Zaheer Khan did the early damage, utilising the damp conditions to tempt Andrew Strauss (4) and Michael Vaughan (9) into edges to first slip.

India also captured the prized wicket of Kevin Pietersen for only 13 as England slipped to 47-3 at one stage.

Pietersen had initially been fortunate to get an edge onto pad to prevent an lbw.

But in the next over he was beaten by one shaping back in from left-arm paceman RP Singh that trapped him in front.

Alastair Cook (35) and Paul Collingwood (25) repaired some of the damage with an unbroken 47-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

AFP adds: The match was due to start at 3 pm local time, four hours later than scheduled, after a wet outfield meant no play took place before lunch.

Both sides were unchanged from the teams that drew the first Test at Lord's, where India clung on with one wicket standing before bad light and rain cut short play on Monday's final day.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, a senior member of the middle-order, was declared fit after overcoming a slight lower back strain for what was the second of a three-Test series.

India's Sachin Tendulkar started this match needing just 25 more runs to become only the third batsman in history to score 11,000 Test runs after world record-holder Brian Lara (11,953) and Allan Border (11,174), both of whom have now retired.