CALCUTTA, 17 March 2005 — India kept the Pakistanis in the field all day to pile up a formidable 344-6 when play ended on the first day of the second Test at the Eden Gardens here yesterday.
Pakistan’s bowling once again lacked penetration despite the inclusion of medium-pacer Mohammad Khalil — one of the two changes Pakistan made after first Test — and failed to stop the run glut as the Indian batsmen Virendar Sehwag and the century-maker Rahul Dravid punished them for 81 and 110 respectively to carry India to a respectable total.
In the course of their innings they also shared the spotlight with master batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who made a sedate 52 and reaching in the process the landmark of 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He joins the elite club that includes Allan Border (11,174 runs), Steve Waugh (10,927), Sunil Gavaskar (10,122) and Brian Lara (10,094).
Gavaskar was the first to reach that goal and that too came against Pakistan during the 1987 tour when in Ahmedabad he became the first batsman in Tests history to achieve this honor. Tendulkar, playing in his 122nd Test, had needed only 27 runs to reach the goal and which he did by flicking a single against medium-pacer Abdul Razzaq to the leg side soon after tea. A standing ovation by a disappointingly 40,000 crowd greeted him as he waved his bat in acknowledgement as partner Dravid and the Pakistani players congratulated him.
Before he was the third man out caught at the wicket by Kamran Akmal off leg-spinner Shahid Afridi he had struck nine exquisite fours and had shared with Rahul Dravid 122 runs for the third wicket in 146 minutes.
Both India and Pakistan made changes for this Test. Zaheer Khan as predicted was dropped and spinner Harbhajan Singh was named in the squad and Pakistan replaced injured Naveed ul-Hasan with Khalil and opener Salman Butt with all-rounder Afridi. Pakistan may have regretted during the day over their choice of Khalil in place of off-spinner Arshad Khan, because Khalil looked very unimpressive.
Saurav Ganguly, the Indian captain, rightly decided to bat after having won the toss. The wicket offered little help to Sami or Khalil as Gautum Gambhir and Sehwag cut, swept and drove with panache to keep the scoreboard ticking.
The two were separated before lunch when Gambhir sweeping spinner Danish Kaneria was given out leg before when on 29 and with India on 80. From 126 at lunch India continued to keep their run rate at more than four an over as Sehwag carved the field.
Having reached his 50 before lunch with the help of eight fours he looked like notching up another century to add to his at Mohali but then his impetuosity got his downfall as he went down the wicket to hit Afridi and was brilliantly caught by Inzamam ul-Haq at wide of mid-on when 81. He had hit 11 fours off 113 balls and had put on 76 for the second wicket with Dravid in only 73 minutes.
Dravid, in his own quiet way, reached his fifty with the help of eight fours and at tea was still around having made 70. Tendulkar with 25 required two more runs to reach 10,000 that he did after tea.
“I am delighted that I have joined the others who had reached this landmark before me,” he later said.
“I’m thrilled about it. “It is a reflection of the type of cricket I have played all the while, said Tendulkar.”
“They (the four others in the elite club) are all in a different league and it feels very nice to join the club,” he told reporters. “I hope it doesn’t stop here. I want to carry on.”
Achieving the milestone against Pakistan had special significance for the Bombay batsman who made his debut as a 15-year-old against the traditional rivals in 1989.
“It has happened in a big series. Both the first run and 10,000 are equally important,” he said. “Ten thousand is just a figure, but sometimes figures make you feel very special. This is one of those days.” His 100 runs stand with Dravid came in 121 minutes. Dravid to celebrate that hit a huge six off Kaneria to long on but soon saw Tendulkar depart. Ganguly did not stay long as he flashed at Abdul Razzaq and was weld held by Akmal when 12 and Razzaq trapped VVS Laxman on the next delivery to be on a hat trick, which was averted by Dinesh Karthik, who survived a leg before appeal.
Dravid at 92 hit two glorious fours off Sami, one a cover drive and one off the toes to the on side, to reach his 19th Test century. A very workmanlike innings in 247 minutes stay at the crease having hit 15 fours and a six.
It was in the last over of the day however that he was out while edging one off Kaneria to the keeper having made 110.
“It’s not nice to get out in the last over of the day,” said Dravid. “It’s disappointing because it was important for me to stay at the crease for the team’s cause.”
“I enjoyed the rhythm and was in total control during the innings. It would have been good to string a few partnerships with the tailenders on the second day,” said Dravid.
“It’s a great achievement and Tendulkar has joined an elite club,” said Dravid, who has so far made 7,522 Test runs. “There was a lot of noise coming from the stands and Tendulkar came to me and asked, ‘what’s happening’ and I told him that you are just two runs away from 10,000 runs,” said Dravid.
