Nagpur Test, Day 2, Close
Friday, February 22, 2002

India will be quite happy with their position today. Their run-rate wasn't great, but they know that they have plenty of time to play with. The pitch forced the slow run-rate; to score fast on a surface such as this is virtually impossible without taking risks. Scoring in the V is especially hard. The only worry for India tomorrow will be when they have to step up the run-rate.

From Zimbabwe's point of view, Heath Streak was disappointing. After a new-ball spell where he extracted appreciable movement, Streak was a man just going through the motions. There was no purpose or plan. Early on, he bowled one short ball that SS Das fended uncomfortably, and that should have been a cue for Streak to continue the treatment. Das, Streak should have known, has been prised out with the short ball on several occasions, as well as tempted into an uppish drive with the one tossed outside the off stump. Australia, South Africa, and to an extent England, all exploited this weakness, and Streak should have at least had a crack at it.

Credit to Das, though, for his century. Personally, I'd have liked to see him make this a big one – 170 or thereabouts - because that's what an accomplished player must do against weak attacks on good pitches. His wasn't a special innings in terms of strokeplay, and one way of making it more memorable would have been by posting a big score.

Rahul Dravid showed his grit once again. He had problems at the start when his strokes kept finding the fielders, but he steadily gained in confidence, and looked in the groove by close of play.

Zimbabwe have a lot to do tomorrow. They need to attack early on with Streak and Raymond Price. Eventually though, I suspect that they will have both left-arm spinners, Price and Grant Flower, bowling over the wicket and into the rough to slow India down. Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid should practise against that line in the nets this evening.

Sanjay Manjrekar, stalwart of the Indian batting in the early `90s, was talking to Rahul Bhattacharya

More Sanjay Manjrekar
Day 2, Lunch: 'Zimbabwe ran out of puff'

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