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Birmingham: Some Indians might have thought that they had wandered off into the wrong place; some others might even have felt that they had walked into a gas chamber. Indeed, it was one of those days at the Edgbaston Ground on Thursday: slow, painful and torturous.
England held the edge all day through, and they gleefully sharpened it and used it to dig deeper and deeper into their sides; worse, they did it ever so slowly and deliberately that the agony was evident on most faces even from a distance.
In the morning, though, India could have been pardoned for believing it would be a more cheerful day than the first one: there had been rain late in the night and the sky was still overcast. Play had been delayed for 30 minutes and the forecast was for more of the same.
But England had come prepared with a near-perfect plan for the conditions: be vigilant, don't allow India the space or opportunity to make a break; just suffocate them. It was a question of playing on their patience and wearing them off. Over the day, they achieved exactly that, wearing them off and all but leaving them with virtually nothing in the bellies.
Where can the fight come from now? By close of play, they were 456 for three, 232 runs ahead. Alastair Cook led the torture with a calculated 182 (339b, 26x4). Andrew Strauss (87) and Kevin Pietersen (63) too participated in the persecution, in their own different ways. Eoin Morgan was on 44, after enjoying two lives.
Indeed, each of the batsmen flogged the bowlers as they pleased; it's a surprise if any of them come away without bruises or telltale marks. With three more days to go, India will perhaps be lucky to come out of this alive.
Resuming at the overnight score of 84 for no loss, still 140 behind, India needed an early breakthrough to effect the great escape. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni began the day with S Sreesanth, hoping that his enthusiasm would distract at least one England batsman. Praveen Kumar took charge from the other end.
There was some movement in the air, but sadly, not much bounce or pace in the wicket. Strauss (52 not out) and Cook (27 not out) waited for the ball to do its thing and even then handled it with care. They had eschewed all risks and hardly seemed bothered that the scorecard also had fallen asleep.
Praveen, who was the trier, container and attacker on Day 2 of this third Test, had figures of 7-5-2-0 at one stage. He would come back later to claim Ian Bell, with a perfect leg-cutter, but it was an excruciating day for every bowler every fielder, and every Indian at the ground.
Strauss was particularly watchful on Thursday, determined not to give away the advantage or miss his century this time. The first 10 overs fetched only 17 runs and the first boundary came in the 15th over, that too off a thick outside edge. Cook, however, took charge after that, following it up with a flowing cover drive.
He upped the tempo thereafter but not in a way to give India any hope. Dhoni shuffled his pacers around but without much success. Eventually, he roped in leg-spinner Amit Mishra. By lunch, England had literally crawled to 156 for no loss, safe and happy; tea was much better, though, at 319 for two.
India got a wicket in the second session against the run of play. A string of drifters down the leg side from Mishra provoked both batsmen to indulge in the sweep; Strauss eventually missed one, allowing the ball to crash into his stumps off his pads.
India's misery, however, only increased after that. Bell looked more intent in working the ball around, looking for the gaps and the boundaries. Pietersen was even more damaging, using his long reach and unorthodox style to conjure shots. Pulls, cuts and drives saw him take the match away from India.
Only rain can save them now; luckily, the forecast is promising on that count at least. Either ways it's going to be a torture.
Brief scores
India 224
England 456 for 3 (Cook 182*, Strauss 87)
Status England lead by 232 runs
