Cricket/ Third Test: This is a cruel time of year to be playing international cricket in India, and the sun beat down on the Wankhede stadium yesterday like a hammer on an anvil.
By the close of the second day of the final Test, however, it was India who were feeling the heat after Matthew Hoggard's precision with the new ball, on a pitch offering something to a deserving bowler, had removed the openers inside 12 overs, and James Anderson, to much delight, sent a struggling Sachin Tendulkar packing.
Rahul Dravid and his team were left with much to ponder over dinner last night. It was the Indian captain himself, once more, together with the flamboyant, seat-of-the-pants left-hander Yuvraj Singh who was forced to resurrect the innings from the depths of 28 for three and possible ignominy in the face of England's first innings of 400.
Dravid, "The Wall", was at his most impassive and impassable for a full 30 overs and had made 37, offering no semblance of a chance save a close call on a run out, while Yuvraj, rapier flashing, had hit six boundaries in his 32.
At 89 for three India were still 311 behind or, more pressing, 112 from avoiding a follow-on, although given the heat and the fact that the pitch is likely to deteriorate significantly, it is unlikely Andrew Flintoff would want to enforce it, barring total capitulation first thing today.
Earlier, England had failed to take full advantage of the excellent start given them by Andrew Strauss, subsiding from 326 for threeto all out inside 25 more overs. The damage was chiefly done by the young pace pairing of Sri Sreesanth and Munaf Patel.
But there was time enough for England's debutant in this match, Owais Shah, to resume the innings he was forced to abandon on the first day with cramp and to make an accomplished 88.
India might have hoped to see a bowler who offered them free-scoring opportunities should the new ball not swing, but instead have found one whose frugality and persistence in alien conditions has been an object lesson. Certainly Hoggard's performance over the past few weeks will have had much to do with Dravid's heavily criticised decision to put England in to bat in a situation where Flintoff would have snatched his hand off to bat first.
Yesterday afternoon Hoggard found movement - not quite as extravagant as on the first morning - but, of equal importance, bounce which did for both Virender Sehwag, who for the second time in two matches failed adequately to fend off a lifter, and Wasim Jaffer, who could not withdraw his glove quickly enough to avoid making contact with a short ball down the leg side.
