After gorging themselves on a day that Nasser Hussain described as"virtually perfect", it was inevitable that day two would be something of an anticlimax for England.

It was inevitable, too, that with his praises being sung in every column of every paper in the land, Michael Vaughan should add to his litany of bizarre dismissals by falling in the 190s for the second time in three Tests. Yesterday he emulated the likes of Bradman and Sutcliffe by reaching his fourth hundred of the English summer; today he joined Weekes and Worrell in scoring two Test 190s. Illustrious company maybe, but scant consolation.

But, Headingley aside, there is another inevitability developing in England's cricket - they simply refuse to fold when they are expected to. As they lurched from 349 for 2 to 372 for 5, the total at the forefront of most people's minds was no longer one in excess of 500, but the more prosaic figure of 445 – the same as England managed on this very ground in 1998, in the first innings of Muttiah Muralitharan's match.

On that occasion, a blitzkrieg by Sanath Jayasuriya carried Sri Lanka into a sizeable lead, at which point Murali twirled England out for a paltry 181. But already, the moment appears to have been lost for India, and unlikely as it may seem given his performances so far this series, Dominic Cork must take most of the plaudits.

Cork is an abrasive little tyke. His appearance at No. 7 on England's batting card is an insult to the role of the allrounder, but doesn't he just love a scrap? It seems a mystery that has has survived in England's line-up this summer, until you look at the similarities between himself and his captain.

Like Hussain, Cork is a man who enjoys standing on the burning deck. (Although you somehow suspect he has a box of matches hidden in his kitbag.) He has performed heroics for Derbyshire on the rare occasions he has been available for them this year, and even when his bowling has veered from woeful to worse, he has popped up with the big wickets. This is, after all, the man who outpsyched Brian McMillan by calling him "big nose". Sourav Ganguly, who limped from the field after being stung by a bee, would sympathise.

The time Cork ate away from the game was every bit as vital to England's cause as his 52 runs. Once again, they have a total of 500 on the board and three days to gnaw away at the opposition. There is not enough time for Rahul Dravid to grind India to victory. Their one chance lay in the explosion of their millionaire batsmen.

Hussain recognised this. His opening gambit involved a mere three slips – later two – and no gullies or short legs. He was not going to allow India, and Virender Sehwag in particular, to get off to that flyer. Sehwag duly failed again, while Sanjay Bangar has done no more than block up an end.

England are the only side that can win from here. It is how India respond to that deflating realisation that will decide this series.

Andrew Miller is Editorial Assistant of Wisden.com.

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