India v England, Match 5
Monday, January 31, 2002

Sourav Ganguly was unsure before the start of the match what to do if he won the toss, and I saw him making enquiries to a few people in the morning. In the end, I think it was the correct decision on his part to field first because the Kotla is renowned for helping teams chase in excess of 270.

England made a tactical change in their approach; they wanted a solid start to the innings, in contrast to the earlier games where they were aggressive and lost early wickets. England were hoping that someone lower down the order could provide the fireworks. That role was played by Andrew Flintoff, who played a crucial innings for England. But their inexperience and the fragility of their batting were exposed when they failed to capitalise on a reasonably good start, and disappointed in the final few overs.

The Indians, Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble in particular, bowled well, but Sarandeep Singh was a disappointment. Not merely because he bowled only half his overs, but the fact that he released the ball very tentatively. He looked short of confidence; the pressure of a one-day debut probably showed, though the Delhi morning cold could also have contributed to his poor display.

A target of 272 was eminently attainable. Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag started well, but Andy Caddick was always going to be a threat with his ability to hit the deck from a great height and extract bounce and movement in conditions like these. And sure enough, he got Tendulkar to nick one playing on the up; not a great stroke by any means.

After the exit of Tendulkar and Sehwag, Ganguly showed that he can never be underestimated in this form of the game with strokes that reiterated him as a quality player. He was in control of the bowling and looked visibly disappointed on getting out. But there is no excuse for the shot that got him and must bear the responsibility for India's defeat. He should have known that he was sticking his neck out in playing high-risk strokes. His wicket changed India's fortunes. Though Mohammed Kaif showed some spirit, it was really asking too much in the end from him and the rest of the batsmen. Ganguly had to bat through if his team had to win the match. In the end the Indian defeat was all too familiar.

This England side, as I have repeatedly said, has shown more spirit than the earlier English teams which have toured India. And what they lack in ability, they make up with their spirit, which has enabled them to put up a great fight and make it such a close series.

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

More from Manjrekar
Sehwag made it easy
Stand-in stands tall

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