Nagpur Test, Day 3, Lunch
Saturday, February 23, 2002

An important decision that Zimbabwe had to make this morning was how soon to take the new ball. I think they may have taken a team decision to ask for it as soon as it was due. But the first couple of overs from the spinners this morning should have made them change their plans. At this level, one has to be flexible on the field.

Sachin Tendulkar had just come in to bat and despite his reputation, it's never easy to settle down on a turning track, with a short leg and silly point crowding you. By taking the new ball, Zimbabwe missed a chance to pressure him. If they had delayed the new ball by a few overs, they could have prevented Sachin getting into the groove so quickly.

Rahul Dravid's dismissal was something that came out of the blue. The pressure of having to keep the scoreboard moving was getting to him, especially with Tendulkar monopolising the strike. Unlike Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, Dravid has never been a natural while playing away from his body and he didn't get behind the ball from Heath Streak, and that dragged back onto his stumps.

Ganguly has done the right thing by eschewing the adventurous approach. He's enjoying the comfort of batting alongside Tendulkar and he realises that it's the perfect opportunity to work himself back into form. As for Sachin himself, it's been a typical innings and we can expect some fireworks after lunch.

Sanjay Manjrekar, stalwart of the Indian batting in the early `90s, was talking to Dileep Premachandran.

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