Shiv Sundar Das scores maiden century

By G. Viswanath

NAGPUR, NOV. 25. India has found another young batsman, who can lay claim to be an opening batsman, at least until the next summer and before the dinkums arrive for a series, which will be of greater significance in the current international season. In the past fortnight, Shiv Sundar Das, played four Test match innings, making his debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka and his first appearance in India at the Feroz Shah Kotla. The small made batsman's backfoot play appeared as a revelation to many, and he made a fine impression, too, a half century in the first Test against Zimbabwe, reassuring the discerning and the national selectors, that he has fulfilled a part of the promise and potential he held.

On Saturday at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) ground, Das, just 23, gave a true facet of his batting powers while notching a century in only his fifth Test match innings. It was a tremendous push by the Orissa batsman; he did not let the frustration of not converting a half century into a century hang on him for a long time. This has often proved detrimental to young batsman in their nascent stage in the big league of Test cricket. That Das did take his first century in the first fortnight of his international career was the most satisfying thing in the first day of the second and final Test against Zimbabwe when India finished its first innings at 306 for the loss of the openers.

Indeed, Das, has upstaged all his predecessors, who failed to show their talent beyond a particular realm. The most recent instance was that of Devang Gandhi. Last winter, the Bengal batsman seemed to have emerged a serious contender to share the opening position with Sadagopan Ramesh. There was merit in the thinking that Gandhi, following his two consecutive century partnerships against New Zealand at Mohali and Kanpur, needed to be seen as a competent batsman for the position India was in search of for a long long time and after Vikram Rathour turned out to be a big let down which resulted in the continuation of Venkatsai Laxman. But Gandhi turned out to be part of India's rout in Australia and since, the selectors decided there was no necessity to have another look at him. The selectors also decided they will not go back to Wasim Jaffer who did not do well enough to advance his claims after his disappointing performance in four innings against South Africa.

Das, however, has come closer to proving he has the essentials to succeed as an opening batsman. It was evident in the two sizeable partnerships he had with Ramesh and Rahul Dravid. In the overall context, too, India played admirable cricket for six hours on the first day, with Das and Dravid showing their class before the second interval of the day with a flurry of strokes against Zimbabwe's leg spinner, Brian Murphy and left hand spinner Dirk Viljoen who replaced the injured Paul Strang and thereafter Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar going in brisk fashion in the last session. In a normal 30 hour time a Test match should produce a result, but with the state of the pitch what it was in the whole day, the onus will be on the home team to press hard for victory on the fourth and fifth day's wearing pitch.

There is little scope for the Zimbabwe bowlers overrunning the India first innings on Sunday which means that a total close to 500 or more will be what Zimbabwe will be looking at and their hopes of squaring the series diminished.

The opening day of this Test match must belong to Das. Having won the first Test at the Kotla, India was never going to be at a vulnerable point on a flat deck about which India's captain Sourv Ganguly had some unkind words to say on Friday.

The openers Das and Ramesh, who was keen and eager to return to form, at least would not have squealed, though Das who was the batsman who took the strike first, might consider himself a trifle lucky to have survived further than the first ball bowled by Heath Streak. On any other day he may have edged the curling outswinger to the wicketkeeper or the slip cordon. He would not have expected a better bargain, as there was compensation aplenty in the four hours and 12 minutes he batted before umpire A. V. Jayaprakash handed a decision in favour of the fielding side shortly after tea interval.

Das bats with a simple technique, pronounced in which is his backfoot movement and come behind the ball. On a lifeless pitch, Heath Streak and Henry Olonga, attempted to unnerve him, but Das was equal to the task, ducking well underneath the rising ball. To Ramesh the new ball attack did prove to be troublesome, though he survived a confident appeal inside the first half hour of the morning. Thereafter he was literally on song, caressing the ball square of the wicket, even when Streak positioned his men at point and square gully. A few cuts and cover droves took Ramesh close to his second half century in five innings, but Streak's brilliant direct hit from widish mid- on terminated a knock Ramesh was determined to carry on with. At the other end Das, punched a good shot to the mid wicket fence and square drive Mluleki Nkala.

