Kumble Helps India Gain Upper Hand

AHMEDABAD

Anil Kumble took five wickets to put India back in the driving seat afterEngland made an excellent start to the second Test in Ahmedabad. MarcusTrescothick fell agonisingly short of his third Test century and England endedthe day on 277 for 6.

The day started with the disconcerting news that England were going into thematch without their premier batsman. Graham Thorpe, who is flying home to sortout personal matters, will take no further part in the series. His place went toYorkshire's Michael Vaughan, and Ashley Giles returned to the side in place ofJames Ormond. India also made two changes, with Virender Sehwag replacing theinjured Sanjay Bangar and fit-again Javagal Srinath coming in for Iqbal Siddiqui.Nasser Hussain chose to bat after winning the toss, and the game got under wayhalf an hour late due to early morning dew.

Although Mark Butcher was initially the freer-scoring of England's twoopeners, it was Trescothick's innings that eventually made the greaterimpression. On a sluggish pitch each batsman made the most of anything loose,and Sourav Ganguly introduced Harbhajan Singh as early as the 10th over. Despiteearly signs of turn on a slower wicket than Mohali, both left-handers remainedpositive, with Trescothick sweeping Harbhajan through midwicket and Butchertaking four more from Srinath through the covers. By lunch England had reached79 without loss.

The hapless Shiv Sunder Das had to leave the field early in the afternoonsession, after being struck painfully on the shoulder at short leg asTrescothick swept Kumble right off the meat. When Srinath dropped short, theSomerset left-hander pulled him fiercely to the midwicket boundary, following upwith a superb drive through the covers.

After reaching his 50 and bringing up England's hundred in the process,Trescothick welcomed Harbhajan back into the attack by swinging him for a headysix over midwicket. Butcher completed his own 50 by coming down the pitch toHarbhajan and taking four through mid-on. But Kumble then immediately accountedfor Butcher, who got a thin edge to a ball that was angled across him outsidethe off stump, giving wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta a straightforward catch.

Hussain had made just one when he was given out lbw to Kumble, playing rounda googly which looked as though it might be going down the legside. Vaughan,after some early good fortune, was sawn off without ceremony by umpire IanRobinson, caught at short leg off Kumble as the ball appeared to go straight offhis pad. At tea England had reached 176 for 3 with Trescothick unbeaten on 99.

The interval plainly didn't agree with him; he was unnerved by a brilliantover from Kumble, eventually edging to Dasgupta to fall one short of hishundred. England subsided to 185 for 5 when Flintoff, pushing defensively atKumble, was caught off bat and pad without scoring by VVS Laxman at silly point.

Ramprakash was prepared to chance his arm in adversity, pulling Kumble forsix over midwicket, and his attacking mood rubbed off on Craig White as theYorkshireman dropped on one knee to drive Harbhajan for four through the covers.But Sachin Tendulkar regained India's momentum with the first ball of a newspell, bowling Ramprakash off his pads with a quicker ball as he went back on tohis stumps.

White and James Foster took England watchfully to the close, Foster cashingin on two loose balls from Tendulkar, boosting his own confidence withboundaries through cover and midwicket. White mixed caution with occasionalaggression as the two batsmen ended the day quietly against the spinners. Therehad been no Mohali-style collapse, but India must still be fancying theirchances.

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