The Hindu : Sport : Rain helps India escape with a draw scoreboard

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Tuesday, Jul 24, 2007
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Sport

Rain helps India escape with a draw scoreboard

S. Ram Mahesh

Dhoni shepherds the tail through a period of sharp thinking

London: The elements conspired to allow India an escape route Houdini mightn’t have conceived in the first Test here at Lord’s on Monday. With India hanging on by the thinnest of threads at 282 for nine, requiring a further 98, M.S. Dhoni and S. Sreesanth accepted the umpires’ offer of light before tea on day five.

Dhoni, unbeaten on 76 (159 balls, ten fours), had shepherded the tail through a period of some of the sharpest cricket thinking. After Michael Vaughan persuaded the umpires to stay on by bowling himself and Monty Panesar, Dhoni attempted to hit every ball to the outfield, thus preventing Vaughan from getting through his overs as quickly as he’d have liked.

Last man Sreesanth successfully did what Zaheer Khan and R.P. Singh hadn’t: he kept his head and paraded a sound forward defence till the light worsened. He survived a confident shout for leg before off Panesar. Seven minutes before tea, the umpires offered the batsmen light.

It soon began to drizzle, and barring a brief period when the umpires harboured thoughts of a restart, the pitter-patter held right through the third session. The umpires called off the match at 6.20 p.m. (local time); it was abandoned as a draw.

Good stand

Dhoni had earlier added 86 with V.V.S Laxman to stave England off — a partnership that began in a most compelling second part of the first session, which was characteristic of the Test. Judged by its numbers — 70 for two in 28 overs — Monday morning was no different from the prototypical Test session in its glutinous progress. But, the first Test has been influenced by the elements and informed by back-story. So was Monday.

India had, on Sunday, lost Rahul Dravid, a recipient of an incorrect leg-before decision, and Sachin Tendulkar, a victim as much of tentativeness as Panesar’s deception. Neither of these great batsmen is likely to put his name on the Lord’s honours board.

Pertinently, India had lost its best batsman under pressure and its most experienced player in England on a day batting wasn’t as difficult as the three previous days. The sun had burnt through the clouds and baked the pitch, thereby reducing both swing and cut. England, by dismissing Dravid and Tendulkar in such conditions, had made easier its task for the fifth day. With rain forecast, a cloying cloud cover was a distinct possibility. Swing could be had by England’s bowlers; but, equally, they needed to strike quickly.

The fifth day represented for Sourav Ganguly and Laxman, a chance to redeem India’s ageing middle order; for Dinesh Karthik and Dhoni, the opportunity to show a new generation can be trusted. It is with this perspective, shaped by knowledge of both the elements and the back-story, that Monday must be judged.

Early strikes

The first hour was England’s. Vaughan had his two best bowlers from the first innings, James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom, at their favoured ends. Karthik, whose cover and square driving had been so assured on Sunday, fell on the drive. He edged to slip a full ball that swung late after it had left Anderson’s fingers.

Karthik lost both his concentration and his shape on the stroke. But, his downfall wasn’t entirely his doing, for it was a skilful piece of bowling. He walked off to warm applause for his 60, which spanned three and a half hours and contained seven fours.

Sidebottom nailed Ganguly to the crease with his first ball to him on Monday — one that didn’t swing. It was further evidence of how much Sidebottom has grown as a left-armer. Through the session, Sidebottom swung the ball, but he kept the batsmen honest with good short deliveries. This facet, added to his increase in pace, has made him a very good Test bowler.

Laxman and Dhoni set about dragging things back. Batsmen in such situations look to play it by session and re-assess at intervals. Added to Dhoni’s and Laxman’s calculations was the possibility of rain.

Dhoni’s tactics

Dhoni seemed to be working out his best chance of success. He drove at Anderson, feet following, not leading, the stroke, and missed. He then camped on the back-foot, shortened his backlift and played late; and very nearly steered inadvertently to slip as he had in the first innings. It went for four to third-man. Seemingly having made up his mind to attack regardless, Dhoni leapt out of his shoes at one short and wide. To no one’s surprise he missed.

Vaughan effected a double change, bringing Chris Tremlett and Panesar on, before immediately switching their ends. In Panesar’s introduction and Laxman’s handling of Tremlett, Dhoni found space to settle. He edged Panesar though a diving Paul Collingwood at first slip, survived close shouts for both a leg-before (Panesar) and a caught-behind (Anderson), but he was beginning to trust his methods. A stooping off-drive and a crunching cut followed.

Laxman charmed Tremlett through cover off the back-foot — silken strokes, among the best played in five days — but the 6ft 7in paceman cut one down the slope through the batsman’s defences. That it kept a touch low from such a high release didn’t help. India’s last recognised pair had been separated.

England took the second new ball, Sidebottom trapped Anil Kumble in front and Tremlett forced Zaheer to glove a thoughtless hook into Prior’s gloves. When R.P. Singh rashly played over a full ball that drifted in from Panesar, the gathering gloom had looked entirely appropriate. The Indians, on the ornate Lord’s balcony, were craning their necks for a silver lining. They received better.

SCOREBOARD

England — 1st innings: 298 India — 1st innings: 201 England — 2nd innings: 282 India — 2nd innings: W. Jaffer c Pietersen b Anderson 8, D. Karthik c Collingwood b Anderson 60, R. Dravid lbw b Tremlett 9, S. Tendulkar lbw b Panesar 16, S. Ganguly lbw b Sidebottom 40, V.V.S. Laxman b Tremlett 39, M.S. Dhoni (batting) 76, A. Kumble lbw b Sidebottom 3, Z. Khan c Prior b Tremlett 0, R.P. Singh b Panesar 2, Sreesanth (batting) 4, Extras (b-13, lb-5, nb-1, w-6) 25, Total (for nine wkts. in 96 overs) 282. Fall of wickets: 1- 37 (Jaffer), 2-55 (Dravid), 3-84 (Tendulkar), 4-143 (Ganguly), 5-145 (Karthik), 6-231 (Laxman), 7-247 (Kumble), 8-254 (Zaheer), 9-263 (R.P. Singh). England bowling: Sidebottom 19-4-42-2, Anderson 25-4-83-2, Tremlett 21-5-52-3, Panesar 26-7-63-2, Collingwood 1-0-6-0, Vaughan 4-0-18-0.

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