2nd ODI: India v England at Cuttack, 22 Jan 2002 CricInfo Live Report

2nd ODI: India v England at Cuttack, 22 Jan 2002
Stephen Lamb

India innings: India lose Tendulkar, England win,
England innings: India field first, England lose openers, Vaughan reaches half century , England post 250,

ENGLAND TRIUMPH IN TENSE CUTTACK ENCOUNTER

India wilted under sustained England pressure in the field as the tourists successfully defended a total of 250 in the second one-day international. From the seemingly comfortable heights of 99 for two, the hosts subsided to 234 all out as England won by 16 runs to level the six-match series one-all.

England made their fourth breakthrough of the innings when Sehwag failed to get on top of a pull, Knight taking a good, tumbling catch at short mid-wicket. At 121 for four India were wobbling. They had a let-off when Badani was missed by Foster, who was standing up to Collingwood and couldn't gather cleanly as Badani went down the track.

A gentle push back down the ground relieved some of the pressure as Badani took four off Gough. But another run-out followed as Mongia went for an injudicious second run to Hoggard at long leg. He failed to ground his bat as Foster took the return one-handed to break the wicket with milli-seconds to spare. Mongia had gone for 49.

Hoggard yielded nine in an over as Badani first drove him to the rope at extra cover and then clipped two to square leg. Hoggard immediately made way for Hollioake, who looked unlucky not to win an lbw shout against Ratra as the Indian keeper played no stroke. Hollioake struck in the same over as Badani skyed a slower ball to wide mid-on, where Flintoff jubilantly held the catch.

Ratra kept a cool head in the cauldron, with two boundaries off Hollioake, and India had another let-off when Knight couldn't quite hold on to an Argarkar pull off Collingwood at deep mid-wicket. When Hollioake dropped short Ratra pulled him fiercely for another boundary.

Snape tightened things up on his return, and a double change led to England euphoria as Flintoff trapped Ratra in front for 30 with the first ball of his new spell. Harbhajan immediately swung the Lancastrian to the fence at long-on, but India descended further into the mire as Snape trapped him lbw sweeping.

Agarkar continued to punish anything loose, deftly cutting Snape to the third man boundary, and the 200 came up in the 42nd over. Singles kept the scoreboard ticking, interspersed with boundaries for Agarkar and Kumble off Hoggard and Flintoff respectively to keep India afloat.

With four overs remaining and India's last two wickets still needing 30, Hussain turned to Gough, who did the trick for his skipper with his 150th wicket in one-day internationals. Kumble slogged at a slower ball and Collingwood did wonderfully well to take a running catch over his shoulder.

Srinath should have been caught slogging at Gough, but a mix-up between Hollioake and Collingwood resulted in the ball falling harmlessly to earth. But Gough finished it in the same over as Agarkar got a thin edge to Foster. England had triumphed, and the series is still very much alive.

TENDULKAR RUN-OUT GIVES ENGLAND HOPE

A fortuitous run-out sent back Sachin Tendulkar for 45 as India were moving inexorably towards England's total of 250 in the second one-day international at Cuttack. After 25 overs the home side had reached 112 for three.

India made a perfect start to the chase as Ganguly dispatched Gough twice to the backward point boundary in the first over. A flashing square drive off Hoggard took Tendulkar off the mark in the second.

It was a ball of fuller length from Hoggard that made the breakthrough as Ganguly, with minimal foot movement, edged a straightforward catch to Knight at second slip. But India kept up the momentum as Tendulkar took boundaries through midwicket off Hoggard, then through extra cover and back down the ground off Gough, who made way for Flintoff after four overs.

Flintoff was unfortunate to see Mongia missed in the slips as Knight (second) moved in front of Trescothick (first) and the edge eluded them both. Mongia took three to extra cover and a no ball brought up India's 50. Although the brakes were applied for a while by Hoggard and Flintoff, Mongia broke the deadlock by twice reaching the extra cover boudary off Hoggard in the 14th over. In between pushed singles, Tendulkar drove Hollioake magically to the rope at extra cover.

Hussain constantly shuffled his attack, with Snape coming on in the 19th over and England increasingly desperate for a breakthrough. It came fortuitously when Tendulkar was run out by a deflection, Hollioake getting a fingertip to a drive by Mongia which hit the stumps with Tendulkar, backing up, stranded yards out of his ground.

Mongia made light of Gough's re-introduction, swinging a short ball to the mid-wicket boundary, but England broke through again when Laxman failed to make his ground as he attempted a single after Mongia had clipped the ball to Collingwood at backward point. The throw to Foster was a good one and Laxman was gone for three. At the half-way stage of India's innings the match was intriguingly poised.

INDIA CHASE 251 FOR VICTORY AT CUTTACK

Paul Collingwood and Michael Vaughan saw England to a respectable, if not necessarily impregnable, total of 250 for seven in the second one-day international. Collingwood made an unbeaten 71 and Vaughan 63 after England were put in to bat by Sourav Ganguly.

The 36th over of the England innings went for ten runs, six of them coming off the first ball as Collingwood swung Tendulkar to square leg where Harbhajan, having caught the ball just inside the boundary, couldn't quite release it as he stepped back on to the rope.

