The more you watched of this match on the fourth day, the more you were convinced that this was a tussle between two teams intimidated by the prospect of defeat rather than possessing the nerve to seize the moment and embrace victory. Rahul Dravid carried on with his impersonation of the Colossus of Rhodes, with scarcely a false stroke into the bargain. He played some glorious drives through the covers and midwicket, while also pulling the short ball with élan. His concentration levels were even more impressive and if there is a criticism, it would be his reluctance to force the pedal to the floor as the day wore on.

A run out seemed to be the only way to dislodge him from the crease and Ajay Ratra - who did nothing else to distinguish himself with the bat - duly obliged the English. By then, Dravid had conclusively proved that Nasser Hussain couldn't bore him out with the tennis ball bouncer tactics that made a mockery of the match on day three.

VVS Laxman was subdued, his strokemaking patchy. With every match, he seems more and more ill at ease at number six. Sending Ratra in at the fall of Agarkar's wicket was the first of many tricks that India missed today. His lack of confidence - given Parthiv Patel's assumption of blue-eyed boy status in a million Indian households - was painfully apparent and India would have been far better served with Harbhajan Singh's brand of cavalier batsmanship.

When he did come to the crease, Harbhajan swung the bat merrily until he decided he could sweep England off their feet. India should have declared then, when the runs dried up, instead of wasting precious overs and time. Not that it really mattered the way they performed with the ball. Zaheer Khan was profligate in the extreme, his radar shut down for the day, and a few sessions with Dennis Lillee or someone of similar stature are urgently called for. The way the ball turned at times during the Indian innings, Indian fans could have been forgiven for rubbing their hands in anticipation once the spinners came on. By close though, hands were being wrung in despair as neither Harbhajan or Anil Kumble bowled anything like the line or length required on this pitch. Michael Vaughan had shown the way with a beautifully flighted delivery that castled Agarkar, but the Indians dragged it down on a length and were swept with impunity. Very few deliveries tempted the batsmen forward and into the drive and they may live to rue that with both batsmen now firmly ensconced. All the omens now point to a final day stalemate and a drawn series that is probably the fairest result, given that neither bowling attack would give a batsman sleepless nights.

Dileep Premachandran is assistant editor, Wisden.com India.

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