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India’s batsmen pile on the runs

S. Ram Mahesh

Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly miss out on centuries

Nottingham: Despite a thickening dossier of evidence suggesting that the bowlers had sufficiently appeased the cricketing gods, the pantheon revealed its bias on Sunday.

Call it Batsmen’s Sunday: even in a series of decidedly bowler-friendly conditions — cloud cover and moist tracks, cool breeze and proud seams — both Tests have granted the batsmen Sunday to make up.

England had been blessed at Lord’s, Kevin Pietersen drinking from the goblet of greatness. Here at Trent Bridge, it was India’s turn.

On a warm, bright Sunday, when the swollen river Trent thinned, India’s batsmen made calm, aesthetic progress. It was enough to recall their days as world-beaters.

India amassed 481 runs before being dismissed. England, in its second innings, was 43 for no loss by close, needing a further 240 to make India bat again. Two days remain.

There were half-centuries for Sourav Ganguly (79) and V.V.S. Laxman (54), but a cruel fate for Sachin Tendulkar.

Poor decisions

The great man fell nine short of a 38th Test hundred, undone by a poor decision from umpire Simon Taufel. Tendulkar padded up to a Paul Collingwood delivery that hinted in, but not sufficiently to hit the off-stump.

Taufel also erred in ruling Ganguly out — caught behind, one of Matt Prior’s five catches — but India can’t complain; it has had its share of luck.

The numbers favour India: never has the side lost a Test match when possessed of a first-innings lead of over a 100; England, on the other hand, under Michael Vaughan’s captaincy has been shot out for fewer than 200 in the first innings of home Tests only twice — it has lost both times.

With variable bounce marking its presence in the final session of the third day, England had better put on a masterclass in batting time, simultaneously praying that the fair-weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday turns out to be drivel.

Touch of intrigue

Sunday began with a touch of intrigue. Mike Brearley and Michael Atherton, cerebral former England captains both, had criticised Vaughan’s second-day fields. The gist of their beef was that Vaughan had over-complicated matters with “show-pony” positions such as short extra cover.

In conditions of swing and cut, argued Brearley and Atherton, batsmen were apt to be caught in traditional positions. They claimed the absence of a short leg, in particular, had let India off.

It isn’t known if Vaughan read the papers or if he independently re-thought his strategy — and frankly, it doesn’t matter — but England started Sunday with Alastair Cook under the helmet. It very nearly paid off: Ganguly squeezed one between bat and pad, and it filtered through Cook’s fingers. But, thereafter, the morning turned India’s, slowly, inexorably.

England was hampered by a combination of events: its lack of consistency with the ball and India’s emphasis on and execution of batting in partnerships.

Had either Chris Tremlett or Anderson summoned half of Sidebottom’s steadfast control in the first hour, England might have fought its way back into the second Test.

Sidebottom’s long, rowdy, matted hair might indicate a certain disregard for discipline — it’s the stereotype anyway — but his bowling through the first hour was nothing if not disciplined.

Slanting the ball across Tendulkar and breaking it back in, Sidebottom allowed the great man just three scoring strokes in 48 balls, one of them a tickle past the diving Matt Prior. This, after starting with a maiden to Ganguly.

The sole left-hander in India’s top six, Ganguly’s tenure was crucial. It forced the inexperienced England bowlers to switch lines. In the event, his hooked six off Tremlett, beautiful swivel as he rolled with the stroke even if he did flinch at contact, was a decisive moment.

Tremlett, much like Anderson after he had rattled Tendulkar on Saturday, couldn’t follow it up with anything meaningful. Ganguly was good enough to stretch and gild drives through cover, both off half-volleys and on the up.

Monty Panesar, who eventually mopped up the tail to finish with four wickets, felt the brunt of Ganguly’s cover-driving.

The cover drive is the index of Ganguly’s batting: when the bat swings smoothly like a gate on its oiled hinge, the rest of his game is in order. The bat face isn’t compromisingly angled, and he looks a fine Test batsman.

Moments of genius

Tendulkar, having resumed on 59, wasn’t as free-scoring as Ganguly. And in his eighties when Panesar switched to over the wicket, he chose to play with his pad; Shane Warne, no less, had been once destroyed when pursuing a similar angle.

But, Tendulkar, in any innings of substance, has moments of genius. He delayed a flick off Anderson to miss square leg and flat-batted the same bowler through cover having struck the ball at the top of its bounce.

Scoreboard

England — 1st innings: 198

India — 1st innings: D. Karthik c Cook b Panesar 77, W. Jaffer c Prior b Tremlett 62, R. Dravid c Bell b Panesar 37, S. Tendulkar lbw b Collingwood 91, S. Ganguly c Prior b Anderson 79, V.V.S. Laxman c Prior b Tremlett 54, M.S. Dhoni c Prior b Sidebottom 5, A. Kumble c Prior b Tremlett 30, Z. Khan (not out) 10, R.P. Singh lbw b Panesar 0, S. Sreesanth lbw b Panesar 2, Extras (b-16, lb-16, w-1, nb-1): 34, Total (in 158.5 overs) 481.

Fall of wickets: 1-147 (Jaffer), 2-149 (Karthik), 3-246 (Dravid), 4-342 (Tendulkar), 5-409 (Ganguly), 6-414 (Dhoni), 7-464 (Laxman), 8-473 (Kumble), 9-474 (Singh), 10-481 (Sreesanth).

England bowling: Sidebottom 36-11-75-1, Anderson 33-4-134-1, Tremlett 40-13-80-3, Collingwood 16-3-59-1, Panesar 33.5-8-101-4.

England — 2nd innings: A. Strauss (not out) 21, A. Cook (not out) 17, Extras (b-2, lb-1, w-1, nb-1): 5, Total (for no loss in 16 overs): 43.

India bowling: Z. Khan 5-2-14-0, S. Sreesanth 3-0-10-0, R.P. Singh 4-2-4-0, A. Kumble 3-0-10-0, S. Ganguly 1-0-2-0

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