Transcript of the Commentary - Zimbabwe Innings

Prem: and there goes the wicket, the batsman, strang, looking to go way across to off to hit to leg, again the late inswinger fired in on yorker length, strang was playing all over it, got it on the boot and he's gone, that was a superb delivery to end a very good innings.

Prem: Srinath now nearly took whittall's head off -- he was coming down the track, srinath saw that and fired in a bounccer and that one whistled past the batsman. second ball, lovely yorker and again, whittall unable to do more than put bat to ball and play at his feet. ball three, srinath, shhort and played to midwicket and sachin fields superbly, just the single.

Prem: sachin keeping the ball on a very ful length here, gives five in the over and that is the 49th of the innings, when the zimbabweans were looking to throw their bats around. good bowling, and now into the final over of the inings here.

Prem: Three overs left, and Zimbabwe steadily through towards the 200 mark which will be a big psychological boost for them after being 82/6 in 20. srinath the bowler now, and strang cuts, gets one. 3.95 the run rate, srinath to whisttall, full toss on off and played back. srinath bowling a superlative line here and a pushed single to mid on ends the over. just three in that, which at this stage of the innings qualifies as very good work.

Prem: 4 overs to go for the zimbabwe innings, and with two wickets in hand, sachin on line of off and middle, strang sweeps, slower ball that, misses. sachin continuing with his assorted all sorts and causing problems for the batsmen, who dont seem to know just what is coming next. off breaks, leg breaks.

Prem: agarkar again, to sttrang, down the track, the bowler follows him, strang forced to play it down, single before point can get there, lovely innings this from strang, 41 off 82 which given the circumstances is a very good effort. agakrar to whittall, slower ball and played defensivley.

Prem: 5 overs left and agarkar continues, 3.94 the run rate now for zimbabwe, strang on strike, ball outside off and cut away, out to the sweeper, joshi, they run two, the second for the throw.

Prem: we are into the 45th over here, and this partnership between brandes and strang brought the zimbabweans right back into the game. interesting that zimbabwe were 82/6 at the 20 over mark and into the 45th over, have more than doubled that for the loss of just two more wickets. is what happens when the pressure is relaxed, the field is pushed back. two quick singles here, 176/8 in 44.5 and whittall the new man, slower ball, whittall doesnt have a clue, ball comes on to take the thick innner edge, gets one more down to fine leg but that was very streaky.

Prem: and there goes the wicket, brandes coming down the track, predetermined fashion, tendulkar saw that, pushed it through flat and fast and short, brandes swings, plays all over the line, and back goes the off stump.

Prem: ball four, agarkar to brandes, short on leg and played down square -- that has been called dead, umpire feels the batsman didn't offer a shot, actually, brandes was looking to play, but beaten by the pace. no run. ball five, brandes on strike again and again, the ball quicker, onto him before he can bring his bat down on time,

Prem: agarkar continues. ball one is pushed to point, quick single taken, zimbabwe look like readying to make a push and if they putt up 200-odd and bowl well in the first 15, then this game could go either way. all two, outside off, agarkar, cut away, one more through point. 3.97 the run rate and going up steadily.

Prem: change of balls here, so a lull in play.

Prem: five in the over, sorry, had a bit of freeze so couldnt bring you the last three balls. 55 run partnership here taking the zimbabweans back into the game. and a changge of balls called for.

Prem: Sachin now being introduced, bowling to brandes. floater on leg. ball two, yorker on leg, played to midwicket. two dot balls. ball three, faster ball on off and a single to long off as brandes drives.

Prem: Sachin now being introduced, bowling to brandes. floater on leg. ball two, yorker on leg, played to midwicket. two dot balls. ball three, faster ball on off and a single to long off as brandes drives.

Prem: the batsmen now throwing their bat at everything, for now they are getting the singles out to long off, run off every ball after the first ball went for six and now joshi to brandes, last ball, and driven, back past the bowler, single. 11 in the over. 8 more to go.

Prem: 3.78 the run rate and joshi into the attack, to brandes who is down the track, gets under it and -- his shoulders are prize-fighter size -- thumps it back over the bowler's head for six.

Prem: srinath this time with another yorker, on leg and dug out, played to point, no run. 9 more overs to go.

Prem: srinath to brandes, now, he chips, that was the slower ball, foxed brandes, ball up in the air and just short of long off, single taken by the batsman running with the shot,

Prem: srinath now to strang, zimbabwe going at 3.77, stranbg makes room, drives to long off, single.

