Carrying on the good work

Published : Dec 01, 2001 00:00 IST

G. VISWANATH

ON the 'Friendship' tour of South Africa, almost 10 years ago, India lost the third Test at St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth (PE). It was also the Test in which Manoj Prabhakar became the first Indian cricketer to be penalised by the Match Referee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct. Things appeared to be going the same way for India in its second appearance in a Test match against South Africa in PE recently before bad light and rain consumed many hours of the match. The weather helped India to draw the match, with Rahul Dravid returning to form and Deep Dasgupta showing fine temperament for five long hours.

The Indians were happy they did not lose the second Test and thereby the series at PE itself, but as it transpired they were a devastated lot, what with the Match Referee Mike Denness' mass censure of players in the form of monetary fines, suspended sentences and bans, dominating the Test on the fourth and fifth days. There were suggestions of a plot to target India's top player Sachin Tendulkar, who was fined 75 percent of his match fees for violating the Laws of Cricket (2000 code) - 42.3 (The Match Ball - Changing its condition).

Tendulkar was supposed to have tried to lift the seam on the third day of the Test (November 18). But even after three days Denness had not revealed as to who had reported the incident for him to subsequently ask the official broadcaster to provide footage of Tendulkar using his fingers on the seam. Tendulkar told Denness that he was only removing bits of grass from the ball, but that was good enough for the latter to bring Tendulkar under the specific ICC Code of violation and punish him.

It was after all these unpleasant incidents had marred the fourth day's play that two Indian batsmen - Dravid and Dasgupta - focussed on the immediate task of not going down yet again to the home team. Both Dasgupta, who opened the innings with Shiv Sundar Das, and Dravid - who came in at the fall of Das to the fifth ball of the India second innings - refused to buckle under pressure, the result of which was a big 171-run stand for the second wicket, Das having fallen without a run on the board.

India had been bowled out in the first innings for 201, after Herschelle Gibbs had cracked his second consecutive century in the series and given South Africa a respectable total. There were other high points in the Test before Denness struck after the completion of proceedings on the fourth day.

Javagal Srinath's six for 76 in the first innings came as a result of hard work for two days. Srinath did not get adequate support from any other Indian bowler. There was a bit of drama on the first day before Ganguly went to the toss. It is reported he had included Ashish Nehra as the third seamer ahead of leg-spinner Anil Kumble, but scratched Nehra's name out and retained Kumble. By doing so, the Indian captain was only expressing his displeasure at Kumble's bowling in the first Test and he was indirectly telling the leg-spinner that he was being given another chance to prove himself.

Kumble bowled 29 overs for the wicket of Nicky Boje, whom he dismissed in the 23rd over. It was the first leg before decision that Zimbabwe umpire Russell Tiffin gave, but television replays suggested that Boje was unlucky to be adjudged so. Kumble showed his frustration many a time during the course of his long spell, but it became increasingly evident that the South African batsmen had few problems when facing him.

The bowler chosen to share the new ball with Srinath, Ajit Agarkar, turned out to be inconsistent in the first innings. He got the wicket of Boeta Dippenaar in the first innings and that of Gibbs in the second. Both were genuine wicket-taking deliveries. But the Mumbai seamer who was consistently bowling at speeds close to 135 plus was just not good enough to support Srinath who bowled 30 overs and dismissed six South African batsmen in the first essay.

Gibbs' knock was another example of an in-form batsman making the most of it against a familiar attack. It was the seventh (four one-day matches and two times in Bloemfontein) time he was facing the likes of Srinath and Agarkar. He enjoyed playing shots off Agarkar, his style of bowling having become predictable for Gibbs. He played his customary shots square of the wicket on either side, but the percentage was more between cover and point.

The South African opener's 196 (442m, 354b, 25x4, 1x6) and Srinath's six for 76 were the laudable performances, before the home team's captain who had captured 10 wickets in the first Test, tore through the top half of the India first innings removing Das, Dravid (for the third time), Tendulkar and Ganguly. It was another fine illustration of controlled seam bowling by Pollock who went on to take the wicket of Laxman (89 runs). Laxman and Kumble's ninth wicket stand actually prevented a follow-on, though Boucher said that South Africa would not have enforced it. South Africa began the second innings with a first innings surplus of 161 runs, but Srinath caused some excitement taking the wickets of Kirsten and Neil McKenzie. Agarkar chipped in, knocking the off stump of Gibbs. Things began to happen after the fall of the third South African wicket. The Indians thought they were in with a chance of skittling out South Africa for a low score, but soon it became obvious that Ganguly was short on wicket-taking bowlers to outwit a very tough competitor like Kallis, who rose to the occasion with an undefeated 89 (299m, 229b, 6x4, 1x6). Pollock made a half century and was forced to declare when Kallis was 11 runs short of his 10th century.

Pollock had to abandon plans of an early declaration because of rain on the fourth day. It was just the occasion for the Indians to mentally prepare to play out the last day which Dasgupta and Dravid did in a convincing manner. "They played for the team and the country," said coach John Wright, who had two team meetings before Dasgupta and Dravid applied their mind to the task.

The scores: South Africa 362 (H. Gibbs 196, B. Dippenaar 29, M. Boucher 68 n.o., Srinath 6-76) and 233 for 5 declared (J. Kallis 89 n.o., B. Dippenaar 28, L. Klusener 29, S. Pollock 55 n.o.) drew with India 201 (S. Ganguly 42, V.V.S. Laxman 89, A. Kumble 28, S. Pollock 5-40) and 206 for 3 (D. Dasgupta 63, R. Dravid 87)

IN the form he is in, Herschelle Gibbs is one batsman every captain would like to have in the team. Once again Gibbs turned out to be India's chief tormentor in the first innings of the second Test. While the batsmen at the other end kept departing after making small contributions, Gibbs stretched his tenure in the middle to seven hours and 22 minutes to make his second highest score in Test cricket. Finally, Sachin Tendulkar, bowling at military medium pace and swinging the ball, had him caught at gully by Virender Sehwag for 196 (25 fours and one 6).

The South African scoresheet - after the home team was invited to bat by Sourav Ganguly - reveals Gibbs' influence over the Indian bowling. An Indian captain winning the toss and electing to field is a rare happening, but Ganguly got an opportunity to do so because the Andrew McLean-prepared pitch at St. George's Park, had a greenish appearance.

At the end of the first day, Gibbs said things contrary to the views that had circulated and were generally imagined by experts. There was not much sideways movement and the ball appeared to have 'stopped' on the batsmen. But South Africa's vice-captain and smashing batsman, Mark Boucher, had a different thing to say on the second day: "I think the ball came at the batsman much quicker. There was also a bit of movement off the pitch."

The conditions were thus different on the first two days, but Gibbs, demonstrated his class. It was his positive approach that baulked the Indians from restricting South Africa's total to less than 300. His opening partner, Gary Kirsten made 4, Jacques Kallis 24, Neil McKenzie 12, Boeta Dippenaar 29, Lance Klusener 9 and Shaun Pollock 3, before Boucher came up with an aggressive 68.

Ganguly's main bowlers could not make any impact on Gibbs who said that Srinath did not bowl a bad ball at him. Gibbs finally fell to Tendulkar, forcing a shot straight into the hands of Sehwag, but not before he had made a brilliant 196. He was the obvious choice for the Man of the Match award, because no other batsman had done better than him.

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