Anderson removes India top order after England make 330

NAGPUR: Fast bowler James Anderson removed India's brittle top order to leave them tottering on 87 for 4 at the close - a scoreline that included failures for Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar - in reply to England's 330.

Debutant Joe Root, the youngest player in the England side who compiled a outstanding 73, and Graeme Swann, the oldest with a lively half-century, had done the bulk of the scoring for the first part of the day but throughout England's long occupation of the crease - 145 overs - the one cry going up was 'wait for Sehwag', a player rarely dictated to by conditions.

With his second delivery to Sehwag he produced a wicked inswinger which, unusually for a Test opener, beat the outside edge to take out middle stump. It was high-class pace bowling; it is an obvious thing to say that batsmen are most vulnerable when they start, but it takes great skill from a bowler to take advantage in such style. While it was not an immediate end to India's hopes, Sehwag's early departure ensured that England, even when they weren't taking wickets, would have been confident of controlling the game.

Tendulkar, caught on the crease, got an inside edge into the stumps having been caught playing off the back foot when everything to date in the match has told batsmen to get forward. Anderson had become the most successful bowler against Tendulkar in Test cricket.