Stemming the rot

After a very long time, Kumble is playing the kind of innings I thought he'd play more frequently after his 88 at Eden Gardens against South Africa during the 1996/97 series. India might still be bowled out tonight, but this score of 289-7, observed upon waking up bleary-eyed this morning ("waking-up" might still be an exaggeration), is a pleasant change from the situation at lunch. And at the other end, busy resurrecting his test career with another innings of character, is Kaif.

This situation might be frustrating for those Indian fans that had expected to watch a day of leather-lashing handed out by the hyped Indian batting line-up, but it represents a very good fightback from the terrible situation they had found themselves in before lunch. Even on pitches like this, an attack of three bowlers capable of reverse swing was always going to be tough. If nothing else, this will have been a very good learning experience for them, regardless of the final outcome of this game.