Dighe and Harbhajan help India take lead

By Vijay Lokapally

BULAWAYO, JUNE 8.If the Indians are sensing a victory on the second day of the Test, the credit lay in the partnership between Sameer Dighe and Harbhajan Singh.

The pair which crafted a win at Chennai against the Australians recently, was at work again to lift the mood of the Indian dressing room. They enabled India, resuming at 83 for three, to finish with a first innings lead of 145 runs. At close, Zimbabwe was 79 for three, pushed back by Javagal Srinath's lively spell, a fine catch by S. Ramesh and Harbhajan's telling strike to remove Alistair Campbell.

The depth of India's batting was symbolised by Dighe and Harbhajan after the `maestros' had departed at the wrong time, leaving the stage to the young guns in the side. The emphasis on a collective effort was driven home in the performance of these two tail-enders, if one could call them so.

It was not really gripping but the day had its moments of entertainment for the sparse audience who turned up at the Queen's Sports Club. Zimbabwe clawed its way back into the game by scalping the formidable Indian middle order but conceded lot of ground to the opposition when it failed to capitalise in the afternoon.

Sachin Tendulkar failed to notch his first Test century in Zimbabwe; Rahul Dravid succumbed much before he could think of one while Sourav Ganguly could not even get going. It suited Zimbabwe which did a creditable job of not allowing the Indians to dictate when play resumed this morning with Tendulkar holding the key.

The pitch played true. Batting became a delight as the Zimbabweans fed the Indians with too many short balls and only some superb fielding by the home team kept the teams on an even platform before Dighe and Harbhajan stepped in to snatch the advantage.

The Indians might have discovered an all-rounder this evening in Harbhajan, who batted true to coach John Wright's expectations. The long batting sessions in the `nets' and a growing confidence in his batting saw the chirpy sikh produce an innings of immense value. What struck most was the authority with which he dealt with the same attack that had the batsmen in a tangle in the morning.

Of course two sensational catches contributed to make the Zimbabwean attack look incisive in the morning when it picked a wicket each in the first and last overs of the first session. Srinath fell to a stunning catch at square-leg by Guy Whittal. In between India lost Ganguly and the most crushing blow came when Tendulkar played a poor shot in the last over before lunch.

The Indians appeared to have set themselves a target-possibly try and bat just once. But in the process the batting lost its character when Tendulkar, a picture of fierce concentration today, often choked in playing his shots; a debatable decision cost Ganguly his wicket and a needless show of aggression by the normally composed Dravid gave Zimbabwe a chance to shut out the opposition. Dighe and Harbhajan, however, suppressed any such heroics from the Zimbabwe camp with some colourful batting.

After the dismissal of Srinath, the pair of Tendulkar and Ganguly was expected to build upon the advantage created by the bowlers on the opening day but the Indian skipper failed to get to terms with the attack. His dismissal, caught behind off a rising ball, was debated long. Did the ball graze his shirt or the glove? There was a sound and umpire Russel Tiffin went by it. Without the advantage of repeated replays, he had to give his decision in split second and he did it with conviction. Ganguly showed dissent at the crease but it was a ball which deserved a wicket no doubt.

Tendulkar hardly played his natural game. Often he blocked shots he loves to play and paid the price. Even if he got the direction to place his shots right, the punch was missing on many occasions. By his own standards, it was not a knock befitting his stature and especially the dismissal when he drove without moving his feet. The edge flew to the right of second slip where Stuart Carlisle took an astounding catch.

Tendulkar and Dravid had contributed 80 runs for the sixth wicket with the Karnataka batsman showing greater urgency to score. He played some pleasing shots in front and a couple of backfoot drives confirmed his intentions to knock the ball around. But Dravid perished when he indulged in an ungainly pull which ended in a top-edge. It was a tame end to an innings which had begun to blossom. What a strange coincidence it was-the best of Indian batsmen falling to the least impressive Zimbabwean, Andy Blignaut.

It was a delicate situation for India. The lead was not much even though there was lot of faith in the batting to follow. Dighe and Harbhajan came together to produce the best phase of the Indian innings and that speaks immensely for their potential, a glimpse of which was on display this afternoon.

Dighe is often referred to as a fantastic team-man by Wright and he demonstrated it with a lively knock. He batted within his limitations before a glide on the leg ended his stay. Harbhajan batted beyond his limitations, taking a firm step towards establishing his credentials as a batsman worthy of greater deeds.

Dighe and Harbhajan gained by playing their natural game and it paid to put up a positive front. The ease with which they scored the runs made the Zimbabwean attack looked mediocre when it was not. The Zimbabwean bowlers had worked hard and adopted a decent line but had no clue to the innovative measures brought in by Dighe and Harbhajan, who put on 72 runs for the eighth wicket, a record for India against Zimbabwe.

Zaheer Khan failed to contribute but Harbhajan continued to frustrate the Zimbabweans with some daring shots, the six off leg-spinner Brian Murphy being a gem. He raced to his maiden Test half-century and fell in trying to gather some more priceless runs. Harbhajan's innings confirmed the youngster's self-belief and must have provided great relief to the Indian camp. An all- rounder has appeared in the horizon. The match referee Mr. Denis Lindsay spoke to the Indian management regarding the behaviour of the players on the field following excessive appealing.

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