Hussain's gospel finds a willing disciple in The Vicar

Miracle of miracles. A whole day's cricket or at least that rarity, a day which did not involve craning your neck to the skies on the half hour or offering prayers to the met office.

After the first two days, in which barely a full day's play was possible, this was beyond the expectation of a capacity crowd at Trent Bridge and, to be honest, way beyond the expectations of the forecasters. It took time to get used to the rhythm of over after over rather than interruption after interruption. Nine overs were remaining when the umpires indicated it was time to go. The clock had struck seven and a gin and tonic must have been waiting because no one had the faintest idea why play was called off in perfect light with England poised to overtake India's first-innings score.

But no one could argue with the entertainment. In a televised interview broadcast at lunch, Nasser Hussain talked of the "peaks and troughs" of captaining England, while his fellow conversationalist – interviewer was stretching the point a bit – Michael Atherton ended the afternoon the richer by roughly £13,000 after a horse called Certain Justice, which had not won for two years, won the Letherby and Christopher Silver Salver Handicap at odds of 25-1. By all accounts, the former England captain remained the coolest man in the Channel 4 box as the four-year-old was driven out to victory at Newmarket. Never one for the extrovert celebration, Athers, not on the field and not off it.

The lunchtime discussion confirmed Hussain's intention to stand down after next summer's series against Zimbabwe and South Africa. Another thumping by the Australians or in the World Cup this winter might hasten the day, but Hussain gave the impression of a man absolutely in command of his job. Atherton, not a natural leader, was clearly puzzled by the concept of enjoying the captaincy and so it seemed for much of his record-breaking tenure of office. Real captains never give the impression that they are clueless, though inevitably there must be times when even the most innovative captain plain runs out of ideas. It just appeared from afar that Atherton reached that point much earlier than Hussain.

The difference in their demeanour on the field illustrates the point. Hussain has an imperious bearing as every move has been choreographed to perfection and the batsmen are mere hapless pawns in the game; Atherton's brow perpetually resembled a rumpled old carpet. Any batsman looking at Atherton would automatically feel cheerier. That was just Atherton's way, unchanging even through an afternoon of triumph at the races.

Hussain has now inherited the mantle of being the "best captain since Mike Brearley". Often it comes with the unwanted footnote of "and a better batsman." No question on either count. What upsets Hussain more than anything is the belief that individual performance might somehow override the requirements of the team. That might mean selfishness with the bat, not thinking about the needs of fellow players, but, mostly, the momentary idleness of thought which can precipitate a collective collapse of concentration. It is, said Hussain, the curse of the "I've done my bit" mentality. England have come a long way since the days of Geoff Boycott.

If Hussain had reason to blow his top – and his prowling at wide mid-off suggested the volcanoes were burning – then yesterday morning was the legitimate moment. With the ball swinging and Harbhajan Singh flailing to good effect, England's bowlers were panicked into a spell of unusual brainlessness, reverting to a machismo round-the-wicket bounce-'em-out policy which showed a breathtaking lack of nous. Singh thoroughly enjoyed the sport and proceeded to swat, nick and thump his way to the second fastest 50 in Indian Test history.

After that, the day belonged pretty well exclusively to Michael Vaughan, who scored his third century in five Tests and played with the calm assurance of a professional in the company of amateurs. Like the England bowlers on the first two days, India did not use the conditions with any marked intelligence. There was a lacklustre quality to their cricket which suggested that taking wickets would be a bonus rather than an expectation. But Vaughan only enhanced the prevailing sense of gloom for the visitors.

There is no fuss about the Yorkshireman, from the neat cut of his hair to the toes of his neat white boots and the well-creased white shirt in between. He is the sort of person who keeps paper clips and always puts the top back on the toothpaste. There was a campaign once to nickname Vaughan "the vicar" and a dog collar would be suitable attire. But he answers apparently to Virgil after a character in Thunderbirds. "The vicar" is more appropriate because Vaughan's runs are gathered in with a clerical gentility.

Only rarely does a real streak of menace corrupt Vaughan's leisurely strokeplay. His 50 came up in typical fashion, with a two worked unhurriedly off his legs, but when was on 84, Ajit Agarkar bowled a long-hop outside off stump which was dispatched with such force and disdain through mid-on the ground lapsed into silence. The vicar had sworn in the pulpit and the congregation was shocked. Shortly after, the opener was shedding his helmet to reveal a sweat-stained forehead and the ghost of a smile. A wave to the dressing-room, a nod of the bat to the four corners was the sum of the delirium. Vaughan clearly expects to score many more centuries this summer and, with luck, in Australia during the winter. He is developing into a key figure in the England batting line-up, a fair foil for Glenn McGrath.

England might yet rue their manic display in the morning. The Trent Bridge pitch is spinning substantially for Harbhajan and England have misread it by not playing a spinner. By the approach of evensong, the vicar was still in his pulpit and the sky had turned a pale shade of blue. When he was finally out, three short of a double century, he seemed slightly aggrieved by the decision. Trent Bridge rose to acclaim an innings of the highest class.