Mohali : Rains and poor visibility allowed only 14.3 overs of play on the second day of the second Test between India and England here Friday, even as Anil Kumble moved closer to his 500th Test victim.

Play started late due to poor light and then rains completed the misery. Only 67 minutes of action was possible and England, 163 for four overnight, lost Paul Collingwood for 25 (77 balls, 3x4s).

In all, only 65 of the 180 overs have been bowled in two days.

At close, captain Andrew Flintoff was batting on 26 (45 balls, 6x4s) and wicketkeeper Geraint Jones was on 7 (20 balls, 1x4).

Collingwood started the day on 19, in the company of Flintoff, who was on four. They had added 23 runs for the fifth wicket when leg-spinner Anil Kumble bowled Collingwood with a beauty.

As the batsman shaped to play a defensive stroke for the leg-spin, he left the off stump exposed and the ball turned sharp enough to dislodge the bails.

With this wicket Kumble took his tally to 498 and the Karnataka bowler is now just two short of becoming the first Indian bowler to take 500 wickets.

Collingwood praised Kumble for his performance.

"It was a pretty good ball. I should have got more forward," he said after the day's play.

"Kumble is a world-class bowler. He is tough to play on any wicket," Collingwood said.

Flintoff, meanwhile, added 22 runs to his overnight score.

Umpires Simon Taufel and Darrel Hair inspected the pitch several times even as the covers were on before deciding to call off play.

SCOREBOARD

Day 2, Second Test, India vs. England, Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, March 10

England (1st innings, overnight 163/4):

Andrew Strauss c Dhoni b Pathan 18
Alastair Cook lbw b Pathan 17
Ian Bell b Kumble 38
Kevin Pietersen c and b Patel 64
Paul Collingwood b Kumble 19
Andrew Flintoff batting 26
Geraint Jones batting 7

Extras: (leg bye 1, no balls 4) 5

Total: (for five wickets in 65 overs) 200

Fall of wickets: 1-35 (Strauss 10.5 overs), 2-36 (Cook, 12.5), 3-117 (Bell, 34), 4-157 (Pieterson, 48.1), 5-180 (Collingwood, 59.2)

Bowling:
Irfan Pathan 19 4 63 2 (no ball 1)
Munaf Patel 16 1 59 1 (no balls 3)
Harbhajan Singh 6 0 15 0
Piyush Chawla 5 1 20 0
Anil Kumble 19 6 42 2

Toss: England

Umpires: Darrel Hair and Simon Taufel (both Australia)

Third umpire: A.V. Jayaprakash (India)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

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