A memorable outing for the visitors

VIJAY LOKAPALLY

THE securitymen accompanying the English team just hounded everyone in sight even as the players had little objection to those who had thronged the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur a day before the three-day match against India 'A'. There were hardly a handful to watch the Indians go through the 'nets' but there was disappointment for those keen to catch a glimpse of the English players.

On the day of the match, it was worse as the policemen manning the VIP gate prevented the Board Secretary, Niranjan Shah, from entering. He did not carry his entry pass but then all the pleadings by the Rajasthan Cricket Association officials failed to make the two policemen understand until a senior police official intervened. The plight of the photographers was no different. For many of us familiar with the Indian circuit, it was nothing new, being subjected to crass frisking in the name of security, but it sure left a poor taste as far as the English camp was concerned.

"Security men have been put on the wrong people," remarked an English lensman, furious at being interrupted in his work by various people and agencies. The RCA officials were helpless as the ill-trained policemen behaved curtly. It was thus hardly surprising that spectators stayed away from what happened to be a keen contest over three days.

More than the performance in this match, which England won by three wickets, it was the nature of the pitch that held the attention of most. "A devious pitch," remarked one of the youngsters though it was widely felt, including the selectors, that such pitches were the much-needed change to identify quality cricketers in India. Even the English were surprised by the grass and bounce which saw the ball behave awkwardly on all the days. "It was a difficult pitch to bat on with the bounce being uneven. There was a lot of seam movement," said the England coach Duncan Fletcher. It was a test of skills and temperament for the batsmen and a challenge to the bowlers to attack in a disciplined style.

Given the nature of the pitch, it was very creditable that Abhijit Kale, the diminutive strokemaker from Maharashtra, came up with a very impressive performance - distinguishing himself with a century which came in for praise from the opposition camp too. Basically an opener, Kale did not mind batting in the middle order and it was his outstanding knock that stood as one of the positive features of the match from the home team's point of view. The other highlight of the game was the seam bowling of Iqbal Siddiqui, also from Maharashtra.

India 'A' fumbled on the first morning when the top half of the batting line up failed to read the English seamers but Kale and Khoda gladdened the home supporters with their determined innings. Khoda used the stage to make a point even though he did not open the innings to strengthen his claims. But Kale was in control all the way.

The manner in which Kale paced his innings spoke of his strong grooming. His shot selection was impeccable and it was good he made the most of the first real opportunity of playing against a visiting side. Against New Zealand when it last visited, Kale was unfortunate to see the match washed out. His second chance came against Zimbabwe but then he was listed to go in at number seven and he ended up with a knock of 17 not out. "Can't call it a chance really," he said.

So, Kale was very keen to do well in Jaipur and the tough conditions brought the best out of him. "Flintoff was very quick and the ball was seaming a lot. I am glad I hit a century in difficult circumstances," said the 27-year-old from Pune. He failed in the second innings and that contributed towards the defeat too as the India 'A' batting came apart against the pair of Craig White and Flintoff.

In conceding the first innings lead, England did not quite play according to expectations. Andrew Flintoff, who got a rough decision in the first innings, played a crucial part in his team's victory. He picked up six wickets in the match and came up with a key knock on the final day when England made such heavy weather of a winning target of 173 runs. Skipper Nasser Hussain hit a neat half century in the second innings to prepare well for the first Test but it was Flintoff who came in for special praise from his coach.

"He's a good all-rounder and did well without much of practice," remarked Fletcher. What stood out in Flintoff's performance was his ability to work up pace, at times getting the ball to fly on a responsive pitch. Batsmen on backfoot was just the kind of sight that encouraged the English seamers to bowl their hearts out on the third day.

India 'A', with a lead of 63 runs, resumed the last day at 75 for three but White triggered off a collapse with some good support from Flintoff.

The India 'A' collapse in the second innings was humiliating indeed and it became worse when Reetender Singh Sodhi was hit on his bowling hand. His absence left the home team a bowler short. The closing moments of the match were exciting as England lost some quick wickets but it was too late in the day for India 'A' to expect a miracle.

There were not many gains for the home team from the match. Kale and Khoda were the batsmen to make an impression while Siddiqui exploited the conditions to his benefit. The performance enabled him earn a place in the national side - a deserving break for this humble cricketer from Aurangabad.

The scores:

India 'A' 233 for nine decl. (G. Khoda 64, A. Kale 122, A Ratra 26, Johnson three for 56, A. Flintoff three for 47) and 109 (G. Gambhir 30, A. Flintoff three for 27, C. White five for 31) lost to England 170 (M. Butcher 37, N. Hussain 40, J. Foster 32 not out, I Siddiqui four for 53, S. Joshi three for 39) and 173 for seven (M. Trescothick 30, M. Hussain 59, A. Flintoff 40, G. Gambhir three for 12).