Lord's Test, Day 5
Monday, July 29, 2002 Everyone was getting a little excited last night - but we were never just going to roll up and beat a side of India's quality. It was a real effort, and to get 20 wickets against them on a flat wicket, and with such an inexperienced side, was a great performance. Our bowlers did us proud, and I take my hat off to them.

We had a slightly different game-plan for the second innings. For a start we stuck to two- or three-over spells, because of the heat, and there was no point in just banging it in and putting the squeeze on them - we had to hit the stumps rather more in this innings. For a while, as that last-wicket partnership continued to grow, my thoughts went back to Danny Morrison's innings at Auckland a few years back, simply because the wicket was so flat.

It was an exceptional wicket, in fact. By the look of it, it should have gone all over the place, especially with the new ball, but in fact only one ball exploded all day, and nothing kept low either. Ajit Agarkar played a fine innings, and came back well after taking some tap on the first day - if they'd all shown his determination, we'd have struggled to take 20 wickets. Still, with their top six, and with him to come in lower down, we have got some hard work ahead of us this series.

We have to keep our feet on the ground now. That's two games in a row that we've won with the youngsters, which is very pleasing indeed, but Caddick and Gough have been winning matches for five, six, seven years, and the youngsters won't be able to do it every time. Sooner or later Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly or Laxman is going to put in a big hundred, and that will be the real test, not just for these guys, but for Gough and Caddick when they come back … if they come back.

The injuries keep coming as well, but there's nothing serious. Jones has got a slight side strain and Flintoff had picked up a slight groin strain by the end, but with the amount of bowling they had to do, I'm not surprised. It was bloody hot out there, and that was partly why I didn't enforce the follow-on. With that amount of toil, young bowlers are going to suffer.

Mark Butcher is another with a few problems - his knee has been sore for a while now, though luckily he's a batter. But it is something that we will have to sort out before Australia.

Nasser Hussain was talking to Andrew Miller. His thoughts will appear on Wisden.com, other duties permitting, at the end of each day of England's international cricket this summer.

More Nasser Hussain
All according to plan
We weren't tempted by the follow-on

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