Prem: srinath and agarkar have five overs between them, srinath now to brandes, short and brandes pulls, doesnt quite get hold of it, top edge, over the keeper's head and four. next ball, lovely inswinging yorker, brandes digs it out off his toes and gets one more.

Prem: kumble, ball four, straightens one on middle and hits brandes on the pad but that was well forward and the angle would have carried it past leg anyway. brandes drives the next one to long off and walks the single. Kumble into his last over, last ball, played down to midiwcket, no run. 10-1-29-2 kumble.

Prem: kumble agian, on off, played forward. ball three, fliper on off, cut away, strang reading kumble pretty well, single through cover and brandes on strike.

Prem: Kumble continues, bowling to strang who looks to angle one down to third man, azhar anticipating well, from point, races around and fields.

Prem: lovely yorker there to end the over, 11 more to go in the innings.

Prem: that was a huge hit -- backed to leg, found the ball following him, and just swung through the line, got it in the gap between midwicket and mid on, powerful guy brandes, and with that amount of wood on the ball, the shot carries for four.

Prem: srinath again to brandes, three quarter length, played to point, no run. yorker next up, brandes pushes, gets two through covr, to the sweeper who had to run around to his right.

Prem: brandes now on strike to srinath, over the wicket, short and lifting, cutting in, has brandes defending.

Prem: And now Srinath being brought in. Agarkar has left the field for a while, srinath in his first spell 6-1-22-2. ball one, strang down the track then makes room and plays through point, single.

Prem: kumble to brandes, who is down the track, looking to chip,not getting hold of it, plays to midwicket, no run.

Prem: into the 38th over, kumble this time pushing the flipperr through quicker, strang defends, that one kicked a bit and the batsman took his top hand off. next ball, gudied down to backward sqyuare off the pads, single.

Prem: kumble now comes back on, and starts off with a looping yorker to strang. ball two, drives, finds cover, no run again. kumble making his flippers hurry through, here. ball three, flighted, and strang takes it on the full and guides it past midwicket, nice easy push to a ball on leg stump, all timing and placement, no powr, four more.

Prem: 134/7 and joshi, last ball of the 37th, has brandes stretching in defence, one in the over and now 12 more to go, zimbabwe have 3 wickets standing and need to bat out their overs here.

Prem: this time, strang plays to backward square and brandes takes off, Sachin the fielder in that position, the throw and mongia takes the bails off but the batsman is home.

Prem: again, the push off the pads finds midwicket, no run. ball four, driven to midwicket, azhar picks up and throws the stumps down, batmsan though is back in his crease.

Prem: Joshi continues. bowling to strang, who plays against the turn, finds square leg. ball two, strang down the track and finds the bowler on the follow through.

Prem: agarkar to brandes, three quarter length on off and played defensively to end the 36th.

Prem: last ball of the over, agarkar though misses his run up and has to go back and do it all over again.

Prem: agarkar, ball five of the 36th, to strang, wide of off and strang cuts, one more.

Prem: nice little steer by brandes to a ball outside off, single down to third man.

Prem: short this time on off and played to point, no run.

Prem: agarkar again, fuller length and faster, gets the batsman on the pad, missing line of leg, though.

Prem: agarkar to brandes, lovely ball on middle and leg and brandes easiing it through midwicket, playing it late, gets two.

Prem: Zimbabwe going from 115/6 to 129/7 between overs 30 and 35, adding 14 and losing Wishart in that period.

Prem: strang batting 20 off 54 and this time, brandes down the track, shutting the bat face, pushing to the left of midwicket, gets one more to end the over.

Prem: strang down the track to a flighted ball on off, the drive finds cover. ball five, short on off, strang punches through point, single.

Prem: joshi continues. silly point in place. strang defends to the ball on off. ball two, flighted, on off, played to leg but the bwoler quickly acros. 3.69 the run rate. ball three, floated on off and again, the push finds the fielder, no run.

Prem: agarkar to strang, good ball, the slower one on off and played to mid off, no run. last ball, outside off, played down to backward point, a single to end the over.

Prem: agarkar and this time, otside off, played down to third man, single to brandes.

Prem: lots of aggro between brandes and agarkar here, this one on off and played to cover, no run.

Prem: down the leg this time and wide called. agaarkar pushing for pace on this one.

Prem: 34th over in progress here, agarkar the bowler, he has three more after this one, ball two, to brandes, is short and lifting, going to leg and interestingly, steve dunne lets it go.

Prem: Agarkar continues. inswinging full toss on off, and played over cover, single.

