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

The major talking point of this session would have to be the strategy that Zimbabwe adopted. Geoff Marsh, who coaches them, came here with a bit of a reputation, and it just baffled me that at no point did they bowl with two spinners in tandem. Everyone was expecting the two left-arm spinners to bowl into the rough outside the right-hander's leg stump. Grant Flower tried it for a couple of overs, whereas Ray Price – who has bowled a lot of overs – has barely attempted it.

The Indian batsmen were under some pressure against the spinners, with the odd ball turning sharply and the bounce being uneven at times. To be fair, the slow bowlers were the only threat. At no point did the medium pacers look like breaking through - and that makes Carlisle's reluctance to use the spinners together appear even more mystifying.

With virtually no pressure being applied from one end, Sachin Tendulkar was hardly going to miss this opportunity. His consistency at Test level is mind-boggling. I think that's what sets him apart from the other greats, the rarity of his failures at Test level. Another jewel in the crown for the king of Indian cricket. And didn't the crowd enjoy it.

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

More Sanjay Manjrekar
Day 3, Lunch: 'Zimbabwe missed a trick'

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