Alastair Cook is a curious phenomenon: a run-machine whose batting mechanics don't appear neatly put-together, but are largely both repeatable and efficient.
Cook broke India's bowlers with an unbeaten 182, an ungainly but not unpleasant innings, helping England finish the second day of the third Test here at Edgbaston on 456 for three. Dismissed for 224 on Wednesday, India desperately needed to win Thursday's first session. But try as its bowlers did after a delayed start, they couldn't find a way past England's openers before lunch.
Using the crease
Praveen Kumar began with four maidens, two to each. From subtly differing positions on the crease, he started his out-swingers to the left-handers. If there was a criticism, it was that he couldn't direct the surprise ball, the one that came in, perfectly. Still, his first spell of the day read 7-5-2-0, and he had held his side of the bargain.
There wasn't enough from the other end. Sreesanth drifted down the leg-side, allowing both openers pressure-releasing runs, and Ishant Sharma was too wide to worry them. The other problem was that the edges (the few of them that did come) weren't carrying; none of India's seamers hit the slow pitch with the energy it demanded.
Praveen and Sreesanth's releases impart backspin to the ball, which helps in keeping the seam from wobbling and thus rudder-directs the swing. But the backspin robs the delivery of a shade of pace when it pitches. Ishant's wrist wasn't fully behind the ball, and he therefore wasn't getting the lift he normally does.
Strauss, who's batted better than his returns this series suggest, didn't quite have Wednesday's touch. Where on Wednesday he had shifted his balance forward nicely from his trigger movement — first the back foot, then the front foot step back towards the stumps — he was less certain on Thursday.
Working on technique
But Strauss collected runs nevertheless. His partner, Cook, has struggled more visibly against the moving ball. Cook's previous dismissals this series will have worried him, for they indicated a return to his stiff-legged past. He had worked extensively with Graham Gooch, the batting coach, to correct his problem of falling over a braced front leg. The work seemed to have returned dividends — until this series.
Cook still struggled with the full ball wide of leg-stump: a tall man, he was wrenched horribly out of shape, and the leading edge could have gone anywhere.
But as Cook settled, the new developments in his game began to show themselves: the more classical forward defence, knee giving, to lower his body; the bent-knee cover-drive, which he didn't have two years ago. The old strength — the ability to clip balls on off and middle to leg — was in good order, and he grew increasingly difficult to bowl to.
Mishra strikes
In the ninth over after lunch, Amit Mishra finally got a leg-break behind Strauss' sweep-shot to end the 186-run partnership; the batsman seemed to have moved too far across his stumps in playing the stroke.
It's another matter that Mishra had overstepped, like he did several times on Thursday. This time, the umpire didn't pick it.
The stroke of luck amounted to little. Ian Bell timed and placed the ball beautifully after a briefly uncertain start. Rahul Dravid dropped Bell at first slip when the batsman was on 30. Bell added four before Praveen ended Dravid's misery. (Sreesanth's feelings as the aggrieved bowler were another matter altogether.)
But the quality of the delivery — almost as good as Tim Brenan's leg-cutter to bowl Dravid, only of less marked pace and movement — wasn't transformative; it brought nothing beyond the wicket itself. It did bring Kevin Pietersen, who proceeded to boss the bowlers, his batting made up of equal parts of brio, brinkmanship, and bluster.
Where Cook chiefly played the percentages, making his runs with pushes and tucks, Pietersen moved around in his crease, modifying the line and length to his liking, and levered the ball to vacant parts.
Praveen won an lbw decision against Pietersen, who was well down the wicket, but England was 150 ahead.
Sreesanth and then Dravid put Eoin Morgan down (off Ishant and Raina respectively); Cook turned briefly majestic with a pull stroke; Sachin Tendulkar turned his arm over: these discrete events were the final memories (not in chronological order) of a day that ended in glorious sunshine with England leading by 232. The series is beyond India.
India — 1st innings: 224.
England — 1st innings: A. Strauss b Mishra 87 (176b, 13x4), A. Cook (batting) 182 (339b, 26x4), I. Bell b Praveen 34 (43b, 6x4), K. Pietersen lbw b Praveen 63 (78b, 9x4, 1x6), E. Morgan (batting) 44 (66b, 6x4); Extras (b-7, lb-26, nb-12, w-1): 46; Total (for three wkts. in 115 overs): 456.
Fall of wickets: 1-186 (Strauss), 2-252 (Bell), 3-374 (Pietersen).
India bowling: Praveen 32-12-75-2, Sreesanth 22-4-103-0, Ishant 25-6-112-0, Mishra 26-2-100-1, Raina 9-0-30-0, Tendulkar 1-0-3-0.
