2nd Test: India v England at Ahmedabad, 11-15 Dec 2001 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Test: India v England at Ahmedabad, 11-15 Dec 2001
Ralph Dellor

India 1st innings: Indian openers dig in, England make inroads,
England 1st innings: England move on, England batsmen on top, White century, England 407,
Live Reports from previous days

TENDULKAR AND DRAVID SHORE UP INDIA AS ENGLAND MAKE INROADS

Faced with a complete session to bat after five in the field, the Indian openers appeared quite happy with conditions before Ashley Giles, playing in his first Test since July after an Achilles operation, took a wicket. With Andrew Flintoff nipping in for another before the close, there was an edge to the final overs, but the Indian batsmen survived to reduce the deficit to 336 with eight wickets in hand.

Shiv Sunder Das and Deep Dasgupta looked as if they were booked in for a long stay. In the 21st over of the innings, bowled by off-spinner Richard Dawson, Dasgupta swung a four through mid-wicket to find the boundary for the first time from the 56th ball he faced. He followed this up with a sweep for another four that brought up the Indian fifty.

Dawson was out of sorts and withdrawn from the attack after four overs costing 21 runs. Craig White, definitely not fresh from his maiden Test hundred, bowled one over before giving way to Flintoff. Before Flintoff could bowl, however, Giles had stolen the spotlight.

Dasgupta plays the sweep well, but in attempting to employ the shot to a ball from the left-arm spinner that pitched in the rough, he got a top edge that went to Nasser Hussain positioned on the forty-five for that very eventuality. His dismissal for 17 brought in Rahul Dravid.

Not to be outdone, Flintoff, who had too often strayed down the leg side in his first three pacey but wayward overs, came back to apply much more discipline to his bowling. He kept the ball outside the off stump and was delighted to see Das chasing a ball that he should really have been left.

Das, however, went for it, got the edge, and Mark Butcher did the rest at second slip. Das out for 42 and India 64 for 2.

This allowed Sachin Tendulkar to come to the wicket for what is always termed "a tricky spell of six overs." Although every move was cheered uproariously, he remained in company with Dravid without doing anything sensational to set up another intriguing day on the morrow.

INDIAN OPENERS SET THEMSELVES FOR LONG STAY

Batsmen are always at their most vulnerable when they have had to endure long sessions in the field, but India's openers, Deep Dasgupta and Shiv Sunder Das coped well with the new ball pairing of Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff as they set off in pursuit of England's first innings total of 407 all out.

This was the first time that Flintoff had been entrusted with the new ball at Test level and, while his pace touched the 90 mph mark, his accuracy left a good deal to be desired. Both batsmen were able to pick up runs from balls directed down the leg side – something at which they are most adept.

Hoggard had the radar better adjusted, so it was no surprise that he was retained in the attack when Nasser Hussain turned to spin for the first time as early as the 8th over of the innings. Doubts still surround the match fitness of Ashley Giles after such a long time out of the game forced by injury. Nevertheless, he was in action with a chance to prove himself.

The third ball the left-arm spinner delivered was pushed just past the diving Flintoff at slip by Das to pick up three runs. The fifth ball took Dasgupta on the pad and lobbed in the air. James Foster dived to scoop up the "catch" but, despite animated appeals from bowler and fielders alike, umpire Jayaprakash was rightly unmoved.

The batsmen were not taking chances as they settled down for what they hoped would be a long stay in the middle. They were not afraid to use their feet to the spinners – something they had more opportunity to do when Richard Dawson was introduced into the attack to form an all-spin partnership with Giles.

Hussain made changes to the field for Dawson bowling to Das, but the bowler dropped short for the diminutive Das to hammer through the off side for four in style. However, the next ball was well-flighted and as Das tried to turn it to leg, it came off the leading edge to give Ramprakash a sharp chance at silly point. It was a reflex catch that the fielder could not quite grasp. To compound the bowler's disappointment, Das took another boundary from the next ball.

Anything short was punished with glee by the batsmen who moved with growing assurance towards the first target of 208 to avoid the follow-on. That is a target that should be of merely academic interest when the depth of the Indian batting is considered.

ENGLAND REACH 407 ALL OUT AT TEA

The afternoon session on the second day of the second Test might not go down as one the spectators will remember as one of the most scintillating they have seen. It will be memorable for England, however and Craig White in particular. White recorded his maiden Test century to ensure that the Indian players would remember the session as well. For them, it was an afternoon of toil without the anticipated quick rewards.

It was not long after White had moved to his century that he lost the partner who had kept him company throughout the nineties. Richard Dawson dropped anchor to play with, above all, common sense to protect his wicket and support his county colleague.

Slow going it might have been, but that suited England's cause. It took seventeen and a half overs for White and Dawson to add 31 runs for the ninth wicket before the junior partner went. Having had big appeals for a caught behind turned down earlier, Dawson edged Javagal Srinath and Deep Dasgupta made up for an otherwise disappointing day by taking a good catch in front of slip.

Dawson had only scored nine, but he had survived for 61 balls in company with White who refused to be ruffled even with number 11 at the other end. Matthew Hoggard looked after himself reasonably well and it was not until Harbhajan Singh was brought back into the attack was the stalemate broken.

To the first ball, White was down the wicket to thump a six on one knee over mid-wicket. He was down the track again next ball but was forced to defend, before going on his travels again, playing a massive heave only to be bowled.

