England's skipper Andrew Strauss declared their first innings for 474/8, as soon as Kevin Pietersen completed his double century on the second day of the Lord's Test on Friday.
In his 326-ball marathon knock, Pietersen hit 21 exquisite boundaries and one maximum and shared two century stands, first with Ian Bell and later with Matt Prior.
Indian skipper MS Dhoni, like many other occasions in the past, surprised one and all when he turned up for the session after lunch without donning the wicketkeeping gloves. It could well be a knee-jerk reaction after Zaheer was ruled out of bowling in the second day's play.
But the decision seemed to have paid instantly when Dhoni's leg-cutter almost induced an outside edge from Pietersen's bat. On-field umpire Billy Bowden raised his finger, but the batsmen thought otherwise and asked for a decision review.
Despite innumerable replays when it was still unclear that whether the ball had actually hit the bat before going into the hands of makeshift keeper RahulDravid, umpire overturned his decision to give the batsman not out.
Earlier, India could only manage one wicket in the opening session of the second day's play at Lord's as England reached 217/3 at Lunch on Friday.
Kevin Pietersen (71) and Ian Bell (28) were the not out batsmen when players left for lunch.
England were 127/2 when bad light stopped play on the opening day of the Lord's Test on Thursday.
Jonathan Trott (58) and Kevin Pietersen (22) were on the wicket when early tea was taken due to bad light.
The home team lost the wicket of Alastair Cook in 21 overs bowled in the first session of play, with Andrew Strauss (20) and Jonathan Trott (9) on the wicket.
The two batsmen went about their business without taking any risk, after they lost the wicket of skipper Andrew Strauss (22) straight after lunch.
Earlier, England made a slow start in their first innings and reached 43/1 at lunch on the opening day.
The home team lost the wicket of Alastair Cook (12) in 21 overs bowled in the first session of play, with Strauss (20) and Jonathan Trott (9) on the wicket.
England got off to a sedate start in their first innings after MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to field.
Zaheer and Praveen Kumar, as expected, made full use of the overcast conditions by getting the ball move on both sides off the pitch.
Earlier, England got off to a sedate start in their first innings after MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to field.
Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar, as expected, made full use of the overcast conditions by getting the ball move on both sides off the pitch.
England openers, captain Strauss and Cook, took the innings forward patiently. Strauss survived an early scare when Cook, while on strike, sent his skipper back after calling him for a single. Ishant Sharma, standing at short mid-on, could not hit the stumps.
Zaheer provided India their first breakthrough when he trapped Cook right in front of the wickets. Zaheer, after testing the English opener with away-going deliveries, bowled one that snaked into the left-hander, thus surprising him completely.
All the Indian bowlers kept the ball up to the batsmen, to make them drive. Strauss played a very unlike him innings, as his first four came on the 48th ball he faced.
Trott, who has been among runs in the past year so, looked in good touch from the beginning. The right-hander tried to play the Indian bowlers late, to negate the movement they were deriving from the pitch.
