Giles thwarts Tendulkar

Elegant century not enough for India in second test

Sachin Tendulkar, watched by England wicketkeeper James Foster, moves up to third in the all-time list of test match centurions. AP

AHMADABAD, India (AP) -- Left-arm spinner Ashley Giles claimed five wickets to secure England a 116-run first-innings lead against India on the third day of the second cricket test in the western city of Ahmadabad on Thursday. India's star batsman Sachin Tendulkar posted his 27th test century.

Giles' career-best spell of five for 67 runs skittled India out for 291, far behind England's first innings score of 407.

England, which claimed the last six Indian wickets for 80 runs, was 15 for no loss in its second knock at the draw of stumps. Marcus Trescothick was batting on 10 and Mark Butcher on five.

The Indian batting caved in against England's disciplined bowling despite Tendulkar's fluent 103.

Tendulkar's century put him among test cricket's top centurions. India's Sunil Gavaskar holds top honors, with 34 centuries, followed by Australia's Donald Bradman, who scored 29 hundreds. Two Australians, Allan Border and Steve Waugh, share third place with Tendulkar.

Giles said it was a "fantastic feeling" to come back from a persistent Achilles injury, which had also kept him out of last week's series opener against India.

"We've shown a lot of courage in this test after being written off," Giles said.

Tendulkar said Giles was a "very good bowler and has proved his worth."

"England's played better than us so far ... It's now up to us to try and match them," Tendulkar said.

He said India's first-innings total was "disappointing as the wicket is still a good one."

"To be honest it's still a good pitch to bat on ... There's a bit of turn, but not too much," he said. "I think it's going to get more difficult for batting on the fifth day."

While adding just 35 runs to his overnight score of two during the two-hour morning session, Tendulkar went after the English bowling following lunch.

Tendulkar struck 12 boundaries and one six from 197 balls faced in his 254-minute knock before miscuing an intended on-drive against paceman Matthew Hoggard to skipper Nasser Hussain at mid-on.

Hussain managed to hold on to the catch to provide a respite to England's bowlers.

Tendulkar had hammered Hoggard severely before becoming his second victim. He cut loose against Hoggard with boundaries to mid-wicket and point in one over.

Continuing his assault, Tendulkar took 11 runs off Hoggard's next over, sending him crashing to the mid-on and mid-wicket fence and running three off a flick to square-leg.

Tendulkar clouted off-spinner Richard Dawson for a massive six over long-on and completed his century by pulling Hoggard to the mid-wicket boundary off the second new ball.

Reduced to the role of a spectator as Tendulkar went into the overdrive during their 118-run partnership for the fifth wicket, Laxman struck nine boundaries in his 297-minute knock of 75.

Laxman did the bulk of scoring as India's lower order faltered before he was the last man out trying to hit Giles over the top.

Giles had earlier claimed the wickets of Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath in three successive overs.

England's tactics of frustrating the batsmen succeeded as Rahul Dravid and skipper Sourav Ganguly fell chasing deliveries wide outside the off stump.

Tendulkar said he was not bothered by England's defensive bowling strategy.

"That's what cricket's is all about ... You're not going to get the ball where you want every day and every innings," he said. "Sometimes the opposition works on your patience."

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