Prem: wide of off -- in fact, wide, period -- and called. strang the man on strike, and now a silly point in place. strang leans forward and plays to leg from line of off, single.

Prem: Joshi bowling a tight line around middle, brandes this time off his pads through midwicket, a single.

Prem: Back after the drinks and joshi to continue, brandes the man on strike. ball two, hit away towards midwicket, two for it.

Prem: DRINks ON THE FIELD, GUYS, SO TAKING A BREATHER HERE.

Prem: Very good line thus far from agarkar in this over, kept the batsmen tied down with a stream of yorkers, getting late inswing on them as well, which makes it all the harder to get them away.

Prem: On leg this time, full length, another flick and miss, single to square leg.

Prem: agarkar this time pushes the faster one through, brandes swings and misses, trying to hit to leg.

Prem: lovely yorker this time -- inswinging, and perfectly pitched on middle, for brandes to dig out.

Prem: Strang flicks, hit on the pad, but that was angling way dwon to leg, leg bye results.

Prem: Ajit Agarkar being brought on, 32nd over, 116/7 the score and strang on strike, slower ball and played back in defense.

Prem: joshi, and brandes off the back foot, misreads the straigher one, waves his bat at it, finds the inner edge onto his boot and almost ends up playing on.

Prem: Eddo Brandes the new man and guess what, he starts with a sweep and misses.

Prem: Zimbabwe really have some bad batting to blame for their position here, down seven wickets and plenty of overs to go. That ball again was a very full length, not the right slot for the sweep, the top edge was inevitable and the ball gently balloons to short fine leg where, in any case, the fielder was placed for the sweep/paddle.

Prem: 35/65 the partnership, wishart on strike, joshi, the sweep, the top edge -- i wonder how many more of these guys are going to go playing across the line -- and short fine leg, sachin, holds with ease.

Prem: Joshi continues, bowling to wishart. this time, the blocked push to square leg brings the single.

Prem: strang this time flicking to midwicket, finds the fielder, batting now on 14 and chopra, last ball of the 30th, outside off, cut away and single. 115/6 in 30, going from 93/6 in 25.

Prem: 110/6 the score and this time, strang steps into line and hits through the on side, long chase for kumble at mid on and in the end, a futile one, four for it. 114/6.

Prem: chopra to strang, outside off, he steps away trying to cut, finds cover, no run.

Prem: That is the risk of taking off the slip -- not sure why you need to do that when you have 6 back in the hut, that edge was the easiest of catches to slip, but no one there. chopra continues, inot the 30th over here. bowling to wishart. down the track, drives back past the bowler, single.

Prem: Joshi continues, strang this time playing it off his pads, single behind square. next ball, a huge slash, outer edge, no slip in place and two down to third man.

Prem: end of 27 and Zimbabwe 103/6. 23 overs to go after this one, wishart has opened the zimbabwe innings, not just in this tournament but earlier as well, so it will be up to strang to give him support at the other end and let wishart do the run scoring for now.

Prem: single, as wishart pushes to midwicket and gets one more. strang tries to cut and misses. slip and silly point remain in place here.

Prem: Sorry, freeze for a bit, joshi continues and wishart swings him over midwicket, firs ball of the 29th, for a six.

Prem: In 25 overs, Zimbabwe 93/6 and Kumble to continue, Wishart drives and gets one. meanwhile, on that replay, the batsman, strang, clearly lbw, I guess the umpires are getting a bit nervous about giving too many lbws here. strang on strike and defending to kumble, 3.68 the run rate. push to midiwcket, sachin, no run.

Prem: strang this time steps away and looks to cut off the line of off, again too much risk in that shot, since the batsman is not reading the arm ball too well -- this came through straight and strang just got enough bat on it to find cover. next ball, very full lenght and strang -- here we go again -- plays across the line, sweeps, misses, hit on the back leg and very lucky to get away on that occasion.

Prem: joshi the bowler, flighting on line of off turning away from the right hander. ball two, loop, drift and turn and strang pushes but just past silly point. ball three, played off his pads, sachin at short fine leg fields. ball four, joshi, and strang defends, that was the top spinner from the left haner.

Prem: That ends the 24th, and Zimbabwe still have 26 overs to bat through. given how tentative the batsmen look at this stage, might be an idea to have three in the ring aorund the off and look for another wicket.

Prem: kumble again, fuller length, off driven, agarkar anticipates runs around to left, stops the shot, single.

