Gautam Gambhir presses claims to national opening slot

Despite the success of Deep Dasgupta, the Indian selectors must be only too aware that his presence as an opener is merely an ad hoc solution and that a more permanent solution has yet to be found. On Friday, Gautam Gambhir may have helped them find it.

Winning the toss on a typically placid Vijayawada pitch, skipper of the Board President's XI Rahul Dravid had no hesitation in opting to take first strike. It was not the best fall of the coin that Zimbabwe could have had, for the last thing that a touring team needs in a lung-opener is to toil in vain under a hot sun.

Yet that is exactly what the Board President's XI achieved. An opening stand of 87 was helped by erratic bowling from pace Brighton Watambwa, who went for 42 runs in his first eight overs. His compatriot at the other end, Heath Streak, however, was as controlled as ever. He maintained good line and length, and a number of shouts went up from the fielders when well-directed deliveries rapped the pads of a Gambhir shuffling in his crease.

But the openers saw off the shine of the new ball in safety and then blossomed into their shots. Gagan Khoda in particular played some aggressive strokes, even hitting a six off left-arm spinner Raymond Price. Gambhir kept him good company, hitting a number of fours in the process, and the pair raced along neck and neck after their initial circumspection.

But Price struck back at Khoda when the Rajasthan opener, trying to hoik the ball to the long-on fence, only succeeded in spooning a catch to Travis Friend at mid-on. Khoda's innings came to an end on 41, made off 81 balls with six fours and a six.

Captain Dravid them strode out to the crease, no doubt wanting to use this practice match to get into the batting groove after a month-long injury lay-off. His intentions were made clear from the very first delivery as the batsman concentrated fiercely, eschewing risky strokes in favour of dour caution.

As a result, the run-rate slowed somewhat, and the Board President's XI had scored 113/1 at lunch. The play after the break, however, was chiefly formulated by two factors that seemed to pull in opposite directions. At one end was Dravid, bent on staying in the middle and batting himself back into form. At the other was a free-stroking Gambhir, quick to pounce on even half-bad deliveries and dismiss them to the fence.

The result, as can be expected, was a nicely balanced partnership between the two, pleasing to watch if you were not a Zimbabwe bowler toiling under a hot sun. The runs flowed steadily, never in spectacular fashion but with the regularity of a metronome. Gambhir reached his century, his fifth in first-class cricket, off 147 deliveries, striking his 18th four by sweeping Price to square leg.

Zimbabwe's bowlers continued to struggle, and the Indian second-wicket partnership extended itself past the 100-run mark in the 51st over of the innings. Dravid played well, although his elegant strokes continued to find the fielder unerringly, even on a beauty of a batting track. His defence, however, was as barn-door-like as ever.

Price was the bowler to suffer the most. His left-arm spin was innocuous on a featherbed of a pitch, and he was bowling to two fine players of spin. Both batsmen used their feet well, getting to the pitch of the ball to repeatedly drive Price on either side of the wicket. Gambhir reached his 150 in just this manner, stepping out to the spinner and stroking the ball through covers.

Dravid reached his fifty a few overs later, but his innings ended there. Trying to force Price through the off-side, Dravid ended up cutting a ball too close to cut, and Tatenda Taibu behind the stumps cleanly took the catch to dismiss the Board President's XI captain for a well-made 50 off 131 balls.

Abhijit Kale took over where Dravid left off. He was, in fact, marginally more positive, and as a result the run-rate galloped along. Both Gambhir and Kale were in fine form during the league phases of the domestic Ranji Trophy competition, and they seemed determined to prove it at Vijayawada today.

Given the nature of the knock, then, Gambhir could not have helped feeling disappointed at his dismissal just before the close of play. Trying to guide a Mpumelelo Mbangwa delivery to third man, Gambhir only played it straight into the hands of Andy Flower in the lone slip position. He had made 218 off 284 balls with 39 fours, a majestic knock that ended with an unfortunate lapse in concentration.

The Board President's XI went in at stumps with a good day's batting behind them, having made 361/3. Kale was unbeaten on 40 off 80 balls, having slowed down towards the close, while Pravanjan Mullick faced 14 balls without opening his account.

Zimbabwe captain Stuart Carlisle, unfortunately, cannot take away much hope from this tie. Barring his most experienced bowler Heath Streak, none of the others looked like taking a wicket at all, and it can arguably be said that all three batsmen dismissed perished at their own hand. The lone spinner seemed to merely go through the motions, getting neither appreciable loop nor turn, and the pacemen were too wayward to have any sustained effect on the batsmen.

Gambhir's mammoth ton must surely force the national selectors to look his way when they sit down to pick the team for the Test series on Sunday. Being left-handed and a natural stroke-player, he seems to be the ideal companion to Shiv Sunder Das, right-handed and an opener more in the stolid Gavaskar mould. Admitted that Gambhir's century came on an ideal batting pitch, but the runs still have to be made, and the Delhi batsman showed the application and determination to make them.