Despite having the hosts at his mercy, India captain Rahul Dravid's baffling
decision not to enforce a follow-on threatens to boomerang as England grabbed
the opportunity with both hands and began the battle to save the third and final
cricket Test here today. 
Entrusted with the task of defying history by scoring 500 runs
in a minimum of 110 overs, England, in their second essay, reached 56 without
loss on the penultimate day with openers Alastair Cook (27) and Andrew Strauss
(23) in the middle. A win might require a miracle but the hosts
can hope to bat out the entire final day tomorrow to save the match.
Though left with a mountain to climb, the English opening pair found going
rather easy and milked the Indian attack with consummate ease on the penultimate
day.
Dravid's decision not to enforce a follow-on was a clue to
the negative mindset of the Indian captain who, it seemed, would be happy to
settle for a draw rather than go for an outright victory. India are already
1-0 up in the three-match series.
The decision was all the more surprising since the weatherman
had predicted rains on the last two days that will surely rob the Test of some
valuable time.
The Indian side also took long time before declaring their second innings at
180 for 6 just an hour before close.
Sourav Ganguly (57), VVS Laxman (46 not out) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (
36) were the batsmen to do well for India after England sliced
through the top order reducing India to 11 for 3 in the seventh over.
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