Birmingham, Aug 11: After their bowlers ran through India’s batting line up on Day 1, it was the turn of the England batsmen to punish India on Day 2 of the third Test. The hosts continued to pile on the runs at Edgbaston, taking singles at will and scoring boundaries at regular intervals, while the Indian bowlers struggled to find a breakthrough.

A masterful 182 not out by Alastair Cook was the highlight of the day’s play. With two century stands, the England opener helped his side end the day at 456 runs for the loss of just three wickets.

England resumed their innings from their overnight score of 84 for no loss after a rain-delayed start. Playing the waiting game at the outset, they added just 21 runs in the first 11 overs before the first drinks break was called. After being initially circumspect, runs started flowing steadily for England. At lunch they had scored 157 without losing a wicket with Andrew Strauss batting on 84 runs and Alastair Cook on 51. The Indian bowlers, especially Praveen Kumar, toiled hard but without luck.

Post lunch Amit Mishra bowled Strauss to give India their first breakthrough. The England captain departed for 87 runs and was unfortunate to miss out on a century after having done all the hard work. But by then the damage was done; the duo of Strauss and Cook had already piled on 186 runs for the first wicket.

Missed half-chances and poor fielding added to India’s misery as nicks and edges found the boundary ropes. Ian Bell, who had replaced Strauss at the crease, was dropped on 30 runs by Rahul Dravid off S Sreesanth. Fortunately for India, the dropped catch didn’t cost them much as Kumar uprooted Bell’s off stump after he had added just four more runs. But by the end of the second session, England had amassed over 300 runs and lost only two wickets. Cook, meanwhile, had reached a well-deserved century.

Continuing with his good form, Kevin Pietersen, who came in at the fall of Bell, reached his half-century with a boundary off 53 balls in the final session of the day. But a little later, Kumar trapped Pietersen (63 runs) leg-before to end his 122-run stand with Cook.

Eoin Morgan, who came in at the fall of Pietersen’s wicket, got a life while on 18 runs as Sreesanth dropped a catch off Ishant Sharma’s bowling. Sachin Tendulkar was called to bowl a single over towards the end of the day, but the improvisation did not help India’s cause.

Morgan was dropped again, this time on 43 runs, in the last over of the day by Dravid in the slips off Suresh Raina. Dravid’s frustration at fudging the simplest of catches epitomised an excruciating day for the visitors. Morgan remained unbeaten on 44 at the end of day’s play with the unstoppable Cook for company.

Brief Score (At the end of Day 2): India 1st innings 224 all out in 62.2 overs (MS Dhoni 77, G Gambhir 38, S Broad 4/53, T Bresnan 4/62), England 1st innings 456/3 in 115 overs (Alastair Cook 182* , Andrew Strauss 87, Kevin Pietersen 63, E Morgan 44*, Praveen Kumar 2/75)