Prem: kumble this time outside off -- hasn'tt bowled anything but flippers here, varying the line though. thhis one again the flipper, this time shorter, on off, played off the back foot by strang, finds cover, no run.

Prem: kumble continues, wishart pushes to midwicket. single, again a tight one as tendulkar pitches and throws but misses.

Prem: Joshi again pitching a full length and this time, Wishart's turn to try sweeping, misses. why they insist on playing across the line when there are runs to be had playing straight is a mystery. there is another sweep and miss, strang calls the leg bye and races over, wishart late to set off and this time, mongia runs round, throws, misses the non striker's end. bowler was on top of the stumps, a throw into his hands would have had the batsman out by about two yards.

Prem: And now the left arm spinner, Sunil Joshi, into the attack, two close to the bat, into the 23rd over here, slip and silly point the men close in and ball two is played for the one to square leg, strang playing against the turn.

Prem: Last ball, yorker length again, lands on thebatsman's foot but that was bowled wide of the crease and angling across off stump, no damage.

Prem: ball four to strang, from kumble, played to mid off, the non striker down the track too far but Chopra fumbles, that was a run out that got fluffed. next ball, worked round by strang, single behind square.

Prem: slip and short square in place, played ooff the pads by wishart from line of middle and they find the one.

Prem: wishart on strike, to kumble, pushed through quicker, played to point, no run.

Prem: Wishart on strike, kumble continues and there is the yorker again, played back down the track and the bowler fields.

Prem: last ball of the over from chopra, bowling to strang, forward, defending, no run, ends the 21st.

Prem: Paul Strang on strike, chopra the bowler, slip and silly point in place. line of off turning in and strang defensive. lovely arm ball this time, beats strange. next ball, that one had bounce and turn and strang watches it through to mongia. ball five, strang goes back and runs it down past point, sunil joshi escorts the ball to the fence.

Prem: 23 runs came between the 15th and 20th over, but they lost three in the process, so India well on top with 30 overs to go and the batting side having exhausted their main batsmen and now having to depend entirely on the tail to pull them through the remaining overs.

Prem: flipper outside off, some bounce there, ball is short in length and cut away but finds point. ball six, gently played to square leg, single.

Prem: now a slip, silly point, short square leg in place.

Prem: 6 down, into the 20th over when the Zimbabweans are going in with one batsman less is, i guess, as good a way to commit harakiri as any. and three of the dismissals owe to this habit of hitting across the line. kumble's hatrick ball is a flipper outside off and played defensively.

Prem: Rather strange to see the Zimbabweans continuing to play across the line, to balls of very full length -- you wouldn't recommend that on any but the flattest of sub continental belters. And off the very next ball, another wicket -- kumble again full on length, again the flipper, ball hurries through, heath streak half forward, banged on the pad in line of off and middle, he really didn't know where that one was going and is gone, plumb in front and suddenly, the Zimbabwe innings in complete disarray and the Indians right on top here.

Prem: Yes, he's gone -- that was a brilliant ball -- yorker from kumble, pushed through quicker. flower was trying to play around it, ball hits his toe and hits the off stump, and rather strangely, the indians keep appealing for the lbw and that is what is given -- the off bail had come off, unnoticed, in all this confusion.

Prem: andy flower now has enormous responsibility on him -- own, that was a dangerous thing to do, chopra with the arm ball, that one was on off, flower went back and dabbed it down to third man, but that one went dangerously close to the stumps. 2 for it. next ball played out towards midwicket, single to end the 19th.

Prem: Craig Wishart the new man in -- he opened for Zimbabwe yesterday, but here he is back in the middle order, chipra continues, wishart cover drives and gets one.

Prem: Important wicket that -- zimbabwe has gone in with one batsman less in a bid to accomodate henry olonga, so it was important to take out one of this pair before the halfway mark, that puts enormous pressure now on the ones to follow, who have to bat out the overs plus put a good 260+ on the board, batting first.

Prem: There is the wicket -- chopra held one back, Johnson drove without readeing the slower ball, pushed it straight back and chopra quickly down ons his knees, holds inches from the ground.

Prem: Chopra continues. That was good calling, flower played to backward point and johnson was off in a flash, made his ground with plenty of time though that one went striaght to the fielder. ball two, johnson on strike, dabs it down backward of square, sachin, no run.

Prem: kumble, ball five, flicks and finds midwicket. bowling a fuller length here. last ball, the top spinner again, johnson reads it well, flicks, gets two more through midwicket.

