There are times when a low-scoring day can be absorbing. The ball nipping around, maybe, in damp conditions, bowlers in the ascendancy and batting a difficult enterprise, each run eked out and the tension high. Yesterday in Mohali was not one of those days. Only 154 runs came off the willow in conditions that, as Yuvraj Singh showed late in the day, were still batsman-friendly, and for the most part it was grim to watch.

Both teams gave the impression that victory is beyond them, which is more of an indictment of India than England, given that they had garnered a first-innings lead of 151. The run-out of Virender Sehwag, some excellent England bowling and a lack of purpose from Sehwag's colleagues contributed to an afternoon session in which only 47 runs were scored. It seemed that India's ambitions died in that session, an impression confirmed when they accepted the umpires' offer of bad light with 13 overs remaining in the day and a lead of 285.

Kevin Pietersen had conceded on the third evening that victory was probably beyond his team and in the morning, when England lost their last four wickets for 20 runs in 45 minutes, it looked as though they had half an eye on the plane home and the Christmas bird roasting in the oven. The sight of the Barmy Army in Santa Claus outfits, singing carols and hoisting inflatable turkeys in the air, probably did not help. Then again, it may just have been a good old-fashioned England batting collapse, no explanation needed.

Matt Prior feathered one down the leg side off Harbhajan Singh; Stuart Broad, normally so clear-headed, inexplicably left a straight ball; Graeme Swann was undone by a superb piece of swing bowling by Zaheer Khan, who set him up with an outswinger, then, next ball, darted one back, much quicker, through his defence and Monty Panesar played such a bizarre innings, during which it looked as though he had taken a wager on how quickly he could get himself out, that it came as blessed relief when he was snapped up by Gautam Gambhir at short leg. The last six wickets, including those of Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff the night before, had fallen for 22 runs in 13 overs, which is something of an achievement, even by England's standards.

It turned out, though, that they had been teasing us all along. There we were ready for some Indian hammer in the afternoon and a late declaration to set up a nervy last day, when Pietersen's men showed their mettle. They may not return to England with much silverware but there have been times - and the afternoon session was one of those - when they have looked like a team in the making. It is what makes the batting collapse in Mohali, and the second-innings performance in Madras (Chennai) so infuriating. Do we expect too much, I wonder?

What Pietersen expected, as he made clear before the game when he dropped Stephen Harmison, was character and commitment, and he got them in spades after lunch. James Anderson's first three overs went for 23 but then he bowled four maidens on the bounce and later began to dart the old ball this way and that. Broad bounded in and located a perfect length for the conditions - not full enough to drive, not short enough to play back to comfortably. And Flintoff was, well, Flintoff; the sight of him steaming in and bearing down on batsmen is enough to gladden the homesick heart of any England supporter.

Sehwag's dismissal was the key one and it came when he drilled a drive back at Broad, who did well to half-stop it. Sehwag, not a cricketer for whom convention means a fig, ran on the misfield and Ian Bell was alert enough to swoop, dive and demolish the stumps, Jonty Rhodes-style, before Sehwag had made his ground. Rahul Dravid then fretted for 19 balls before getting an under-edge to a shooter from Broad and the momentum was lost. Sachin Tendulkar steered one wearily to gully, to prove that not even he can climb Everest twice in a week, and V.V.S. Laxman was not so much very, very special as very, very slow to respond to Gambhir's call for a quick single. Four down for 80; ambition thwarted.

It needed Yuvraj to bring some cheer to the home crowd. Those taking an afternoon siesta were suddenly awoken by a certain froideur in the air when Yuvraj arrived at the crease. Pietersen, never one to field too close to the bat if he can help it, posted himself at leg slip, not so much within spitting distance - although he probably felt like doing that, too - as sledging distance. But the fun and games failed to materialise; Yuvraj stroked his first ball down the ground for four and then hit five more to the fence, one a huge, raking six over mid-wicket off Panesar. Later, he indulged in a bit of pantomime in the press conference, responding to Pietersen's claim that he is a pie-chucker, but on the field he let his bat do the talking - and very eloquent it was, too.

Scoreboard

India: First innings 453 (G Gambhir 179, R Dravid 136)

Second innings
G Gambhir not out 44
V Sehwag run out 17
R Dravid b Broad 0
S R Tendulkar c Swann b Anderson 5
V V S Laxman run out 15
Yuvraj Singh not out 39
Extras (b 4, lb 3, w 5, nb 2) 14
Total (4 wkts, 50 overs) 134

Fall of wickets 1-30 2-36 3-44 4-80.

Bowling Anderson 15-8-32-1; Broad 11-2-22-1; Flintoff 9-1-16-0; Swann 8-2-20-0; Panesar 7-0-37-0.

England: First innings (overnight 282-6)
J M Anderson not out 8
M J Prior c Dhoni b Harbhajan 2
S C J Broad b Harbhajan 1
G P Swann b Zaheer 3
M S Panesar c Gambhir b Harbhajan 5
Extras (b 1, lb 7, w 1, nb 6) 15
Total (83.5 overs) 302

Fall of wickets 1-0 2-1 3-104 4-131 5-280 6-282 7-285 8-290 9-293.

Bowling Zaheer 21-3-76-3; Sharma 12-0-55-1; Yuvraj 6-1-20-0; Harbhajan 20.5-2-68-4; Mishra 24-0-75-2.

Umpires Asad Rauf (Pakistan) and D J Harper (Australia).