England falter in first Test in India

(CNN) -- In the shadow of a heavy security presence including pitchside commandos and snipers on the grandstands, the first Test between India and England commenced Thursday in Chennai with a minute's silence for the victims of last month's terror atrocities in Mumbai.

The two-Test series had been in doubt when the English squad flew home amid concerns for their safety following the attacks by gunmen which left at least 171 people dead.

But England's players agreed to return after both matches were switched to venues approved by security consultants appointed by England and Wales Cricket Board.

At least 5,000 security personnel, including 300 commandos, are providing protection for the squad, according to CNN's Indian sister network, CNN-IBN.

Opener Andrew Strauss steered England into a strong position with a patient century as the tourists progressed to 164 for 1 after captain Kevin Pietersen won the toss and elected to bat in front of mostly empty stands at the Chidambaram stadium.

Strauss' opening partner Alistair Cook also put on 52 runs before he was caught by Zaheer Khan, attempting to sweep spinner Harbhajan Singh.

That triggered a fightback by the home side with Ian Bell (17), Pietersen (4) and Paul Collingwood (9) losing their wickets before Strauss was caught and bowled for 123 by leg spinner Amit Mishra as England closed the day at 229 for 5.

"We could have done without me getting out at the end," said Strauss. "Five wickets is a pretty good effort by them on a flat wicket. We've got 220-odd on the board and hopefully we can push on towards 400 tomorrow which won't be a bad effort."

On Tuesday, England's players said they would donate half of their match fees for the series -- around $52,000 -- to help those affected by the attacks, CNN-IBN reported.

Speaking on behalf of the squad, Cook said the players' decision to return had been an "open and public statement of support for the Indian people following the tragic events in Mumbai."

Meanwhile, former batting star Sunil Gavaskar told CNN-IBN that it would be "impossible" for India to tour Pakistan early next year due to strained political relations following the Mumbai attacks.

"Diplomatically, there has been a fall out between the two nations and I don't see why cricket won't follow suit. So at the moment it is impossible to go ahead with the tour," he said.

India are scheduled to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match during the five-week tour from January 6 to February 19.

In other Test action on Thursday, New Zealand were 226 for four when bad light halted play on the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies in Dunedin.

Daniel Flynn fell five short of his century for the Kiwis while West Indies skipper Chris Gayle took three wickets for 42.