Bangalore Test, Day 2, Tea
Thursday, December 20, 2001

This series has really livened up and indeed surpassed all expectations as England have derieved a lot of confidence from the second Test at Ahmedabad to come on strongly in this Test.

What one saw from the English seamers was not surprising. Andrew Flintoff is the only bowler who is ideally suited to bowl on this track. Flintoff is a bowler who keeps the ball around the good length on off stump which is just the desired kind of line and length. Matthew Hoggard and Craig White are not naturally inclined to bowl like Flintoff does. They will have to shorten their lengths and be a bit defensive outside the off stump because the lateral movement will always give them some hope to pick up wickets.

The pitch has been a major factor in the way this Test is being played. The relaid track is totally different from the Tests that have been played earlier at Bangalore. The pitch earlier was similar to the ones we see in the western part of the country - red in colour and which doesn't bind much, as a result of which it gets powdery and dusty. But pitches in Mumbai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad have a good base which is why, even when the top gets powdery, the strong base helps it remain a good batting wicket. Also the turn is not unplayable as the match wears on. It just gets slower and slower with passage of time.

I had a long chat with the curator here who informed me that he had put generous clay on the wicket from the river beds around Bangalore which has helped the track bind well. And because of the overcast conditions here, the wicket is not becoming powdery as it used to in the past. The moisture is also helping in the lateral movement.

Asoka de Silva is an outstanding umpire at the international level, but he erred in negativing a bat-pad catch against Shiv Sunder Das. Both Das and Sachin Tendulkar impressed in the afternoon session.

Among the Indian bowlers, only Javagal Srinath could give an indication of what the pitch held in store for the seamers. It took Flintoff to extract the kind of juice that the pitch is affording. One gets the feeling that seam that will dominate the Test, which means England will always have something in it for them right through.

Sarandeep Singh was grossly underbowled in the innings but came back and picked up an important wicket. Anil Kumble made the session memorable for himself and India by picking up his 300th wicket in Tests.

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

More from Manjrekar
Day 2, Lunch: Where was Sarandeep

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd