2nd Test: India v Zimbabwe at Delhi, 28 Feb-04 Mar 2002 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Test: India v Zimbabwe at Delhi, 28 Feb-04 Mar 2002
Santhosh S

India 1st innings: Tea: Day-2, Stumps: Day-2,
Zimbabwe 1st innings: Lunch - Day 2,
Live Reports from previous days

INDIA LOSE TENDULKAR AND DRAVID
Zimbabwe took the upper hand by picking up two vital wickets in the post tea session. More importantly they stifled the run flow, giving away just 80 runs off 38 overs in the final session. At close of play on the second day, a resurgent Sourav Ganguly was unbeaten on 78 off 169 balls, with the aid of a huge six and eleven boundaries. Giving the skipper company was Sehwag on an unbeaten 16.

Soon after the tea break, Tendulkar survived a very confident shout for lbw off the bowling of Ray Price. The bowler could count himself extremely unlucky as the ball hit Tendulkar on the back leg, well in the line with the off stump. That seemed to put the brakes on Tendulkar as he went into a shell from which he never got out.

The run-rate suffered substantially as Tendulkar found it hard to get the ball off the square for runs. In the meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly got to his first fifty in 11 Test innings. His previous fifty was an unbeaten match-winning 98 at Kandy against Sri Lanka. Ganguly celebrated his return to form by lofting Grant Flower over long on for a massive six.

Meanwhile, the runs had dried up for Tendulkar at the other end. The little master scored only six runs off 68 balls faced after tea. Tendulkar broke loose by pulling Grant Flower through mid-wicket for a four off the 115th ball of his knock. The previous boundary, incidentally his fourth, had come off the 17th delivery he faced.

The master batsman has had trouble against left-arm spinners and his knock did not last long, three balls later he was trapped plumb in front of the stumps by Raymond Price. Tendulkar (36) was at the crease for 119 balls and hit five boundaries.

There was more drama waiting to unfold in the 60th over with the score on 144. Ganguly pushed the ball to Friend at mid-on and called Dravid for a single. And, as an after thought sent his deputy back, only to find Friend throwing down the stumps with a direct hit. Rahul Dravid (1) was found to be just short of the crease by the third umpire.

With India on 144/4 and in some kind of trouble, the local lad Virender Sehwag came out to bat. The exciting youngster got going immediately, scoring four boundaries off Price to remain unbeaten on 16 at close. In the penultimate over of the day, Ganguly enjoyed some good fortune, being declared not out after a very good shout by Streak.

GANGULY AND TENDULKAR TAKE INDIA TO TEA
India resuming on 11/0 after lunch lost both their openers and were 91/2 at tea on the second day in Delhi. Sourav Ganguly is on 29 off 51 balls while Sachin Tendulkar, who seems to be in tremendous form, is on 24 off 39 balls.

Earlier, Shiv Sunder Das (13) was the first batsman to be dismissed with the score on 24, neatly caught down the leg side by Tatendra Taibu off the bowling of Heath Streak. This is not the first time the diminutive opening batsman has been troubled by the short rising delivery.

The Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly walked in to bat at number three. That should count as a positive move, since Ganguly has not made a Test hundred in the last 28 months. He was soon on the move, pulling Friend to the backward square leg fence.

Ganguly played those trademark square drives for a couple of boundaries of one over from Raymond Price as the Indian score went past 50. In the 20th over, India lost their second wicket, Deep Dasgupta completely misreading a slow full toss from Friend and all umpire Jayaprakash had to do was to raise his finger immediately.

Dasgupta had lost sight of the ball a few times behind the stumps and this one in front of the stumps proved costly. Before being dismissed leg-before, Dasgupta made 19 off 57 balls and struck four boundaries.

With the score on 58/2, Sachin Tendulkar walked in to thunderous applause from all around the ground to join Ganguly in the middle. The little master wasted no time at all in getting in to the act, striking three boundaries off a Travis Friend over.

Ganguly seems to be in good touch and has hit half a dozen boundaries so far.

ZIMBABWE BOWLED OUT FOR 329 BEFORE LUNCH
Zimbabwe added 69 runs in the morning session and were bowled out for 329 on the second day at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. Anil Kumble picked up two wickets in one over to hasten the completion of Zimbabwe's first innings. At lunch, India were 11 for no loss.

Resuming on 260/6, Dion Ebrahim and Travis Friend started off with a lot of confidence against the Indian pace attack. Ebrahim struck a boundary to move into the nineties, but he was soon given out lbw to Javagal Srinath by umpire de Silva. Ebrahim was hit high above the knee-roll and distinctly unlucky to be given out, becoming the second batsman to miss out on a hundred in the innings. His knock of 94 off 203 balls included 10 hits to the fence.

Tatenda Taibu joined Travis Friend and added 21 runs for the eighth wicket to take the score to 310. Anil Kumble's appeal for lbw against Tatenda Taibu (13) was upheld by umpire Jayaprakash. Two balls later, Kumble struck again, Raymond Price (0) turning back to see the off-stump knocked out by a yorker.

Friend carried on with the good form he showed in Nagpur, making a strong case for a promotion up the batting order. He welcomed Harbhajan Singh's introduction into the attack by lofting the very first ball high over long-on for a massive six. In an attempt to repeat the same, he could only hit it down the throat of Sachin Tendulkar on the mid-wicket fence. Friend made 43 off 105 balls, striking three boundaries and that massive six. Brighton Watambwa remained unbeaten on three.

Anil Kumble was the most successful bowler for India with figures of 34-13-88-3. Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh picked up two wickets each.

India had to negotiate a tricky little period of four overs before lunch. Shiv Sunder Das survived a very close shout for lbw even before opening his account in the very first over bowled by Heath Streak. Das and Dasgupta are batting on six and five respectively.