Sport

It’s advantage India despite Pakistan’s fightback

— Photo: S. Subramanium

LEADING FROM THE FRONT: The Indian captain Anil Kumble celebrates with teammates the dismissal of Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal on day one of the first Test at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi on Thursday.

New Delhi: It’s advantage India after the opening day’s play of the first IndianOil Test at Ferozeshah Kotla on Thursday.

Potentially, India could still bat last on a pitch that is already one of variable bounce. However, Pakistan’s seemingly inadequate score of 210 for eight at stumps could make the host’s task easier.

Pakistan’s plight could have been worse. Only an unbeaten 68-run ninth-wicket stand in 31.4 overs between a fighting Misbah-ul-Haq and a resolute Mohammed Sami extended the innings into the second day. India, once again, failed to blow away the tail.

Misbah (71, 204b, 5x4, 1x6) used his feet well. The dasher displayed the temperament for the longer duration game. His bat-speed and strength were evident when he struck the ball.

The Pakistani was lucky in the final minutes when Harbhajan Singh floored a hard hit at square-leg, but deserved the good fortune. The impressive Munaf Patel was the bowler to suffer.

The Kolta has already shown two of its hues – early assistance for the pacemen and low bounce. The post-tea phase saw Misbah and Sami displaying the right method to bat on this surface. With the odd delivery keeping low, the batsmen should be predominantly front-footed here. They need to get on to the back-foot only for the rank short-pitched balls.

In a significant moment of the day, Kamran Akmal played back to Anil Kumble and saw his stumps in a mess when the ball shot through low. Sami wisely put his front foot forward to most deliveries.

In the morning, the Indians bowled with discipline on a sluggish surface. They were helped by the awry shot selection of the Pakistani batsmen. Perhaps, the pressure created by tight bowling produced the mistakes.

Opener Salman Butt attempted to cut a ball too close to his body from Zaheer Khan. The left-arm paceman struck again when senior batsman Younis Khan fell into the hook trap. Zaheer was among the wickets but he should have, ideally, pitched the ball further up to achieve more swing. Munaf was outstanding in the afternoon when he consumed Shoaib Malik with a lifting delivery in the corridor that moved away. He bowled at a lively speed.

The visitors’ tentative ways might have allowed the Indian bowlers to settle into a rhythm. Kumble, India’s new Test captain, had his finger on the pulse of the game.

Kumble’s captaincy reflected his cricketing acumen. He rung in the changes smartly and utilised Sourav Ganguly’s medium-pace particularly well.

The field placings were aggressive. There were a healthy slip cordon in place for the pacemen and the spinners bowled with two short-legs and a silly point. Significantly, Kumble was not willing to set a field for bad bowling. The bowlers operated to a pre-dominantly off-side field with little cover on the leg-side. Kumble’s message was — ‘If you stray down leg-side, be willing to get punished.’

Ganguly caught the eye, bowling wicket-to-wicket and moving the ball both ways. His accuracy and swing compensated for a lack of speed. He scalped key batsman Mohammad Yousuf after lunch, deviating a ball into the Pakistani who had shuffled across. Ganguly had a few other marginal leg-before shouts turned down.

Kumble was crafty, getting rid of a blossoming Yasir Hameed with a mild googly. Comeback-man Harbhajan bowled creditably.

Pakistan’s decision to bat under a cloud cover might have been influenced by the loss of Umar Gul. It was not a bad ploy either, given the nature of the track. The batsmen, save Misbah, let the side down. The lack of partnerships hurt the side.

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