1. Top Of The World
It's a tad simplistic to neatly mark a changing of the guard in this great game, but what the hell.

Sachin Tendulkar is no longer the world's best batsman, and he hasn't been for some time.

But he was the greatest, most-gifted batsman of his generation.

Here, as the Little Master failed again at Lord's, the mantle passed to the most outrageously talented batsman of the next generation.

The official rankings may not yet confirm it, but Kevin Pietersen is now the pre-eminent batting talent in world cricket.

Today's innings - one he rated his best yet - was a display of rare brilliance for so many reasons.

Earlier in this Test, he had struggled to cope with the left-arm bowling of RP Singh and Zaheer Khan. I mentioned it in yesterday's column, and also warned it wouldn't take him long to figure it out.

It took 24 hours.

After lunch, he dismantled all bowling, left-arm or right-arm, fast or slow, in a perfectly conceived and executed assault that led England from a wobbly 132 for five to 282 all out with four sessions to push for victory.

Pietersen's cricketing brain is beginning to develop alongside his batting.

He no longer looks to smash the ball from the off, preferring to get accustomed to the conditions to set up the big scores that will mark him down as one of the greats in years to come.

Pietersen's first 16 runs encompassed 58 balls on the third evening and fourth morning in difficult conditions.

The next 87 to take him to three figures took only another 90 balls, and he continued to attack from there.

When he settles on a definite policy when batting with the tail, he really will be the compete package.

2. Brave New World
Simon Taufel and Steve Bucknor are among the best umpires in the game. Taufel has deservedly won the ICC Umpire of the Year Award three years running and has spoken of his desire to test himself just like the players by making the brave decisions.

It's to be encouraged, and umpires' new-found willingness to give spinners front-foot leg-before decisions is a real boost for the game. Bucknor got another one right today as Monty Panesar did for Tendulkar once again.

But this bravery will inevitably lead to mistakes.

The decision against Rahul Dravid tipped the balance between brave and wrong as the strength of the old adage about benefit of the doubt going to the batsmen was further eroded.

Umpires these days give lbws when the ball squeezes between bat and pad, when the ball is clipping leg or when the ball is grazing the bails.

Batsmen can no longer lunge forward and feel sure that any contact above the knee-roll will spare them.

It's good for the game in the long run, although Dravid would be unlikely to concur.

3. Action Replay
Eighteen months ago, Monty Panesar burst onto the England scene with the wicket of his idol Sachin Tendulkar, slipping the arm ball past the bat and winning an lbw decision. Cue delirious celebrations, wild high-fives and the birth of a new English sporting star.

Roll on a year and a half, and Panesar is so firmly established in the England side that he came into this match as their senior bowler.

But the reaction to slipping the arm ball past Tendulkar for a leg-before decision was the same. As was the delivery itself.

It could well prove the decisive wicket in this match with Tendulkar determined to impress on what could well be his final appearance at the home of cricket.

Not for the first time, the wide-eyed youngster who grew up watching the Little Master dominate the best attacks in the world, had just a little bit too much for his hero.

4. Selfish Sourav
Some cricketers just grate.

Sourav Ganguly is one such player. Team-mates and opponents alike tell tales of a difficult man to get along with despite the undoubted talent with the willow.

What's always irritated me about Ganguly is the sense he's often batting more for himself than the team. Contrast that with Pietersen today.

There was a classic example of Sourav's 'me first' tendencies in the final over of the day. With Dinesh Karthik going well, but nervous as the close approached, Ganguly found himself at the non-striker's end.

The first ball flicked Karthik's pads, eluded Matt Prior's grasp and rolled away for a simple leg-bye. Karthik looked up expectantly, to see Ganguly leaning on his bat at the non-striker's end, very happy with where he was standing.

It's unthinkable that Pietersen would have done that. Or, indeeed, Dravid or Tendulkar. They are senior players in their side, and would have wanted to shoulder the responsibility.

Michael Vaughan, astute as ever, picked up on Ganguly's reticence and set the field back to allow Karthik an easy single and force Ganguly to play the last two balls of the day.

It was just a shame Ryan Sidebottom couldn't find a ball to test Ganguly.

5. Here's To You, Mr RP Singh
But for Pietersen's genius, the day would have belonged to the least experience and least heralded of India's seamers.

Singh bowled with great consistency, swung the ball both ways at decent pace and kept his head when Pietersen went after him

He got his rewards, ending with five wickets and that much-craved place on the famous Lord's honours board.

Plenty of greats never get there, but the young southpaw thoroughly deserves his spot after the latest in a string of fine displays from bowlers - on both sides - who were supposed to be little more than cannon fodder.