Strong-minded Strauss Passes His Biggest Test So Far

They must be glad they came. A famous, unexpected victory is within their compass. And instead of the names of administrators Reg Dickason, Sean Morris or Lalit Modi, slipping from everyone's lips we are talking of Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood. Cricketers. This is progress.

Strauss has embarked on the match of his life. Already he has contributed 196 runs and there is plenty of time to add more. He has not played a first-class innings since September. Geoffrey Boycott must be surprised.

Collingwood, an able ally in a crucial partnership of 129, which allowed England to finish the third day 247 runs ahead of India with seven wickets remaining, offered his explanation. 'We are professional cricketers. We should be able to play in adverse conditions and adjust our games. It is not a technical thing, but a mental one.' Strauss, he confirmed was 'mentally fresh'.

Gary Kirsten, India's coach, also appreciated Strauss's innings. It was the sort of knock that Kirsten himself played many times for South Africa, an unassuming, almost anonymous effort during which he never appeared flustered. Only when we glanced at the scoreboard did it become clear that Strauss, supposedly the tortoise, was cruising along on a surface that has, so far, defeated his more glamorous peers on either side.

'He played exceptionally well', said Kirsten. 'He is an experienced Test match batsman. He understood the bowlers. He understood the conditions and how to play in them'. Strauss's method was beautifully simple, though slightly different to the first innings. Throughout his century on Thursday he swept constantly, which frustrated the Indian spinners, but that shot was less in evidence yesterday. This was because India adjusted their field placements to protect against the stroke and because the pitch was becoming more unreliable so the sweep became a riskier option.

Instead Strauss, judging the length of the ball impeccably, stayed on the back foot as often as possible and deftly knocked it into the gaps on either side of the wicket: a simple method often so difficult to execute. It requires confidence and relaxation to wait and play late.

Strauss's position in the Test side has not been secure during the past year. It will be now. Collingwood's status has also been fragile, along with Bell's. Last night Collingwood, wittingly or not, hinted at one of the differences between him and Bell. 'The most satisfying innings are those played in real pressure situations,' he said after acknowledging that the game was 'on a knife edge' when he came out to bat after Kevin Pietersen's dismissal, with the score on 43-3.

Collingwood, for all his technical frailties, has played a number of significant innings for England; Bell, who has scored just as many runs, can point to few. Bell has more talent, Collingwood more bottle. Ultimately bottle is more important. Meanwhile Owais Shah hovers on the sidelines. For Mohali, at least, Collingwood, after his innings of 60 not out yesterday, is absolutely certain to retain his place. Bell must wait and see.

So England have the chance to register their best Test win since they defeated India in Mumbai in March 2006. Their first innings lead of 75 was crucial. For the first hour it seemed as if that lead might be tiny, so easily did Mahendra Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh score runs.

As ever Andrew Flintoff was England's likeliest paceman, which leaves Pietersen with the perennial dilemma for England's captains: 'How the devil do I ration Flintoff's overs?'

Eventually Monty Panesar had Harbhajan caught at short-leg, propping forward tentatively, not a mode of dismissal that the warrior off-spinner will enjoy. This prompted the recall of Flintoff, who soon dispensed with Zaheer Khan, palpably lbw. Then Dhoni, fretting about being abandoned with the tail, attempted an ambitious shot. He tried to hit Panesar out of the ground but was caught by Pietersen at deep mid-off.

Dhoni's dismissal confirmed the notion that this is a pitch for delicate artisans, like Strauss. There was a little flurry from the tail but England were batting 15 minutes after lunch.

Their progress was slow. They were grateful for Ishant Sharma's no-balls but a legitimate delivery found the outside edge of Alastair Cook's bat. Bell was soon defeated by a tricky delivery from Amit Mishra that popped up from a pitch beginning to disintegrate, on to the batsman's gloves and into the hands of Gautam Gambhir at short-leg.

Enter Pietersen. Dhoni immediately removed Sharma, his pace spearhead, and introduced Yuvraj Singh, his occasional left-arm spinner. The Indian captain was toying with his opposite number exquisitely. The egos had landed on the square at Chepauk. One moment Dhoni's bowling change seemed a mischievous decision, the next a stroke of genius.

Pietersen propped forward to Yuvraj's first delivery and missed it. Instead the ball thudded into his front pad. It may not surprise you that Yuvraj chose to appeal, nor that he embarked upon a little celebration when umpire Daryl Harper's finger was raised. How could Pietersen miss such a straightforward delivery? Here was a moment for those trained in the peculiar workings of the mind since Dhoni and Yuvraj had got inside Pietersen's head. I refer you to Brearley.

That felt like the critical wicket but now the two phlegmatic old pros set to work. Collingwood, by his own admission, batted with more aggression than in the first innings. He plays better that way. There were two lofted drives off Mishra to demonstrate his intent.

By the close no such risks were necessary. The field was spread and Strauss and Collingwood nurdled their singles with authority. A stunning Test win was on the horizon and all the agonizing of the past 10 days seemed worthwhile.