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India made to follow on

S. Ram Mahesh

Irresponsible batsmanship lets the team down

NAPIER: Under the weight of New Zealand’s 619 for nine declared, India’s batting imploded on the third day of the second Test here at McLean Park.

Against an attack that was disciplined and on a wicket that had runs for the taking, India was forced to follow on after being dismissed for 305. Rahul Dravid (83), Sachin Tendulkar (49), and V.V.S. Laxman (76) managed two partnerships of 87 and 81 between them — and both featured some typically captivating batting — but it wasn’t enough.

All eight Indian wickets that fell on Saturday — seven in the first innings and Virender Sehwag in the second — were consequences of irresponsible batsmanship.

Ugly dismissal

Some of the dismissals looked ugly — particularly Sehwag’s hoik across the line late in the day, when more temperate methods have had proven success. But this criticism must be weighted against the fact that batting is a reactive art. It’s easier to preach prudence than act on it without compromising instinct.

Gautam Gambhir and Dravid took India to close on 47 for one in its second innings, Dravid being in the singular position of both starting and ending the day.

Saturday morning was grey and cloudy, but by no means dull, for Tendulkar’s innings bubbled effervescently. He started by cover-driving Daniel Vettori, who had begun proceedings, and a finer stroke has scarcely been brought into existence.

Then, as Tendulkar does every so often, he improved on apparent perfection, delaying the deployment of his wrists when shaping a cover-drive off Chris Martin before square-driving James Franklin without losing poise — a noteworthy achievement, for the nature of the stroke, when it is leant into, demands from most batsmen a balancing side step after the event.

Dravid, at the other end, was secure. His feet, as they do when he’s feeling good about his batting, were clicking into position like the tumblers of a safe; his head was over the ball, sniffing it; but, most of all, there was a certain tensile tightness to the way his arms moved, not stiffly, but as if wound by whipcord. He laid his bat elaborately in defence, but didn’t forsake the opportunity to drive and wrist off a straightening front leg.

Tendulkar picked on Jeetan Patel, lap-sweeping, flat-sweeping for six, and cover-driving deliveries that didn’t vary greatly in their direction. But the off-spinner, to his credit, neither flattened his trajectory nor switched his line from outside off-stump; he merely scrambled the seam in delivery — the strips natural variation, which is how different parts of compacted soil react to the work on the ball, kept it from turning.

Tendulkar attempted to steer it by opening the face. With a slip in place, it wasn’t the safest shot, and Ross Taylor reacted smartly to catch it.

Laxman joined Dravid, as a partnership that is both old and storied reformed. Laxman looked in sublime touch, which although no longer new hasn’t reduced in allure. He has hands that seem to melt at contact, and he used them as he always does to find untenanted parts of the field.

Dravid was fortunate on 55, when he touched a cut through to keeper Brendon McCullum. But umpire Evan Watkin — standing in for Billy Doctrove, who contracted a chest infection — judged that Daniel Vettori had over-stepped. It appeared from replays that the New Zealand captain’s foot was within the bounds of legality.

Dravid moved on serenely, countering Martin’s sharp short deliveries (late 130 to early 140 kmph) by riding them. It’s a measure of the organisation of Dravid’s batting that his feet weren’t persuaded to straddle the crease when Martin pitched up.

So it came as a surprise when he chased a short delivery from Jesse Ryder that was prohibitively wide. It’s near impossible to control a stroke so outside the body’s periphery; one may as well flay it with an open face.

Dravid tried turning his wrists on the cut stroke — a reaction automated by hours of practice to keep it safe — and, ironically, the edge went no further than McCullum.

Dravid fell at a crucial time — it was 20 minutes to tea and two overs from the second new ball. Yuvraj Singh has had his troubles in Test cricket when starting against spin and the moving ball.

Martin’s 150

Martin, from around the wicket, did no more than keep the second new ball on a length. The line, well outside off-stump, merited attention but no more; Yuvraj volunteered a lunging, off-balance thrust that conveyed the ball to second slip. Martin had his 150th Test wicket.

Those that followed after tea did little of note (although Harbhajan Singh did hook a six). Martin had both Dinesh Karthik and Laxman caught in the slips with controlled deliveries directed outside the off-stump, before Ryder, who has had a magnificent Test, helped end India’s first innings by leaping at gully to catch Zaheer Khan off Iain O’Brien.

Scoreboard

New Zealand — 1st innings: 619 for nine decl.

India — 1st innings: G. Gambhir c Vettori b J. Patel 16 (53b, 1x4); V. Sehwag c McCullum b Vettori 34 (25b, 5x4, 1x6); R. Dravid c McCullum b Ryder 83 (206b, 12x4); Ishant lbw b Vettori 0 (13b); S. Tendulkar c Taylor b J. Patel 49 (65b, 7x4, 1x6); V.V.S. Laxman c McIntosh b Martin 76 (149b, 14x4); Yuvraj c McIntosh b Martin 0 (11b); D. Karthik c Ryder b Martin 6 (31b, 1x4); Harbhajan c Martin b O’Brien 18 (11b, 2x4, 1x6); Zaheer c Ryder b O’Brien 8 (6b); Munaf (not out) 0 (0b); Extras (b-1, lb-7, nb-7) 15; Total (in 93.5 overs) 305.

Fall of wickets: 1-48 (Sehwag), 2-73 (Gambhir), 3-78 (Ishant), 4-165 (Tendulkar), 5-246 (Dravid), 6-253 (Yuvraj), 7-270 (Karthik), 8-291 (Laxman), 9-305 (Harbhajan), 10-305 (Zaheer).

New Zealand bowling: Martin 24-5-89-3, Franklin 15-4-34-0, Vettori 19-5-45-2, O’Brien 13.5-4-66-2, J. Patel 19-2-60-2, Ryder 3-1-3-1.

India — 2nd innings: G. Gambhir (batting) 14 (48b, 2x4); V. Sehwag lbw b J. Patel 22 (21b, 4x4); R. Dravid (batting) 11 (33b, 2x4); Total (for one wkt. in 17 overs) 47.

Fall of wicket: 1-30 (Sehwag).

New Zealand bowling: Martin 3-1-6-0, O’Brien 5-2-10-0, Franklin 3-0-11-0, J. Patel 3-1-14-1, Ryder 1-0-5-0, Vettori 2-1-1-0.

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