The Hindu : Sport : Pathan too hot for Bangladesh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 13, 2004

Sport

Sport

Pathan too hot for Bangladesh

By Sanjay Rajan

IT'S MY TURN: Zaheer Khan celebrates with Sachin Tendulkar after scoring 75, the highest by a No.11 batsman in Test, on Sunday. — Photo: V. V. Krishnan

DHAKA, DEC. 12. Bangladesh hung on grimly to extend the first Test of the Videocon series to the fourth day at the Bangabandhu National Stadium here today. The latest entrant to Test cricket, however, had little chance of making a match of the contest after having conceded a first innings lead of 342 to India. At stumps, the home side was 170 for eight.

It was as good as over for the host when Irfan Pathan ran through the top half for his second five-wicket bag to complete a maiden 10-wicket match-haul.

The left-arm seamer from Baroda reduced the host to 36 for five by the 15th over, having opener Javed Omar, and Rajin Saleh leg-before for the second time in the game. Mohammed Ashraful, the top-scorer in the first innings, also fell leg-before to Pathan.

The delivery hurried through, even as the batsman was getting behind the line, and struck him on the back foot. Vice-captain Khaled Mashud followed an away-going delivery.

As the most experienced batsman in the side, Habibul Bashar can offer no excuses for falling to the hook shot for a second time in the match. Rahul Dravid, leading in the absence of an indisposed Sourav Ganguly, had planned it to perfection. Pathan pitched it short, and Zaheer accepted the offering at deep backward square.

The top-half had let the side down again, but a fighting 64-run stand for the sixth wicket between young opener Nafis Iqbal (54) and Manjural Islam, batting on 50, took the total to 100 before Anil Kumble trapped the former leg-before with a googly.

Islam, who gave leg-spinner Anil Kumble the charge on a few occasions, built tiny partnerships with the lower-order batsmen along the way.

Master class

The day belonged to Sachin Tendulkar. You've got to give it to the maestro for his sense of occasion. The Mumbaikar, 159 overnight, converted his 34th Test hundred into his fourth double century. Sunil Gavaskar, who shares the world record for Test centuries with Tendulkar, had scored four double hundreds in his career that lasted for 125 Tests. Gavaskar's final century — 176 versus Sri Lanka in Kanpur in 1986-87 — came in his 119th Test. It does seem like divine coincidence that this is Tendulkar's 119th Test.

However, the Bandra bomber's innings could well have ended at 172 had it not been for the clumsy glove work by wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud. It was a run out opportunity, which provided reprieves to both Tendulkar and the other overnight batsman, Anil Kumble.

The Little Master played medium-pacer Tapash Baisya to square leg. The single was comfortable, but Tendulkar hesitated midway through the second run when he saw Mohamed Ashraful, running in from the deep, get to the ball quickly. Both batsmen began running towards the keeper's end. Thankfully, though, Kumble stalled and headed the other way. The throw was faster than Tendulkar, but Mashud grappled with it and Tendulkar touched base. Mashud relayed the ball to the bowler's end, but Kumble got home at the nick of time.

Kumble was not to last long, though. He was dismissed playing on to Mashrafe Mortaza. Tendulkar was on 174 then. And India had added 20 more to its overnight score of 348 for seven. The overall lead was 184.

Harbhajan left after putting on 25 with Tendulkar. The off-spinner had struck Mortaza for two boundaries, but failed to get behind the line of a delivery from medium-pacer Mushfiqur Rahman and edged to Habibul Bashar at first slip. Tendulkar was on 191.

Zaheer's day out

It was now left to Zaheer Khan to survive until the maestro got to his double hundred. At it turned out, the bowler from Baroda would do better. Nevertheless, there were several tense moments is those four overs that Tendulkar took to get to 200. Tendulkar moved to 195 with a lofted on-drive to the fence off the lively Mortaza and took a single immediately. Zaheer survived the over.

In the over that followed, Tendulkar cut Rahman and the batsmen started going for the second run but displayed hesitation during the run. Zaheer survived the over.

Mohammed Rafique replaced Mortaza in the attack and the left-arm spinner got the second delivery to spin across the face of Tendulkar's bat. Tendulkar dispatched the next to the square leg fence with a sweep, raised his bat and helmet, looked up and thanked his dad.

The pressure was now off, and Zaheer grew in confidence in Tendulkar's company. He went on to score his maiden Test half-century, finishing with 75, the highest by a No. 11 batsman, bettering Kiwi Richard Collinge's 68 not out, against Pakistan in Auckland in the 1972-73 season. Zaheer had a reprieve though. Mohammed Rafique grassed a difficult attempt in the covers when the batsman, on 7, drove Rahman in the air.

Their stand of 133 is an Indian record for the last wicket, upstaging the 109 between Ghulam Ahmed and Hemu Adhikari, scored against Pakistan in Delhi in 1952-53.

Tendulkar finished with a career-best 248 not out. His previous highest was 241 not out in the fourth Test against Australia at Sydney last season. He had not scored a century in six Tests, between which a painful tennis elbow had forced him out of the first two against Australia. Tendulkar's last century came against Pakistan in the first Test at Multan earlier this year.

On Saturday evening, Tendulkar had expressed concern over his left elbow. "I just have to wait and see how it feels tomorrow. It has been tested. The physio thinks it is going to be stiff in the morning. I hope it doesn't get very stiff. I've been through this before," he said.

The attack might have been ordinary, but watching the little, big man bat, brought back memories of his old self. He ran like a hare between wickets. The boyish enthusiasm remains.

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