The weather has ensured that India’s dreams of winning both the Test matches in Bangladesh will not come true. Then of course, the old Indian failing of allowing the tail to wag saw that they lost out on the chance to put pressure on the home team by enforcing the follow-on. It’s not the first time that the tail-enders have thwarted the Indian team, and unless India find a genuinely quick bowler or two, it won’t be the last time either. The absence of Anil Kumble from the attack also did not help, for he is one bowler who wraps up the tail pretty quickly with his slow-and-then-quick delivery trick. India had to turn to Tendulkar, who produced a well disguised googly to break the stubborn partnership between Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hussain. It was a partnership for the fans and not for the purists, but it ensured that Bangladesh can breathe easy in this game. It will take an extraordinary collapse by the hosts to lose the game, which with the weather still uncertain, is doomed for a draw.
India were looking for some quick runs from Dhoni to set Bangladesh a stiff target to avoid the follow-on, but he perished, and Dravid called the innings to a halt, knowing that there wasn’t much to be expected from the remaining batsmen. Zaheer, whose highest score in Tests is against the Bangladeshis, didn’t last long either. That may have been for the better, for in this heat, the team does not need its quicker bowlers to tire themselves out batting.
R.P. Singh was most impressive on this flat pitch, for not only did he get the ball to move both ways, but he also bowled at a sharp pace. In India, we tend to call anybody who comes in with a long run as a pace bowler. So even if he is bowling at 135 kmph speed, he is called a pace sensation. In actual fact, that is just above medium pace, but certainly not quick. Anybody who bowls consistently over 145 km per hour can be called ‘quick,’ and those who bowl at 150-plus are the express speedsters. Unfortunately, India don’t have anybody in that category as yet, however much the media might tout their favorites as pace bowlers.
What is more important in international cricket and what regularly gets wickets is movement in the air and off the pitch. Look at McGrath. He has seldom bowled over 140 km, but his accuracy and late movement is what defeats the best of batsmen. R.P. Singh got late movement, and was therefore tougher to play than Zaheer, who was moving in only one direction. When he got the ball to move the other way, he got the well-set Nafees out to a brilliant catch by Tendulkar, who since the South Africa tour, is relishing the slip position and is taking some real blinders there. Rahul Dravid, who is an all-time great slip catcher, is standing at mid-off or mid-on, mainly to talk to his bowlers, and Tendulkar has filled in nicely for him.
VRV Singh has definitely staked a claim to be given the new ball, and it may make sense to have a right and left hand combo, as it makes life that much harder for the batsmen.
Ramesh Powar had to wait a while before capturing his first Test wicket, and he finished with another one, but he will have a greater role to play in the second innings, when the ball may turn a bit more. Still it looks like a draw, but India need to take the initiative and show that they are looking for a result by giving Bangladesh a tempting target to chase in the final innings.
