The Hindu : Sport : Pietersen puts England in command

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Monday, Jul 23, 2007
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Pietersen puts England in command

S. Ram Mahesh

India’s chances look bleak

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen took another step towards batting greatness on a gloriously bright Sunday at Lord’s.

India, set 380 for victory, was less assured, faltering on the fourth day of the first Test. By close, the visitor had reached 137 for three.

Despite opener Dinesh Karthik displaying remarkable character with a half-century, neither history nor present circumstance casts hopeful light on India’s chances.

Poor record

The highest successful chase at Lord’s is the West Indies’s 344 for one in 1984; India’s best chase in the last three decades is a more modest 264 for three at Kandy in 2001-02.

Wasim Jaffer fell to a flick he couldn’t keep down. Rahul Dravid was late on a defensive stroke against Chris Tremlett; but he was hit outside off-stump and was unlucky to be adjudged leg-before.

Sachin Tendulkar played three strokes that were throwbacks: a glance of preternatural placement off Tremlett; a push-drive off Monty Panesar; and a cover drive, again off Panesar, on the up. But, increasingly, connoisseurs are being forced to carefully pan Tendulkar’s innings for nuggets, where once they had but to look.

The great man fell leg-before to Panesar, bat behind pad to one that didn’t turn. Tendulkar had been dismissed in similar fashion by Panesar on debut at Nagpur. Never again, Tendulkar had scrawled on the ball a wide-eyed Panesar requested him to sign. Not quite.

Exceptional knock

Earlier, Pietersen’s ninth Test century exceptional, both, in assessment of situation and certainty of execution — had given England control of a contest that had built most rivetingly.

Watching the Test evolve gave one a sense of how sedimentary rocks form, layer on fascinating layer, shifting, compacting, changing. Three rain-blighted days of jostling for power on an excellent cricket wicket had left England ahead by 174 with eight wickets in hand.

India’s chance lay in wrenching the declaration from Michael Vaughan by bowling England out early. With so much at stake, it was only understandable that the sides circled each other warily in the first half hour. Sreesanth worked up pace from the Pavilion End, Zaheer Khan touched the mid-80s (mph) himself, but the arcing swing of the three preceding days was absent.

Zaheer had managed an exceptional spell of swing and cut before tea on Saturday; he hadn’t replicated it however when play resumed in the evening. Vaughan and Pietersen hadn’t been hectored into playing enough. Where India’s bowlers should have raised hell, they tuned gracious.

England had carried this edge to Sunday — more immediate than those gained on the first morning or through Anderson and Sidebottom — and Vaughan set about realising it. Pietersen flicked an 89.9 mph half-volley from Sreesanth for four, but it was all Vaughan thereafter, though not all of it was convincing.

Edges squirmed through the cordon — manned by four, in varying arrangements of slip and gully — and the pair ran four off a forward-press on-drive. England’s expansion was alarming. India had to break through.

R.P. Singh’s burst

R.P. Singh heeded Rahul Dravid’s call. An inswinger to Vaughan from around the wicket cut back down the Lord’s slope to defeat the cover drive. Played on, were the murmurs, but it was as good as clean bowled, so exalted was R.P. Singh’s skill with that delivery. The left-armer then had Paul Collingwood fending a vile lifter to slip and Ian Bell chopping a short shooter on to his stumps, for three wickets in 15 balls.

But, even more remarkable than India’s fight back — reducing England to 132 for five — was the change that came over Pietersen. In Vaughan’s company, Pietersen had scratched around, fencing at balls he would have done well to ignore. He had looked careworn: the jaded pop star playing second lead, his form and commitment subjected to the scrutiny reserved for his private life.

Vaughan’s exit cleared the stage; Pietersen recognised his moment. If he left, India might have a shot at winning. Hadn’t Wasim Jaffer said on Saturday that “with this Indian batting, 300 is definitely gettable”?

No, Pietersen wouldn’t get out. But, could he do better? Could he put the match beyond India? Of course, he could; Warnie said so, didn’t he? That a competitor is judged on his actions in defining moments? Yes, he, Pietersen, would show these Pimms-drinking patrons what ambition can achieve.

He began by round-housing Sreesanth over gully. Half volleys were slapped through cover, the bottom wrist taming and turning to ground any swing that might have been present.

He brought up 50 in 88 balls, but the path to his half-century after Vaughan’s departure is instructive: 24 off 19 balls with four fours. He did ease up as lunch approached.

Onslaught

But, what followed after lunch was brutal. Standing 6ft 5in in his branded socks, Pietersen can hit on the rise, balls of length others wouldn’t dare. The bowler, consequently, has little margin for error with his length. The pressure such knowledge exerts is tremendous. India’s bowlers couldn’t cope and went to pieces.

Sreesanth was whipped to mid-wicket with the kind of ice-hockey slap Pietersen has made his own. R.P. Singh, India’s cutting edge before lunch, went for 21 in two overs. Even Anil Kumble was launched straight for six.

Pietersen moved from 50 to his century in 60 balls. His boisterous partnership with Matt Prior —119 in 149 balls — hurt India.

R.P. Singh returned to finish with five for 59 — his best in Tests — but the achievement seems destined to be eclipsed, even in hindsight,by Pietersen’s.

Scoreboard

England — 1st innings: 298.

India — 1st innings: 201.

England — 2nd innings: A. Strauss c Tendulkar b Zaheer 18, A. Cook lbw b Zaheer 17, M. Vaughan b R.P. Singh 30, K. Pietersen b R.P. Singh 134, P. Collingwood c Laxman b R.P. Singh 4, I. Bell b R.P. Singh 9, M. Prior c Dhoni b Zah eer 42, C. Tremlett b Zaheer 0, R. Sidebottom c Dravid b Kumble 9, M. Panesar lbw b R.P. Singh 3, J. Anderson (not out) 4, Extras (b-9, lb-1, w-2) 12; Total (in 78.3 overs) 282.

Fall of wickets: 1-40 (Strauss), 2-43 (Cook), 3-102 (Vaughan), 4-114 (Collingwood), 5-132 (Bell), 6-251 (Prior), 7-251 (Tremlett), 8-266 (Sidebottom), 9-275 (Pietersen).

India bowling: Zaheer 28-6-79-4, Sreesanth 16-3-62-0, R.P. Singh 16.3-3-59-5, Kumble 17-3-70-1, Tendulkar 1-0-2-0.

India — 2nd innings: W. Jaffer c Pietersen b Anderson 8, D. Karthik (batting) 56, R. Dravid lbw b Tremlett 9, S. Tendulkar lbw b Panesar 16, S. Ganguly (batting) 36, Extras (b-8, lb-3, nb-1) 12; Total (for three wickets in 41 ove rs) 137.

Fall of wickets: 1-37(Jaffer), 2-55 (Dravid), 3-84 (Tendulkar).

England bowling: Sidebottom 6-1-20-0, Anderson 12-3-36-1, Tremlett 10-1-29-1, Panesar 13-2-41-1.

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