The Hindu : Sport : Lahore Test consigned to history

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Wednesday, Jan 18, 2006

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Sport

Lahore Test consigned to history

S. Dinakar

Opening with Virender Sehwag is not a long-term solution, says Rahul Dravid

A WICKET, AT LAST! Rana Naved (right) ended Virender Sehwag's stay, forcing him to edge to Kamran Akmal. — Photo: AP

Lahore: An opportunity to make history came and left from a handshaking distance; 403 runs can be a canter, the next 10 can be a lifetime away.

On a gloomy Tuesday of overcast skies, insufficient light and spells of rain, which permitted just 2.2 overs of cricket, Virender Sehwag edged paceman Rana Naved into the gloves of Kamran Akmal.

Non-striker Rahul Dravid swung his bat down in a rare display of emotion, the Pakistanis celebrated and Sehwag began his trek back. Soon the Indian captain and the home side were applauding a memorable partnership, record or no record.

Rana sent down three short-pitched balls in succession and the last of them brought him a wicket. The deliveries were shoulder high and it was a marginal decision by the umpire to declare the third delivery legitimate.

Record stays

Sehwag's dismissal meant that the 50-year-old 413-run first wicket partnership between Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad stayed. Sehwag (254, 247b, 47x4, 1x6) and Rahul Dravid (128 not out, 233b, 19x4) put together 410, the second highest first wicket association in Test history.

After two inspections by the umpires, play finally began at 2.23 p.m. Twelve minutes and a significant dismissal later, the cricketers walked away for the last time and the first Allianz Test ended in a draw. Given the state of the pitch and the weather, the script had been written much before the first delivery was sent down.

Pep talk

Before Sehwag's dismissal, Inzamam-ul-Haq walked up to Rana who had been taken apart the previous day. The bowler must have decided to bowl short without providing the necessary width. He started by erring in line. Sehwag turned him to fine-leg and returned for a quick second. He then launched into an expansive cover drive for his 47th boundary — only England's John Edrich, with 52, has struck more fours in a Test innings. The first wicket record was only three runs away.

Rana then bowled a short-pitched delivery. Sehwag attempted to hit it over point and missed. The next ball evoked a similar response and the Pakistanis agonised over the batsman failing to make contact by the thinnest of margins.

The Pakistani paceman followed it up with his third successive short-pitched delivery. Sehwag tried his characteristic upper-cut between point and third man but only managed to nick the ball to the 'keeper. The Pakistanis jumped for joy.

Not easy

Dravid said he and Sehwag enjoyed what they had achieved together rather than worry about what they had missed.

The Indian skipper said despite the docile nature of the pitch, it was not easy for him and Man of the Match Sehwag to keep their concentration and rhythm going because of the frequent interruptions due to poor light and rain.

Dravid admitted to feeling a "little disappointed" about missing the Test record opening stand but said he was happy by the fact that the "great partnership upfront had given the players a lot of confidence. We needed to make a positive statement to the opposition after they had scored 679."

Bird's eye view

The skipper was all praise for Sehwag. "He played some incredible shots and it was great watching it from the other end." Asked about the vice-captain's dismissal, Dravid replied: "that's the way he plays. That's the way he gets his runs."

Asked whether he would continue to open the innings, Dravid said: "It is not a long-term solution." He was non-committal about the XI for the Faisalabad Test — "I have always said we need to pick the best side for the game."

About the conversation with Sourav Ganguly at the nets before the start of the Test, the Indian skipper said, "We were just discussing cricket. What we discussed is within us, it could have been a proper discussion on strategy. Please don't interpret everything as a problem or a confrontation."

Queried further, he said: "I had made up my mind to open the night before the Test."

Good suggestion

Dravid called the preparation of wickets a demanding exercise and was not willing to blame the curator for the docile pitch. He also felt that PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan's suggestion of six-day Tests should be put before the ICC.

About the incident between Shoaib Akhtar and him, he said: "There were no words spoken, no aggression. We respect each other. It is part of the game."

Inzamam showered praise on Sehwag. "We have a plan to contain him but he still continues to score at such pace. Once he gets in, it is very difficult to stop him."

The Pakistan captain said the pitch for the first Test was completely in favour of the batsmen. "I had always wanted a sporting wicket where both the batsmen and the bowlers have a chance to succeed," adding in a lighter vein, "only the batsmen were visible in the game. The bowlers were invisible."

SCOREBOARD

Pakistan — 1st innings: 679 for seven decl.

India — 1st innings: V. Sehwag c Akmal b Rana 254, R. Dravid (not out) 128, V.V.S. Laxman (not out) 0, Extras (b-2, lb-7, w-2, nb-17) 28. Total (for one wkt, in 77.2 overs) 410.

Fall of wicket: 1-410 (Sehwag).

Pakistan bowling: Akhtar 16.2-6-46-0, Rana Naved 16-1-94-1, Afridi 11-0-55-0, Sami 12-1-67-0, Kaneria 10-0-69-0, Malik 12-1-70-0.

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