BIRMINGHAM: Mahendra Singh Dhoni must have felt the chill when he walked in to bat on Wednesday afternoon. A heavy breeze was blowing across the Edgbaston ground, the sky was still overcast and India had already crumbled to 92 for five.

He knew that his moment had come. After being 2-0 down, and at the receiving end for his batting and wicket-keeping too, he had to turn to his old counter-attacking self. But then, he had to quell the doubts within first.

First ball: short and wide. It should have been the perfect way to break the shackles. He lunged at it with a cut, but without even moving his feet. A miss. Maybe, he decided, that was not the way to go. He settled down. The mask was back on. Captain cool.

It's only when VVS Laxman and Amit Mishra too fell at the other end, and India were in deeper trouble at 111 for seven, that Dhoni invoked his basic instinct. Over the next 100 minutes or so, he unleashed a sequence of attacking shots to zip away to 77 runs.

It included 10 boundaries and three big sixes and, sadly, came to an end just when England's shoulders were drooping. Six deliveries later, without the addition of a single run, India were all out for 224. Dhoni had given himself and his side breathing time.