BANGALORE
Bad light ended play early again at Bangalore, with India on 99 for three inreply to England's 336 after an intriguing second day's play in the final Test.Sachin Tendulkar was in prime form yet again, unbeaten on 50 at the close.Earlier James Foster had rallied the tourists' lower order with 48 before AnilKumble finished the England innings with his 300th Test wicket. With three daysto go, the game could hardly be more evenly poised.
India took the new ball at the start of play this morning, shared again bySrinath and his captain Sourav Ganguly. Foster was initially the more productiveof the overnight batsmen, driving Srinath through cover and mid-off for two andthree respectively as he went for seven runs in his second over of the day. Thefifty partnership was handsomely posted as White took four through extra coverwhen Ganguly dropped short. But Srinath got his man when White was well caughtby the diving Shiv Sunder Das at short leg as he fended off a short one.
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When Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh were introduced in consecutive overs,Foster took four off Harbhajan with a sublime off drive. Ashley Giles wasfortunate to survive an appeal for a catch at short leg off Kumble when aninside edge found its way to Das straight off his boot. Foster reached hishighest Test score with another scorching drive to the long-off boundary. Themorning session was emphatically England's: 325 for seven at lunch.
Srinath pulled Foster up just two short of his first Test 50 with anexcellent delivery that held its own and found a thin outside edge on its waythrough to Deep Dasgupta. Giles was out the very next ball, sweeping atSarandeep and adjudged lbw as the ball looked to be on or around off stump. PoorSarandeep was then withdrawn from the attack after bowling a wicket maiden, togive Kumble the chance to take his 300th Test wicket. He duly obliged with histhird ball, trapping Matthew Hoggard lbw to become the second Indian bowlerafter the legendary Kapil Dev to reach the landmark.
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India's reply got off to a brisk start as Hoggard strayed to leg, allowingDas four behind square and two to midwicket off the first two balls of theinnings. Andrew Flintoff began with a maiden, and found extra pace and lift tomake the first breakthrough in the fourth over of India's innings as Dasguptaedged, firm-footed, to Marcus Trescothick at first slip. VVS Laxman announcedhimself with four through midwicket, but the Lancastrian's extra pace was toomuch for him as a scorching inswinger penetrated his defences to hit the top ofhis middle stump.
Sachin Tendulkar entered to his customary rapturous reception, and was soontiming both Flintoff and Hoggard sweetly off his legs. Tendulkar's mastery shoneagain as he steered a marginally short Flintoff delivery through point for fourmore, and when Yorkshire replaced Lancashire, White's first ball was glanced tofine leg with the same result. Three through extra cover off White brought upIndia's 50 (133 balls, 96 minutes) and four more followed, again throughmidwicket, as Tendulkar gave Giles the charge.
As Giles twice overpitched, Das swept him away behind square and thendispatched him through cover. The response from Giles was to pitch regularlyoutside leg stump, giving Tendulkar little opportunity to play him, and anexchange of words between Tendulkar and Nasser Hussain resulted. Flintoffachieved his best figures in Test cricket with the third ball after the drinksbreak, when Das played crookedly outside the off stump, dragging the ball backon to his wicket. Das had made 28 and Flintoff had taken all three Indianwickets.
Tendulkar went through to his 50 in style, advancing down the wicket to driveGiles through the covers. Immediately he was beaten by a turning ball thatdefeated everyone and went for four byes. Flintoff and Giles continued as theumpires regularly consulted their light meters, and their first offer to thebatsmen took the players off, as it turned out for the rest of the day.
