The Hindu : Sport : Dravid’s dry run comes to an end

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Dravid’s dry run comes to an end

S. Dinakar

England’s fightback led by Andrew Flintoff and Greame Swann

— Photo: S. Subramanium

A BIG WICKET: Matt Prior and Ian Bell successfully appeal for a leg before decision against Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday.

Mohali: The deeply introspective Rahul Dravid poses the toughest questions to himself. The Indian batting great answered one of them — on what he still offered to this Indian team — when he flicked James Anderson for a single and completed his 26th Test hundred.

“It was more about what I expected out of myself,” he said later.

Dravid’s 136 — ending an extended dry run — was an innings of technique and heart. On another murky day, his spirit shone bright. India’s most successful No. 3’s value to the line-up in conditions favouring seam and swing is immense.

Gautam Gambhir continues to impress. The left-hander was fortunate early on but applied himself. The opener’s 179 reflected his growing maturity.

Other’s fail

Apart from their 314-run second-wicket stand — India’s second highest partnership for any wicket against England — the home team’s batting offered little on Saturday.

India slumped from 320 for one to 453 all out in its first innings on the second day of the second Test at the PCA Stadium. England’s fightback was led by Andrew Flintoff and Greame Swann.

The zestful Flintoff extracted bounce and seamed the ball both ways from an off-stump line on a pitch with a greenish tinge. Off-spinner Swann spun the ball into the right-hander or away from the southpaw.

He also straightened the odd one or drifted it into the left-hander from round-the-wicket; Swann pivots well, has a side-on action, and imparts revolution on the ball.

Swing bowler James Anderson was unlucky while Stuart Broad should have pitched the ball further up. Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar operated with greater control in the last session.

Kevin Pietersen’s field-placement for the spinners showed an improvement; there were more men to cut off singles and hold miscued drives.

In the context of his form being under intense scrutiny, this was a significant innings from Dravid (136, 328b, 19x4). He entered ‘the zone’; a territory where his mind and body are in harmony.

Admirable judgment

For most part, Dravid’s judgment — his stance and balance were in order — around the off-stump was admirable.

He played and left, covering for the possible inward movement. Whether getting a big stride forward or going right back, he was decisive in his footwork.

The duel between Dravid and Flintoff was engrossing. When the Englishman bounced, Dravid swayed out of harm’s way with his eyes on the ball.

On those rare occasions when he was unsure about the direction of movement, Dravid loosened his grip on the handle; even if the edge was found, the ball would not carry to the cordon. For most part, he watched the bowler’s hand closely to pick the deviation.

Dravid celebrated a well-constructed hundred in a typically understated fashion and carried on. A push-drive past bowler Broad had the small gathering applauding.

Dravid used the depth of the crease effectively for the back-footed strokes off the spinners.

Gambhir began aggressively against Panesar but was given a few anxious moments by Anderson with the second new ball.

The left-hander, however, seized on the scoring opportunities; he cut and pulled the pacemen to the fence.

Gambhir went past 1,000 Test runs for the year and then the 150-run mark. He was eventually consumed by Swann, slicing a wide delivery. Soon, Dravid, seeking to push the scoring, was held at mid-off off Swann.

Wickets tumble

Wickets then fell in a heap. Tendulkar missed a sweep to an off-spinner from Swann and V.V.S. Laxman was done in by one that nipped back from Flintoff; the all-rounder’s post lunch spell of 6-3-3-1 was an inspired one.

Yuvraj was put down early at gully by Alastair Cook off Flintoff. The pace-bowling all-rounder tested the left-handed Yuvraj with a combination of lifting deliveries and the ones deviating away from round-the-wicket. Yuvraj was not always convincing.

Neither Yuvraj — miscuing an attempted flick off Panesar — nor Dhoni — stepping out to Anderson and holing out — could consolidate.

There were a few enterprising blows from the lower order but England kept striking. It was a good comeback by Pietersen’s men.

SCOREBOARD

India - 1st innings: G. Gambhir c Cook b Swann 179, V. Sehwag c Prior b Broad 0, R. Dravid c Panesar b Swann 136, S. Tendulkar lbw b Swann 11, V.V.S. Laxman lbw b Flintoff 0, Yuvraj c Prior b Panesar 27, M.S. Dhoni c sub b Anderson 29, Harbhajan c Swann b Panesar 24, Zaheer b Flintoff 7, A. Mishra b Flintoff 23, Ishant (not out) 1; Extras: (b-5, lb-5, nb-6) 16; Total: (in 158.2 overs) 453.

Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Sehwag), 2-320 (Gambhir), 3-329 (Dravid), 4-337 (Tendulkar), 5-339 (Laxman), 6-379 (Yuvraj), 7-418 (Dhoni), 8-418 (Harbhajan), 9-446 (Zaheer).

England bowling: Anderson 32-5- 84-1, Broad 26-9-84-1, Flintoff 30.2- 10-54-3, Panesar 23-2-89-2, Swann 45-11-122-3, Collingwood 2-0-10-0.

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