Das' 250 secures big Indian total Shiv Sunder Das completed 250 as India extended their total to 516 before being bowled out at Chelmsford. In reply Essex reached 173 for three by stumps on the second day. Das's marathon effort included four sixes and 32 fours, and came off 380 balls. This morning he extended his partnership with Sourav Ganguly to 105 before Ganguly was stumped by Barry Hyam off James Middlebrook for 74 (two sixes, 10 fours). Das added 78 with Ajit Agarkar before he was stumped for 20 off Timothy Phillips, who immediately added the scalp of Harbhajan Singh for nought. Das was finally dismissed by the last ball of the innings, caught by Mark Ilott to become Phillips' third wicket of the day. Tinu Yohannan took the first Essex wicket after the openers put on 55, bowling Clinton for 23. Robinson was caught by Wasim Jaffer off Harbhajan for 59, and the same combination accounted for Ravinder Bopara for 29. Andy Flower ended the day unbeaten on 45.

Boycott: I was terrified to play out a maiden over! Geoffrey Boycott would have been the ideal man for the situation India were in going into the last day of the second Test. Need a batsman to bat out an entire day, with the sun beating down, the wicket easing up and the bowlers tiring? You would never fear if Boycott were here. But not everybody has thought so. Almost 25 years ago, Boycott was picked to play in a Test when he was not in form, and then dropped after making a match-winning 246 - for slow scoring. "On the first day, I just grafted for the whole day, because I was lacking in confidence and form," says Boycott. "I made 106 and then, having slept on it, the next day I played nicely, scoring 140 in three-and-a -half hours. The main thing was that we won the game by five wickets." "The chairman of selectors, Mr Doug Insole, had this brainwave about brighter cricket. He'd actually dropped Ken Barrington two years ago for the same reasons and the media made a big thing of it," says Boycott.. "He was basically on a personal crusade about brighter cricket. It's probably one of the worst things that has happened to me in my whole career. There was a terrible stigma and it labelled me for life." The incident had a profound effect on Boycott. "For some time afterwards, I felt the weight and the pressure of it all, and I felt it set me back in my career," he says. "It's something that didn't help me at all. When I came back in the third Test at Edgbaston after sitting out the second Test, I was stumped against Bedi coming miles down the pitch. That's how terrified I was to play out a maiden over!"

Craig White ruled out of Leeds Test His bowling may not have set stands on fire, but Craig White has been in a rich vein of form with the bat in the Test series thus far. It is thus a blow to England's lower order that a side strain has ruled him out of the Headingley Test, due to start next week. The Yorkshireman reportedly suffered an abdominal muscle tear while bowling at Trent Bridge in the second Test. The injury is expected to sideline White for two to four weeks. But there was good news in return for England as their in-form middle-order bat John Crawley is expected to be fit for the third Test. Crawley injured his knee, and a cartilage tear was feared, but a scan revealed otherwise.

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