Mohali Test, Day 4, Close
Thursday, December 6, 2001

When he looks back at this match, Nasser Hussain will have nothing much to complain about when it comes to the performance of what was supposedly the weak link in his team. The inexperienced bowlers were expected to get tonked around by India's strong middle order, but they bowled with a big heart and acquitted themselves well. Especially impressive was Richard Dawson, who hadn't played much first-class cricket and was playing in alien conditions.

The same can't be said about their batting though. Most of them struggled to get going, and the England think-tank would surely consider including an extra batsman for the next Test. The wicket held no devils, yet most of the batsmen allowed themselves to be daunted by the reputation of Indian pitches and their spinners - and paid the price.

In both innings, only a couple of batsmen looked the part. The others were completely out of sorts, and - worse - didn't inspire any confidence for the remainder of the series. On the basis of this performance, it is unlikely that the batting will improve significantly. It is assumed that the wicket at Ahmedabad will be a spinner's paradise, and if that is the case, England's misery will only increase.

Anil Kumble once again confirmed his mastery of Indian conditions. It is easy to take credit away from him and attribute his success to the tracks, but let's not forget that in helpful conditions he consistently runs through batting line-ups which invariably gives India comfortable wins.

The wicket of Hussain was a big scalp for him, for he seemed a little frustrated with his lack of success in the first innings. Once he had that wicket in his bag, he relaxed just a bit and bowled with far more venom.

Tinu Yohannan had an excellent debut, but Iqbal Siddiqui hardly got an opportunity to prove himself. With the few overs he got, he would have needed explosive talent to make his mark. It would be unfair if the selectors don't give him a longer run by dropping him from the next Test.

Sanjay Bangar showed a good cricketing brain and was calm and unflappable at the crease. However, the injury he sustained will not help his chances for the second Test.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the late '80s and early '90s, was talking to S Rajesh.

More Session by Session
Yohannan: the real deal
End game

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