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Lonodn: Test cricket lovers celebrated the arrival of the 2000th match. But even in its 134th year, the sport sadly has no mechanism to deal with its oldest foe: bad weather.
This could have been India's day - a rarity, considering how they usually struggle at the start of a Test series. England made 127 for 2 with Jonathan Trott's fifty after being dropped twice. Bad light stopped play just before tea in the 50th over. Steady rain made a restart impossible.
Zaheer Khan took 2-18 in 13.3 overs. In the noon session, he walked off the field clutching the back of his right knee. The word from the dressing room is that he has strained his hamstring and is undergoing a scan. In his absence, India spread the field out, choosing to keep the runs under check rather than attack the struggling Kevin Pietersen and Trott.
MS Dhoni elected to bowl a decision that divided at least two former England captains. Andrew Flintoff said it was a 'negative' decision since the wicket was slow. Michael Vaughan reckoned it was a wise choice since persistent rains and made the conditions considerably pace-friendly.
While bowling first in overcast conditions certainly have their benefits, India could have justified this decision better by bowling a fuller length.
Dhoni's bowlers, though accurate for the first couple of hours, played on the England batsmen's patience rather than getting them to drive the swinging, seaming ball. They kept the ball on a good length around off-stump. Hence, not many scoring opportunities were created in the first session of 21 overs, in which England crawled to 43 for the loss of Alastair Cook, who fell LBW to Zaheer's in-swinger.
This is a huge change for India coach Duncan Fletcher. When he was with England, he favoured express pacers such as Steve Harmison and Simon Jones. Nasser Hussain commented that India beginning with two medium-pace swing bowlers is not out of Fletcher's playbook.
Praveen Kumar's inclusion meant that Sreesanth and Munaf Patel were benched. Praveen bowled tidily for a first spell of 9-4-18-0, bowling out-swingers across the two left-handed openers. But most times, Cook and Strauss could leave them alone comfortably.
Wasim Akram said India looked flat at the start and could have been better served running in with full intensity on the first morning on an important series.
England skipper Andrew Strauss rarely looked convincing today and had three lucky breaks. A couple of inside edges whooshed past his off-stump while Harbhajan Singh missed a chance to run him out. His problems outside the off-stump against left-arm pacers are well documented.
Zaheer kept attacking him using the Lord's slope. But what finally did Strauss in was a surprise bouncer. He had already planted his front foot down the pitch. Trying to fetch the short ball from outside off-stump, he could only sky it to Ishant at fine-leg.
It was the sixth time Strauss fell to Zaheer in a Test match, and the 23rd time overall to left-arm pacers.
Rahul Dravid put down Trott first ball of the day from Harbhajan. Later, as both sides laboured along in the dreary noon session, Zaheer conjured up the magical out-swinger. Trott edged it. Dhoni went for it, bailed out, and saw the ball dip on Dravid and speed away for four.
Sunil Gavaskar had suggested India's slip fielders stand a couple of paces closer considering this was a slow wicket.
As things stand, the man closest to Bradman's Test average has been dropped twice. And, weather permitting, he could make India pay.
Brief scores
England 127 for 2 (Trott 58*, Zaheer 2-18)
