Turn of the screw: India outplayed at own game

Pietersen though had also proved that aggression was the best form of defence on such wickets. The Indians in contrast looked like novices against the wiles of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann. They remained stuck to the crease and quite clueless, even the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni.

While India's three spinners hardly managed to bother Pietersen during his brutal knock, Panesar looked unplayable at times. While returning match-figures of 11/210, he also provided a master-class on spin-bowling on a helpful track.

India's spin triumvirate tried aping the turbaned left-arm spinner's approach — a paradox on its own — but failed in their pursuit of dragging the English batsmen onto the front-foot like Panesar did so enchantingly.

At Mumbai, India played like a defeated lot. Not like a team that had dominated the same opposition a week ago. With the revenge theme now out of the picture, the series is also set up nicely for an intriguing climax in Kolkata and Nagpur.

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