India edge ahead in tight contest

India 238 for 7 (Goswami 69) lead England 223 (Atkins 73) by 15 runs
Scorecard

This was a day for the diehards. India's batsmen continued where they left off yesterday, in painstakingly slow fashion, as they crawled to a 238 for 7, at barely two an over. By the close they had sneaked ahead of England's total - itself an innings to test the patience - and they still had three wickets intact.

Katherine Brunt got England's day off to a flyer, trapping both openers Karu Jain and Monica Sumra lbw early on (34 for 2). Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj rallied to add 85 for the third wicket, and India built on their innings from there.

But not, alas, in electrifying fashion. Tight bowling from England made their progress slow at best, with Jenny Gunn finishing the day with the ridiculously economical figures of 29 overs for 42 runs.

Goswami went on to top score with 69 from 288 balls, an innings compiled over more than four hours. Then the England captain Charlotte Edwards made the breakthrough. Raj just missed out on her half-century; she made 47 before being trapped lbw by Gunn. Anjum Chopra became the tenth lbw victim of this match shortly afterwards, when she was also undone by Edwards, for 22.

Needless to say this pitch is slow and low and, unless there is a clatter of wickets, this game has got bore-draw written all over it.