Perfect morning for England even after Gambhir and Dravid got off to a bit of a flyer. Broad and Bres get 2 a piece and I struggle to see how Bresnan can be left out now even when Tremlett is fit.

It's a great position to be in when we could probably play with 5 specialist batsmen with Prior, Bres, Broad and Swann at 6-9 and stiill one of the best mid-lower orders in the world. They're a scary propostion at 7-10 for anyone and if we use Jimmy as nighchman they'd be 8-11! Swann would probably bat 8 in most test sides in the world .

Unless it's a bit of a green seamer and the cloud comes in, I'm struggling to see India taking the 20 wickets they need to win the game anyway without Zaheer and the Turbanator. If England can knock them over cheaply first time around I reckon it could be job done by Saturday.

Indian pub team all out for 224.

Cook and Strauss arre making this look like a different wicket.
The difference in quality between the 2 bowling attacks is ridiculous.

The real test will be in the winter - hopefully we now have batsmen patient enough to bat all day on their slow, low tracks. I'm sure our bowlers can win at least one test for us.

I don't know about you lot, but I feel bloody privileged to be watching such a dominant England test match team in their prime.

It's a joy to watch.

Absolutely...long may it continue!

Innit just. It's not that along ago I wondered if I'd see an England side string two wins together, never mind this sort of consistent performance.

Sure is mate, fantastic.

After seeing the new pavillion at Egbaston, in detail at tea; and the recentish developments at Trent Bridge and the Oval I am still shaking my head abou who commissioned the piece off junk that was built at Headingley. We must be lagging miles behind as a Test venue now and surely even Lancs won't mess it up as much as we have!

I hate to throw a negative into all this, but Eoin Morgan is not a test player.....I'd very quickly get him out of there and get another youngster in the side.

Morgan looks like a modern day Neil Fairbrother....One day wonder, poor Test match player.

If he struggles against this attack, god knows what the South Africans will do to him....

Relentless stuff from England with bat and ball, India just can't handle it and more and more look like they can't want to be out of here.

If the weather holds, and we score another quick lot of runs I wouldn't be too shocked if they crumble and this is over tomorrow.

Fantastic! I've waited nearly forty years for this. Luckily the ECB (unlike their Indian counterparts) prioritises the Test Match game. The boffins who calculate the Test Match rankings have backdated all their results and apparently the last time England was No.1 was under Ray Illingworth in the late 60's/early 70's, and even then there was the proviso that the brilliant South Africa side of Barry Richards, Graeme Pollock, Mike Procter etc. was barred during the Apartheid era. Going back further we were last the best from 1953-59.

Once again, while I'd like to stress it's great England are so excellent, it's a shame the Indians don't seem to take the Test game as seriously as we do, which might have made for a more compelling series. England's preparations for last Winter's Ashes series were excellent. A two month break after our domestic season followed by a series of proper First Class matches in Australia ahead of the First Test. India, in this series, resemble the England ODI team that pitched up for the World Cup: some players worn out from months of continuous cricket, others undercooked - as a team, strangely jaded yet unprepared for the prevailing conditions. The ODI World Cup, the IPL, a tour of West Indies all squeezed into the last four months or so.

It's sad the BCCI didn't take this tour of England as seriously as the ECB took the tour of Australia.

India are generally a poor touring team but a completely different proposition at home. Australia at their peak with Warne and co failed to win a series there.

340 ahead, still 7 wickets in hand I'm pretty sure if we won't need to bat again.

Farcical scenes now. Apparently it's too dark to be safe for the Indian fast bowlers to operate and Edgbaston have lost power to the lights, so everyone has to pack up and go off. Deary me.

Typical middle-order collapse

Off they go again, almost as ridiculous as the fact we are still batting.

Just wait 'til Sehwag's back they said!!!!!!!! lol

S.

And, FWIW, those who are trying to pick negatives out of the best England team in more than a generation need their heads testing. Why can't you just enjoy us dismantling teams! You must have watched Australia in the 90s and thought 'jesus, why can't we do that?'

Hey, I'm enjoying it as much as the next man, but, quite simply, when Morgan comes up against a good quality attack, he will be found out....Steyn and Morkel will tear him to pieces.

Yes, he got a hundred, but the two lives he got were almost comical.....A 2ndXI club fielder would have been shame-faced at those dropped chances.

The only saving grace for Morgan, is that he may just have the luck of his fellow countrymen...

Regardless of how many runs we had, Cooks score and how many wickets we had lost I think we were always going to declare about an hour before close.

I see no problem with that as it means the openers have to face the new ball twice. It also worked perfectly and we are pretty unlucky to not have them 2 down. Remember there are still 180 overs in the match - if they save the test from here it'd be nothing short of miraculous.

On another note, Cook was awful to watch today, really awful and yet there was still something immensely satisfying in watching him accumulate 1s and 2s and grind them into the dirt!

They really do need to sort out the rules on bad light. On the second day they went off for a brief shower. As they went off Davis took a light reading, one of the commentators said "That will set the standard for the rest of the match". But there was no suggestion that the light was bad, just that it was spitting. So why should a light reading at that time set the benchmark? Loved reading this: www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/eng ... 1i9y7.html

They really do need to sort out the rules on bad light. On the second day they went off for a brief shower. As they went off Davis took a light reading, one of the commentators said "That will set the standard for the rest of the match". But there was no suggestion that the light was bad, just that it was spitting. So why should a light reading at that time set the benchmark? Loved reading this: www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/eng ... 1i9y7.html

Looks like India might just make it through to lunch.

Bresnan sends England to number 1.