India’s second Test match against England ends in a draw

Ahmedabad, December 15: India ended the final day of the second Test at 198 for three at close achieving a dreary draw and clinging on to a 1-0 series lead. Rahul Dravid and Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly were unbeatebn at the crease on 26 and 16, respectively.

Earlier, India had gone to tea at 140 for 2 after Sachin Tendulkar (8) and Rahul Dravid (10) took 40 and 48 balls respectively showing caution when a cavalier attitude was called for.

The result was that Tendulkar had the ignominy of being surrounded by four fielders when he should have tolerated no such provocative fielding practises from Hussain.

The openers had played well enough to take their partnership past lunch and they had gone beyond the call of duty it may be argued when Das was run out at 119.

Dravid is hardly the batsman to be sent out after a century partnership, because he kills momentum quite efficiently. Giles with a figure of 17-8-18-0 just before tea would have been thrilled.

Morning session Openers Deep Dasgupta and Shiv Sunder Das ensured that no panic buttons need be pressed by the Indians by playing out 36 overs before lunch in absolute comfort and confidence almost ensuring that India does not lose the Test. India were 92 for no loss at lunch chasing a target of 374 runs in the allotted 90 over of the day.

While stability would have been their gameplan, the openers also kept the scoreboard moving. 92 at lunch is not the score needed to mount an assault on the target of 374.

However there was no way India could afford the luxury of going after the target with gusto considering its pronounced weakness of losing its star batsmen without any logic. The other good news for captain Sourav Ganguly was that neither Giles nor Dawson could extract much turn.

Das and Dasgupta used the pad without even once allowing the ball to grace the bat and pop up though two fielders were placed near them. Das used the square cuts effectively to break through the off-side cordon. Hussain started the day with Hoggard and Flintoff but soon put an end to such formalities by calling in Giles to replace Flintoff.

It was Dasgupta who broke the lethargy and extra caution of the morning despatching Flintoff to the boundary. At lunch Dasgupta had hit the fence four times and Das 7. Das took 112 balls for his well-made 50 and Dasgupta’s 42 took 116 balls. It was without doubt a judicious mixture of caution, patience and well-timed aggression.

If not the score it would be the manner in which the openers played in the morning that will give the rest of the batsmen confidence in going for the target after tea, if at all. Having tried all his four main bowlers, Hussain will not be entirely happy with the proceedings before lunch considering the supreme confidence with which the openers played.

He will obviously be hoping for mishits once India hastens its approach to the target, which is still beyond the horizon.