The Hindu : Class act by Andy Flower, Ebrahim

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 01, 2002

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Class act by Andy Flower, Ebrahim
By Vijay Lokapally

UP IN ARMS: Indian medium pacer Zaheer Khan celebrates Alistair Campbell's dismissal caught by slip fielder Rahul Dravid on the first day of the second Test against Zimbabwe in New Delhi on Thursday. - Photo: V.V. Krishnan

NEW DELHI, FEB. 28. Andy Flower and Dion Ebrahim would have made an exceptional contribution towards starting a debate on the state of affairs in the Indian dressing room. Andy struck form but missed his century while Ebrahim produced steady batting to ensure competition in the second Test which started at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Thursday.

Zimbabwe finished the first day at 260 for six, quite a healthy recovery from the shaky start inflicted upon it by Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath. The visiting side was placed poorly when Alistair Campbell succumbed to his desire to play some flashy strokes but the partnership between Andy and Ebrahim exposed the weaker links in the Indian camp.

The day's honours rested with Zimbabwe even as it suffered a couple of blows in the last session. The setbacks were self-imposed but the encouraging factor was that Ebrahim survived, leaving India to figure out the problems of the day.

The game drifted away from India in the second session when Andy and Ebrahim tackled the attack with quite a matured and disciplined approach. Their attitude was praiseworthy because the pitch was not easy to bat on. It was not a great track for bowlers to exploit either which meant there were long spells of attrition with Andy displaying exemplary temperament.

It was not an unfamiliar role for Andy to perform. He has carried the team on his shoulders for years and this was again an exhibition of sheer class. It may not have been captivating batting but it was just the kind of motivation his team needed.

Ebrahim was the one who emulated Andy's determination and played an innings which should go a long way in cementing his place in the side.

Dasgupta continues to embarrass

The same could not be said of Deep Dasgupta, who fumbled the entire day, and came in for scathing criticism from various quarters. The Indian wicketkeeper continued to be an embarrassment because of his failure to collect cleanly on countless occasions. When he grassed Ebrahim on 58 off Harbhajan Singh it did not surprise many at the venue. The spectator response to the Test was thin despite the generous distribution of complimentary tickets by the organisers.

The Indian bowlers, so used to friendly tracks at home, were in for a rude shock. They had to earn their wickets this day after a flattering start when Srinath foxed Stuart Carlisle with an inswinger in the first over and Zaheer induced an edge to first slip off Trevor Gripper.

An off-form Campbell promised but could not extend his good work, perishing to an ambitious cut-drive which flew to first slip.

The Indians lacked ideas in the afternoon when they could have increased the pressure. Ebrahim was relieved to see Anil Kumble taken off even as he battled to hang in. The spinners looked to exploit the `rough' too early in the day and in the process bowled a poor line.

Kumble had a rare off day and strayed even as he strove to rattle the batsmen. Andy was a picture of confidence and possessed the ideal footwork. It was a tribute to this batsman's amazing potential to come good when faced with a huge challenge.

He can produce a big innings even when not at his best. This was a demonstration of Andy's commitment and a 13th Test century would have been appropriate recognition of the quality of his knock.

The ball eluded the meat of Andy's bat in the initial stages but found no edge once he read the pace of the pitch and settled down to play some authoritative strokes. He was not troubled by any bowler and swept the spinners in a disdainful manner just to make a point or two. His swept-six off Kumble was a gem as were some of his drives and cuts.

Hardworking cricketer

Ebrahim, a hard-working cricketer, cannot be described as an attractive batsman but as very effective when it comes to serving Zimbabwe's interest. He is a batsman of limited abilities but his forte lies in recognising the need of the hour and playing within his limitations. That is Ebrahim's strength and he distinguished himself with an innings of character, playing the waiting game quite well.

India allowed Andy and Ebrahim to compile 116 runs for the fourth wicket before the left-hander fell to Harbhajan. Andy played for the turn but became a bat-pad victim at short-leg. It was a big wicket for India and it was reflected in the joyous scenes on the field. Understandably, Andy was disappointed at not being able to read the ball which saw him miss his century by a mere eight runs.

With Andy showing the way, his brother Grant joined in the rescue act and concentrated hard on blunting the attack which explored various avenues to make some dents in the Zimbabwe camp.

The partnership grew in confidence and size but a silly judgment of a single gave the Indians the breakthrough. Ebrahim took off even as Grant hesitated and the latter failed to beat the direct hit by Kumble.

When Heath Streak dragged Kumble on to the stumps, much of the good work done by Andy and Ebrahim had been wasted in the last session of the day. The home team had commenced the Test on a negative note by replacing V.V.S. Laxman with Virender Sehwag. The move may boost the career of the local lad but at the cost of causing damage to Laxman's confidence. And then Sourav Ganguly lost the toss. It, however, did not prove costly but India's failure to raise the level of its game at the crucial moment did.

SCOREBOARD

ZIMBABWE - 1st innings

S. Carlisle b Srinath                  0
(4m, 4b)
T. Gripper c Dravid b Zaheer           8
(37m, 23b, 1x4)
A. Campbell c Dravid b Zaheer         16
(94m, 56b, 2x4)
A. Flower c Das b Harbhajan           92
(213m, 154b, 15x4, 1x6)
D. Ebrahim (batting)                  82
(271m, 183b, 9x4)
G. Flower (run out)                   30
(84m, 85b, 3x4)
H. Streak b Kumble                     0
(4m, 2b)
T. Friend (batting)                    7
(27m, 38b)
Extras (b-5, lb-15, nb-5)             25
                                     ---
Total (for six wkts)                 260
                                     ---

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Carlisle), 2-11 (Gripper), 3-65 (Campbell), 4-181 (A. Flower), 5-246 (G. Flower), 6-246 (Streak).

India bowling: J. Srinath 12-3-22-1 (nb-4), Zaheer Khan 15-3-44-2 (nb-1), S. Bangar 7-1-25-0, A. Kumble 27-12-73-1, Harbhajan Singh 27-5-64-1, V. Sehwag 1-0-6-0, Tendulkar 1-0-6-0

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