Indian Tail Wags A Little Too Late

A surprising but refreshing defiance from the late order batsmen substantially reduced India's degreeof humiliation as the tourists made England toil for three hours on the fifth and final dayat the Lord's today before bowing to a 170-run defeat in the first cricket Test.

Ajit Agarkar led the rare resistance from the lower order batsmen with a fine maiden Test hundred as the last fourwickets added 227 runs to the Indian total. India were finally bowled out for 397 in their second innings when AshishNehra, who defied the English attack for more than an hour, was caught in the slips for his best Test score of 19.

Neither the unbeaten 109 by Agarkar nor the fact that India were able to post the highest fourth innings total atLord's cricket ground was enough to change the course of the match but it was certainly a minor consolation for the teamwhich had collapsed to 170 for six yesterday while chasing a mammoth target of 568.

It was the 126-run seventh wicket partnership between Agarkar and V.V.S.Laxman, the two overnight batsmen, which set the momentum for the dogged resistance by the Indians.Laxman, who made an impressive 74, was dismissed nearly half an hour before lunch but the defiance had become infectious and AnilKumble (15), Zaheer Khan (7) and Nehra hung in long enough to enable Agarkar reach his century.

Agarkar himself showed immense character for a man who had been ridiculed for a long time as the 'Bombay Duck' for hisworld record sequence of no-scores against Australia in the 2000-01 series.

Today Agarkar played like an accomplished batsman, doing full justice to the potential he was always said to havepossessed but never really displayed.

He matched the stylish Laxman stroke for stroke and  participated like an equal partner in a stand that producedmaximum runs for the Indians in either innings.

When India closed out day four yesterday at 232 for six, nobody had expected them to last more than the first hour thismorning. But the Indians did not just do that, they scored at a very healthy rate with some delightful strokes on both sidesof the wicket.

Laxman, who was not out on 38 yesterday, began the day by playing out a maiden from Simon Jones but was soon driving andpulling and picked the gaps with ease. He reached his half-century with a pulled boundary, his fifth, to midwicketagainst Ashley Giles.

Agarkar also hit a couple of fours, all with perfect cricketing shots, to quickly move from his overnight 28 intothe forties and improve upon his previous best Test score of 41 which came against South Africa in Mumbai two years ago.

England took the new ball as soon as it was due but the Indian duo negotiated that also quite well. Laxman loftedGiles straight over the head for his sixth four that brought up the 100-run partnership and soon Agarkar reached his fiftywith a four against Mathew Hoggard, the most successful of English bowlers with a four-wicket haul.

Laxman, who was batting serenly, was finally out when he drove Jones uppishly to give a simple catch to Michael Vaughanat point. Laxman's three-hour knock was studded with seven fours.

The dismissal of Laxman had the Englishmen thinking that it was all over and they would not have to look beyond lunchfor their victory. But they were sadly mistaken.

Kumble and Zaheer Khan also showed fighting abilities and when both were out, about ten minutes before lunch, Nehra wentout to compensate for his dismal show in the first innings when he failed in his job as a night-watchman.

It said a lot about Nehra's character that without being shielded, he was able to hang in long enough for Agarkar tomove from 67 to 109. The last wicket partnership yielded 63 runs for India.

Lunch was taken with India tottering at 353 for nine with Agarkar stranded on 80. Agarkar hit a couple of fours toquickly move into the nineties and then reached his moment of glory in an over from Jones.

He slashed Jones over point for a four to move to 99 and then hit another shot in the same area to run two and completehis century. Agarkar, who got a standing ovation from his teammates in the pavilion, thrashed the next ball through thecovers for another boundary to celebrate the occasion.

At the other end, Nehra did not want to miss on making his own impression and pulled a short delivery from AndrewFlintoff for a mighty six over mid-wicket.

The end came about five minutes before the drinks interval of the second session, when Nehra played forward toCraig White, coming round the wicket, only to edge the delivery to give Graham Thorpe a low catch at second slip.

The next Test begins at Trent Bridge from August 8.

PTI