AFTER the disappointments of the winter, England completed the first stage of their Test match rehabilitation yesterday morning, Graham Thorpe's single tucked away behind square securing an eight wicket win.
By the close on Saturday, they had knocked off all but 48 of the 121 runs necessary to take the first Test, and although Nasser Hussain was out in Venkatesh Prasad's first over of the day Mike Atheiton, 53 not out, and Thorpe, 18 not out, completed the job without undue alarm. It was all over shortly after midday.
By yesterday, India had very few throws of the dice left. Mohammad Azharuddin had bowled both Javagal Srinath and Prasad into the deck in the first innings and there was little left in reserve when all out attack was needed in the second. Prasad had removed Knight on Saturday and will probably take his case for lbw against the England captain, then 13, to The Hague. But, in truth, they had little chance once they had failed to mop up the England first innings, and then, collectively (but with the obvious exception of the genius Tendulkar), batted poorly themselves second time around.
England, who might have completed the job on Saturday night had they chosen to take the extra eight overs available for such an eventuality, began on 73 for one, and almost immediately Hussain was gone, hooking to long leg where Srinath took a fine catch plunging forwards. But straight away Thorpe cut Prasad square to the boundary and when in Srinath's following over Atherton cover drove successive boundaries, any tension eased.
The two pace bowlers and the capricious up and down pitch still contrived to make life awkward, one delivery from Prasad reviving memories of Ambrose's first shot here last summer by climbing past Atherton's nose and out of Mongia's despairing reach and another from Srinath striking Atherton on top of his helmet. But Atherton completed his half century from 96 bails and fittingly, after a match in which his captaincy has shown more authority, was there at the end.
It had been, Atherton said afterwards, a good start to the summer, although he was fight not to hyperbolise: a Test win is good, but represents the start rather than the end of the journey. On paper, it looks an easy win," the captain continued, "but India made us work hard. There were periods of the match, when we were 215 for eight and only one run ahead for example, where things were very much in the balance. Having said that though, we should have killed them off better than we did and certainly should have got more runs in the first innings."
The game brought good things for what is a new direction to the team under David Lloyd's keen eye. The return of Hussain was a triumph, of course, and for England superceded anything, his hunger there for all to see as was his joy in the success. The number three position is his for a while at least now and to be given the man of the match award when facing competition from Tendulkar's century makes that accolade doubly special.
But there were positive aspects also in a resurgent Chris Lewis, with ball anyway, (although he needs to build on his success now rather than sit back and bask in it) and in the fielding, which after Hussain's unaccountable lapse in the second over of the match was just sensational. The effect on the bowlers of such support - which in the case of Irani for example turned a legstump four ball into his first Test wicket - is immeasurable.
However, although it would be harsh if things changed at all for the second Test, the jury must remain out for the moment on Irani, Mullally and Patel. Irani's uncomplicated innings was the right thing at the right time, giving Hussain the chance to regroup while also leading the innings impetus, but his bowling looks woefully short of the required class. Although he had some pace, Mullally too disappointed, with no evidence of the inswing to the right hander that is fundamental to the successful left arm pace bowler. That has to be the stock delivery, not the variation and the word remains that the likliest exponent, in England anyway, is Durham's Simon Brown. In a seamers match, Patel had little to do other than bottle an end for half an hour by tizzing into the rough.
It will need contributions from other than Tendulakar, Srinath and Prasad if India are to compete strongly in this series. Enough has already been said about India's sorry lack of Test match cricket, although Azharuddin was not prepared to use that as an excuse, saying only that the batting let his bowlers down.
They have had problems ranging from the sudden retirement of their experienced opener Sidhu and the omission from the tour for disciplinary reasons of Vinod Kambli (who average in excess of 40 and 50 respectively) to injuries to Manjreka and Joshi. Neither did the umpiring balance out.