At a score of 91 for 1 at lunch, India, electing to bat (Ganguly had won the toss for the first time in his three Tests as captain) had made absolute the quality of the pitch and knew that it would not deteriorate for another three days. The first hour after lunch produced 50 runs off 16 overs and at half way mark of the day India's total was 141 for one. Das who had looked a bit inhibited broke free, stepping out as he had done earlier in the morning to put away Murphy to mid wicket. Dravid, for some time did not look a batsman who had come into his 40th Test match with 339 in his last four innings and a double century to boot at the Kotla. His first big scoring shot was a clean-hit cover drive of Streak who adhered to a pace regimen for Dravid, who became aggressive after he hit Nkala straight down the ground and followed it with a cut.

There was no stopping Das as he dashed towards his first century, stepping out to meet Murphy's leg breaks at its pitch and against Viljoen's left hand spin, bowled round the wicket. It was scintillating batting as Das raced to his 100 with his 17th boundary hit, dancing down the pitch and whipping Murphy to mid wicket.

Streak made known his tactics that did not work . He kept six men on the off side for the medium pacers who were clearly under instructions to bowl in the off side channel. It only worked up to a certain span of time because Nkala and Olonga and Streak himself could not sustain it. The result was when Dravid and Das were given width, they cut and placed the ball for fours. With Zimbabwe running short of time, Streak was forced to keep the spinners going and by tea 61 overs was bowled. The stand between Das and Dravid had the potential to surpass what it achieved (155 in 152 minutes), but Das who was unbeaten on 110 at tea was adjudged caught at slip by Alistair Campbell off Murphy. The ball was not there for the stroke Das was looking for as he was too close to the ball after it had spun. Campbell turned to his left swiftly to hold the catch, which Das, felt had not gone of any part of his body.

With Tendulkar's arrival came the entertaining part of the day as he and Dravid put the Zimbabwe attack in the mincer. They have added 79 runs for the third wicket, in which Tendulkar's contribution was 49. Two short balls probably denied him a his 24th half century at nightfall, but then the Zimbabwe bowlers, who had their task cut out after Ganguly chose to bat, will be up against India's batsman in form again on Sunday morning.

As expected India went into the Test with five specialist bowlers; three seamers and two spinners, including offspinner Sarandeep Singh, for whom it will be his first Test match. But before the bowlers appear in the scene, Ganguly would like the batsmen in the middle, himself and the lower in the order raise a 500 plus total. But Ganguly should be a happy man what with Das scoring his first century Dravid and Tendulkar having taken India's first innings past 300 on the first day, when all the four Indian batsmen succeeded in contributing to the total. Dravid will take a shot at his eighth century on Sunday morning. It looks inevitable to happen.

Das confident

The day's century maker Das said he was confident of coming up with a big knock. ``First I wanted to see the new ball through. I am a batsman who likes to step out and drive the spinners which is what I did. Now I am looking forward to making bigger contributions.

I owe it to a lot of people and my stint with the National Cricket Academy has also helped me. A batsman has to take the bad decisions in the stride. The umpires are also human,'' he said.

Scoreboard

INDIA - 1st innings:

S.S. Das c Campbell b Murphy                110
(252m, 175b, 19x4s)
S. Ramesh (run out)                          48
(98m, 65b, 7x4s)
R. Dravid (batting)                          93
(260m, 204b, 13x4s)
S. Tendulkar (batting)                       49
(106m, 97b, 6x4s)
Extras (lb-2, nb-2, w-2)                      6
                                            ---
Total (for two wkts.)                       306
                                            ---

Fall of wickets: 1-72 (Ramesh), 2-227 (Das).

Zimbabwe bowling: Streak 18-5-55-0, Olonga 14-2-44-0, Nkala 14-1-
58-0, Murphy 22-2-83-1, Viljoen 12-2-36-0, G. Flower 10-0-28- 0.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Nona still motivates herself
Next     : Proud parents savour their son's feat