Cook and Pietersen boost England

Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen batted England dramatically back into the second Test with a century stand of great character and skill in Mumbai.

India's three-pronged spin attack was blunted as Cook, with 87 not out, and Pietersen, with an assured unbeaten 62 that was in direct contrast to his 'cat on a hot tin roof' antics at the crease in Ahmedabad, guided England to 178 for 2 - a deficit of just 149 after they had done well to dismiss the Indians for 327 in their first innings.

Cook, who advanced down the pitch to hit Pragyan Ojha for a rare six early in his innings, is in the form of his life. In his first three innings as England's official captain he has now scored 304 runs, following his 41 and 176 in the first Test, with power to add, and if he can reach three figures tomorrow morning he will have scored a century in each of his first four Tests leading England.

Pietersen's innings, however, was just as vital for England, after he joined Cook with the score 68 for 2 following Ojha's dismissal of Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott in successive overs. His runs so far have come from only 85 balls, but his usual aggressive intent has been based on a solid method against the spinners; KP has clearly been working overtime in the nets since his two failures against Ojha in the opening Test.

Both Pietersen and Cook had moments of good fortune against the turning ball, unsurprisingly given the degree of difficulty against slow left-armer Ojha and the two off spinners Ravi Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh. Indeed, on 84, Cook looked lucky to survive an lbw appeal as he tried to sweep Harbhajan, but both he and Pietersen came through their trial by spin with enormous credit. So far they have put on 110.

Compton made a determined 29 from 90 balls, adding 66 for the first wicket with Cook to give England's innings a strong base, before he edged a good one from Ojha to slip. Trott, though, is in desperately poor form and he departed for a six-ball duck, pinned on the back foot right in front of his stumps.

Earlier, when India resumed on 266 for 6, England's spinners bowled well to prevent India from building a truly formidable score on a pitch that is expected to turn and bounce even more markedly as the game progresses.

Monty Panesar sent back Ashwin for 68 with a well-disguised arm ball, winning an lbw shout as the batsman missed a cut, and after a brief flurry from Harbhajan, who struck Panesar for a big six, it was Graeme Swann who wrapped up India's innings.

Swann took his 200th Test wicket when he had Harbhajan lbw and then the off spinner finally ended Cheteshwar Pujara's brilliant hundred on 135 - stumped by Matt Prior as he went down the pitch but missed an attempt to run a tossed-up delivery outside off stump towards third man. It was Pujara's first dismissal in the series, after 1016 minutes' batting, 970 balls faced, and 372 runs scored.

Zaheer Khan was laughingly adjudged caught for 11 at short leg off his hip by umpire Aleem Dar, giving Swann figures of 4 for 70. The outstanding Panesar ended with 5 for 129, his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests.

Date: 24/11/2012 11:24:00 by Andrew Hignell
In: Today | England |