1st Test: India v England at Mohali, 3-7 Dec 2001 Stephen Lamb |
England 1st innings:
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England's run rate dropped substantially after the tea interval, although Andrew Flintoff got things moving in the first over of the final session, cutting Kumble for four to take the tourists to 212 for 4. Tinu Yohannan began with a maiden, and with Kumble kept a tight rein on England's batsmen. After playing and missing, firm-footed, at Yohannan, Flintoff managed to shake off the shackles by dispatching a long hop through extra cover and taking four more behind square.
A bowling change by Sourav Ganguly then paid immediate dividends as Mark Ramprakash, playing Harbhajan defensively across the line, was beautifully caught at silly point by Shiv Sunder Das for 17. 224 for 5 became 227 for 6 when Flintoff perished for 18, aiming to hit Harbhajan over the top and skying a catch to backward point.
Harbhajan missed out on his third wicket in three overs when wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta failed to gather a thin outside edge from Craig White. Harbhajan was not to be denied for long, dismissing debutant James Foster for a duck as he tried to sweep a ball from around his off stump. England had been reduced to 229 for 7. Kumble then dismissed White for five as he dabbed a late cut straight to Rahul Dravid at first slip without addition to the total. Richard Dawson looked perilously close to lbw off his first ball in Test cricket.
Iqbal Siddiqui returned to the Indian attack in place of Tinu Yohannan in the 43rd over, and a half volley was struck with perfect timing to the extra cover boundary by Graham Thorpe. This delightful stroke was repeated in Siddiqui's next over as he overpitched again. But to his chagrin Thorpe was dismissed in the same over, flashing at a ball outside the off stump and giving a straightforward catch to VVS Laxman at second slip. Siddiqui had his first Test wicket, Thorpe had made 23 and England were 172 for 3.
Mark Ramprakash immediately made the most of a wide half volley from Harbhajan, driving it to the cover boundary. Hussain then advanced down the wicket to hit Harbhajan for four over mid-off, before being missed in the same over behind the stumps by Deep Dasgupta. An edge in Harbhajan's next over fell just short of Laxman at slip.
The England captain's response to adversity was aggressive. Twice he hit Harbhajan over the top, first for a magnificent six over extra cover long-off, and then a miscued swing over midwicket for three. Ramprakash took three more off Siddiqui as he pierced the covers again, and Harbhajan then made way for Anil Kumble. A single from Ramprakash brought up the 200, but Kumble then struck a vital blow, dismissing Hussain for 85, caught by Laxman at silly point off pad and bat as he pushed defensively forward.
With tea beckoning, Yohannan served up a juicy full toss, which Flintoff duly dispatched to the third man boundary. The tourists reached the interval on 207 for 4.
England made a quiet start to the session, with just one sharp single for Nasser Hussain in Tinu Yohannan's first over after lunch. Harbhajan Singh switched ends for his second over, and Hussain pushed him backward of square on the off side for another single. There was a stifled appeal from Yohannan as Hussain played and missed outside the off stump. The next ball was dropped short and Hussain reached his 50 in fine style, pulling it to the boundary just in front of square. It is his eighteenth 50 in Tests, and came off 89 balls with 10 fours.
Trescothick swept a full-length ball from Harbhajan for a single, and Hussain then played and missed at two consecutive deliveries, possibly expecting more turn than than the pitch is currently providing. Yohannan dropped short again in his next over and was pulled fiercely through midwicket by Trescothick. The Somerset left-hander was then almost lbw as he left the next ball.
Trescothick moved to 65 by driving Harbhajan powerfully through extra cover off the front foot. An error of judgement led to his downfall in the next over, as he left a ball from Yohannan that held its line when Trescothick expected it to seam away. It sent his off stump cartwheeling. Trescothick had made a fluent 66 and England were 129 for 2. Graham Thorpe was then immediately hit in front by a no ball, and got away with an uppish hook for a single. Four leg byes followed off Harbhajan, and Hussain came down the wicket to take three to third man.
Three more followed in Yohannan's next over as Hussain squeezed him between gully and backward point, and Thorpe took a single from a misfielded cover drive. His first boundary came from a sweep off Harbhajan in the following over. Another Thorpe single brought up England's 150 in the 38th over, and an angled push to the third man boundary off Yohannan took Hussain to 64. An overpitched delivery was then dispatched with consummate ease by Thorpe through mid-off. Drinks were taken with England on 160 for 2.
India's captain Sourav Ganguly was soon forced to take a hard look at his bowling options as England dominated the first session, with some entertaining batting from Marcus Trescothick and Nasser Hussain.
Sachin Tendulkar came on to bowl seamers in the 22nd over in place of Sanjay Bangar, and managed to stem the flow of runs with two consecutive maidens. Trescothick swept Kumble to fine leg for a single, and then reached the boundary with a similar shot off the same bowler to bring up England's 100 and reach his eighth Test match 50. It came off just 73 balls and included 11 boundaries.
Hussain brought up the century partnership with a delightful dab to the third man boundary off the miserly Tendulkar. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was the sixth bowler used, bowling around the wicket in the 27th over. He had time for just one over before lunch as Nasser Hussain's team made a near-perfect start to the series.
In the tenth Iqbal Siddiqui was on the receiving end, as Nasser Hussain first cut and then on drove boundaries. After five overs Siddiqui made way for Sanjay Bangar, who immediately went for two more boundaries as England posted 50 in the twelfth over. Hussain drove the first through mid-off and clipped the second through midwicket.
The 50 partnership between Trescothick and Hussain came up off just 75 balls, with Hussain scoring the more freely of the two.
Anil Kumble came on for Yohannan in the 15th over, and Trescothick looked fortunate to survive an lbw appeal when he was hit on the toe and credited with four runs to third man. He celebrated with boundaries through extra cover and long on as England reached 70 for one at the end of an expensive first over for the leg-spinner. Hussain maintained the flow with two more off-side boundaries off Bangar. Kumble went for another in his second over as Trescothick pierced a packed off-side field. Hussain survived an appeal for a bat-pad catch at silly point, and after 17 overs England were 83 for 1.
Nasser Hussain survived two early lbw shouts, and flexed his muscles with a delightfully cut boundary off a short, wide ball from Yohannan in the fifth over. At the end of it England were 18 for 1.
The Mohali Test, which looked in jeopardy for some time last week, was finally cleared over the weekend, a blessing for cricket fans everywhere.
On a pitch that looked a seamers paradise, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly won the toss and opted to give his fast bowlers first crack at the wicket. He has the resources to exploit the track; three debutant pacers -Tinu Yohannan, Iqbal Siddiqui, Sanjay Bangar - should be plenty to extract maximum advantage from the pitch.
England also fields two debutants. Richard Dawson and James Foster received their England caps in an on-field ceremony that the side has followed for long. Their captain Nasser Hussain, although perhaps a bit disappointed that his pacers could not bowl first on a fresh wicket, will undoubtedly be glad that the track is not a typical dusty sub-continental one.
The teams:
England: Nasser Hussain (capt), Mark Butcher, Marcus Trescothick, Graham Thorpe, Mark Ramprakash, Andrew Flintoff, Craig White, Richard Dawson, James Foster (wicket-keeper), Matthew Hoggard, James Ormond.
India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Shiv Sunder Das, Deep Dasgupta (wicket-keeper), Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Bangar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Iqbal Siddiqui, Tinu Yohannan.
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Date-stamped : 03 Dec2001 - 15:51