England keen to pull one back

From 160/1 England Under-19 slipped to 183 all out in the first Test match played at Mumbai. A very sorry state of affairs for coach Tim Boon, captain Ian Bell and the rest of the visiting team. Since then, they have played out a draw against the South Zone team at Chennai. The fact that they did so without skipper Ian Bell, opener Gary Pratt and medium pacers Andrew McGarry and Justin Bishop augurs well for the visiting side. With the Second Test starting at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk on the 20th, the visitors are all wound up and raring to go.

The warm-up game against South Zone threw up more positives for the England side. All-rounder Chris Tremlett, who arrived on the tour late, put his head down and batted sensibly when he got the chance. He impressed everyone at the ground with his sensible batting. A certainty to play in the Second Test, Tremlett has discovered new facets to his game on arrival on Indian soil. Although more than six and a half feet tall, Tremlett is not the kind of bowler who is likely to hurry batsmen for pace. Toying around at the nets, Tremlett found that the off spinners he delivered from a height rivalling Curtley Ambrose put the batsmen in a spot of bother. Getting the ball to turn and jump a bit, Tremlett might just be used to bowl off spin in the Second Test.

Coach Tim Boon did not rule out trying such tactics. "We've lost the first game in the series and are obviously very keen to do well in the second game," he said. "In the First Test, our fielding let us down and we've worked very hard on that aspect since," he added. The fact that Gordon Muchall and Tremlett grabbed the opportunity and did well in the warm-up game against South Zone was also a source of comfort for Boon. "With Muchall and Tremlett batting so responsibly, so many options have opened out for us. We now have various matters of team composition to look at before deciding on the final team." With the team line-up in doubt, there is a distinct possibility that England will go into the match with only one of the two left-arm spinners, Monty Panesar and Robert Ferley. While Panesar came to India with a growing reputation and pressure to perform on his shoulders, he has not really hit the high notes yet.

Ferley, the other spinner in contention, has not bowled exceedingly well but he has shown tremendous potential, flighting the ball well and landing it on the right spot consistently. What's more, he brings to the table more than Panesar does in the batting and fielding departments. Apart from making useful contributions with the bat, Ferley has pulled off some smart catches in the infield. "Panesar can be a match-winning bowler if he gets into a rhythm," said skipper Ian Bell. "We hope he gets into a good rhythm soon and delivers the goods," he added. Boon too has high hopes for the smiling sardar from Luton. "He's bowling so well in the nets. Even today, he was right on the spot and got the ball to turn and jump," said the coach a day before the start of the Second Test.

The Indians on the other hand are naturally very confident. Coach Roger Binny, never one to jump the gun, was guarded in his optimism. "Although we wouldn't like to change a winning combination, a lot depends on the wicket. We'll take a look at it first thing in the morning before deciding on the playing XI," he said. Although the Chennai wicket has traditionally been heavily loaded in favour of the batsmen, Binny did not want to take anything for granted. "We'll have a look at the wicket when the covers are taken off in the morning. There seems to be a bit of grass on it. Although it does not look at all threatening, there will be something in the wicket for the fast bowlers early on," he concluded.

Although extremely happy with the performance of the Indian team, Binny was irked by the fact that none of the top-order batsmen really got going, "So many batsmen got into the 20s and then threw their wickets away. That is never a good sign for a team," he explained. "We really didn't have too many solid partnerships. To take the initiative in the Second Test we really need to look to put together some good partnerships at the top of the innings," said Binny.

One thing is clear. The match is a pivotal one for both teams. The Indians have the edge thanks to their win in the First Test. The visitors, however, are not prepared to roll over and play dead. The challenge is before them. Whether they rise to it or not remains to be seen.