Prem: Kumble to continue. into the 18th over here. johnson on drives. kumble on the follow through fields, down on his knee, banged his knee in the process and that looks like it hurt. peculiar field -- no slip, but a short square leg in place. the kumble flipper this time pushed through quicker, when he does that he tends to pitch short, johnson spots the changed length and easily carries the fielder at midwicket, one bounce into the ropes for four.

Prem: ball four, pushed through quicker, johnson battiong 27/37 pushes back down the track. ball five is turned to backward square, wide of sachin, a single. one ball left in the 17th, chopra noticeably giving the ball more air now than he used to do earlier. Mongia tries a con job of sorts there, chopra bowled outside off, the faster one, the batsman cuts and Mongia appealed like his life depended on the answer -- even the bowler wasn't interested, though. end of the over.

Prem: chopra on leg, andy flower flicks, misses, no damage as it hits the pad on line of leg. chopra again, this time the line of middle sttump and again the push to mid off for one.

Prem: 4.18 the run rate now, and neil johnson, reprieved earlier, playing a good hand here for zimbabwe. off drives the first ball, ges one.

Prem: kumble to johnson, again gets the edge, in the air and flashes past azhar who, again, is late to react, ball runs down for three to third man. azhar uncharacteristically slow in the slips, put one down and didn't move for this one. on the plus side, has 8 inside the circle which keeps things tight at this point, through he can afford to push three more outside the circle.

Prem: ball four, gently played off his pads, single to andy flower.

Prem: a short square also brought in now, and kumble over the wicket, on line of off and played defensively. ball three, top spinner on middle and pushed back down the track.

Prem: After the drinks, and the field restrictions off, only the one fielder close and kumble continues. ball one, to andy flower, around the wicket, outside of, the thick edge as he misdrives, runs down for four to third man.

Prem: drinks on the field, taking a breather here.

Prem: ball five of the 15th, chopra to johnson onto the front foot and flicking, gets the one through midiwkcet. last ball ofthe 15th, 3.91 the run rate just now, and another single by flowr working it into the gap at midwicket. ends the over with zim progressing from 44/2 in 10 to 59/3, so 15 runs off the last five overs. In fact, zim have gone from 34/1 in 5, to 59/3 in 15, so the last ten overs have produced only 25 runs.

Prem: good ball, flighted middle and off, draws flower forward, was looking to hit through mid on, checked himself and played to longoff, another single. and a paddle by johnson, next ball, to line of leg gets the batsman two more.

Prem: into the 15th over here, batsmen around this point look to hit a few before the field restrictions go off. chopra flights, johnson has a huge flourish for the hit but only finds mid on. slip and silly piont in place. ball two, driven to long off, fielder there is deep, single is on.

Prem: into the 15th over here, batsmen around this point look to hit a few before the field restrictions go off. chopra flights, johnson has a huge flourish for the hit but only finds mid on. slip and silly piont in place. ball two, driven to long off, fielder there is deep, single is on.

Prem: good tight over that from kumble, and chopra to continue.

Prem: that one was the top spinner again, on leg stump, andy flower tries to play off his hips, but finds short square leg in place. last ball, kumble, fuller length and the push only finds mid on, no run.

Prem: good length, three quarter and the top spinner hurrying the ball onto andy flower who defends. kumble, ball four, on off, an attempt to run that one down to third man, but the thick edge finds point, no run.

Prem: johnson batting 18 off 29, andy flowr batting 6/7. consolidation time coming up for the zimbabweans, and the 14th over, kumble to flower, played off the pads and a single behind square. next ball, johnson forward, finds the single with the drive.

Prem: slip and leg slip now the field, andy flower off his pads, flicks through square leg, gets one more to end the over. 7 came in it, so a good one for zimbabwe.

Prem: single off the next ball finds johnson on strike, ball five of the over driven nicely off the front foot, another single to long off, brings up the 50 at a run ratre of about 3.89.

Prem: ball two, good one, angled across, pitches off and turns away, andy flower cuts and finds piont, no run. ball three, down the track, goes over the top and clears mid on, four for that.

Prem: And now Nikhil Chopra on -- good choice, of the offie to the two southpaws. 44/3 in 12 Zimbabwe and struggling a bit here. slip and silly point up close, ball one is on off and the push finds cover.

Prem: kumble to johnson, on off, the drive, not played with much conviction, finds mid off, no run, ends a maiden first up from anil kumble. the last six overs have yielded just 17 runs, india now needs to tighten its fielding furhter because this kind of dip in the run rate will put pressure on the batsman and force mistakes.

