England set India huge target

Hoping to build a major lead, while also giving themselves enough time to bowl out India, the tourists instead struggled in the middle session of the fourth day and added only 57 runs in 22.5 overs.

Resuming 247 runs ahead on 172 for three at the Chepauk Stadium, instead of building on centuries from Andrew Strauss (108) and Paul Collingwood (108) the tourists struggled to impose themselves and eventually declared on 311 for nine, setting India a target of 387 to win.

Middlesex left-hander Strauss had earlier progressed from his overnight 73 to become only the 10th England batsman in history to score centuries in both innings of a Test and only the fourth ever in India.

He was followed to the landmark by Collingwood after lunch, who claimed his second century in three Tests, before their 214-run stand was finally ended off the next ball when Strauss drove Harbhajan Singh to extra cover.

It was England's third-highest stand ever in India, but instead of setting the platform for an acceleration in their scoring rate, the tourists instead collapsed and lost five wickets in 16 overs up to tea.

All-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who may have been relied upon to increase the scoring rate, fell three overs later, edging seamer Ishant Sharma behind, and Collingwood's six-hour stay at the crease was ended six overs later when he was given lbw to left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan.

Zaheer claimed two further wickets before the interval, knocking back Graeme Swann's leg stump and re-arranging Steve Harmison's stumps to further restrict England's hopes of progressing quickly. And when Matt Prior was dismissed shortly after tea Kevin Pietersen declared.