August 12, 2002	Monday	Jamadi-us-Saani 2, 1423

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NOTTINGHAM (England), Aug 11: India, needing 260 to avoid an innings defeat after England amassed 617, lost both openers in the first two overs of their second innings before bad light halted play late on day four of the second Test Sunday.

India had recovered to 62 for two when play was suspended.

Virender Sehwag, who scored a century in his first outing at Trent Bridge, went for a second-ball duck, shuffling forward and being hit by a full toss on the boot from Matthew Hoggard to send the Trent Bridge crowd in raptures.

Moments later Wasim Jaffer fell lbw for five to all-rounder Andrew Flintoff’s fourth ball, although he looked unlucky after being hit on the roll of the pad by a rising delivery which looked set to clear the stumps.

Sachin Tendulkar, yet to make a major score in the series, and Rahul Dravid, however, restored some order.

They put on 50 in 57 balls before play was stopped for bad light with 25 overs to play, India still 198 runs adrift.

It was a wretched start, however, after the Indians, already 1-0 down in the four-match series, had spent the first two sessions of the day chasing leather thanks to Alec Stewart’s 92-ball 87 and Craig White, who finished on 94 not out.

But while Saurav Ganguly’s attack appeared toothless and his field placings uninspired, his team could justifiably feel all the luck on offer had gone the hosts’ way.

Stewart’s 92-ball innings, in particular, would have stuck in Indian throats.

The wicket-keeper/batsman, mixing good fortune with good strokes, had reached 48 when an edge to third slip off medium-pacer Ajit Agarkar was claimed low down by Sehwag.

Stewart followed the modern convention by standing his ground and the third umpire gave him the benefit of the doubt after reviewing the video evidence.

Stewart, who moved up to fourth on England’s list of all-time Test run scorers during his innings past Michael Atherton, then edged Agarkar between wicket-keeper and first slip at catchable height to reach his half-century.

An inside edge for four just past his off stump followed.

There were plenty of fine leg-side boundaries as well — Stewart hitting 14 in all — as he and the assured, heavy-batted Flintoff thrashed 97 runs off 100 balls.

The score had moved on to 432 for five when left-armer Zaheer Khan appeared to signal the end of the innings, bowling both batsmen within three balls.

Things, however, simply became more and more frustrating.

First White helped put on 60 for the eighth wicket with the limping Dominic Cork.

Cork scored 28 of his 31 runs in boundaries, before prodding off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to short leg to make it 493 for eight.

An extraordinary 103-run stand for the ninth wicket then ensued with Matthew Hoggard, until recently regarded as a wide-eyed rabbit whenever armed with a bat.

He pushed determinedly forward on to the front foot and played straight throughout a career-best 32 before he was caught at first slip off Ashish Nehra.

The partnership, an England record against India, showed how benign the pitch was playing but also how ragged the bowling had become.

The innings ended at tea, with White, who got into the 90s with a straight six off Harbhajan Singh which almost cleared the roof of the Radcliffe Road End stand, left stranded and all of India’s bowlers nursing bruised egos.

On Saturday, Michael Vaughan scored a career-best 197. He was dismissed shortly before the close after hitting 23 fours from 258 balls and batting for six hours.