Rahul Dravid could not have asked for a better present from his team on the eve of his 100th Test appearance for his country than a win, and that’s what his team gave him. He himself had a big role to play in the victory, for it was he who steadied the ship when it was being rocked by a combination of top-class pace bowling and a wicket where there was a bit of extra bounce when the ball landed in those areas.
Helping him in getting a win was a person who has shared more dressing rooms with him than anyone else; Anil Kumble, who won the man of the match award, not just for taking his 500th Test wicket but for engineering a collapse which saw England lose their last few wickets without too many runs being added. It was here that the match turned, for if England had gone on to get close to 400 as they did in Nagpur, the Test would have been effectively out of India’s reach.
England have only themselves to blame, for sad to say, their application in the second innings was not what it should be at this level. Perhaps they took it easy thinking that with about a day-and-a-half left for the Test, it was doomed to a draw, and found out that in this sport the fortunes can change very quickly. Some of the shots they played were forgettable and the Ashes winners have lost a chance of showing that their win then was not because the Aussies underperformed, but because they themselves played the better cricket. Now, seeing the way they have so badly lost in Pakistan and here, that Ashes win comes into perspective for a team that was claiming the No. 1 status in the cricketing world. The Aussies are indisputably numero uno, precisely because they win not only at home but overseas as well, and unless England start to do that, they cannot expect the world to believe they are No. 1. The Ashes win showed that England were a very determined team and were unafraid to turn adversity to their advantage with the famed bulldog attitude that is so Churchillian English. In the subcontinent, they have become like pussycats, who growl the moment there’s a stomach gripe and then get shooed away. Munaf Patel had a memorable debut, and though young Chawla didn’t get to do much work, he got the wicket of the foremost all-rounder in the world, Andrew Flintoff, just as he was looking to give his team some more runs to defend.
India’s decision to go in with five bowlers was justified, though in such a scenario, one bowler may not get the kind of spells that he needs. Still, it is always better to have the flexibility for a skipper and Pathan also showed that batting at number seven, there’s plenty of life in the tail.
In fact, the manner in which Kumble applied himself was terrific, and with Harbhajan also enjoying himself, India were able to get the lead and then catch England as they relaxed mentally. That they got out to seamers whom they play day and in day out showed that mentally the England team did not expect that the game was still open and not dead.
Rahul Dravid being a total team man, would have set his personal disappointment aside as he marshaled his troops and made the bowling changes that kept the pressure on the batsmen. To him goes the major credit for the win.
Virender Sehwag’s return to form would have also eased some worries for he is too good a player to keep failing for long and now that his appetite has been whetted, fans can expect a blast at Bombay that’s going to be the Test where the little champion becomes India’s most capped Test player and gives him the perfect chance to show why with the much awaited big one in front of his adoring home crowd. The Indian captain, Rahul Dravid will also be playing his 100th Test match and if he can join those players, who have got a century in their 100th Test appearance, then there should be a feast of batting on display at the Wankhede Stadium.
Well done Rahul and company. It was a great win.
