India draw with England to clinch series 1-0
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
India won their first series in England since 1986, albeit 1-0, after England held on for a draw on the final day of the last Test at The Oval. It was a fitting denouement to a hard fought and evenly contested series as India's bowlers seldom slackened in their effort to force a win whereas England's batsmen displayed remarkable application, according to website cricinfo.
Kevin Pietersen helped himself to a workmanlike century and provided the backbone for England's resistance as they ended on 369 for 6. On a day when wickets fell at regular enough intervals to keep India interested till the very end, England held on, but Michael Vaughan's unbeaten home record slipped from his grasp.
England's batting in the second innings was in sharp variance to their first. While the first was dotted with cameos and generously sprinkled with batsmen error, the second was one characterised by abstinence and self-denial. England's batsmen focused purely on eliminating risk, to the exclusion of all else, and that paid off.
India, having chosen to bat on as long as they could in their first innings, rattling up 664, not declaring even after Anil Kumble reached his maiden Test hundred, and then having decided not to enforce the follow-on, were clearly thinking not in terms of a match win but the bigger series win. They would settle for a draw if it came to that, and it did.
But that's not to say the bowlers did not try their hardest. Sreesanth bowled better than he has all series, finding the right line, attacking the stumps. Zaheer Khan continued to swing the ball both ways, and probed both from over the stumps and around. Kumble, charged up till the very end, metronomically sent down delivery after delivery, but the pitch had not really broken up as India would have hoped, and batsmen were able to play him on the back foot, reading him off the pitch. Sachin Tendulkar served up his enticing mixture of legbreaks, offbreaks and seam up, and with more luck could easily have picked up a wicket.
Vaughan and Pietersen came together, and barring one moment - when Rahul Dravid, at slip, dropped a straightforward edge from Vaughan off Kumble - were in control of proceedings for more than 25 overs. Pietersen was a perfect example of a high quality batsman changing his natural game to adapt to a challenge, as he put away his natural attacking instincts, instead using his considerable talent to just keep the bowling out.
Vaughan, for his part, ensured that he did not play anything that could just as easily be left alone. That is, for 94 balls, before a brief break in play for bad light broke his concentration. Sreesanth had slipped Vaughan the booming inswinger, and followed that up with a well-directed away-swinger, which Vaughan flashed at, off the back foot, and nicked to the keeper. By then almost 61 overs had been consumed.
Scorecard
India 1st innings
Total: (all out) 664
England 1st innings: Total: (all out) 345
India 2nd innings
Total: (6 wickets dec; 58 overs) 180
England 2nd innings (target: 500 runs)
AJ Strauss c Laxman b Singh 32
AN Cook c Laxman b Kumble 43
MP Vaughan c Dhoni b Sreesanth 42
KP Pietersen c Karthik b Sreesanth 101
PD Collingwood lbw b Sreesanth 40
IR Bell lbw b Kumble 67
MJ Prior not out 12
RJ Sidebottom not out 3
Extras: (b 2, lb 4, w 9, nb 14) 29
Total: (6 wickets; 110 overs) 369
Toss: India, who chose to bat first
Result: Match drawn
Series: India won the 3-match series 1-0
Player of the match: A Kumble (India)
Players of the series: JM Anderson (England) and Z Khan (India)
Kevin Pietersen helped himself to a workmanlike century and provided the backbone for England's resistance as they ended on 369 for 6. On a day when wickets fell at regular enough intervals to keep India interested till the very end, England held on, but Michael Vaughan's unbeaten home record slipped from his grasp.
England's batting in the second innings was in sharp variance to their first. While the first was dotted with cameos and generously sprinkled with batsmen error, the second was one characterised by abstinence and self-denial. England's batsmen focused purely on eliminating risk, to the exclusion of all else, and that paid off.
India, having chosen to bat on as long as they could in their first innings, rattling up 664, not declaring even after Anil Kumble reached his maiden Test hundred, and then having decided not to enforce the follow-on, were clearly thinking not in terms of a match win but the bigger series win. They would settle for a draw if it came to that, and it did.
But that's not to say the bowlers did not try their hardest. Sreesanth bowled better than he has all series, finding the right line, attacking the stumps. Zaheer Khan continued to swing the ball both ways, and probed both from over the stumps and around. Kumble, charged up till the very end, metronomically sent down delivery after delivery, but the pitch had not really broken up as India would have hoped, and batsmen were able to play him on the back foot, reading him off the pitch. Sachin Tendulkar served up his enticing mixture of legbreaks, offbreaks and seam up, and with more luck could easily have picked up a wicket.
Vaughan and Pietersen came together, and barring one moment - when Rahul Dravid, at slip, dropped a straightforward edge from Vaughan off Kumble - were in control of proceedings for more than 25 overs. Pietersen was a perfect example of a high quality batsman changing his natural game to adapt to a challenge, as he put away his natural attacking instincts, instead using his considerable talent to just keep the bowling out.
Vaughan, for his part, ensured that he did not play anything that could just as easily be left alone. That is, for 94 balls, before a brief break in play for bad light broke his concentration. Sreesanth had slipped Vaughan the booming inswinger, and followed that up with a well-directed away-swinger, which Vaughan flashed at, off the back foot, and nicked to the keeper. By then almost 61 overs had been consumed.
Scorecard
India 1st innings
Total: (all out) 664
England 1st innings: Total: (all out) 345
India 2nd innings
Total: (6 wickets dec; 58 overs) 180
England 2nd innings (target: 500 runs)
AJ Strauss c Laxman b Singh 32
AN Cook c Laxman b Kumble 43
MP Vaughan c Dhoni b Sreesanth 42
KP Pietersen c Karthik b Sreesanth 101
PD Collingwood lbw b Sreesanth 40
IR Bell lbw b Kumble 67
MJ Prior not out 12
RJ Sidebottom not out 3
Extras: (b 2, lb 4, w 9, nb 14) 29
Total: (6 wickets; 110 overs) 369
Toss: India, who chose to bat first
Result: Match drawn
Series: India won the 3-match series 1-0
Player of the match: A Kumble (India)
Players of the series: JM Anderson (England) and Z Khan (India)