Vaughan was then needlessly run out after miscuing a reverse sweep. As the ball went towards square leg he hesitated when there should have been a straightforward single, and was left short of his ground at the bowler's end. Flintoff followed for five, swinging across a full-length ball from Harbhajan to lose his off stump.

Hollioake was then bowled through the gate by Kumble as he played for non-existent spin, leaving England on 192 for six and in danger of wasting the opportunity of posting a reasonable total. Amid the adversity Collingwood was still able to reach his 50 in style, swinging Kumble over midwicket.

Snape took a step down the wicket to swing Sehwag handsomely to the rope at square leg for his first boundary. Srinath then missed a far-from-easy return catch from Collingwood as England looked to accelerate in the closing overs, but showed all his experience to keep a tight rein on the batsmen at the death.

Collingwood fared better against Agarkar, swinging him high over the midwicket boundary. Snape was run out by Agarkar as he slipped while backing up, and Foster kept Collingwood company as England reached their eventual total.

VAUGHAN FLUENT AFTER HUSSAIN GOES FOR 46

Michael Vaughan kept England on course for a competitive total as the tourists reached 166 for three after 35 overs in the second one-day international at Cuttack. A fifty partnership between Vaughan and Paul Collingwood steadied England after Nasser Hussain departed four short of his half century.

Hussain was missed on 36 as he edged Ganguly and Ratra couldn't hang on to a thickish edge behind the stumps. The England captain then swept Harbhajan behind square to bring up the tourists' hundred, and Vaughan caught the mood next ball by pulling Ganguly handsomely over midwicket.

Hussain survived the tightest of run-out decisions after pushing Ganguly for a sharp single. Ratra's direct hit on the stumps at the bowlers end initially looked to have beaten Hussain, but this wasn't confirmed by replays as the third umpire, MR Singh, made an excellent decision. It made little difference as Hussain then inexplicably lost patience against Ganguly, holing out to Agarkar at deep mid-on.

Joined by the inexperienced Collingwood, Vaughan restored the momentum with a handsome boundary through extra cover, and was then missed by Agarkar as he swept to fine leg. Collingwood cut his first boundary to third man, and the the scoreboard ticked consistently as the two exchanged regular singles.

Vaughan went to his half century (59 balls, 4 fours), with a sweep off Tendulkar, and Collingwood used his feet to clip Kumble wide of mid-on for his second boundary. It set the tone for the partnership; each of the two was prepared to come down the wicket, and Vaughan took four more through extra cover off a ball from Tendulkar which he turned into a full toss. He was again missed on 60, this time a stumping chance to Ratra.

ENGLAND BUILD FIRM PLATFORM AT CUTTACK

England reached 75 for the loss of both their openers in the first 15 overs after being put in to bat in the second one-day international. Marcus Trescothick and Nick Knight were both out pulling, a wicket apiece for Javagal Srinath and Agit Agarkar.

Trescothick, England's hero at Kolkata, was twice beaten by Srinath in the first over of the morning, in which the bowler also twice overstepped. Knight got under way with two to long leg off Agarkar, adding three more with an off drive which Ganguly struggled to chase. A firm clip for three then got Trescothick under way in Srinath's next over. The morning's first boundary was edged narrowly wide of Laxman at second slip, immediately followed by a carve through backward point for the second.

Agarkar made the first breakthrough for India when Trescothick was fractionally late on a pull, giving Dinesh Mongia time to run behind the square leg unmpire to take a straightforward catch.

An excellent piece of fielding by Tendulkar in the covers prevented Hussain from getting under way, but Knight restored England's momentum by pulling Agarkar powerfully for four. Attempting a similar stroke, Hussain edged Srinath to the third man boundary. Well-judged running between the right and left-handers kept the scoreboard ticking over, and Hussain found the fence again pulling a marginally short ball from Agarkar through midwicket.

Profitable though it can be, the pull shot lost England their second wicket as Knight hit Srinath straight to Harbhajan Singh at deep midwicket. After taking his first boundary to third man, Vaughan struck Agarkar sweetly to midwicket for three more.

A double bowling change after 12 overs introduced spin at both ends, and Hussain immediately aimed to hit Harbhajan off his length, coming down the pitch to hit him high over extra cover. A full pitch on middle and leg from Kumble was then duly dispatched by Vaughan. After 15 overs England were 75 for two.

GANGULY PUTS ENGLAND IN AT CUTTACK

Play got under way 15 minutes late because of overnight dew in the second one-day international at Cuttack. Sourav Ganguly again won the toss and chose to field first in the hope of making the most of early morning moisture.

India played an unchanged side from the first match at Kolkata, while England made one change, bringing in Ben Hollioake for Ashley Giles. There was still no place for the Surrey left-hander Graham Thorpe.

England are 1-0 down in the six-match series after India won the day/night encounter at Kolkata.

England team: ME Trescothick, NV Knight, *N Hussain, MP Vaughan, BC Hollioake, PD Collingwood, A Flintoff, JN Snape, +JS Foster, MJ Hoggard, D Gough.

India team: *SC Ganguly, SR Tendulkar, D Mongia, VVS Laxman, HK Badani, V Sehwag, +A Ratra, AB Agarkar, A Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, J Srinath.