Kumble Puts India on Top

Even before England touched down in Mumbai last month, or before injury and undisclosed personal reasons ravaged the prime batting resources, journalists both on the subcontinent and within the European media circles talked of England’s deficiencies against spin. On their last visit to Mohali, for the opening Test of the 2001-02 tour, England had imploded on the first day, throwing away a solid position to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. It may have taken over half the series to emerge, but England’s inexperience against top-quality slow bowlers is now being ruthlessly exposed.

Again, as it had been four-and-a-half years ago, and as it had been in the first-innings, Kumble exploited a wearing pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association Ground to wrestle a closely fought match into India’s favour. Prodigious bounce, shrewd variation, and above all the calculating mind of a craftsman at work encapsulated the batsmen, manipulating each victim into donating their own wicket.

However the England batsmen did contribute to their own downfall. It was an unbalanced juggling act, awash with uncertainty and over-respect. Rather than milk the spinners for singles, and punish the occasional misdirected deliveries, they cocooned themselves into a dangerously defensive frame of mind. Harbhajan Singh, lacking both form and confidence, should have been muted immediately; instead he was given time to concentrate on his line-and-length without fear of leaking valuable runs. Even Piyush Chawla, the debutant legspinner, was allowed to settle into a rhythm despite being harshly treated by Andrew Flintoff in the first-innings.

It was mostly spin following the early loss of Cook, drawn forwards by a jaffa from Munaf Patel, and caught behind. While Ian Bell, obviously uncomfortable against Harbhajan and Kumble, attempted to make light of the situation, Andrew Strauss was unable to free himself of the shackles imposed by the Indians, although his dismissal was a little unfortunate. Sweeping Kumble from wide of the off-stump on 13, he dragged the ball into his boot, ballooning it up to Dhoni, much in the same way as he was dismissed by Shane Warne at Trent Bridge last summer.

Three overs later, England were left reeling at 55 for three. Kevin Pietersen showed his usual signs of aggressive intent, but was left to rue both a poor shot and umpiring. Another attempted sweep saw Dravid apparently take a catch off a leading edge; on second glance the ball struck Pietersen’s forearm.

Something constituting a fightback was established by Ian Bell, on his way to a first fifty of the series, and Paul Collingwood, though it was obvious that neither was playing the spin duo with any real conviction. Kumble struck again to remove Collingwood, baffled by the excessive bounce, with Dravid snaffling a low catch at slip. Flintoff’s emergence from the dressing-room should have ensured the run-rate picked up, but he too was unable to cope with Kumble, who spun several legbreaks past his outside edge and was unlucky not to find the outside edge.

Ian Bell’s resistance was admirable, but he continually looked like a small child playing a big boy’s game. So tunnelled was his attitude (to not get out) that when Kumble dragged down a long-hop, he gifted Dhoni a third catch with a weak push. Geraint Jones joined Flintoff to see out the day’s play, and England will resume tomorrow on 112: 50 ahead of the Indians, but with precious little batting remaining.

But for all of Kumble’s class, he would not have had the weighty support of runs behind him to attack so successfully without the key runs provided by Rahul Dravid and Irfan Pathan earlier in the day. After an immediate breakthrough, Harmison surprising MS Dhoni with a rapid bouncer, India’s apparently incompetent tail was exposed. Dravid and Pathan, however, had alternative ideas, and a flurry of shots brought the home side back from a precarious position. While Pathan peppered the boundary ropes en route to a 58-ball 52, Dravid’s concentration and determination was unwavered, and it came as a shock to see his furniture disturbed by Flintoff, via an inside edge, five short of a century.

Once again Kumble resisted, first allowing Pathan to accelerate further, and then enabling Harbhajan and Munaf Patel to take his side past England’s total. He grafted 32 before being yorked by Liam Plunkett, while Harbhajan waltzed to 36, and Munaf cracked a six in his debut score of 11. Flintoff ended up with four for 96 for England, but his main job comes next morning, the fate of the Test resting solely upon his broad shoulders. Having survived a late Indian onslaught in Nagpur, the tourists must now entrench themselves in Mohali.

England 300 and 112-5
Ian Bell 57; Anil Kumble 3-41

India 338
Rahul Dravid 95, Irfan Pathan 52; Andrew Flintoff 4-96