Slow progress for England

England lost both openers for the addition of only two runs between them on the second morning of the fourth npower Test at The Oval.

On a day Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook must have set aside for long stays at the crease, after keeping out a lacklustre India attack under heavy cloud cover on Thursday, they could turn their combined 72 into only 74.

England nonetheless managed to move from an overnight 75 without loss to 126 for two by lunchtime, in glorious conditions apparently made for batting.

Cook (34) swished his bat in frustration after following some away swing from Ishant Sharma and edging the fifth ball of the day straight to second slip.

Sharma was the cornerstone of an India bowling display which was much-improved from their efforts in the 26 overs possible before rain wiped out two full sessions on day one.

He gave Strauss in particular no leeway in a spell of 6-3-7-1 from the Vauxhall end, and RP Singh was accurate enough too to be barely recognisable from the bowler who struggled so evidently on Thursday in his first Test for more than three years.

Sharma could still take much of the credit, however, when - having made two runs from 32 balls in an hour's batting - Strauss went for 40 after some full-length width from Shantha Sreesanth and edged tamely into Mahendra Singh Dhoni's gloves.

Ian Bell, who had himself taken 10 balls to get off the mark, was typically fluent once under way - and Kevin Pietersen joined him to ease England into three figures.

There was a scare for the latter, from the very last ball of the session, when it appeared a glance off Sharma might possibly have carried to Suresh Raina at leg-slip. Pietersen survived on 18, though, after video replay suggested no proof the ball had been cleanly taken.

The world's number one Test team were therefore still in encouraging shape to make the most of an obvious opportunity to bat India out of this match on a benign surface.