Waiting and placement

One day you're the dog
After the frisky knock that set up an improbable Indian win in Chennai, it was Virender Sehwag's turn to be the lamp post. A hint of away movement from Stuart Broad, a thin nick, and celebrations all round for England. They didn't know then that the day wouldn't get any better.

Different venue, different game
During the Chennai run-chase, India had streaked past 50 in less than six overs. Here, the first half dozen overs yielded 10 runs. When Sehwag is not out there, it can be a very different sport.

The waiting is the hardest part
Rahul Dravid had not struck a ball to the rope since the third Test against Australia in Delhi nearly two months ago. So, when he finally played an emphatic pull off a short one from James Anderson, it was a sign that normalcy was being restored. Slowly.

Timing and placement
Those aren't two words anyone has associated with Dravid's batting in quite a while, but when Monty Panesar landed a half-volley just outside off stump, Dravid leant into a superb drive that neatly bisected the two men stationed in the cover region and past mid-off as well, leaving three fielders on the ground.

When it's not your day
Graeme Swann was a cut above any other English bowler, and he should have had Gautam Gambhir when he was on 70 - a thick edge to slip and a drop from the usually safe Paul Collingwood. It was a tough chance, and Swann's mood didn't improve a couple of overs later when Daryl Harper turned down an excellent leg-before shout.

After the lull
India dawdled along in the hour before tea, and the couple of thousand who had braved the chill and the security to sit in the concrete stands opposite the pavilion were pretty silent until Gambhir sauntered down the pitch and lofted Swann over long-off. On a day when attrition was very much the name of the game, it was one of the few moments for the crowd to do a little bhangra in the aisles.