Cricket-India's hopes lie with bad weather in test

LONDON, July 23 (Reuters) Bad light and then rain came to India's rescue on the fifth and final day of the first test at Lord's on Monday as they went off the field for an early tea on 282 for nine, needing another 98 to win.

India, set 380 for victory, may yet be saved by the weather with black clouds hovering over Lord's. Rain began to fall just after the players left the field.

Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had so far defied his natural attacking urges to play a resilient innings of 76 from 159 balls.

Last man Sreesanth was on four.

Michael Vaughan bowled himself, along with Monty Panesar, to try to stay on the field long enough to take the final wicket but the umpires eventually offered the light to the batsmen, who inevitably accepted and headed off.

India resumed on 137 for three and lost overnight batsmen Sourav Ganguly (40) and Dinesh Karthik (60) within the first half hour, before VVS Laxman and Dhoni fought hard with a stand of 86.

Ganguly departed first, when he played down the wrong line and was lbw to left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom. That wicket brought an end to his promising stand of 59 with Karthik.

Opener Karthik was soon tempted into edging James Anderson to Paul Collingwood at second slip for 60.

Dhoni lived dangerously early on, edging spinner Panesar in between slip and wicketkeeper for three when on 14, as Collingwood was unable to react quickly enough to take a difficult chance diving to his left.

Dhoni was also fortunate to survive on 21 when umpire Steve Bucknor rejected Panesar's appeal for lbw, with the batsman on the back foot. Television replays suggested the ball would have struck the top of leg stump.

Laxman perished after the lunch break when he went back to a delivery from Chris Tremlett only to be bowled for 39 after the ball kept low.

Anil Kumble was the 14th lbw victim of the match (the record is 17) when he was beaten by a Sidebottom in-swinger.

Zaheer Khan was caught down the leg side off debutant Tremlett for a duck and Rudra Pratap Singh played an ill-judged attacking shot and was bowled by Panesar for two.

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