Bangalore Test, Day 1, Close
Wednesday, December 19, 2001

It was a disappointing end to Michael Vaughan's innings. He looked the best England batsman on tour, correct in defence and orthodox in stroke-play. I felt his act of patting the ball away with his hand was an instinctive, spur-of-the-moment reaction. He might have thought for an instant that the ball was heading towards the stumps.

I can't find fault with the Indian appeal. The ball was stopped in motion, fairly close to the stumps. The fielders thought for a while before going up in appeal, and once they did, the umpire had no option but to rule Vaughan out. It was unfortunate, but it wasn't against the rules.

I'd seen this happen before as a schoolboy, when India were playing West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in 1983. Desmond Haynes was given out handling the ball, and I remember that umpire Gothaskar actually asked the Indian fielders if they were serious about the appeal. Once the fielders confirmed that they were, Haynes was ruled out.

Had umpire Jayaprakash acted similarly, perhaps the Indians might have retracted their appeal. But I have no doubt that the umpire made the right call, and when Vaughan cools off and thinks about it, he'll realise he did something he shouldn't have.

Mark Ramprakash fell yet again after getting a start. Replays suggested he was unlucky to have been ruled out, but the way he played that delivery clearly gave Sarandeep Singh a wicket-taking opportunity. He has failed to cash in on the starts in this series, and here again he squandered a chance to carry England through to a position of strength.

Sarandeep grew in confidence after dismissing Ramprakash, and while it is unfair to compare him with Harbhajan Singh, he clearly has his strengths. The ability to bowl from close to the stumps and maintain a good line are assets which should serve him well in international cricket.

Anil Kumble seemed too keyed up, but that's completely understandable. This landmark would mean a lot to a player who has worked hard and served Indian cricket tirelessly, and I wouldn't be critical of his effort today.

The flurry of wickets has allowed India back into match, and they must now feel they can restrict England to a manageable score.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the late '80s and early '90s, was talking to S Rajesh.

More from Manjrekar
Day 1, Tea: Vaughan looks the part

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