Cricket / Bell completes double century; Swann strikes crucial blows
There are Tests that pitch and lurch violently, the momentum switching hands like dirty money at a gold souk. The fourth Test, here at The Oval, isn't one of them.

England resumed on 457 for three on the third morning, and progressed to 591 for six before the rain intervened at lunch. There was time for Ian Bell's first Test double-hundred, England's third of the series and its seventh since the start of 2010.

The home team continued its dominance thereafter: first it declared on its lunch score, reassessing its plans because the second session was washed out; then it warmed up purposefully as the clouds lifted; finally, and most importantly, England claimed wickets (although not the one it most wanted, that of Rahul Dravid), reducing India to 103 for five.

India has its work cut out. The weather might help — the forecast, at least for Sunday, says there may be rain — but the batsmen will have to do better than they have all series. And they'll have to do it against an English attack that showed on Saturday evening that the pitch the Indian bowlers had laboured on wasn't as unresponsive as it appeared.

Although Sreesanth took two in ten balls in the morning, India couldn't create an impact. The first was night-watchman James Anderson, caught at second slip. The bowler stood still, arms crossed, a baleful stare stalking Anderson as he walked to the pavilion.

Sreesanth followed that dramatic performance — and it was a rather entertaining celebration, the contempt giving it a certain edge — with a clever bit of bowling. He leapt wide at the crease, exaggerating the delivery's angle. The length provoked the drive; the slant across the left-handed Eoin Morgan compromised it.

But the wickets made no difference to Bell, who batted with the touch and judgment of Friday, driving sweetly from balanced positions. Bell's 20th four, a leg-glance off Sreesanth, gave him his maiden double-century, and he celebrated with a crunching pull between mid-on and mid-wicket.

Suresh Raina ended Bell's 235 with a flat off-spinner slipped under the batsman's sweep-stroke. A standing ovation saluted a fine innings that had begun in circumspection — his ability to leave Ishant Sharma's in-slant particularly impressive — before reprising the glorious principles of stroke-making.
Ravi Bopara rustled together an unbeaten 44 against R.P. Singh, who again looked sub-standard, Amit Mishra, who managed no more than slow, transparent turn, and Raina. But any ambition he might have had of a half-century ended with the declaration.

Dravid was forced to open India's innings because Gautam Gambhir was being treated for a concussion suffered on the second day. Virender Sehwag took first strike, and cracked two fours through cover. But Anderson struck with one that nipped back. Sehwag's attempt to bring his bat across was impeded by the front pad. He was lbw.

Stuart Broad took V.V.S. Laxman out with a short ball that bounced, and actually began to swing as it approached the batsman — only in England does the ball, when its seam is knocked upright on pitching, swing after it passes the batsman. The previous ball had swung straight to first slip after bouncing on the pitch. This one moved less, but it did so fatally, for it gained Laxman's edge to the keeper. Dravid batted masterfully and positively. He wristed the ball off his front knee with fine skill. He punched well off the back-foot, cut adeptly, and even played a pull stroke, something he doesn't do as often these days. He used the crease magnificently to combat Graeme Swann. The more aggressive mindset also helped his defensive play: he was sharp, keen, tight.

Sachin Tendulkar had a strange time of it in the hour and even minutes he batted. He was hit by the short ball, but thought little of it and pressed forward to punch-drive when the length demanded. But his fondness for the sweep-stroke against Swann cost him. The off-spinner shortened his length; the ball held up in the wicket and bounced; Tendulkar was through his stroke. The ball lobbed off glove to Anderson, who ran around from slip.

Swann had Raina (0 off 29 balls) smartly stumped off a ripping off-break and night-watchman Ishant Sharma caught at short-leg before Dravid (57 batting) and M.S. Dhoni prevented further loss.




England — 1st innings: A. Strauss c Dhoni b Sreesanth 40 (106b, 5x4), A. Cook c Sehwag b Ishant 34 (87b, 4x4), I. Bell lbw b Raina 235 (364b, 23x4, 2x6), K. Pietersen c & b Raina 175 (232b, 27x4), J. Anderson c Laxman b Sreesanth 13 (26b, 2x4), E. Morgan c Dhoni b Sreesanth 1 (10b), R. Bopara (batting) 44 (75b, 3x4), M. Prior (batting) 18 (28b, 2x4); Extras (b-6, lb-8, nb-10, w-7): 31. Total (for six wickets decl. in 153 overs): 591.

Fall of wickets: 1-75 (Cook), 2-97 (Strauss), 3-447 (Pietersen), 4-480 (Anderson), 5-487 (Morgan), 6-548 (Bell).

India bowling: R.P. Singh 34-7-118-0, Ishant 31-7-97-1, Sreesanth 29-2-123-3, Raina 19-2-58-2, Mishra 38-3-170-0, Tendulkar 2-0-11-0.

India — 1st innings: V. Sehwag lbw b Anderson 8 (6b, 2x4), R. Dravid (batting) 57 (108b, 9x4), V.V.S. Laxman c Prior b Broad 2 (7b), S. Tendulkar c Anderson b Swann 23 (34b, 4x4), S. Raina st. Prior b Dhoni 0 (29b), Ishant c Cook b Swann 1 (9b), M.S. Dhoni (batting) 5 (5b, 1x4); Extras (lb-5, w-2): 7. Total (for five wickets in 33 overs): 103.

Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Sehwag), 2-13 (Laxman), 3-68 (Tendulkar), 4-93 (Raina), 5-95 (Ishant).
England bowling: Anderson 5-1-21-1, Broad 10-1-22-1, Bresnan 7-0-25-0, Swann 10-3-27-3, Pietersen 1-0-3-0.