1st Test: India v England at Mohali, 3-7 Dec 2001 CricInfo Live Report

1st Test: India v England at Mohali, 3-7 Dec 2001
Ralph Dellor

India 1st innings: Kumble's resistance ends, Slow going at Mohali, India in control at tea, India in control, India consolidate, India consolidate,
Live Reports from previous days

INDIA SET SIGHTS ON BIG TOTAL AT MOHALI

The performance of Dasgupta in recording a maiden Test century should not be in any way undervalued. However, when his innings eventually came to an end with exactly a century against his name, the impression was given that the real contest had started. The fall of Dasgupta's wicket allowed Tendulkar to join Dravid in the middle to give the tempo and intensity a discernible lift. By the close India had the match in their control at 262 for 3 despite the valiant efforts of the England attack.

The fact that White had managed to get a modicum of reverse swing to bring Dasgupta's innings to an end might well have persuaded Hussain to keep the old ball going a little longer. It made sense to get two bites at the cherry with a last fling in the evening and then a newish ball to begin with on the third morning when conditions are at their most favourable for pace bowlers.

Whether there is any good time to bowl at Tendulkar is a point for debate, but when the new ball was given to Flintoff with nine overs remaining, the Lancashire all-rounder did have the thrill of seeing it go past the outside edge on two consecutive occasions.

That, however, was the prelude to some rasping shots from the Indian master batsmen when the bowlers strayed onto his legs. At the other end, Dravid was prepared to bide his time, aware of the fact that he had done enough to deserve his time in the spotlight on the third day.

The England attack had never allowed the batsmen to run away with things and, at tea, the scoring rate was just hovering above the two an over mark. It was a battle that appeared to have only one winner, but it was a battle nonetheless and for that, on a good batting surface, the bowlers should take a fair degree of credit.

As the light faded towards the close of play, the floodlights were switched on to illuminate Tendulkar and Dravid as they extended the Indian lead to 24 with seven wickets and three days to go. There is no doubt which side is in the guinea seats.

INDIA TIGHTEN GRIP ON MOHALI TEST

As if to underline that India are in control of the first Test at Mohali, the not out batsmen, Dasgupta and Dravid, upped the pace after tea on the second day to exploit the fact that England's bowlers had worked hard to contain them earlier with scant reward. Moving on to 212 for 3 going into the last hour of the day, it appeared that, barring the unimaginable collapse that hit England so hard on the first day, India could virtually close England out of the game.

It was as if there had been a definite strategy to move forward cautiously for most of the day as the England bowlers strained every physical and mental sinew to keep some semblance of control. However, by the tea interval the batsmen appeared confident enough of their own ability to pick up the tempo without taking undue risks.

The scoring rate having hovered just above two an over throughout the innings, the batsmen took four runs off each of the two overs immediately after the interval. Dravid was beginning to expand his repertoire and went to his fifty with a glorious straight drive off the bowling of Hoggard. Uncharacteristically, he had taken 126 balls to get there, which was perhaps testimony to the accuracy of the attack.

Dasgupta had reached that particular milestone a considerable time before and now he had his sights set on three figures. The 24 year-old did not change his pace discernibly as he approached his maiden Test hundred. Hoggard was again the bowler the wicket-keeper and volunteer opener got the runs that took him to a hundred that was as invaluable as it was unspectacular.

However, no sooner had he recorded his century that he was beaten by a ball from White that might have come back into him a little. If it did, it did enough to hit the stumps and bring such a good innings to a close. The cause might well have been a case of slipping concentration as it was a respectable ball from White.

The fall of Dasgupta's wicket brought Tendulkar to the middle. The prospect of a big partnership with Dravid certainly enlivened the crowd and ensured that the England attack could not afford to relax for a moment.

DROPPED CHANCE LEAVES INDIA IN CONTROL OF AFTERNOON SESSION

There was no doubting that the afternoon session on the second day of the first Test belonged to the Indian batsmen. While England captain Hussain will have taken some solace from the fact that his bowlers maintained enough discipline to keep the scoring rate at an acceptable level. Even though the batsmen showed some extra urgency as tea approached, India had only managed 150 for 2 at the interval, a deficit of 88 runs, with Dasgupta on 71 and Dravid 34.

There was little in the pitch to encourage the bowlers. Dawson did get a little bounce with his off-breaks, even if he could not extract much by way of turn. Ormond showed that he could swing the ball, Flintoff added some aggression to the attack, while White maintained an accurate line, as he had to with an 8-2 off-side field with a gaping void between fine-leg and mid-on. That was sometimes adapted to become 8-1.

No matter what was arrayed against him, Dasgupta went on in his own, unhurried way to his highest Test score. Exceeding the previous best of 63 in his last official Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth, he is beginning to show that he has more qualities than normally associated with a makeshift opener. Much more of this and he can claim the job in his own right rather than moving back to his more familiar position at number seven.

Dravid has further to go if he is to exceed his own highest score in Tests. That stands at 200 not out and while he has time and conditions on his side, the attack did not show any inclination to let him cut loose.

He had a let-off just before tea when he got a short ball from Flintoff down the leg side, Dravid touched it but Foster could not hold on to a chance to his left that he would usually have expected to take as the batsmen went through for the run that brought up the 150.

