India’s batsmen undid all the good work done by their bowlers in restricting England to 298, and allowed the hosts to come back in the first Test match. Cricket is an unpredictable game, and just as nobody thought that India’s new-ball bowlers would be able to get their line and length right on the second day after their wayward spells on the first day, India’s batsmen may similarly get their act together in the second innings and thus make amends for their first-innings effort. They have just increased their workload by giving England a handy lead, and instead of India taking it, it’s now England who have the first innings honors.
That looked a remote possibility when Jaffer and Tendulkar not only steadied the Indian innings, but also gave it some substance before the little champion was undone by his old failing of trying to play across the line, and being found in front of the stumps. With his short stride, he will always be a candidate for a leg-before wicket call if he misses a straight one, and with the umpires not having the benefit of slow-motion action replays, any follow-through by the batsman after playing the shot makes up the umpires’ mind even if they are in some doubt when the ball first hits the pads. Tendulkar looked good as he settled down, though his start was a bit tentative. And because he was looking to play straighter, he was looking good. There seemed to be a clear strategy from England, as they deliberately left the mid-wicket area open, tempting him to play the flick, and it worked.
It was the same with Ganguly, as he was nicely set up by Jimmy Anderson with deliveries that left him in the previous over, and then got the perfect delivery that swung in and went between bat and pad and knocked the stumps back. Anderson bowled splendidly, getting the big three of the Indian batting lineup, and with the left-handed Sidebottom getting the other big one, VVS Laxman, in a manner similar to Ganguly’s, the Indian batting was made to look pretty ordinary indeed. The Indians had lost the advantage on the second evening itself, when Jaffer, after playing so well, went into a shell for an inexplicable reason and let England’s bowlers get on top. If he was playing for the close, then it was too far away, not just in terms of time but overs as well, and so the strategy was flawed. Still, there was enough batting left after his dismissal, and this is where a feeling of ‘déjà vu’crept in with familiar methods of dismissals. Much was expected of Dhoni, but he got tangled up playing a short one from Anderson, who showed not only good pace but clever movement as well. The rains may have given the Indians some respite and plenty of time to chew on the mistakes they have made so far, and if the lessons are learnt quickly, then there may still be a good chance for them to come back well.
