Anderson makes flying start

James Anderson struck three hammer blows at Edgbaston this morning as England surged towards the victory which will put them top of the world Test rankings for the first time.

India had scant chance of delaying England for long, it seemed, in any case. But after Anderson had shifted Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, the tourists appeared to be spiralling to an early innings defeat by a landslide margin on the fourth day of this third npower Test.

England would therefore wrap up this four-match series 3-0, with one still to play, and depose the tourists at the top of the International Cricket Council table.

After Alastair Cook's tour de force 294 in the hosts' 710 for seven declared, it seemed highly likely this would be England's long-awaited coronation day. That became almost a given once, as last night with the instant wicket of Virender Sehwag, India got off to an ominously bad start - on the way to a perilous 58 for four, still 428 runs behind, after an hour's play.

Following a Graeme Swann maiden, Anderson (four for 35) - who had shifted Sehwag first ball to sentence him to a king pair yesterday - needed just one ball at Gambhir. The left-hander nibbled at one slanted dangerously across him and edged low to second slip, where Swann made no mistake away to his left.

Sachin Tendulkar was therefore needed much earlier than India would have wished, and walked out to admiring applause - as he has throughout this tour so far, in his vain pursuit so far of that unprecedented 100th international hundred.

The Little Master surely knew already he was in for a monumental battle if India were to get anywhere near saving this match, and Anderson - who has already dismissed him seven times in eight Tests - was within a whisker of doing so again twice in as many deliveries.

Tendulkar narrowly missed his second ball, a fast outswinger which whistled into Matthew Prior's gloves, and then chiselled his third between himself and leg-stump off an inside edge for an opening single. Stuart Broad immediately replaced Swann at the city end, and let go a full-toss first ball which Tendulkar guided past point for four.

India badly needed Tendulkar and Dravid to take the sting out of the situation, as England sensed a quick kill under cloud cover.

But The Wall crumbled in Anderson's next over, via an apparently thin edge behind. Dravid appeared unconvinced he had made contact, but did not resort to DRS - and Anderson had two wickets for one run in eight balls this morning. He had to wait another six overs to make it four out of four, another perfect outswinger seeing off Laxman caught behind.