An unbeaten Tim Bresnan century ensured the Lions ended day one with the balance fully in their favourIndia had one of their worst days on the England tour so far and their inability to finish off the tail is frustrating and mind-boggling at the same time. Yet again, a second-strung team caused plenty of trouble for the Indian bowlers. A score of 379-8 in one day does not bode too well for a pace/spin attack of a national side. I reckon even Bangladesh would have done a better job. The only positive for India was Zaheer Khan who seems to roaring back in form.

The biggest disappointment must be Ishant Sharma. One begs to wonder if these so-called youngsters have the mental strength to play at this level. They may be talented but on a cricket field, you need to use your mind to fully utilize your own talent. Sadly, at the moment, both Ishant Sharma and Ranadeb Bose have failed to do that. However, all said and done, they are here for a reason, so I guess another chance may well come their way. At the moment, though, the pace attack seems to be Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and RP Singh with Anil Kumble as the lone spinner.

For England Lions, the biggest disappointment was Andrew Strauss. The struggling batsman played and missed a beauty from Zaheer Khan only to hear the off stump rattled off a few paces. Had it not been for a big partnership (129 runs to be precise) between  Bresnan and Stuart Broad, India may have had a much better outing. Bresnan is unbeaten on 116 and Broad was the last man out scoring an even 50 runs.

With the bowling almost over, the focus will shift to how India bat. This match actually reminds you of the famous Bollywood movie, Lagaan. England batted first then and scored in excess of 300 runs. Looks to me that Tendulkar may have to become Aamir Khan to save face for his country. Just wishful thinking.

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