Prem: kumble to johnson, slip and short square in place, slower one this time, the top spinner, played gently to cover but no run, the fielder in very quickly. ball five, again on off and played defensively.

Prem: Yorker length from kumble, outside off, johnson clubs at it, gets bottom edge, back to the bowler. ball three, on off, driven, finds tendulkar at cover, no run again.

Prem: The first bowling change and a predictable one -- Anil Kumble on. A slip in place, Johnson the man on strike, and now a short square leg in place as well. Kumble, ball one of the 12th, and played off his pads to short square.

Prem: Andy Flower the new man and Srinath straightaway round the wicket again to the left hander. outside off and left alone, 44/3 in 11 Zimbabwe.

Prem: Yeah, on the replay, ball pitching middle angling away off the seam, a bit harsh that decision by umpire Orchard of South Africa.

Prem: Uh oh -- that one was angled from wide of the crease onto off and middle, goodwin flicked, the line too full for it, he misses and is judged LBW. Not sure I agree, though, that ball was angling to leg and hit the batsman on the front foot.

Prem: srinath to goodwin, again a lovely line, the bowler now bowling well within himself, concentrating on line and length, this one pitches outside off and seams in and goodwin defends.

Prem: A better effort in the field would have made the second 5 over phase even better -- Azhar however grassed one, Jadeja didnt react in time to get the other one and an overthrow gave away a needless run. Srinath meanwhile continues, inot his 6th over here, bowling to goodwin with a slip and point up close. ball two is on off squaring him up with late movement, played to point, finds the fielder.

Prem: ball five, agarkar, again a very good ball, on off, coming in just enough to cramp goodwin on the attempt to play off the hips. last ball of the 10th, agarkar to goodwin, short on off and cut away, single to end the over, Zimbabwe going from 34/1 in 5 to 44/1 in 10, so the last five overs have only produced ten runs, a good comeback by the bowling side.

Prem: agarkar again, to goodwin, one slip in place, agarkar raps the batsman on the pad, straightening one but that pitched outside off and was seaming in, and the batsman was a long way forward.

Prem: ball 3 of the 10th, goodwin plays to cover from line of off, no run.

Prem: agarkar again, to johnson. 2nd ball of the 10th, bowled this time from wide of the crease, pushes to mid off, runs with the shot and gets the one.

Prem: agarkar again, to johnson this time, into the 10th over. down the leg side, and wide called.

Prem: 40/2 in 9 and Agarkar to murray goodwin, outside off and played down to backward point, gets the single and is off the mark.

Prem: Short and lifting again, Johnson pulls, that was in the air towards jadeja at square leg, the fielder fractionally late lunging to his right, the ball past him and down to the fence for four and Srinath looks rather irritated -- that was another set up, the ball pitched short, seaming in, cramping the batsman on that pull.

Prem: Flower was paving the way for that dismissal, really -- in the previous over, too, he was trying to get under agarkar and lift over mid on, no real need for that though as there were runs to be had with proper strokes, he was lucky to get away that time but srinath, wiht the slower ball seaming in a shade, foxed a similar shot and got the wicket. Johnson on strike, gets a lifter this time from Srinath, it finds the edge and drops short of point. Srinath again, ball five, outside off, he slashes, bottom edge into the ground and Azhar fields at slip.

Prem: Next ball, there is the wicket -- Flower's been trying to hit over midiwcket for a while now, goes for it again, the ball comes on slower, instead of midwicket, the ball flares towards square leg and finds Agakrar with ease.

Prem: srinath to johnson and there is the mistake -- bakk pitched outside off and seamed away, took the edge as johnson slashed, the first time he has played a wild shot, got the ball in the air at a nice catching height to the right of Azhar at slip and he drops the catch.

Prem: The pitch playing quite easy here, judging by past performance it should start slowing down as the match wears on. 35/1 Zimbabwe in 8 overs and Srinath to continue, around the wicket to johnson,good ball on off and played to mid on, finds the fielder.

Prem: agarkar again, and this time the slower ball, flower was shapi9ng to thump over cover, found the change of pace and checked his shot, plays square, no run, to end the 8th over.

Prem: agarkar again, and this time flower wants to lift it over midiwcket, not quite the right line to play that shot, ball was seaming in on a full length, he misses and is rapped on the pad.

Prem: full toss on middle, swinging in a bit from off, flower flicks to the on, must be disappointed at having found the fielder on that one.

Prem: Agarkar to flower, pushed again to kumble, finds the fielder more directly this time, no run.

