counterparts (who conceded between 2.86 and 4.17) and, in Adil Rashid's case, beat the bat a couple of times along the way. It was easily his best display of the tour and perhaps the best of his Test career to date.

He needed this performance. There were signs in Bangladesh that his captain's trust in him was waning and, when he came on for a couple of overs at the end of day two, amid a fine googly, he threw in both a long-hop and a full toss. But on the third day, his control was improved and his googly beat the batsmen more than once. He fully deserved his late reward.

"Our spinners took a bit of stick in Bangladesh for not holding their line and length," Farbrace said. "But they've bowled particularly well today.

"In the past there has been lots of talk about Adil bowling a bit slowly. But the work he has done with the bowling coach, Saqlain Mushtaq, has been about trajectory, not pace. So he has been aiming to get the ball above the eye-line, allowing it to spin and getting the ball up there for batsmen to drive.

"The key thing is that he has learned quickly. He has worked hard on trying to be more disciplined. He was calm between deliveries and set in his plans and he has bowled consistently. He didn't rush it or try and bowl too quickly. But he spun the ball out of the hand and got a nice bit of drop. It's only one day and we're looking for consistency across the series, but he did have a good day."

Such control at least slowed India's progress. While they may still go past England's first-innings total, it will take them well into the afternoon of day four to do so. Little more than a couple of sessions of decent batting should, therefore, be enough to make the game safe for England on the final day, though you don't have to go back very far to find an occasion when that was beyond them. While there is, at present, little sign of this pitch deteriorating as anticipated, it is not impossible they may yet come to regret those sloppy middle-order wickets they squandered on day two.

Certainly Farbrace still expects batting to become much more difficult.

"Things start to happen around tea-time on day four and on day five they can happen quickly," Farbrace said. "I think both sides are expecting the wicket to turn more. The cracks have opened over the last three days and some of them have started to crumble, so you might start to see some variable bounce as well. When you're 200 ahead, you hope that happens."

In a perfect world, England would have a bit more pace or variation in their attack. There had been talk that Sam Curran, the Surrey left-arm swing bowler, might be added to the squad. It was not so much with a view to him becoming a realistic playing option, but so the England coaching team - who have little opportunity to watch county cricket - might take a closer look at him. Aged 18, he has clearly been identified as a player of great potential but, for one reason or another, that idea was shelved. England maintain they will only call for reinforcements in the event of injuries.

But it is hard to imagine many bowlers unlocking this surface as it is. Perhaps a Murali or Warne; perhaps Malcolm Marshall or Mitchell Johnson at his best. But such bowlers don't come along too often and you cannot judge these by those standards. Even James Anderson, who spent part of the day acting as substitute fielder, would have struggled.

The one thing that may concern England a little is their inability to gain any swing, be it conventional or reverse. India's seamers managed some reverse for a while but England, without Anderson or, for much of the day, Ben Stokes, managed no more than a hint of movement.

That meant they were never able to fully benefit from their probing line with the batsmen defending expertly without any meaningful threat to their outside edges. And while Pujara struggled a bit against Woakes' short ball, it never prevented him coming forward as required to the full ball.

Stokes continued to show the aftermath of the cramp that bothered him on day two. He produced one stiff-looking, loose spell early in the day and then was hardly seen again until the evening session. According to the team management, the problem is exacerbated by his difficulty in eating during play as it leaves him feeling uncomfortable. But in these gruelling conditions, it is essential he finds a way to replenish himself. With bat and ball, England are greatly diminished without him.