3rd Test: India v England at Bangalore, 19-23 Dec 2001 Stephen Lamb |
India 1st innings:
England 1st innings: |
Tendulkar's artistry was again in evidence in the first over after tea as he stepped out to clip Giles to the midwicket boundary. Three through extra cover off White brought up India's 50 (133 balls, 96 minutes) and four more followed, again through midwicket, as Tendulkar gave Giles the charge.
A moment's hesitation from Das could easily have cost him his wicket as Hussain shied at the stumps, but Tendulkar then produced a gem of a cover drive off White which turned the fielders to stone. A misfield resulted in another boundary in the same over, and the 50 partnership came up as Das greeted Flintoff's return with four through cover point.
The carnival continued as Tendulkar dispatched a good length delivery from Flintoff to the extra cover boundary. As Giles twice overpitched, Das swept him away behind square and then dispatched him therough cover. The response from Giles was to pitch regularly outside leg stump, giving Tendulkar little opportunity to play him, and an exchange of words between Tendulkar and Hussain resulted.
India's reply got off to a brisk start as Matthew Hoggard strayed to leg, allowing Shiv Sunder Das four behind square and two to midwicket off the first two balls of the innings. Flintoff began with a maiden, and found extra pace and lift to make the first breakthrough in the fourth over of India's innings as Deep Dasgupta edged, firm-footed, to Marcus Trescothick at first slip.
VVS Laxman announced himself with four through midwicket, and Hussain responded by strengthening the legside field. Undaunted, Laxman bisected the two deep fielders behind square in Flintoff's next over to add four more. But the Lancastrian's extra pace was too much for Laxman as a scorching inswinger penetrated his defences to hit the top of his middle stump.
Sachin Tendulkar entered to his customary rapturous reception, and was soon timing both Flintoff and Hoggard sweetly off his legs, the latter for a glorious boundary as he overpitched. Ashley Giles replaced Hoggard in the 13th over, which India completed on 31 for two.
Tendulkar's mastery shone again as he steered a marginally short Flintoff delivery through point for four more, and when Yorkshire replaced Lancashire, Craig White's first ball was glanced to fine leg with the same result. A good day for England thus far, but there is still plenty to do.
Foster and Giles got the afternoon under way with a flurry of singles as Sarandeep and Srinath resumed the Indian attack, and Giles struck the first boundary of the session, cutting a short ball from Srinath.
However the Indian paceman pulled Foster up just two short of his first Test 50 with an excellent delivery that held its own and foung a thin outside edge on its way through to Deep Dasgupta. Giles was out the very next ball, sweeping at Sarandeep and adjudged lbw as the ball looked to be on or around off stump.
Poor Sarandeep was then withdrawn from the attack after bowling a wicket maiden, to give Kumble the chance to take his 300th Test wicket. He duly obliged with his third ball, trapping Matthew Hoggard lbw to become the second Indian bowler after the legendary Kapil Dev to reach the landmark.
Anil Kumble replaced Ganguly for the 100th over of the innings, and might well have had his 300th Test wicket when Ashley Giles pushed his second ball narrowly wide of Das at short leg. A double change ended Srinath's excellent spell with the new ball as Harbhajan Singh was introduced at the BEML end.
Kumble looked less than impressed when a misfield allowed Foster two to third man, preventing a second over maiden. Giles and Foster exchanged singles to long leg off Harbhajan to keep the scoreboard slowly ticking. Foster took four off Harbhajan with a sublime off drive, but was then beaten twice, first defending then sweeping.
Giles was fortunate to survive an appeal for a catch at short leg off Kumble when an inside edge found its way to Das straight off his boot. The 300 came up with an inside edge to the fine leg boundary off Harbhajan, and Foster reached his highest Test score with another scorching drive to the long-off boundary.
Two byes took England to 313 for seven before Kumble made way for Sarandeep Singh. Giles struggled to make contact in Sarandeep's first over; an indiscreet waft was followed by three fortuitous leg byes as he hit across the line. But Giles got full value in Sarandeep's next over, crashing a long hop through point to hoist a 50 partnership for the second time this morning.
Ganguly made another double change just before lunch, recalling Srinath and giving Virender Sehwag an over, but England reached the break intact on 325 for seven.
India took the new ball at the start of play this morning, shared again by Srinath and his captain Sourav Ganguly. Foster was initially the more productive of the overnight batsmen, driving Srinath through cover and mid-off for two and three respectively as Srinath went for seven runs in his second over of the morning.
Ganguly was given a second warning by umpire Jayaprakash for running on the pitch during his follow-through. A misfield by Srinath off his own bowling gave White a single, but the latter then did well to fend off an excellent ball that reared sharply at him from just short of a length. The Yorkshireman was saved by a thin inside edge on to his pad as Srinath appealed fiercely for lbw.
The fifty partnership was handsomely posted as White took four through extra cover when Ganguly dropped short. A hooked single to fine leg took White to 39, but that was the extent of it as Srinath got his man with the first ball of his next over.
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Date-stamped : 20 Dec2001 - 14:34