Prem: Uh oh, that was on off, no ball called, flower drives, gets the one, kumble with a needless throw, gives away an overthrow as well so effectively, three for the price of one, there.

Prem: agarkar now to grant flower. on off, easy push to mid off, single running with the shot. both batsmen have looked quite relaxed thus far, and with india in defensive mould in field setting, there isnt much pressure on the batsmen. agarkar, and johnson drives, good shot, single to mid off.

Prem: srinath again, this ttime to johnson, on off, driven, finds the fielder at mid off, no run to end the over, 7 gone.

Prem: srinath this time again with the breakback, but this time it is flicked, misses, but ff the pads, single down to fine leg.

Prem: grant flower on strike, to srinath, plays to cover and finds the fielder. ball four, cuts in sharply, hits the pad but that one did too much -- the breakback was so huge that it would go down leg.

Prem: Into the 7th over, srinath to johnson,played off the pads but straight to sachin at square leg. around this point India, now in seemingly defensve frame of mind, needs to shift gears and get wickets. defending the boundaries will not help on this track, if the Zim side keeps wickets in hand, then a 260+ total will be easy. India needs wickets. Meanwhile, johnson wide of mid off with an easy drive and gets the one.

Prem: agarkar now to johnson and this time, robin singh misfields at square leg, that one was coming right to him and he let it go. single ends the over.

Prem: Agarkar to Flower, he's kept the batsman quiet througout this over, so be interesting to see what the batsman does. huge swing of the bat at one outside off, played square to point, single to end the over. Meanwhile, even the single slip is now off.

Prem: nice full length thus far from agarkar, which is good to see -- he looks a good bowler when he pitches up, it is when he goes short that he tends to be tonked. again that full line and length, and again, flower defends. ball four, yorker, flower digs it out, wants one but agarkar down the pitch quickly, prevents that.

Prem: Might be an idea here to either bring in chopra, or ask sachin to bowl off spin t the left hander, then take him off when goodwin comes out, bring him back for Andy Flower who again is a left hander. agarkar for now continues, bowling to grant flower, good line on off and three quarter length has the batsman pushing defensively.

Prem: srinath, better ball thhis time, angled wide of the crease and into off stump on three quarter length, played defensively by johnson. very well organised batsman this guy, not fair really to call him a pinch hitter, he is a good enough to be a regular batsman. last ball and played behind on the leg side, a needlessly fierce throw from short fine leg gives away the overthrow as well. 2 for that, and zimbabwe 26/1 in 5 which is a very good start -- going at five and no further wickets after that first one.

Prem: Just one slip in place now. srinath around the wicket, to johnson who is a left hander. nice length ball on off and johnson easily forward, drives, finds cover.

Prem: srinath to continue. into the 5th over here and a nice easy start for the zimbabweans. flower, to the second ball, easily forward, firm push past robin singh at point, single.

Prem: agarkar, last ball of the 4th, outsdie off, grant flower angles his bat, plays it through point, a single to end the over.

Prem: agarkar, on off and driven to cover, jadeja, no run.

Prem: Agarkar, full pitch on middle, that is a real gimme -- nice halfvolley length on middle and grant flower just leans forward, eases it through mid on, four more,.

Prem: \agarkar continues, bowling to johnson, over the wicket and ball one angled across, pitches middle seams to off and johnson checks a drive, finds mid off, no run. ball two, outside off, nicely driven. same ball that got campbell but johnson getting over it, not throwing his bat at it, merely guiding through the covers, single.

Prem: srinath for the last time in the 3rd, to grant flower, over the wicket, onn off seaming to middle, played defensively to end the over.

Prem: on off this time, and played defensively.

Prem: Johnson and Flower will need to look at keeping some kind of momentum going. With Brandes, Streak, Johnson and Olonga to bowl pace, Whittall and Strang with spin and Goodwin with his seam up stuff, the Zimababweans have the bowling to defend a reasonable score -- it is really up to the batsmen here to give the bowlers somthing to bowl to. srinath to flower, on off, nicely played off the pads through midwicket, two more. not much pace here for either of the indian quicks, the watering and rolling would have taken the steam out of this track.

Prem: srinath to continue, johnson will be the man on strike and srinath around the wicket, with two slips point, cover, mid off in place on the off. on off, nicely turned off his pads by johnson, again off to leg but this time, the batsman in full control, gets two through midwicket.

Prem: Johnson on strike to Agarkar, good ball on middle but off the front foot, played wide of mid on, single. Johnson thus far tending to play off to on, which could cause a few problems -- he almost gave agarkar his second off that first ball, when the leading edge flared wide of the fielders.

