At the typically semi-dark, wet Headingley, India shone brightly to close the gap. The kind of performance they came up with against England on Sunday erased the memories of a capricious fortnight as they dictated terms right from the word go.

Two veterans set the things in motion with vintage performances. It was like watching two great actors break the veil of the mundane and displaying their artistic skills at a grand theatre.

Certainly, you can find the touch of glorious history at every corner at Headingley. It was at this venue players like Herbert Sutcliffe, Len Hutton and Geoffrey Boycott showcased their skills with the bat.

So it might be pleasant coincidence that two of the finest modern batsmen — Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly — chose the same venue to remind the world of their prowess.

Indian skipper Rahul Dravid had justified the move to entrust the task of opening with Tendulkar and Ganguly, saying the duo was India's best bet at the top of the tree.

Their performance in the subsequent five matches proved that Dravid was correct in his judgment. Their outings had a direct impact on India's fortunes as the visitors won the two matches in which they fired in unison.

Let's take a look at the statistics. After a modest beginning in the first one-dayer at Southampton, where they added just 17 runs, they came into their own in the second game at Bristol.

Ganguly was scratchy during his 54-ball 39, but at the other end, Tendulkar motored away in superb fashion, smashing 99 in 112 balls. But together they had a telling impact on the game as their 113-run opening-wicket partnership helped India to post a solid total.

The Kolkatan scratched around for 72 in the third one-dayer at Edgbaston, but Tendulkar's early dismissal meant they could not provide India a sound platform, and it came as little surprise that India lost the game while chasing.

The role was reversed in the fourth match at Old Trafford, Ganguly went back to pavilion early and bereft of a good alliance at the top of the table, India struggled to put up a fighting total. Down 1-3, India were staring at the wrong end of the barrel.

They needed a strong beginning to challenge England in the fifth match. Tendulkar and Ganguly did not disappoint, playing two sensational innings to knock the stuffing out of the home side while adding 113 runs up front.

Ganguly took his time get his eye in but Tendulkar was in regal touch from the word go. The punishment he meted out to Jon Lewis was eye-catching — a classic drive on the up and a ferocious cut that rocketed past the point fieldsman were the feature of his innings.

But those shots also sent out a loud message about the nature of the pitch and that confidence percolated down to the subsequent batsman, helping them to face the England attack with ease.

There was also a sense of nostalgia to their partnership as some five years back they hammered the England bowling in the third Test at the same venue to set up a huge Indian total in near darkness. They had smashed 96 runs in 11 overs that took the match away from England.

It was also their 19th hundred partnership at the top, besides 21 fifty-stands. In the last match, they had also surpassed 6000 runs as a pair at an enviable average of 49.15. Among the active cricketers, only Australian openers Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden are close to them with 4961 runs at 51.14.

The past deeds apart, the challenge in front of Tendulkar and Ganguly is to lead the charge in the remaining one-dayers and help India win the series.