Nevertheless, the batsmen were apparently intent on not making the same mistakes as England had on the opening day. While the tourists had lost wickets at an alarming rate, Dasgupta and Dravid were determined to conserve theirs – a strategy that produced 71 runs in the afternoon session without losing a wicket, even if the scoring rate had not risen above 2.14 runs an over throughout the innings.

INDIA KEEP GOING AS ENGLAND KEEP SCORING IN CHECK

It might be a little tedious to watch, but no doubt both sides would have been quietly satisfied with the outcome of the hour after lunch on the second day of the first Test at Mohali. The Indian batsmen ground on without offering much by way of hope to the English bowlers who, in turn, will have been satisfied that they kept the scoring rate well within bounds.

Having safely negotiated the period up until lunch when he came in at the fall of Kumble’s wicket, Dravid played himself in all over again on what appeared to be a very good batting pitch. There was some encouraging bounce for the bowlers, but little in the way of lateral deviation.

It was the bounce rather than any turn that undid Kumble and the off-spinner Dawson, making his Test debut, persisted in what was a very promising spell. With some hostility coming from Flintoff at the other end, it kept the batsmen in check.

Not that Dasgupta was showing any great urgency, but then time was on the batsmen’s side and there would have been little sympathy for anyone who gave their wicket away in such circumstances. Something which English batsmen might well take on board.

It was in the 52nd over of the innings that Dasgupta brought up his fifty. He opened the face of the bat to steer Dawson past the solitary, diving slip to reach the third man boundary. His fifty came from 159 balls and included seven fours and it brought up the Indian hundred at the same time.

Dasgupta’s innings was taking on priceless proportions. For someone not very experienced as an opener, he did what was required of him, sapping the threat of the opening bowlers and paving the way for the stroke-players to come in the middle order.

Dravid falls into that category but was circumspect until taking toll of one over from Dawson that produced 13 runs. It was possible that Dawson had tired in his 13th over, perhaps he showed his inexperience against class batsmen on a good pitch, or perhaps it was a combination of the two.

It meant that the end of the 58th over of the innings, India had reduced the deficit to 110 runs with eight wickets and a lot of time in hand.

DAWSON AND FOSTER COMBINE TO END KUMBLE'S RESISTANCE BEFORE LUNCH

It took 25 overs on the second morning of the first Test at Mohali before England managed to break the adhesive, if unadventurous, overnight partnership between Dasgupta and the nightwatchman, Kumble. It was debutant off-spinner Dawson who achieved the breakthrough, dismissing Kumble with the help of Foster behind the stumps. That was England's one success of the morning session as India reached 79 for 2 at lunch.

After Hoggard, Ormond, Flintoff and Butcher had bowled without success, Hussain turned to White and Dawson. Dawson's second ball was square-driven by Dasgupta for four, but the young Yorkshireman settled to some sort of rhythm and, with his twelfth ball in Test cricket, he took the wicket that England needed so badly.

Kumble had continued to withstand the England attack, playing the nightwatchman's role to perfection. With the watchful Dasgupta he had put on 53 for the second wicket at an albeit rather slow rate. That did not matter, for time was not a problem after England's quick demise on the first day.

It was Dawson's extra bounce that was the undoing of Kumble. He went back in trying to cut a ball outside the off-stump, got a thickish edge and Foster took his first catch in Test cricket to give Dawson his first wicket, among much jubilation in the England ranks.

Kumble had scored 37 valuable runs – over double his Test average – and had done an excellent job in preventing the bowlers making the early breakthrough they were seeking. Nevertheless, those bowlers had kept enough pressure on the batsmen by employing a more disciplined line and length to force a wicket, even if the pace bowlers had been a fraction short in general.

Dasgupta was joined by Dravid who was set on surviving to lunch without trying to impose himself on the attack. He had yet to open his account at the interval, while Dasgupta had crawled on to 34 after a session during which India had added 55 runs in 30 overs for the loss of that one wicket.

INDIA WITHSTAND FIRST HOUR'S PLAY WITH COMFORT

India made a good start to the second morning of the first Test at Mohali. Dasgupta and Kumble, the nightwatchman, withstood a disciplined opening burst from the England opening bowlers to safely negotiate the first hour of play and chip away at what was looking to be an increasingly inadequate English first innings total. At the drinks interval, they had taken the score along to 49 for 1 from the 26 overs bowled.

There was no doubt that the bowlers would have liked to remove both batsmen to get at the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman while there was still some moisture in the pitch, but there were few opportunities to do so.

Ormond went past the outside edge of Dasgupta's bat with the first two balls of the day, and Hoggard found the edge of Kumble's bat, but saw the ball fly over White in the gully. Apart from those incidents, the batsmen were content to pick off what runs were available while taking a minimum of risk.

Kumble did a splendid job as nightwatchman, doing exactly what India wanted. He remained throughout the first hour, sapping the energy of the bowlers, seeing the shine and hardness of the ball diminish, as well as adding useful runs to the total.

At the other end, Dasgupta was a study in patience as he could afford to be at this stage of a five-day Test. This pair was helped by the fact that the England bowlers tended to drop a little short of a length to trouble the batsmen consistently.

After Hoggard and Ormond failed to make the breakthrough that became increasingly urgent for England, Hussain turned to Flintoff for the first time and Butcher, the one bowler to have taken a wicket. The move did not disturb the batsmen unduly and it remained to be seen when the captain would introduce the spin of Dawson.