Ahmedabad Test, Day 5, Close
Saturday, December 15, 2001

As expected, the final session was a formality, but in the last few minutes one saw an engrossing and significant contest. Sourav Ganguly came into bat after Sachin Tendulkar's dismissal and, never one to miss a trick, Nasser Hussain brought back Andy Flintoff, who'd won a personal battle against his former Lancashire mate in the first innings.

Flintoff charged in, and the last over he bowled was probably the fastest of the match, as he consistently topped 140 kmph. It was a tribute to the big man's strength and fitness, but Ganguly had all the answers to the short stuff he was tested with, fending, ducking and pulling him to the fence with aplomb. Ganguly's short stint at the crease should give him immense confidence for the third Test.

It was an engrossing Test match, and apart from the last day, both teams displayed a high level of intensity. Nasser Hussain deserves a fair share of credit for that, though he could have declared slightly earlier and given India a more achievable target. Hussain's argument was that he was marshalling an inexperienced bowling attack, but it is unlikely that England will get into a winning position again in Bangalore.

I suspect Australia would have gone for a win even with a similar bowling line-up. A more reachable target would have presented England with opportunities to take wickets and force a win. Even if they had lost, a bolder approach would have won Hussain a lot of admirers.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the late '80s and early '90s, was talking to S Rajesh.

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