Sport

Jaffer all the way on the opening day

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

Gone! Sachin Tendulkar is done in by a Danish Kaneria googly.

Kolkata: Wasim Jaffer lived a dream in the field of dreams. His timing was exquisite and his timing of the innings perfect. He middled the ball in the middle.

The elegant opener’s unbeaten 192 has virtually shut the door on Pakistan drawing level at the Eden Gardens. Finishing day one of the second Indian Oil Test at a strong 352 for three, India has a wonderful opportunity to nail the three-Test series here.

The conditions were ideal for batting on the first day but this pitch should encourage spin in the latter stages. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh could be a distinct threat.

Jaffer (255b, 32 x 4) coaxed the ball through the empty spaces during his fifth three-figure effort in Tests. Rahul Dravid (50, 117b, 7x4) was fluent on either side of the wicket. The strokeful Sachin Tendulkar (82, 109b, 12x4) confirmed his rich vein of form but missed out on a century again. Sourav Ganguly, cheered in, is batting on an enterprising 17.

On an unresponsive pitch and a fast outfield, the Pakistani bowling stood exposed. The attack was neither restrictive nor incisive.

Younis Khan, stepping in for the injured Shoaib Malik, searched unsuccessfully for answers. Pacemen Sohail Tanvir was forced to send a few overs of left-arm spin but little worked for the visitor.

The wristy Jaffer was not complaining. He is a lot more balanced in his stance and consequently his body weight is better distributed when he launches into his front-footed drives. This right-hander has always been a fine player off his back-foot.

Jaffer’s cover-driving was majestic and his straight hits were precise. Expectedly, he clipped and whipped with panache. When the pacemen pitched short, he responded with hooks and pulls.

This temperamentally sound batsman has tightened his technique. There is a flow to his batting that arrives with confidence.

Jaffer constructed two vital partnerships – 136 in 39 overs with Dravid for the second and 175 for the third with Tendulkar in 35.2. During the effort, Tendulkar crossed 1,000 Test runs against Pakistan. India, 104 for one at lunch and 206 for two at tea, dominated throughout.

The chance for Pakistan to strike back appeared and disappeared in a flash. Tendulkar (on 28) edged a short-pitched delivery from Mohammad Sami and ’keeper Kamran Akmal could not latch on to the speeding ball. Sami’s disappointment told the story.

Shoiab Akhtar and Sami were included after all but Pakistan was undone by the loss of the toss. Akhtar, in particular, had less time to recover from fitness concerns.

Replacement paceman Yasser Arafat arrived in the morning but was not picked. Akhtar’s nine overs in the day were strung together by four spells. He was not express and seemed to be struggling on occasions.

Inadequate footwork once again let Dinesh Karthik down; his attempted push off a Sohail Tanvir delivery ended in the hands of the second slip.

Otherwise, Tanvir disappointed. The left-armer essentially angles or gets the ball to move away from the right hander from over the wicket.

He does not quite straighten or bring the ball into the batsman and this was precisely why Jaffer punched and drove him off either foot.

Ironically, the two deliveries Daniesh Kaneria flighted fetched him wickets, even if one of them came in the form of an umpiring error. Dravid shaped to drive a flighted delivery that spun away and umpire Billy Doctrove was misled by the sound of the bat hitting the ground.

There was no doubt about Kaneria’s second strike – a looped up googly that beat Tendulkar’s intended cover-drive. These deliveries apart, Kaneria, without spin support, tended to be flat on a first day pitch.

Younis Khan’s field placings were interesting. After the initial phase, he had a lone slip and six men in single saving positions.

The idea was to frustrate the Indian batsmen and lure them to clear the infield. A lack of consistency in bowling and a few shocking misfields meant the plan came unstuck.

SCOREBOARD

 India — 1st innings: W. Jaffer (batting) 192, D. Karthik c Younis b Tanvir 1, R. Dravid c Akmal b Kaneria 50, S. Tendulkar b Kaneria 82, S. Ganguly (batting) 17; Extras: (b-4, lb-3, nb-3) 10. Total: (for three wkts., in 84.3 overs) 352.

Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Karthik), 2-138 (Dravid), 3-313 (Tendulkar).

Pakistan bowling: Akhtar 9-1-29-0, Tanvir 24-3-118-1, Sami 18.3-1-56-0, Kaneria 30-3-126-2, Hameed 3-0-16-0.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu