Runs by the ton as India muff chances
Prem Panicker
Look at it this way - in the first hour of play, three clear chances go unclaimed.
The two batsmen involved both go on to make centuries and, in the process, to record a highest ever partnership at the venue.
In the last session of play, another sitter is spilt like ketchup in a blood-and-gore Bollywood flick.
The batsman involved proceeds to stroke boundaries with ominous authority, and is unbeaten at the close.
If it helps at all, the eleven Indian fielders who trooped off at the end of day one of the second Test versus South Africa at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta, can take comfort from one fact - that if they find themselves neck deep in soup, then said soup is of their own making.
Pitch, outfield, and the two teams
Following Australia's defeat in the one off Test in New Delhi and South Africa's more recent surrender in Ahmedabad in the first Test of the ongoing series, the question of what, precisely, qualifies as a "Test class" wicket is moot.
Forget what the captains say - any captain would term as ideal a wicket on which his batsmen get runs and his bowlers get wickets.
Looked at in purely cricketing terms, a 'Test' wicket should be one on which a good bowler, pace or spin, and a batsman of sound technique and good temperament, do battle on equal terms.
Given that definition, the newly laid track at the Eden Gardens is not a Test wicket - because it 'tests' nothing more than the ability of batsmen to take candy from kids for hour after hour.
Expert opinion holds that this track will take turn from the afternoon of day three. Said experts need to take a look at video replays of the first day's play - the ball did turn on the first morning itself. The problem, here, is not that the wicket is not taking turn, but that it is far too even in bounce and pace for movement either seam or spin to pose any problems to the batsmen.
The surface is hard, the sub-surface harder still. There are cracks, but the soil is bound together too hard for those cracks to have any impact on proceedings. And judging by the way the track played on the first day, indications are that it will play almost exactly the same way as the bowler runs in to bowl the last over of this Test.
Even as early as the end of day one, the final outcome appears predictable - unless India bat awfully badly, not once but twice, we are headed for a high-scoring draw.
Meanwhile, the two captains had little problem picking their sides. India made one change - Sanjay Manjrekar making way for Saurav Ganguly in the playing eleven. And Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar announced that Rahul Dravid would partner Ganguly at the top of the Indian batting order.
For South Africa, one change was predictable - the injured Jonty Rhodes yielding place to debutant Herschelle Gibbs, a good batsman and high class fielder, if not in the Jonty class. The other change was a bit of a surprise - Fanie De Villiers dropped because, in skipper Cronje's estimation, he did not have the pace to make an impact on Indian wickets. Replacing Fanie in the lineup is Lance Klusener, who ranks next only to Donald on the speedometer, and is a very good batsman to boot.
One question is worth the asking - what, precisely, was the logic in the continued retention of Narendra Hirwani in the Indian lineup? Consider this: Joshi, Kumble and Hirwani all have, as their stock ball, the one that lands on middle and off and turn away from the right hander. Surely off-spinner Aashish Kapoor would have provided the attack with more variety than Hirwani who, on the turning Ahmedabad wicket, was not considered worth a single over in the S'African second innings?
The course of play
In Srinath's second over of the day, the Indian pace spearhead produced one of his trademark deliveries - one pitching on the off, lifting and seaming away late from the right hander to produce the inevitable edge. Saurav Ganguly dived to his left, got his fingers to the ball, and then lay flat on the ground watching it speed to the third man boundary.
What on earth was Ganguly, not renowned for his agility and reflexive catching ability, doing in the crucial first slip position when India had the services of Azharuddin at its disposal?
In the next over, Gary Kirsten goes, as per his habit, after one pitching on off stump and leaving the left-hander. The ball flies off the edge, and past a Venkatesh Prasad diving to his right at third slip.
Again, the question is moot: what was Prasad doing in that position? Come to think of it, how many times at this level of cricket do you see an opening bowler finish his over and then stand in the crucial slip position?
In the same over, Srinath again produces the lifting, seaming delivery on off stump. Again the edge, this time from Hudson who had crossed over. A cleaner edge this time, and going straight through, waist high, to the keeper - who got it right in the middle of the gloves, and then grassed it.
The South African score, at that time, was yet to cross 20. When Gary Kirsten was finally out, bowled off the inner edge playing a lazy drive at Srinath's straighter delivery immediately after tea, the score stood at 236, Kirsten himself had garndered 102 off 170 deliveries with 14 fours, and the Indian bowling and fielding was in total disarray.
Just to rub a liberal dose of salt in it, Hudson - the beneficiary of largesse from both Mongia and Ganguly - also got a century before he, more out of boredom than anything else, tried to cut a straight one from Prasad and walked to the sound of rattling timber. The score, 296/2.
And if all this weren't bad enough, Srinath with the second new ball produced yet another classic - this one on off, lifting but, by way of variety, seaming in. Darryl Cullinan played for the one that went away, the ball took the inner edge and went straight as a homing pigeon into Mongia's gloves, and out again. Cullinan promptly proceeded to drive handsomely on either side of the wicket, collecting five fours in an unbeaten score of 29 off just 55 deliveries.
Says it all, really.
After the initial alarms, Kirsten and Hudson worked out that on this track, all they had to do was move onto the front foot irrespective of line, length or direction. And with the Indian ground fielding - so brilliant in the Titan Cup final and the first Test at Ahmedabad - matching the catching in incompetence, the ball repeatedly streaked through the fast outfield to thud against the hoardings.
48 boundaries in a score of 339 made off just 90 overs - the 65,000 crowd at the Gardens could be pardoned for imagining that they were at a festival match.
What, meanwhile, of the bowling? One interesting statistic tells the tale. The two best bowlers on view were Srinath and Joshi. The former because, despite a featherbed, he consistently got pace and movement both into and away from the batsman. In fact, the only possible criticism of Srinath on the day was that he pitched maybe a foot less than optimum length on an easy wicket - balls of fuller length would have had a greater chance of moving in the air. And Joshi bowled an immaculate length and tantalising flight, got turn on the first day wicket - did everything you would expect from a left-arm spinner. And having said that, Srinath and Joshi were the most expensive bowlers on the day, the first going for 80 runs off 25 overs, the latter for 48 runs off a mere 12 overs.
And what of that other bowler, the man who models his analysis on Uncle Scrooge's ledger? Kumble disappeared for 62 off his 17 overs, while Hirwani went for 51 off 14.
Taken in sum, these stats can be summed up in one sentence - if Adam had been a batsman, then he would have felt right at home at the Eden Gardens today.
So where is this game going?
With Gibbs, surviving a hesitant start to play with increasing authority and Cullinan, stroking the ball with ominous authority at the wicket - to be followed by the likes of Cronje, McMillan, Klusener and Symcox - South Africa appear poised to record a total of around the 550, 600 mark by say an hour after tea-time tomorrow. That would appear a good time to declare - if only because Ganguly, returning to the side after a long injury layoff, and Dravid, donning the opener's mantle for the first time, will need to play an hour of Donald and Klusener's pace, then do it all over again the next morning.
If the tourists put up that kind of total, then they can afford to give Donald and Klusener free rein, attacking with four slips, gully and more and looking to blast a few Indian wickets out early, looking to enforce a follow on and pressing on to a probable win.
then again, the second new ball is only nine overs old, Srinath might find a few more edges early morning and the Indian close in fielders might hang on to their chances. Who knows - stranger things have happened, and will again, in cricket.
Frankly, though, I see this game winding a dreary course towards the inevitable draw. A few batsmen will beef up their averages, a few bowlers will curse long and hard as their physios massage aching shoulders...
Oh well...
Scoreboard:
South Africa 1st innings R B 4 6
AC Hudson b Prasad 146 244 24 0
G Kirsten b Srinath 102 170 14 0
HH Gibbs not out 28 80 5 0
DJ Cullinan not out 29 55 5 0
Extras (b 5, lb 20, nb 9) 34
Total (2 wickets, 90 overs) 339
Fall of Wickets: 1-236 (Kirsten), 2-296 (Hudson).
Bowling O M R W
Srinath 25 4 80 1
Prasad 19 3 63 1
Joshi 12 1 48 0
Ganguly 3 1 10 0
Kumble 17 1 62 0
Hirwani 14 2 51 0
Score card source : Cricinfo
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