Owais Shah ready to step out of the shadows as Ian Bell faces the axe

As Andrew Strauss became only the 10th England player to score centuries in each innings of a Test, his Middlesex team-mate was again watching from the sidelines here - despite being the squad's most in-form batsman before a ball was bowled at the Chidambaram Stadium.

Even though Shah could not prevent Kevin Pietersen's men from being whitewashed in the one-day series, he looked in fine touch while hitting 58, 40, 72 and 66 not out in the final four games.

Yet, when it came to picking a Test team last week, the 30-year-old was once more surplus to requirements.

That has been pretty much the story of Shah's international career since he made his debut, in India, in March 2006.

Despite contributing 88 and 38 to England's series-squaring victory in Mumbai, the Karachi-born right-hander has played only one more Test - missing out in both innings against West Indies at Lord's in 2007. And neither of his two caps have been awarded strictly on merit.

In Mumbai, Shah was a late substitute for Alastair Cook, who went down with sickness on the morning of the match. And, 14 months later, he filled in for Michael Vaughan after he broke a finger. Now, though, Pietersen and coach Peter Moores can play him, by right, at No 3 for Friday's Second Test in Mohali.

England have invested a lot of time in Ian Bell (right). But his two cheap dismissals in the first game of the series, after he was dropped for the final one-dayer against India through lack of form, suggest it is time they looked elsewhere - at least for the time being.

The Warwickshire batsman has a model technique and his innings of 199 against South Africa at Lord's in July looked as though it would be the big breakthrough after a number of false starts.

In the end, though, the 26-year-old was fortunate to see out that series.

Now Bell is struggling in India while Shah, a fine player of spin, twiddles his thumbs.

After making competitive totals in this match, England will be tempted to leave well alone. But surely the time has come for Shah to step forward.