White's delight at Test century

Craig White completed his first Test century here yesterday to give England a chance of levelling the series. His 121 helped England to a first-innings total of 407 and by the close of the second day's play India were 71 for 2 on a pitch expected to offer more and more assistance to the spinners.

England are one down in the three-match series, which concludes at Bangalore next week, and White, the last man out, hopes he has helped give his team a chance to wrest the initiative from the home side.

"We have got a score on the board, so it is up to India now," he said. "The pressure is on them; there is none on us. Let's see how they can handle it. It is starting to turn a little bit more. The wicket is starting to get a bit worn and is starting to crack up."

White was particularly pleased to have finally fulfilled his potential by reaching three figures. "Your first Test ton is a fantastic feeling and it is one of the biggest highlights of my career," said White, who had a 93 during England's successful tour to Pakistan 12 months ago. "That was for the guys. They have been with me through a lot of tough times and a lot of good times over the last three tours to the sub-continent."

There were other signs of promise for England, too, with the wicketkeeper, James Foster, scoring 40 and helping White to add 105 for the eighth wicket, and before the close the spinner Ashley Giles took his first wicket since returning to the Test arena after a five-month absence during which he struggled with an Achilles problem.