Cricket: England counted the cost of failing to beat the bad weather after rain and bad light prevented them from ending India's resistance and denied them victory in the opening npower Test.
Knowing rain was forecast for the final day, England were aware they had to maximise time to ensure they had enough overs to dismiss India after they resumed on 137 for three needing a further 243 runs for an unlikely victory.
But their sloppy over rate the previous evening - when they finished five overs short - and their lack of urgency in the field during the morning session when they bowled two short of the expected 30 overs cost them the chance of victory.
With last man Sree Sreesanth at the crease alongside wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Dhoni, who had battled for over three hours for his unbeaten 76, bad light finally caught up with England and ended the match shortly before the scheduled tea interval with India on 282 for nine.
Captain Michael Vaughan even attempted to bowl himself and left-arm spinner Monty Panesar in tandem to prevent the umpires offering the light to the batsman, but failed and left India celebrating an unlikely draw.
Vaughan, who has fresh memories of South Africa hanging on to reach 290 for eight three years ago in Durban to salvage a draw, was forced to turn to spin just nine overs after taking the new ball.
But having consulted their light meters on several occasions in the overs building up to the eventual close, umpires Steve Bucknor and Simon Taufel ended play at 3.38pm having decided the light was no longer suitable for play.
Law 9b of the playing conditions states play can be suspended "if at any time the umpires together agree that the condition of the ground, weather or light is not suitable for play".
Aware of the pessimistic weather forecasts, England would have been aware of the need to start brightly and achieved just that by claiming two wickets inside the first half-hour.
Left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom claimed the prized wicket of former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who had been the senior partner in a determined 59-run fourth-wicket stand with 22-year-old opener Dinesh Karthik, in the fourth over of the day.
Expecting an outswinger, Ganguly was beaten by a straight delivery which trapped him lbw and four overs later Karthik's three-and-a-half-hour innings for 60 was ended when he drove Jimmy Anderson to Paul Collingwood at second slip.
Just as England's momentum was building, India dug in with a defiant 86-run sixth-wicket stand between VVS Laxman and Dhoni which frustrated their hardworking attack for 21 overs.
Neither batsman had looked comfortable against the swinging ball or the short ball in the first innings and both rode their luck during the early stages of their partnership.
Dhoni, unable to resist his natural inclination to hit big shots, was missed by Collingwood at slip on 14 when he flashed hard at Panesar and also edged Anderson just short of Andrew Strauss at first slip on 21.
But having survived those early scares, he settled down to play a disciplined innings which allowed India to travel to Trent Bridge this week for the second Test on level terms.
Laxman had been equally reserved in progressing to 39 but was bowled shortly after lunch by a full-length Chris Tremlett delivery which kept slightly low.
Anil Kumble followed six overs later, trapped lbw to another Sidebottom inswinger while Zaheer Khan was caught down the legside attempting an aggressive shot off Tremlett when India were looking for determined defence.
The same could be said for RP Singh, who only had to face two balls from Panesar with Dhoni successfully marshalling the strike, and was bowled by the second attempting an aggressive drive down the ground.
With Vaughan attempting to rush through his overs as quickly as possible, England were favourites to claim victory only for bad light to end play prematurely.
England's hopes were briefly raised when play was scheduled to resume at 1640 but before they could take the field, the clouds broke and rain fell steadily until the play was finally abandoned at 1820.