Reining in the master
England bring out the leash but Tendulkar isn't having any of it. By Dileep Premachandran
Dileep Premachandran
10-Nov-2005
Sachin Tendulkar, stumped James Foster, bowled Ashley Giles, 90. The defining moment in a match ruined by weather that was more in keeping with the cold and dreary north of England than the south of India. At the end of it all, India were left clinging on to their 1-0 series lead while Nasser Hussain's England - written off as the perfect candidates for a 3-0 whipping before they arrived - headed home for their Christmas turkey in good cheer and with reputations vastly enhanced.
Not surprisingly, it was Tendulkar who made all the headlines. In the Mohali?Test, he had gritted his teeth and shown the denial of a Buddhist monk on his way to 88. At Ahmedabad, his resplendent batting after lunch on the third day - which made a mockery of Hussain's 8-1 off-side field - took much of the gloss off an impressive English performance. The moment he came in to bat at Bangalore, it was clear that Hussain and his think-tank had curdled their brains in search of an answer to the Tendulkar conundrum.
The solution they came up with was as simple and inelegant as that devised by Douglas Jardine to curtail?Donald Bradman. Left-arm spinner Ashley Giles was Hussain's Harold Larwood, and he speared the ball up to a metre of Tendulkar's leg stump. At the other end, Andrew Flintoff kept Tendulkar on a tight leash with some short-pitched deliveries from around the wicket.
It made for some unattractive cricket, but for Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher, the end justified the means. It annoyed Tendulkar enough for him to engage in a out-of-character slanging match with Hussain and ultimately, to succumb to a premeditated charge that led to his first out-stumped dismissal in 143 innings. But the long periods of Giles-induced monotony were interspersed with some typical Tendulkar magic. The over before his dismissal saw 12 runs scored as Tendulkar lofted Giles down to the midwicket fence and paddle-swept him to fine leg for four.
The controversy deflected attention from another superb team effort by England. Hussain won his second toss in succession and England rebuilt with determination after an inspired Javagal Srinath had rocked them back onto their heels after lunch. Michael Vaughan played his best hand of the tour, showing enough touches of class to suggest that he will be the cornerstone of the English batting in years to come.
His dismissal - given out handled-the-ball - triggered a mini-collapse. Mark Ramprakash was unlucky to be given out to a deflection off his pad; Andrew Flintoff, determined to prove that his earlier failures with the bat weren't aberrations, flicked the second ball he received from Sarandeep Singh straight to Tendulkar at midwicket. It was left to Craig White and Foster to pick up the pieces and they did that with aplomb, helped along by some indifferent Indian bowling.
Once again, Sourav Ganguly's captaincy was mystifying. His two best bowlers - Sarandeep and Srinath - did not bowl in tandem until England had already posted a potentially matchwinning score. Ganguly may have pleased the crowd by repeatedly tossing the ball to Kumble, but he did his team no favours.
Apart from Tendulkar and Sehwag, the Indian batting was an embarrassment. Deep Dasgupta, Shiv Sunder Das and VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Ganguly, all fell to the bustling Flintoff and the persevering Matthew Hoggard, and were grateful that they were spared a second examination by the rain.
Lending a hand
Vaughan became only the seventh batsman in the history of the game, the third in India and the second this year, to be given out handled-the-ball. He made the matter worse protesting injured innocence at the press conference and insinuating that England would not have appealed in a similar situation. A section of the English media believed that Tendulkar had instigated the appeal and had set the stage for the unpleasantness that ensued on the field.
Vaughan became only the seventh batsman in the history of the game, the third in India and the second this year, to be given out handled-the-ball. He made the matter worse protesting injured innocence at the press conference and insinuating that England would not have appealed in a similar situation. A section of the English media believed that Tendulkar had instigated the appeal and had set the stage for the unpleasantness that ensued on the field.
Kumble's English breakfast
His mom wasn't at hand to see him join the ranks of the bowling immortals, but more than 30,000 of his fellow citizens were, and they cheered Bangalore's favourite son on as he toiled for his 300th wicket. It almost didn't happen. After 18 wickets in the first two Tests, Kumble's bowling in Bangalore was disappointing. But, exactly 21 minutes after lunch on the second day, he rapped Mathew Hoggard on the pads and the stadium erupted as the umpire's finger went up. His first Test victim was also an Englishman: Allan Lamb, 11 seasons ago.
His mom wasn't at hand to see him join the ranks of the bowling immortals, but more than 30,000 of his fellow citizens were, and they cheered Bangalore's favourite son on as he toiled for his 300th wicket. It almost didn't happen. After 18 wickets in the first two Tests, Kumble's bowling in Bangalore was disappointing. But, exactly 21 minutes after lunch on the second day, he rapped Mathew Hoggard on the pads and the stadium erupted as the umpire's finger went up. His first Test victim was also an Englishman: Allan Lamb, 11 seasons ago.
Damp squib
The match commenced under lights - the first instance of its kind in?Test history. Flintoff and Hoggard would have felt right at home because the weather was about as soggy as an Old Trafford or Headingley afternoon. There was heavy overnight rain on a couple of days and a persistent drizzle on the fourth morning. The one Super-Sopper at the ground wasn't quite up to the task of drying out the playing surface.
The match commenced under lights - the first instance of its kind in?Test history. Flintoff and Hoggard would have felt right at home because the weather was about as soggy as an Old Trafford or Headingley afternoon. There was heavy overnight rain on a couple of days and a persistent drizzle on the fourth morning. The one Super-Sopper at the ground wasn't quite up to the task of drying out the playing surface.
Barmy delight
After dry, arid Ahmedabad, the Barmy Army cooled their skins and throats in this old English cantonment town. They had plenty to crow about too, as Hussain and his men rattled the Indians. The free-flowing beer in India's pub capital helped, of course, and most went home for the holidays in high spirits and with paunches restored.
After dry, arid Ahmedabad, the Barmy Army cooled their skins and throats in this old English cantonment town. They had plenty to crow about too, as Hussain and his men rattled the Indians. The free-flowing beer in India's pub capital helped, of course, and most went home for the holidays in high spirits and with paunches restored.