MOHALI
India completed a comprehensive victory over England in the first Test matchat Mohali after the tourists were bowled out in their second innings for 235,leaving the home side needing just five runs to win. Anil Kumble took six for 81as only Graham Thorpe put up any significant resistance. As their captain NasserHussain said afterwards, England have a lot of thinking to do before the secondTest starts in Ahmedabad next week.
It didn't take India long to prise the first opening this morning, after MarkButcher and Marcus Trescothick resumed their overnight partnership. Trescothicktook two early boundaries with square drives off Yohannan, and Butcher took hisfirst from Yohannan as Sourav Ganguly bungled a dive at extra cover. But Butcherwas then fatally late on a pull shot, perishing as the top edge went to thesubstitute, Jacob Martin, at midwicket.
Advertisement
Nasser Hussain showed his current form with two flowing boundaries off AnilKumble, one through the covers and the other through mid-on. But Yohannan struckagain when Trescothick (46) failed to get on top of a hook and was brilliantlycaught by Iqbal Siddiqui, running round from the long leg boundary. Hussain thentried to cut a ball from Kumble that was too full for the shot and bounced morethan he expected, chopping it into his stumps. The England captain had made 12and departed with the score on 87 for 3.
Graham Thorpe relieved some of the tension with a flowing off drive, and MarkRamprakash took his first two boundaries with sweeps behind square leg. At lunchEngland were still 104 runs behind with seven wickets left.
Advertisement
The afternoon session started quietly, with the 50 partnership coming up asRamprakash steered Yohannan past point for three as Harbhajan chased down tothird man. Harbhajan himself, inexplicably ignored for much of the morning byhis captain, eventually came on to bowl the 53rd over of the innings, and wasgreeted by a sumptuous drive by Thorpe to the extra cover boundary. Ramprakashproduced a quality stroke of his own in Kumble's next over, deftly using thepace of the ball to run it down for four to third man.
But Kumble inflicted another body blow on England when he trapped Ramprakash,plumb lbw back on his stumps with a quicker, skidding delivery to leave Englandon 159 for 4. Flintoff began with a boundary on his 25th birthday, but that wasas far as the celebrations went. He was on his way next ball, caught by Gangulyat silly point of bad and pad to leave England deep in the mire. Craig Whitealso began aggressively, with boundaries off Kumble through the covers andHarbhajan over mid-off.
Sadly for White and for England it wasn't to last. It was a defensive shotthat undid White as he pushed forward to Harbhajan; he got a thin outside edgeand Dasgupta completed the dismissal. James Foster managed to avoid a pair inhis first Test, but had made just five when he tried to sweep Harbhajan just ashe had done in the first innings, and was given out lbw by umpire Venkat. JamesOrmond followed swiftly, bowled off his pads for a duck as he went back toKumble to leave England on the brink at 207 for 8. England's final hope wasextinguished with Graham Thorpe, who fell for 62, caught and bowled by Kumble ashe tried to hit the leg-spinner back down the ground.
Advertisement
Shortly after ensuring that India would bat again, England lost their lastwicket when Dawson was bowled through the gate by Kumble to leave England 235all out. India took just two balls to complete their victory as makeshift openerSiddiqui took four off Hoggard to third man and then a single to midwicket. Inthe end India had done it at a canter, and Anil Kumble was made man of the matchfor his six for 81.
