London, July 26 : England captain Andrew Strauss believes England are perfectly placed to seize the opportunity to leap ahead of India and become officially the world's no. 1 test team after a thrilling victory in the Lod's Test.
Strauss said: “We are aware that this is just the opening salvo in the series, but Lord's is a hard wicket as the game goes on and the performance was outstanding.
“They were five down at tea (on day five) and we had to work very hard to open up an end. Once we did that we finished them off brilliantly.
“Looking at our first innings total (474 for eight declared), that was a magnificent performance too. Kevin was mainly responsible for that – it was one of the great innings I have seen since being involved in the side.”
The sides meet again at Trent Bridge on Friday, with the home side knowing they can replace India at the top of the ICC rankings by winning the four-match series by two or more matches.
“To be number one you have to grab your opportunities and I think we did that very well in this game,” Strauss said.
“It's the first of a four-match series but we've demonstrated that when we play well we're a match for anyone. Now we just have to play well again.
Strauss also had good reason to be pleased with Stuart Broad's showing in the match.
The seamer was under pressure after a slow start to the summer against Sri Lanka and many felt that fit-again Tim Bresnan deserved a chance to stake his claim ahead of Broad.
But Strauss and team director Andy Flower showed their faith in England's new Twenty20 captain and were rewarded by a much-improved display.
Broad returned match figures of seven for 94, not to mention a vital 74 not out in the second innings, as he put in his best showing since the 2009 Ashes.
Strauss said: “Stuart was outstanding. When your place in side is called into question it's a big test of character as much as anything.
“Stuart showed immense character over five days. He bowled very well and his second innings 70 was crucial to the outcome of the game. He showed his class here and it is a timely reminder to everyone of what a great talent he is.”
England have named an unchanged 12 for the second Test in Nottingham, with Bresnan again joining the side from Lord's.
Chris Tremlett appeared to struggle at times with a hamstring niggle, regularly leaving the field after bowling for attention, but Strauss confirmed he was expected to be fully fit.
