Task Cut Out For England

MOHALI

England are 197 runs behind India with all their second innings wicketsintact at the end of the third day's play in the first Test at Mohali. Facedwith a first-innings deficit of 231, Mark Butcher and Marcus Trescothick sawEngland through to 34 without loss after a searching examination by spin in thefinal session.

India began cautiously this morning against Matthew Hoggard and James Ormond,and Tendulkar reached his 50 fortuitously off Hoggard with an inside edge to thefine leg boundary as he tried to withdraw his bat. Dravid, having cut Ormond forhis first boundary of the morning, was trapped lbw playing from the crease.Tendulkar then set the crowd alight, first bringing up the 300 with ascintillating on-drive off Hoggard, then clipping him through midwicket andpulling him through square leg in the same over to take India to 308 for 4.

The left-handed Sourav Ganguly hit consecutive offside boundaries off Ormond,and as Tendulkar went uncharacteristically into his shell, the Indian captaindrove Flintoff for three through mid-off and White for three more throughmidwicket. Tendulkar took the lead to over a hundred from Richard Dawson's firstball of the day, with a canny sweep down to fine leg, and then got into positionearly to cut Dawson behind square for four. By lunch India remained well placed,115 runs ahead on 353 for 4.

Tendulkar signalled his afternoon intentions very clearly, pulling the firstball after the interval from Dawson for four, and taking three more from thesecond. But the bowlers stuck to their task well, and Ganguly should have beendismissed on 41 as he tried to break loose. Having just hit Dawson for four overmid-on, he charged down the wicket in an attempt to repeat the stroke. JamesFoster fumbled to miss a relatively straightforward stumping chance afterGanguly was beaten in the flight.

To the England wicket-keeper's relief he made no mistake three overs later,when the persevering Hoggard induced an outside edge from Tendulkar with latemovement to give Foster a regulation catch and the Yorkshireman a well-deservedfirst wicket of the innings. Tendulkar had made a delightful 88, and left alargely silent stadium with India on 370 for 5.

Hoggard made it a double strike in his next over as Ganguly mistimed a cut,enabling Graham Thorpe to pouch the catch at backward point. But England letanother chance go begging (the fourth of the innings) when Thorpe, of allpeople, dropped a straightforward catch at cover point. Bangar, on eight at thetime, was the fortunate batsman; Dawson yet again the suffering bowler. Two moreto third man from Bangar brought up India's 400 as India progressed sedatelyagainst accurate bowling that deserved more adhesive support in the field.

Laxman briefly broke the stranglehold with a straight-driven boundary offWhite, and on the verge of tea Bangar made the most of a rare short ball fromDawson with a boundary backward of point. At the interval India were 419 for 6,181 runs in front.

India continued to make steady progress after tea, with Laxman clippingDawson high over the infield for four through midwicket, and then showingperfect placement as he split the legside field with another boundary. ButDawson got his man when Laxman, cutting casually, was smartly picked up byHussain at backward point. The local hero Harbhajan Singh was soon on his wayfor just one, plumb lbw to Dawson as he lost his balance trying to sweep a ballthat was too full for the shot.

Bangar clipped Flintoff to the fine leg boundary to take the lead beyond 200,but departed trying to hit Dawson over midwicket, skying a return catch. IqbalSiddiqui provided some late-innings entertainment before he was bowled byHoggard off the inside edge for 24, and India were all out for 469.

Faced with a huge task in their second innings, England began positively asMark Butcher cut Tinu Yohannan for four behind point in the first over. AlthoughYohannan and Iqbal Siddiqui struggled with their direction at times, each ofthem induced false strokes from Butcher and Trescothick. After eight oversGanguly made a double change, with spin coming on at both ends in the form ofAnil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, who immediately extracted more turn than in thefirst innings.

When Kumble dropped short Trescothick twice swept him for four throughmidwicket. Kumble was more impressive against Butcher, twice appealing for lbwduring a probing over, once as Butcher offered no stroke. Under brighteningfloodlights and to regular cries of "Well bowled Bhaji!" Englandprogressed cautiously towards a total of 34 without loss at the close. Theystill have an awful lot to do.

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