In-form Strauss turns the screw on India

CRICKET: CHENNAI, India, Dec 13, 2008 - Andrew Strauss was poised for a century in each innings as England took charge of the first cricket Test against India at the Chidambaram stadium here on Saturday.

The tourists, enjoying a first innings lead of 75, recovered from a shaky 43-3 to post 172-3 in their second knock by stumps on the third day, an overall lead of 247 runs with seven wickets in hand. Left-handed Strauss, who made 123 in the first innings, was unbeaten at close on 73 and looking to become only the second Englishman after Graham Gooch to score two centuries in a Test against India.

Gooch made 333 and 123 against Mohammad Azharuddin’s men at Lord’s in 1990, a match England won by 247 runs. Paul Collingwood kept Strauss company at close on a polished 60, the pair having put on 129 for the unbroken fourth wicket after India, dismissed for 241 soon after lunch, grabbed three quick wickets before tea. Seamer Ishant Sharma had opener Alastair Cook caught behind for nine, before Ian Bell and skipper Kevin Pietersen fell in successive overs. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra used the bounce in the wicket to have Bell fending a catch to Gautam Gambhir at short-leg after the batsman had made seven. Next over, Pietersen was trapped leg-before off the first delivery by part-timer Yuvraj Singh, who came on ahead of frontline spinner Harbhajan Singh. But Strauss and Collingwood ensured England begin the last two days well-placed to force victory in the first match of the two-Test series.

ENGLAND - 1ST INNINGS 316
INDIA - 1ST INNINGS
G. Gambhir lbw b Swann	 	 19
V. Sehwag b Anderson	  	  9
R. Dravid lbw b Swann	  	  3
S. Tendulkar c and b Flintoff	 37
V. Laxman c and b Panesar	 24
Y. Singh c Flintoff b Harmison	 14
M. Dhoni c Pietersen b Panesar	 53
H. Singh c Bell b Panesar	 40
Zaheer Khan lbw b Flintoff	  1
A. Mishra b Flintoff	 	 12
I. Sharma not out	  	  8
Extras (b4, lb11, nb6)	 	 21
TOTAL				241

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-16 (Sehwag), 2-34 (Gambhir), 3-37 (Dravid), 4-98 (Laxman), 5-102 (Tendulkar), 
6-137 (Yuvraj), 7-212 (Harbhajan), 8-217 (Zaheer), 9-219 (Dhoni), 10-241 (Mishra).
BOWLING: Harmison 11-1-42-1, Anderson 11-3-28-1, Flintoff 18.4-2-49-3 (nb6), Swann 10-0-42-2, Panesar 19-4-65-3.
OVERS: 69.4.
	 
ENGLAND - 2ND INNINGS
A. Strauss not out	 	 73
A. Cook c Dhoni b Sharma	  9
I. Bell c Gambhir b Mishra	  7
K. Pietersen lbw b Yuvraj	  1
P. Collingwood not out	 	 60
Extras (b5, lb8, nb7, w2)	 22
TOTAL (for three wickets)	172

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-28 (Cook), 2-42 (Bell), 3-43 (Pietersen).
BOWLING: Zaheer 14-3-21-0 (w2), Sharma 10-0-31-1 (nb7), Mishra 11-0-47-1, Yuvraj 2-1-7-1, 
Harbhajan 11-0-31-0, Sehwag 6-0-22-0.
OVERS: 54.