The Hindu : Resolute Dravid and Kaif keep Indian hopes alive

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 22, 2004

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Resolute Dravid and Kaif keep Indian hopes alive

By S. Dinakar

Inzamam-ul-Haq in full cry. — Photo: S. Subramanium

LAHORE, MARCH 21. Gleaming under the lights, Rahul Dravid, a sea of equanimity under pressure, and Mohammed Kaif, under pressure to save his place, combined to script a famous win for India from the brink at the Gaddadi Stadium here on Sunday.

In pursuit of 294 and struggling at 162 for five, India levelled the five-match Samsung ODI series 2-2, with five overs remaining. Dravid and Kaif, cheered on by a huge gathering of Indian supporters, added an unbeaten 132 in just 130 balls for the sixth wicket in a match-winning partnership.

Dravid (76 not out, 92b, 9x4) and Kaif (71 not out, 77b, 8x4) — driving, flicking and cutting fluently — handled a tense situation for India with positive batting even as the Pakistan captain, who was becoming increasingly frustrated, and the home bowlers ran out of ideas.

The key moment of the match was Shoaib Akhtar being brought back by Inzamam for his third spell was handled with panache by the Indian duo. Earlier on, at the start of his second spell, Akhtar appeared to have problems with his hamstring.

To compound Pakistan's problems, Shabbir Ahmed was erratic and spinners Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi were never allowed to settle down by Dravid and Kaif.

The key factor in the Indian chase was though the side kept losing wickets — it was 94 for four and 162 for five — the runs were coming through at such a fast clip that a recovery always remained a possibility. And with Dravid holding one end firm, two vital partnerships were strung together.

There was some consolation for Pakistan when Inzamam-ul-Haq was named the Man of the Match for his 121-ball 123 in the afternoon.

Treat to watch

The Pakistan captain pulled his weight for the side with a powerfully made hundred, his second three-figure knock of the series and 10th in one-day Internationals.

The host, fuelled by its captain's 121-ball 123, shrugged off an ordinary start to reach a challenging 293 for nine in the fourth match of the Samsung Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

The Pakistani innings picked up steam in the last 10 overs with 95 runs added during this phase. The fifth-wicket pair of Inzamam and Abdul Razzaq raised 70 in only 46 balls as the momentum swung in the home team's favour on a good batting pitch.

The 34-year-old Inzamam's century was not one of his best innings in terms of stroke-production.

The majority of runs for the Pakistani skipper came through the on-side though there were a few good strokes on the off as well.

He stroked the ball with purpose, sending Balaji over the midwicket fence, dismissing Yuvraj straight and hard, and dumping a Pathan delivery over the `country' region. It was also an innings that contained some ferocious pulls.

Inzamam was lucky when on 29, as he attempted a sweep and survived a confident caught behind shout off left-arm spinner Murali Kartik.

The Pakistan skipper was finally dismissed, trying to cart a full-length ball from paceman L. Balaji, but by then Inzamam had taken the host to a position of comfort.

Balaji yorked Moin Khan in the same over, Mohammed Kaif came up with a wonderfully athletic catch at long-on to dismiss Razzaq off Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, who appeared to have rediscovered his rhythm, consumed Shoaib Malik and Shoaib Akhtar in the closing moments of the innings.

However, Pakistan finished within striking distance of 300 with the Indian ground fielding appearing ragged in the climactic stages and the overthrows not helping matters at all.

It was always on the cards that the captain who won the toss would elect to bat on a dry pitch shaved bald — there was not a blade of grass when play commenced.

Ganguly had also lost his fourth straight toss in the series, adding to his streak of bad luck in the VB tri-nation series down under.

India wisely included left-arm spinner Murali Kartik for off-spinning all-rounder Ramesh Powar and Ganguly had less problems in the management of overs.

Pathan impresses again

It was the left-arm pace of Irfan Pathan that demanded attention when play got underway in front of a gathering that included plenty of celebrities from both countries.

Pathan cleverly bowled just short of a good length, not allowing the batsmen room to drive him off the front foot. He also brought the odd one in, angled a few away from the right-hander from over the wicket and put seeds of doubts in the minds of the batsmen.

Shahid Afridi, who dazzled at Rawalpindi, has run into problems against Pathan. If the left-armer breached the defence of Afridi in Peshawar, he had the swashbuckler miscuing a square-cut to a leaping Yuvraj Singh at point here. Pathan did not provide enough room for Afridi to pull off the stroke.

Soon, Yousuf Youhana discovered the dangers of shuffling across to a left-arm paceman operating over the wicket. Pathan pitched in line, Youhana missed and the umpire's finger went up.

Pathan, with his ability to move the ball and maintain discipline over line and length, has definitely added much to the Indian attack after being ignored for the first two games. Beneath his cheerful exterior lies a steely resolve.

Pathan's first spell of 7-1-22-2 was a fine piece of bowling on a surface where there was not much assistance for bowlers of his ilk. At 39 for two, Pakistan had not got off to an ideal start.

It was a crucial point when Ganguly introduced Kartik in the 15th over. As the fourth specialist bowler in the side, the left-arm spinner had to deliver.

Kartik did not let his captain down, settling down into a nice rhythm and achieving some turn and drift. More importantly, he escaped punishment early on and gained in confidence as his spell progressed.

The in-form opener, Yasir Hameed, appeared in good touch as reflected in a backfoot punch through covers off Balaji but Kartik sold him a dummy with the batsman jumping down, only to see Dravid complete the stumping.

It was essential for Pakistan to string together a good partnership and captain Inzamam and Younis Khan did just that. The skipper played the dominant role and Younis provided him able support, before sweeping Kartik, back for his second spell, to Pathan at fine-leg. The fourth wicket pair had raised 105 in 116 deliveries. The stand gave Pakistan a platform to launch an assault in the final phase of the innings.

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