Noose tightens around India as England consolidate position

R Eswar

Chennai, Dec 13 (PTI) India found the noose tightening
around them after England wriggled out of an early slump to
take a substantial lead and gain firm control of the first
cricket Test here Saturday.

The visitors took a handy first innings lead of 75 runs
by dismissing India for 241 immediately after lunch and then
recovered from a jittery 43 for three to reach a comfortable
172 for three at close on the third day.

England have taken an overall lead of 247 runs with seven
wickets still intact and are in a good position to dictate
terms in the remaining two days.

First innings centurion Andrew Strauss again played a
pivotal role with an unbeaten 73 to pull the tourists out of
the pits and put the home team completely on the backfoot.

The left-handed Strauss found an able ally in Paul
Collingwood (batting 60) as the duo stitched a vital 129-run
partnership for the fourth wicket to take the game away from
the Indians.

With two days left and the M A Chidambaram track expected
to deteriorate further, the Englishmen will fancy their
chances of going 1-0 up in the two-match series by setting up
a daunting target for the Indians who have to bat last.

The Indians had themselves to blame for being in such a
sorry situation as they batted poorly in the first innings and
then failed to peg down the visitors after the three early
blows.

The pitch had something for the spinners in the first two
sessions but seemed to ease out a little in the last session
with the Indian bowlers failing to make much of an impact
against a well-settled Strauss and Collingwood.

Strauss, who scored 123 in the first innings, notched up
his 14th half century and played with a great deal of
application though he did survive some anxious moments early
in the innings.

Earlier, resuming at the overnight score of 155 for six,
Dhoni and Harbhajan took upon the battle gamely piling up runs
with ease for the seventh wicket but England fought back well
in the second hour taking three quick wickets in the space of
five overs.

Monty Panesar was the most impressive among the English
bowlers and captain Kevin Pietersen pinned his hopes
on the left-arm spinner.

Panesar, who opened the attack from the Pavilion end with
a maiden over, scalped both Harbhajan and Dhoni as the
visitors got back their hold on the match. Panesar's wicket
taking second spell read an impressive 6-1-17-2.

With Harbhajan looking for some quick runs, the Indian
score board started moving at a brisk pace. Harbhajan reverse
swept Panesar to the ropes to hoist the 50-run stand in 63
minutes off 103 balls between them.

India were also able to cross the 200 mark when
Harbhajan confidently drove Stephen Harmison to point
boundary. In fact, Harbhajan scored nine runs in that over and
that forced Pietersen to remove Harmison and bring back Graeme
Swann.

In the first over after drinks, Dhoni pulled Panesar to
mid wicket and started limping on his third run and had
medical attention.

As the batsmen were coasting towards building up a solid
partnership, Harbhajan fell to Panesar being caught at forward
short leg by Ian Bell, who earlier could not get his hand to
a difficult chance when Dhoni played uppishly off Panesar.

Zaheer Khan, who joined the action after Harbhajan's
dismissal, did not stay long and made his exit being adjudged
leg before to Flintoff.

Dhoni, who continued to suffer from cramp on his right
leg, made his exit soon after making his fourth 50 plus runs
against England when he went for a slog off Panesar, holding
out to Pietersen at long off in the 65th over.

Then Amit Mishra thrived on gamely, hitting two
boundaries – one each of Panesar and Flintoff, as he helped
the team cause to narrow down the deficit to some extent.

The Indian innings folded up for 214 in the very first
over after the lunch break with Flintoff castling Mishra in
the fourth ball.

Playing with a cushion of a 75-run first innings lead,
England openers started on a sedate note in the second
innings with both openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook
playing out the initial overs watchfully.

The two batsmen were not willing to go for shots off
short pitch deliveries, though once or twice Alastair Cook
tried to hook both Zaheer and Sharma but failed to connect.

Sharma provided the breakthrough by dismissing Cook (9)
with a good length delivery, which the batsman checked himself
but by then the ball took off from the bat to Dhoni behind the
wicket.

Mishra, who was given the ball in the ninth over itself
ahead of more experienced Harbhajan brought cheers to the
Indian camp when he scalped Ian Bell. Bell had no clue to a
sharply turning delivery and lounging forward, he gave thick
edge to Gautham Gambhir at forward shortleg.

With England in a spot of bother, even the captain could
not sustain to redeem the situation as Yuvraj Singh struck of
his very first delivery.

In fact, Yuvraj was so sure of the leg trap that he ran
past the middle of the strip in jubilation without turning to
the umpire Daryl Harper, who took a while before declaring
Pietersen out.

With his side struggling at 43 for 3 in 13.1 overs,
Strauss could have alse returned to the pavilion if Dhoni had
latched on a difficult catach when he was on 15. Mishra was
the unlucky bowler.