Mohali Test, Day 2, Tea
Tuesday, December 4, 2001

There may not have been much by way of entertainment for the spectators, but Sourav Ganguly won't be complaining - India's objective will be to avoid batting again in this Test.

India's slow approach is therefore entirely understandable, and to that extent Deep Dasgupta and Rahul Dravid gave a good account of themselves. Their innings may have been a bit laboured, but they were in tune with the situation.

The England attack was very different from the way the Australians and South Africans bowl. Most of the runs the Indians scored against the faster bowlers were off the front foot - which is not the length that will test them. Traditionally, it's the short ball that has bothered the Indians, and the English bowlers should have made them earn their runs by forcing them to play more off the back foot – something which does not come naturally to Indian batsmen. So the length the English attack has bowled has played a contributory role in helping the Indians - and England's bowlers showed their inexperience of Indian conditions into the bargain.

However, I thought young Richard Dawson bowled very well in his first Test. Most visiting spinners try to flight the ball, then find Indian batsmen at ease coming on to the front foot and taking charge. But Dawson did not flight it much. He pushed the ball through and kept his experiments to a minimum, except for one over when he came round the wicket.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the late '80s and early '90s, was talking to H Natarajan

More from Manjrekar
India lay the foundation
Back in the groove

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