Prem: agarkar to flower, short on off and cut away, single behind point.

Prem: Another good ball -- full length on off and played defensively by Flower. He will need to revert to his anchoring persona here. agarkar meanwhile oversteps, no ball called.

Prem: Good one again from Agarkar, full length, seamed in to the left hander, he shuts the bat face and tries to play square, leading edge finds the pad, ball in the air but wide of the fielders, single. ball three, played to cover, by flower, from line of off, no run.

Prem: That should bring Neil Johnson to the crease, he has been doing very well as the pinch hitting number three. plays straight, which is a big plus, and on available evidence, his temperament is right up there with the best.

Prem: The good part of that delivery was that it was a very full length. It was angled right across the batsman, and about two feet wide of off when it got to Campbell.

Prem: Agarkar to bowl the second over and hopefully, he will be more on a full length here. to campbell and he's gone -- that is bad shot -- outside off, wide, campbell with bat well away from body slashes, in the air and taken at cover. That ball was really wide and he threw the bat at it.

Prem: srinath tto campbell, this one more towards middle and campbell plays it through midiwkcet, one more to end the over and thus far, the pitch looks nice and easy. it should get slower in the second half -- so zimbabwe's ggame plan would be to put up as many runs as it can, and turn on the pressure on a side that is going in with one batsman short.

Prem: Please note that the be an expert link has been disabled. srinath again, going wide of off and angling in, campbell cramped around off, plays defensively towards midwikcet, no run.

Prem: Campbell back on strike and srinath round the wicket, as he normally is to the southpaws. wide of the crease angled in on off and played defensively.

Prem: It still strikes me as strange, irrespective of the final result, why a team that is playing five bowlers -- in other words, where bowling is the strength -- would want to bat second. More so when one of your openers is struggling for form, and you only have five regular batsmen including the all rounder, Robin. Flower meanwhile defends on line of off, and gets one to point.

Prem: That puts Grant Flower on strike, Zimbabwe 2/0 and the first ball has to be rebowled. srinath running in, on off and a lovely, flowing cover drive and kumble chases it all the way, but it gets away from him, four, so effectively, it is 6/0 in one ball.

Prem: Alistair Campbell is out there to open, coming back up the order, he had a very good outing the other day against India, and Grant Flower at the other end. Srinath, around the wicket with two slips, to campbell and the first ball is flicked off the pads, a single through midiwcket off a no ball.

Prem: Zimbabwe have an advantage here in the fact that they wanted to bat first anyway -- they will be banking on the presence of Henry Olonga supporting the pace attack of Brandes, Streak and Johnson, and their electric fielding, to defend whatever total they manage to put up.

Prem: The Indian team is already out there, the Zimbabwe batsmen are out there too, so the match should be starting about now. AS for the team, we are back to the first one -- five bowlers, five batsmen, one keeper -- the same lineup that took on Sri Lanka in the first game.

Prem: Azhar wins the toss and has decided to field first. Says it is a better batting wicket than the other one, and therefore he would like to chase knowing what the target is.

Prem: The pitch has been rolled, but then again, it's getting on in age, so there should be a bit of "crumble" as the game gets on, so you can budget for more spin in the second innings.

Prem: First thing that needs keeping in mind is that this game will be played on the better of two pitches -- the one on which India played its first game. With one day's break, the curator would have watered and rolled it, so it should have some extra bounce in the beginning, before settling down into a standard batting track. Scores of 260+ are needed by the team batting first, as it would be very difficult to defend anything less.

Prem: From Sharjah, news is that Sri Lanka or no, the organisers appear to have got their wish -- the stadium is three quarters full and huge queues outside, so a full house for sure. As the camera pans through, one thing is obvious -- for India, crowd support wise, it is about as good as playing at home, the Indian flag seems to be flying from every second spectator's hand.

Prem: MEANWHILE, DO NOTE THAT THE BE AN EXPERT LINK REMAINS DISABLED. WE WILL BE STICKING TO THE COMMENTARY ALONE -- THE EXPERT LINK WILL BE REACTIVIATED FOR THE TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND, WITH SOME CHANGES AND ADDITIONAL FEATURES.

Prem: IT IS NOW 3.20 PM IST, WE WILL BE LIVE with the India Zimbabwe finals of the coca cola cup, in about 40 minutes from now.

Prem: India vs Zimbabwe live from 1600 hours IST.

Continued