India produced a strong batting performance to post a healthy score of 254 for 3 by close on Day 2 of the second Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Saturday.
Half-centuries from Dinesh Karthik (77), Wasim Jaffer (62) and Sachin Tendulkar, who was not out on 57, helped India take control.
Earlier, left-armer Zaheer Khan took 4 wickets for 59 runs as England were bowled out for 198 in their first innings.
It all went to plan for India as they consolidated on the good showing of Day 1. First, the bowlers took no time in cleaning up the last three English batsmen, and then the openers held out bravely against the England pacers.
Veteran leg-spinner Anil Kumble took two of the three wickets to fall today and finish with 3 for 32 in 12.3 overs.
Morning session: (69 runs, 3 wickets, 26.3 overs)
England resumed on the second morning at 169 for 7 under bright skies and no imminent threat of rain. Anil Kumble got the first wicket of the day when he bowled Chris Tremlett for 20 with his trademark sliding delivery.
Monty Panesar didn't offer much resistance and was caught in the slips off Zaheer for 1 to give the left-armer his fourth wicket of the innings.
Ryan Sidebottom garnered some vital runs in the end as he took much of the strike and tried to protect last man James Anderson.
But Kumble, who threatened throughout the morning session, cleaned up Anderson as the batsman dragged the the ball on to his stumps.
England were out for 198 in 65.3 overs. It took the Indian bowlers 10.3 overs to clean up the tail as England just added 29 runs to their overnight total.
The pitch is still helping the seam bowlers a great deal and it is vital that the Indian openers stay at the crease for as long as possible. With the sun shining brightly, the pitch will get better for the batting and the batsmen need to ensure that they follow up on the good work of their bowlers.
India innings:
The Indian openers started off solidly, as both batsmen looked to grind it out in the middle. Karthik hit a couple of streaky boundaries at the start of his innings, but then settled down nicely.
Jaffer was keen on just staying out there in the middle and played with a lot of discipline. He knew exactly where his off stump was and never really looked to play anything wide. In fact, the English bowlers bowled quite wide of the stumps and the Indian batsmen preferred to leave those deliveries alone.
At the lunch break, India reached 40 for no loss in 15 overs with Karthik unbeaten on 15 and Jaffer looking solid on 15.
It was a very important session as far as the Indian batting is concerned and both openers successfully negotiated the new ball. They showed a lot of concentration and discipline, forcing the England bowlers to make mistakes.
India will now be hoping for another good session with the bat after lunch, so they firmly press their advantage home.
Post-lunch session: (109 runs, 1 wicket, 30 overs)
Karthik started the session in style when he smashed Sidebottom through the off-side for a cracking boundary.
Having seen what Sourav Ganguly did with his medium pacers, England brought on Paul Collingwood into the attack. His over was dramatic, to say the least, as Karthik hit him for a couple of boundaries though there were a few scary moments for the batsman, as the ball fell short of the fielder twice.
Next over from Tremlett, Jaffer on 32, was dropped by Ian Bell at gully as he got a thick edge attempting a drive through the off-side. India were starting to cruise; they scored 32 runs in two overs to move to 72 for no loss in 24 overs.
Collingwood proved ineffective, giving away 18 runs in 3 overs before making way for Monty Panesar.
The England left-arm spinner nearly struck with his first ball, as Karthik was hit on the pads right in front of the stumps attempting a sweep shot.
Karthik failed as he tried to sweep an overpitched delivery from Panesar and seemed gone after a huge appeal from the England team, but South African umpire Ian Howell ruled him not out.
It happened in the next over too, and again off the first ball, as Jaffer failed to read the arm ball and was struck just on the off-stump. Again, umpire Howell ruled him not out, but Monty walked back to his bowling mark perhaps thinking had it been any other umpire and he would have had two wickets in two overs.
The Indians then shifted gears as they took on Panesar. Jaffer lofted him straight down the ground for a boundary, followed by a lofted shot over covers by Karthik. That shot also brought up Karthik's half-century, his second successive one in as many innings, off 95 deliveries, as India reached a solid 98 for no loss in 31 overs.
The two Indian batsmen were looking very comfortable at the crease, though with odd moments here and there, when they received surprise deliveries. And that is what exactly happened in the 43rd over when a short delivery from Tremlett bounced more than Jaffer expected, hitting him on his gloves and on the way to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
Jaffer was out after an important knock of 62, which helped India drive home the advantage. He hit seven boundaries in his 123-ball knock, blossoming after a slow start, adding 147 runs for the opening wicket with Karthik.
On the other hand, Karthik changed gears completely after the lunch break.
In the first session, he had scored 20 off 52 balls, but after the break he cut loose, smashing 52 off 70 deliveries.
At the tea break, India reached a healthy 149 for 1 in 45 overs, with Karthik unbeaten on a fine knock of 77.
It was a perfect launching pad for Rahul Dravid and the rest of the middle order to post a huge first innings score. The pitch was also playing better than the first day and once a batsman got settled, runs were easy to come.
Post-tea session: (105 runs, 2 wickets, 34 overs)
India lost a wicket on the first ball after tea when Karthik was caught at short-leg off Panesar.
The Chennai batsman, on 77, tried to drive through the leg side but the inside edge off the pads when straight to Alastair Cook.
Tendulkar started off confidently and found the middle of the bat right from the start. But even he faced a few shaky moments, especially when facing the impressive Tremlett. He was also once struck on the helmet by a rising delivery from Anderson, but continued to work hard for his runs.
Once the initial settling down period was through, Tendulkar looked quite comfortable and his timing was perfect. Dravid played his usual role of trying to hold the innings from the other end. The two batsmen knew that India's hopes of a huge first innings score largely rested on their experienced shoulders and they did not want to let their team down as they did at Lord's.
Tendulkar hit a beautiful cover drive off Panesar in the 68th over to move to 27 and bring up 11,000 runs in international cricket, a feat only achieved by Brian Lara and Allan Border.
The trademark cover drives and flicks were suddenly back in business as Tendulkar looked to shift gears. He coasted to his half-century from 99 deliveries, inclusive of six boundaries, in the 75th over of the innings courtesy a cheeky paddle shot against Panesar.
His amazing run at the Trent Bridge ground continued, as he registered his fourth fifty-plus innings at the venue.
Dravid also seemed quite at ease in the middle, but a brilliant piece of fielding brought up his dismissal. He played an uppish tentative drive on the off-side and Bell at short cover completed a good diving catch to send him back for 37. The Indian captain added 97 runs for the third wicket with Tendulkar and was looking good for a big knock before he was dismissed.
Sourav Ganguly got off the mark with a lovely boundary through the off-side off Panesar. That was the last over of the day as the batsmen took the umpire's offer of light with six overs left.
At close on day two, India reached a comfortable 254 for 3, with Tendulkar looking good on 57 not out. His 111-ball knock contained six boundaries. His sheer presence at the crease on the third morning will serve as a big boost for India. Ganguly was not out on 4.
With V V S Laxman and M S Dhoni yet to come, India will no doubt, hope for clear weather and loads of runs on the third morning. The first hour will once again be quite testing for the batsmen but once they get over it, they should have no real problems as the day progresses.
Panesar, with 2 for 50 in 18 overs, was England's most successful bowler for the day, but the Indians did play him better than they did at Lord's.
