The Hindu : Sport : India slumps to another defeat

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Wednesday, Aug 29, 2007
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India slumps to another defeat

S. Dinakar

Birmingham: The Indians mismanaged the chase at Edgbaston on Monday.

The 42-run defeat, pursuing an achievable 282 on a surface that continued to favour batsmen, reflected the wrong shots played at the wrong time.

The visitor was well-placed at 140 for two in 29.4 overs, with two set senior batsmen, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, at the crease.

Chris Tremlett forced Dravid to play on with an off-cutter at this juncture — the turning point.

England leads the NatWest ODI series 2-1, with four games remaining. England held its nerve while defending, the Indian batsmen didn’t.

Sourav Ganguly’s early blitzkrieg suggested the chase was on. The left-hander was all grace and timing as he straight drove, off-drove and square-drove James Anderson for successive boundaries. He continued to bat nonchalantly, drilling holes in the ring.

Sachin Tendulkar (8) pulled Anderson for a rousing boundary, but moments later, played away from his body to be held at point off the same bowler. England had struck the first blow.

The move to promote Dinesh Karthik to No. 3 was as much about his success in the top-order in Tests as having another left-right combination in the middle. Karthik, however, wasted the opportunity, playing Stuart Broad loosely square off the wicket.

Ganguly and skipper Dravid, who has regained his touch, added 104 for the third wicket in 115 balls. Dravid (56, 61b, 7x4, 1x6) drove majestically, flicked with panache and found the gaps to outscore Ganguly during this association.

Tremlett’s spell turned the match on its head. Apart from consuming Dravid, the lanky paceman forced Ganguly (72, 104b, 9x4, 1x6) to nick a rising delivery leaving the left-hander for the much-maligned ’keeper Mathew Prior to hold a brilliant catch.

The left-handed Yuvraj Singh (45, 39b, 4x4, 1x6) played some blistering shots but M.S. Dhoni cut Anderson, who bowled with verve in his second spell, to be held square off the wicket.

There was little sting in the Indian tail. To make matters worse, Yuvraj was run out when Zaheer Khan refused a quick run; even if the single was not possible, Zaheer should have sacrificed his wicket.

Exemplary

The England fielding and catching was exemplary.

Skipper Paul Collingwood managed the overs well, and picked up two wickets himself.

SCOREBOARD England: 281 for eight in 50 overs.

India: S. Ganguly c Prior b Tremlett 72, S. Tendulkar c Collingwood b Anderson 8, D. Karthik c Cook b Broad 0, R. Dravid b Tremlett 56, Yuvraj (run out) 45, M.S. Dhoni c Collingwood b Anderson 13, R. Powar c Bell b Collingwood 5, P. Ch awla c Bell b Collingwood 1, Zaheer b Panesar 11, R.P. Singh (not out) 12, Munaf b Anderson 1; Extras: (lb-10, w-3, nb-2) 15; Total: (in 48.1 overs) 239.

Fall of wickets: 1-35 (Tendulkar), 2-36 (Karthik), 3-140 (Dravid), 4-149 (Ganguly), 5-190 (Dhoni), 6-210 (Powar), 7-213 (Chawla), 8-214 (Yuvraj), 9-234 (Zaheer).

England bowling: Broad 9-1-34-1, Anderson 9.1-3-32-3, Tremlett 8-0-57-2, Panesar 10-0-49-1, Collingwood 10-0-45-2, Bopara 2-0-12-0.

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