Tendulkar and Dravid grind Zimbabwe attack

By G. Viswanath

NAGPUR, NOV. 26.In the near-about eleven hours India riveted attention on itself - it was bound to be -- in this second and final Test, a distinguishing facet articulated by its batsmen was the application of mind over matter.

At times they might have appeared like blue collar workers, after putting up a rip- roaring first session on Sunday, but it was not a reflection of their timidity that was less appealing to watch, but because of a concerted effort Zimbabwe's pace attack spearheaded by Heath Streak, as well as they did, managed to check considerably India's master batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in the second session of the day.

For the first time in two days, there seemed to be a contest going on at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA). The five plus run rate at which Dravid and Tendulkar garnered in the first 30 overs of the day had virtually eliminated Zimbabwe's chances of levelling the series, but the two crafty batsmen who collared the leg spinner Brain Murphy, never again in the day reached those dizzy heights. Yet, despite the post lunch phase turning out to be less burdensome for Zimbabwe and less entertaining to a bigger audience, India touched the 600 mark for the second time in ten Tests in a home series.

The batsmen responsible for this splendid effort was Dravid who made his eighth century and Tendulkar, his second double century, the point of his reaching an individual feat also evoking a declaration by India.

In three innings Zimbabwe had managed to take only 13 wickets, three of them going to Murphy; but it has cost him 321 runs. That Dravid was approaching his century and Tendulkar was also going to accompany him to the middle was a good selling point the followers were tempted with on the second day. The two batsmen did not disappoint them either. Tendulkar was the nearest to a small milestone of reaching his half century which Mluleki Nkala had probably deprived him in the last over on Saturday, hitting the deck short and fast for the ball to sail to wicketkeeper Andrew Flower.

Tendulkar nudged the first ball he faced for a single and completed his fifty. Soon, Dravid struck boundaries of Streak, the first one an elegant backfoot punch to the midwicket fence and the second one, too, travelling in the same direction. It was a compensation for Dravid, who was not spectacular on the first day, but had persevered to make the most of the conditions after his captain had elected to bat.

Murphy is not a tweaker akin to leg spin wizard Shane Warne or even Pakistan's Mushtaq Ahmed. But with Paul Strang having to return home to nurse the injury of the bowling hand, Streak, perforce had to look upon the only wrist spinner in the side to play a meaningful role, and not dream of using him a match winner. Murphy's only wicket on the Kotla pitch came at a price of 146 runs.

The Indian batsmen took 83 runs off him in the 22 overs he had bowled on the first day. Streak chose him to bowl him more than one-third of the overs his side had targeted to bowl in the first session on Sunday. This made life easy for Dravid and Tendulkar, who had contested against a few top notch wrist and finger spinners in the last two years when Mark Taylor's Australia and the Wasim Akram led Pakistan played home series.

It was not Murphy that Dravid and Tendulkar faced when play resumed on Sunday. The second new ball was hardly five overs old and Streak chose Henry Olonga ahead of him. Tendulkar, has yet, not forgotten the humiliation brought upon him by Olonga in a tri-series in Sharjah in the winter of 1998.

He had struck him for a four on Saturday evening, but this morning, he cut loose, to pick up three more, the straight drive producing a stunning effect as it passed umpire Steve Dunne and hit the advertising board. He repeated the shots against Streak and Mluleki Nkala before starting the offensive against Murphy.

The Zimbabweans believed they had, had Dravid when he was on 84, caught down the leg side by Andrew Flower off Streak. This was one embarrassing moment for New Zealand umpire Steve Dunne. He thought the ball had gone of Dravid's pad. Streak and the wicketkeeper did not conceal their delight when Dravid walked, edging an intended hook to Andrew Flower. But Zimbabwe did not get his wicket until 25 minutes after the first interval.

By then Dravid had made 69 runs more and had put on the highest stand for the third wicket for India against Zimbabwe and had taken their bowling apart. That Dravid had stuck to a task for nearly seven hours just about portrayed his powerful desire to excel in the conditions as it was and against a bowling he was familiar with having scored 270 runs in the first Test.

His 162 brought his tally to 501 runs in five Test match innings. Dravid's wicket was Zimbabwe's first in four hours and eight minutes. Tendulkar had joined him at the fall of Shiv Sundar Das wicket after tea break on Saturday, but it was not until the completion of first session on Sunday , when the two raised 157 runs in 30 overs, that Zimbabwe realised the capacity of the two Indian batsmen on a featherbed of a pitch.

It was as a consequence of their stroke production against Murphy that compelled Streak to maintain an all seam attack for a major part of the second session. This was a phase when even a set batsman like Tendulkar was wary of an onset he might have planned at the break. He did hammer Olonga for three fours in an over, the third one taking India past 500, but the champion batsman's blows came only 75 minutes after lunch. And not ten minutes before tea break did Streak show the face of Murphy to Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

That was because the leg spinner's 33 overs until that point of time had been punished for 134 runs. In a minute over three hours Tendulkar had made his 24th century, his 50th for India if one takes into account his 26 in limited over internationals. It was a remarkable push by Tendulkar, who since the first Test match against New Zealand at Mohali, appeared to have moved away from his normal attacking style.

His double century against the Black Caps had Motera last year had come at a pace he set for himself. He has matured a lot since, and is even inclined to graft which was evident in the way he batted after he made an uppish drive off Murphy when he was on 92. The time he took to move from 100 to 201 was 32 minutes longer than the first.

Ganguly did not look comfortable at all, though he stepped out to lift Grant Flower for the second six of the day, the first one having been struck by Dravid.

He was padded up after the fall of Das' wicket which meant that he was sitting in the cane chair for nearly five hours and seeing the batsmen who went before him perform a fantastic role. Nkala dropped him of his own bowling when Ganguly was on 3, but Streak did not make a mistake taking a catch at extracover to give Grant Flower his first wicket. Sunil Joshi who was sent in to bat after Ajit Agarkar, played a little cameo before Murphy held a spectacular catch at mid wicket.

It now became inevitable that Ganguly will apply the closure of the Indian first innings the moment Tendulkar reached his third double century in first class cricket and second in a Test match.

The declaration meant that India had to bowl 22 overs, which made certain that play would have to be extended beyond the regulation time of 4. 30 p.m. for stumps. Left arm seamer Zaheer Khan bowled at good spead and once hit Gavin Rennie's helmet.

But Guy Whittal who opening the innings also hit some lovely frontfoot shots off Khan and Srinath. Zimbabwe might have seen the day without any damage, but Rennie darted for a run which was not there, pushing Srinath to Agarkar at mid off and paid the price, Agarkar's swiftness and an underarm flick hitting the stumps directly.

This Test match appears to be far away from the memorable events India is looking for as the match goes into the fourth and fifth days. Zaheer Khan and Srinath managed to get bounce which carried to the wicketkeeper.

India and Ganguly expects Joshi to exploit the surface as the ball loses its shine. He feels there will be bounce and turn for the spinners and that Joshi and even Sarandeep Singh could play a decisive role. Zimbabwe's first target will be reaching 409 to avoid the follow on, which Ganguly is certain to enforce should there be a situation for him to do so.

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