Close England 277 for 6 (Trescothick 99, Butcher 51, Kumble 5-80)
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A gutsy innings from Craig White dragged England back into contention after another collapse against Anil Kumble had threatened to ruin this series before it had even reached the halfway stage. From 124 for 0, with Marcus Trescothick on blistering form, England crashed to 180 for 5. This time there was no Graham Thorpe to repair the damage, but Mark Ramprakash and White did the job instead as the shadows lengthened and the ball began to bite and turn in the Gujarati dust. White survived, but at the close, India just about had the edge.

England emerged after tea on 176 for 3, with Trescothick on 99. But that was as far as he got. After a couple of nervy strokes had failed to bring him the single he wanted for his third Test century, he top-edged an attempted cut at one that bounced a bit and was caught behind to give Kumble his fourth wicket. Trescothick dragged himself off, the first Englishman to fall for 99 in a Test since August 1994, when Mike Atherton was caught and bowled by South Africa's Brian McMillan at Headingley.

India were still jubilant when Andy Flintoff thrust forward at his second ball like a wildebeest on the hoof and gave a simple catch to VVS Laxman at silly mid-off to be out for 0 (180 for 5). It was a carbon copy of his second-innings dismissal at Mohali, and Kumble had picked up his second-consecutive five-for. He should injure that shoulder more often.

But unlike Mohali, England fought back. Ramprakash ditched the helmet, donned the floppy, and played like a man who suspected each ball might be his last. He pulled, drove, chinese-cut and cover-slashed Srinath for four boundaries in two overs, before whacking Kumble high over square leg for six. White joined in with a cover-drive and a cut off Harbhajan, and when he chopped Kumble's googly to third man, the 50 partnership was up off just 52 deliveries.

It was beautifully liberated batting, but Ramprakash ruined it by staying back to Sachin Tendulkar's spinning allsorts when he should have forward, and getting bowled through the gate for 37 as the ball held its line (239 for 6). Ramprakash had made just the same mistake facing Kumble at Mohali: the carbon copies were piling up.

At that stage 250 all out was still possible, but James Foster put his Mohali nightmare behind him to keep White assured company until the close. White, who seemed to pick out cover every other shot, flashed a cut through point off Srinath, before Foster creamed a Tendulkar half-volley square on the off side and dispatched a chest-high full-toss over midwicket in the same over. By the close they had given themselves a chance: they will need another 75 at least to make a game of it.

Earlier, England had dominated the first session and a half, as Trescothick and Mark Butcher put together England's first century stand since Trescothick and Atherton added 146 against Pakistan at Old Trafford in June - 14 Test innings ago.

Early-morning dew had delayed the start for half an hour, but Hussain celebrated winning his first toss in 11 Tests by batting first on a typically easy-paced Ahmedabad wicket. Javagal Srinath troubled Butcher early on, but both left-handers were soon into their stride, peppering the off side with drives off front and back foot, and using their feet to the spinners.

England lunched well at 79 for 0, and Trescothick emerged in positive mood, cracking SS Das on the shoulder at short leg and forcing him off the field, before pulling Srinath over square leg for four, then easing him through the covers with a trademark flowing thump of the blade.

Trescothick dispelled one of the great myths of Test cricket by showing that you can get down the pitch to Kumble, and lifted him over midwicket with a nonchalant flick to move to fifty and bring up England's hundred. In the next over he went down on one knee to launch Harbhajan Singh over square leg for six - a shot that took his Test average back into the 40s for the first time since March - before whipping him through midwicket for four more. It seemed to inspire Butcher, who had been living off edges to third man since lunch, but now two-stepped himself to ease Harbhajan to the long-on boundary.

But 124 for 0 was as it good as it got. With the occasional ball starting to turn in the dust, Kumble started to crank it up. Butcher had been poking at him outside off as if he had a nervous twitch, but at last Kumble found the edge and Butcher was out for 51, caught behind by Deep Dasgupta.

Trescothick responded with a flashy cut to third man off Harbhajan, and two convincing cover-drives in Kumble's next over. Fifty runs had come in eight overs, and Trescothick had biffed his way to 40 of them.

Then umpire Ian Robinson, fresh from upsetting New Zealand in Perth, got in on the act. He triggered Nasser Hussain, lbw to Kumble for 1 when the ball was clearly heading down leg (144 for 2); and Michael Vaughan, playing his first Test for over six months, was given out caught at short leg for 11 off Kumble when the ball ballooned innocently off his pads (172 for 3).

That was in the second over before tea, and it gave India the boost they needed. England were struggling to stay in the series as it was, without an elbow in the ribs from the umpire.

India 1 Deep Dasgupta (wk), 2 SS Das, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Virender Sehwag, 8 Anil Kumble, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Javagal Srinath, 11 Tinu Yohannan.

England 1 Mark Butcher, 2 Marcus Trescothick, 3 Nasser Hussain (capt), 4 Michael Vaughan, 5 Mark Ramprakash, 6 Craig White, 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 James Foster (wk), 9 Ashley Giles, 10 Richard Dawson, 11 Matthew Hoggard.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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