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India looking at series loss

Prem Panicker

A day left to play in this Test, and already, every indication is that a draw will be the option most punters will place their bets on -- with an outside bet on the Kiwis to trigger an Indian batting collapse.

The first session of play belonged to the Indians -- almost despite their best efforts to give it away. Sanjay Manjrekar, late last evening, commented on television: "I sometimes think we don't win Tests because we don't want to win" -- and he would have found enough, in the proceedings of the first two hours of play, to reinforce that opinion.

With the pitch assisting seam, India opened with Srinath and Prasad. And from the very beginning, run-making was next to impossible for the two Kiwi openers against a very good line from the two bowlers. Matthew Bell, in fact, spent the entire first hour without adding a single run to his overnight score.

It was in this context that the conventional field of two slips, a gully and a short square leg was inexplicable. With Srinath in particular getting steepling bounce, with both batsmen looking unsure of themselves, a third slip, and a fielder at bat pad on the off, would have added to the pressure. And it was only after the ball took the splice twice and went towards leg gully that a fielder was brought in to cover that area -- even then, as Srinath indicated with his irritated gesticulation, the fielder was too deep to make much of any chance that came his way.

It is perhaps this inexplicable lack of aggression on the part of the Indian team in the field that, more than anything else, explains its lack of success especially abroad -- after all, what did the side have to lose here? There were just two days of play remaining, it was very difficult to see India losing from there, and in any case, a draw would merely give the series to the home side, so there was everything to gain, and not a darn thing to lose, by taking risks.

"Risk" being a word alien to our vocabulary, matters stayed static till Srinath produced a blinder of a delivery, pitching off after swinging in, squaring up Mathew Horne and then straightening to feather the edge through to Mongia, New Zealand losing its first wicket with just one run added to the overnight total.

That brought Stephen Fleming to the wicket, and though the southpaw picked off Anil Kumble quite nicely off his pads to start his innings, the inertia of Bell at the other end and the pressure of the situation told on the normally free-scoring batsman, forcing him into uncharacteristic defence. Prasad finally crashed through, pitching just outside off, bringing it in off the seam and making the ball kick off a length. Fleming was looking to leave the ball, the higher bounce however got the involuntary edge back onto the stumps.

That brought Roger Twose -- the batsman who, in the first innings, had played a hefty 200+ dot balls in his patient knock, to partner Bell, who at that point was yet to score a single run in the day. Why the fielding side figured it needed a man at sweeper cover, and another pushed deep at midwicket, remains a mystery -- but that is what we got.

It was like a boxing match with both combatants refusing to come out of the respective corner and start slugging. And it was left to Sachin Tendulkar to inject some life into the proceedings. A leg break pitched just outside the left-handed Twose's off stump and turned in just enough to beat the forward push and hit the back pad, low down, to get the umpire's nod on the appeal.

Tendulkar struck again just before lunch, this time trying seam up stuff and producing a gentle inswinging full toss that Bell went down on one knee to aim a huge sweep at. He missed completely, as it happened, and took it on the back leg in front of middle and off -- a rather pointless way to end a 133-ball vigil.

At the end of the first session, India had the Kiwis four down for a lead of just 39, with the off form Parore partnering McMillan at the crease. Interestingly, for Kumble bowling to Parore, there was just the slip and silly point -- makes you wonder what the scoreline could have been at this stage had the field placing been more aggressive.

Tendulkar's two fortuitous strikes notwithstanding, Srinath was the star of the morning session, producing an outstanding first spell of 7-4-7-1 in course of which he must have got tired of beating the bat and drawing admiring nods from the batsmen.

Post lunch, the fielding side appeared in siesta mode. Field well spread with just a slip in place for the most part, the bowling straying to both sides of the wicket - ideal conditions for the Kiwi batsmen to consolidate. And McMillan and Parore -- the latter batting himself back into form -- did just that, in fine style, the fourth 50 of the Kiwi innings coming in just 71 balls as the batsmen took full toll of an attack that seemed dis-spirited, thanks to the lack of support in the field.

To make matters worse for the fielding side, even the chances on offer went to naught. A top edged pull ballooning over Jadeja at square leg, an outer edge from Craig McMillan that Azhar didn't react to in time at slip, a caught and bowled chance off the same batsman, thanks to a well disguised slower ball, that surprised Prasad the bowler into immobility... nothing went right for the Indians, with the ball and in the field, in this session.

The Indians were guilty, too, of wasting their resources. Thus Robin Singh, who after an indifferent first spell in the first innings, had come back strongly and bowled with good control and penetration, was completely unused in the first session, used merely for two overs in the second. Ironically, he came closest to getting the wicket, beating the rampaging McMillan for pace and movement to take the edge, only for Azhar to watch it past at slip.

Under these conditions, the Kiwis comfortably added 127 runs for no further loss going in to tea, and looked to be taking the game away from the Indians.

Post tea, Robin Singh had the last laugh when he again beat McMillan for late movement off the seam, feathering the edge for Mongia, who had a blemishless Test thus far, to hold with ease. McMillan however had already done the damage -- swinging the initiative back in favour of his side with a barnstorming innings that had the fielders scurrying to protect the boundaries, in a manner similar to his first innings knock. In fact, his first 52 came off only 53 balls, indicative of fun and games ahead in the ODIs to follow.

An over later, Parore, who had played his part in a 140 run partnership at a crucial stage, was walking back. Kumble went round the wicket, Parore knelt for a swept-pull, the top edge was going away from the fielder but Robin Singh, pumped up with his wicket in the previous over, covered a lot of ground to hold as it was dropping over his shoulder.

The score: 225/6. India needing to pick off wickets in a hurry, in order to keep the Kiwi lead under 200, then go for a win. The new ball due. Two new batsmen at the crease. And the field setting at the time? Two slips, point, cover, extra cover, mid off, mid on, midwicket, backward square leg. For Kumble, of course, the rare luxury of a close in fielder in front, second slip shifting to short square for the bowler going round the wicket into the rough. The result? Both Cairns and Nash picked off the easy singles, waited for the bowlers to make the mistakes.

Cairns in particular revelled -- another indication of what lack of pressure will do for a batsman. At the Basin Reserve, he looked a pale shadow of the all rounder he is reputed to be, barring on the very last day. But here, both in the first and now in the second innings, Cairns flowered, hanging in there, batting his way through his own bad form, and, yet again, turning up trumps with the bat, treating the home crowd to some fine hits mixed in with all that defense.

The second new ball, taken after a delay, did produce some movement especially for Srinath. But with just two slips in place, and no other fielder remotely close, there was no danger to either batsman. Srinath in fact found the edges of both batsmen -- and both times, it flashed past the second slip for four to third man.

The incidents raise one point. The team has a team of coaches -- two, last we counted. Plus the usual onfield think tank. All of which makes it strange that Saurav Ganguly stands at second slip. He's a left hander, and if you are the second of two slips, it is to your right hand that you expect to get the chances, more so when you have Azhar at first slip. Again, earlier in this Test Ganguly pulled off a blinder at first slip with his left hand, which should have jogged someone's thinking equipment a tad. As it happened, it was Ganguly doing duty when those two edges flashed past his wrong hand.

Bottomline, India stands to lose another Test series -- one it had every chance of squaring.

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