White had scored 121 from 265 balls with 12 fours and two sixes. In praising him, Anil Kumble should not be forgotten. He bowled quite superbly for his 7 for 115 off 51 overs. Kumble must now hope that his batsmen respond to all the hard work he and the other bowlers put in over the course of five sessions.

CENTURY FOR WHITE AS ENGLAND BAT ON

Craig White will remember the 23rd match in a Test career that began as long ago as 1994. Going into the match batting at number seven and with an average of a shade over 17, he recorded a maiden, if not chanceless, Test century as England continued to frustrate the Indian bowlers and fielders by consolidating their position.

The Yorkshire all-rounder lost his lunchtime partner, Ashley Giles, three overs into the afternoon session. Giles, out of cricket for so long with a heel injury, was on 7 when he faced Anil Kumble. He was completely beaten by a googly that spun back through the gate to bowl him. It was Kumble's seventh wicket in the innings and reduced England to 360 for 8.

There followed a turgid, if tense, session of cricket as White moved carefully towards his century. For some time he protected his young colleague, Richard Dawson, turning down the chance of runs to retain the strike. It might not have been thrilling to watch, but it was an important phase of play as it was by no means a selfish approach by White. He needed to extend England's innings in terms of both time and runs for as long as possible.

Before White reached his landmark, Dawson was very fortunate to be allowed to stay in the middle after appearing to edge a ball from Harbhajan Singh to the wicket-keeper. Umpire Jayaprakash turned down the vociferous appeals.

White had narrowly failed to get a hundred in Pakistan last year when he finished on 93. This time he went on painstakingly in singles until, off the 232nd ball he faced, he nudged the single that took him to three figures. He had hit ten fours and a towering six off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh.

Having got there, he realised that the job was not done. Dawson was proving to be an obdurate partner as the England batsmen occupied the crease and kept India toiling in the field.

ENGLAND BATSMEN ENJOY MORNING SESSION ON 2ND DAY

At lunch on the second day of the second Test at Ahmedabad, England ended an eventful session in a better position than they might have expected when the sixth wicket went down at 239 on the first day. India will have rued the fact that a number of chances went begging to allow Craig White and James Foster to enjoy a century partnership for the seventh wicket.

White had been dropped twice and was the beneficiary of a missed stumping, as well as seeing a ball from Javagal Srinath roll against the foot of the leg stump without dislodging a bail. But he remained to bring up the hundred partnership with James Foster by steering a ball from the unfortunate Srinath down to the backward point boundary.

After the dismal display from the lower order at Mohali, this was something of a bonus for England. The batsmen's confidence was growing as the Indian bowlers strove for the breakthrough that could see the innings close quickly.

That opening came when Foster, who had batted with great composure and growing stature, went for a favourite clip off his legs off the bowling of Anil Kumble. It was in the air, and Sachin Tendulkar held a spectacular catch at mid-wicket going to his left to give Kumble his sixth success in the innings.

Foster had faced 119 balls in his invaluable contribution, hitting just the four boundaries, but he had helped White add 105 in 41.3 overs. He was annoyed at himself for getting out when, with 40 to his name, he could have gone on to reach a half-century at least.

There was no knowing what sort of form Ashley Giles, the new batsman, was in as he had not held a bat in anger for so long. However, he stayed with White until lunch despite one very close call for lbw against Kumble who could consider himself a little unlucky not to get the decision.

England had added 78 runs to their tally for the loss of one wicket in the 29 overs bowled in the session. White had moved on to 88 not out, and all hopes of extending the total significantly past the 356 for 7 at which it stands rest with the Yorkshireman.

ENGLAND RIDE LUCK AS INDIA SPURN CHANCES AT AHMEDABAD

The England players might have bemoaned their luck on the first day of the second Test at Ahmedabad. They had no reason for complaint on the second day as they advanced from the overnight position of 277 for 6 to 324 for 6 at drinks. The fortune was especially on Craig White's side as he was dropped twice and saw a stumping chance spurned.

It took nine balls before England's not out batsmen White and James Foster managed to get the scoreboard moving. The fourth over saw the first real incident when White was comprehensively beaten by Harbhajan Singh.

Next ball, White went down the pitch a long way, was deceived in the flight before the bowler, having done all that was asked of him, saw the ball bounce and hit Deep Dasgupta on the arm rather than nestling in his gloves for a stumping. To be fair to the wicket-keeper, the extra bounce made the chance a lot more difficult than might have been evident from the distance White had advanced down the pitch.

The batsman had 44 at the time, and went to his fifty two overs later when he hoisted Harbhajan for a six over long-on. He had also hit five fours in his innings which had lasted for 127 balls at that stage, and the stroke also brought up England's three hundred.

With the spinners unable to make the breakthrough, Sourav Ganguly gave the new ball to Javagal Srinath. Foster, batting with great composure after a nightmare of a Test debut at Mohali, answered the move with six runs off the first over.

However, Srinath is too good a bowler to take long to get his bearings. With the score on 318 for 6 and White on 63, he produced a fine delivery that took the outside edge and went straight into Dasgupta's gloves. It went straight out again.

The next ball was stroked for a boundary by White to compound the error, before the batsman hooked the next ball, it went close to Anil Kumble at deep backward square leg in the air. Kumble went for it, dropped it, and then had to leave the field with a damaged hand.

White was being positive, Foster adhesive, as the pair took the partnership on towards the century mark. It was proving absolutely invaluable to England and thoroughly frustrating for India.