England thwarted by rain

While England's attempt to win the third Test ended in disappointment here yesterday as rain washed out the final day's play, Nasser Hussain's team could take comfort from their good form in the latter part of the three-match series against India.

Unseasonal rain had severely limited play on the fourth day and completely wiped out the fifth. England had been in a strong position to launch a drive for victory, which would have squared the series.

Saurav Ganguly, the India captain, praised England for fighting back strongly after losing the opening match of the three-Test series in less than four days. "The Englishmen came back well," he said. "They played good cricket, at Ahmedabad and here in Bangalore."

England are flying home for Christmas before returning to India for a one-day series next month. "It should be a good, tough series," Ganguly said.

Hussain applauded the efforts of his young team, adding that the India tour had been a good learning experience for newcomers like Matthew Hoggard, Richard Dawson and James Foster. "In the last four to five weeks, the youngsters have learnt more than they had learnt in a year in England," he said. "They have improved rapidly and I'm proud of them."