Indians declare on 388 for 7
Monday, 9 July 2007
The Indian batsmen dominated the first four sessions on their warm-up match against Sussex at the Hove but Saqlain Mushtaq and Ollie Rayner triggered a collapse soon after lunch on the second day, forcing Rahul Dravid to declare the innings on 388 for 7. Laxman and Yuvraj had batted watchfully through the entire morning session before the Indians lost four wickets for 31 runs in the afternoon session, reports Cricinfo.
Saqlain, who was unpenetrative before lunch, was a different bowler after the break with his doosras fizzing and bouncing sharply off the pitch. He even troubled Laxman, who had been batting for nearly three hours for his 95, consistently and finally induced an edge to slip with a doosra that bounced alarming from a good length. He received solid support from Rayner, who varied his pace, and made the first couple of breakthroughs in the second session.
Yuvraj was the first to be undone by spin, charging down the pitch to Rayner in the first over after the break. He didn't get to the pitch of the ball, was beaten by the turn, and failed to reach his crease before Andy Hodd broke the stumps. Mahendra Singh Dhoni tried to play his naturally forceful game but never looked comfortable. He too was done in by Rayner, trapped in front by one that pitched on leg and straightened to hit him on the back leg.
Laxman tried to pick up the pace with wickets falling at the other end and pulled Rayner through midwicket to move into the nineties. Saqlain, by this time was at his mesmerizing best, and Anil Kumble and Sreesanth were clueless against his variations. He had succeeded in making a solid Indian innings look shaky against spin, in England. When Laxman fell on 95, Dravid decided that it was time to let his bowlers have a shot at the Sussex batsmen.
The first session, however, was a stark contrast to the flurry of wickets after lunch. Laxman and Yuvraj Singh showed the same application that the Indian top order displayed on the first day. They added 76 after Rahul Dravid retired hurt overnight due to a mild calf strain and took India to 357 for 3 at lunch.
Laxman, who resumed on 37, and Yuvraj were possibly competing for the No 5 spot in the Test side and both batsmen settled in nicely on a pitch that offered more to the bowlers than on the first day. Laxman made his opportunity count, and he hasn't had many recently.
The second new ball swung more than the first one did and once James Kirtley and Jason Lewry overcame a few wayward overs, they tested the batsmen with bounce and sizable amounts of swing and seam movement. Laxman and Yuvraj took advantage of the wayward line to get started but had to be far more discreet as the bowlers settled into their rhythm. Laxman had a few more iffy moments this morning compared to last evening; he edged Kirtley through the slip cordon and was late on the pull more than once against Lewry. After Kirtley and Lewry were taken off, the support bowlers were much easier to handle.
Laxman and Yuvraj took the Indians through to lunch without losing a wicket and there were no indications that they would be fielding so soon after the break.
Scorecard
Indians 1st innings:
KD Karthik b Saqlain Mushtaq 76
W Jaffer c Hodd b Martin-Jenkins 12
G Gambhir c & b Yardy 81
R Dravid retired hurt 57
Laxman c Montgomerie b S Mushtaq 95
Yuvraj Singh st Hodd b Rayner 31
MS Dhoni lbw b Rayner 5 A Kumble c Montgomerie b
Saqlain Mushtaq 2
S Sreesanth not out 7
Extras: (b 12, lb 6, w 3, nb 1) 22
Total: (7 wickets dec; 130.5 overs) 388
Did not bat: RP Singh, RR Bose
Fall of wickets1: 37 (Jaffer, 16.2 ov), 2-166 (Karthik, 57.4 ov), 3-206 (Gambhir, 70.4 ov), 4-357 (Yuvraj Singh, 119.4 ov), 5-367 (Dhoni, 123.4 ov), 6-375 (Kumble, 126.2 ov), 7-388 (Laxman, 130.5 ov)
To bat: MA Thornely, wicket-keeperAJ Hodd, JD Lewry, RSC Martin-Jenkins, RJ Kirtley, CD Hopkinson, Saqlain Mushtaq, OP Rayner
Sussex 1st innings:
CD Nash not out 9
Montgomerie c Karthik b Sreesanth 18
MH Yardy not out 1
Extras: 7
Total: (1 wicket; 16 overs) 35
Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Montgomerie, 12.4 ov)
Toss: Indians, who chose to bat first
Saqlain, who was unpenetrative before lunch, was a different bowler after the break with his doosras fizzing and bouncing sharply off the pitch. He even troubled Laxman, who had been batting for nearly three hours for his 95, consistently and finally induced an edge to slip with a doosra that bounced alarming from a good length. He received solid support from Rayner, who varied his pace, and made the first couple of breakthroughs in the second session.
Yuvraj was the first to be undone by spin, charging down the pitch to Rayner in the first over after the break. He didn't get to the pitch of the ball, was beaten by the turn, and failed to reach his crease before Andy Hodd broke the stumps. Mahendra Singh Dhoni tried to play his naturally forceful game but never looked comfortable. He too was done in by Rayner, trapped in front by one that pitched on leg and straightened to hit him on the back leg.
Laxman tried to pick up the pace with wickets falling at the other end and pulled Rayner through midwicket to move into the nineties. Saqlain, by this time was at his mesmerizing best, and Anil Kumble and Sreesanth were clueless against his variations. He had succeeded in making a solid Indian innings look shaky against spin, in England. When Laxman fell on 95, Dravid decided that it was time to let his bowlers have a shot at the Sussex batsmen.
The first session, however, was a stark contrast to the flurry of wickets after lunch. Laxman and Yuvraj Singh showed the same application that the Indian top order displayed on the first day. They added 76 after Rahul Dravid retired hurt overnight due to a mild calf strain and took India to 357 for 3 at lunch.
Laxman, who resumed on 37, and Yuvraj were possibly competing for the No 5 spot in the Test side and both batsmen settled in nicely on a pitch that offered more to the bowlers than on the first day. Laxman made his opportunity count, and he hasn't had many recently.
The second new ball swung more than the first one did and once James Kirtley and Jason Lewry overcame a few wayward overs, they tested the batsmen with bounce and sizable amounts of swing and seam movement. Laxman and Yuvraj took advantage of the wayward line to get started but had to be far more discreet as the bowlers settled into their rhythm. Laxman had a few more iffy moments this morning compared to last evening; he edged Kirtley through the slip cordon and was late on the pull more than once against Lewry. After Kirtley and Lewry were taken off, the support bowlers were much easier to handle.
Laxman and Yuvraj took the Indians through to lunch without losing a wicket and there were no indications that they would be fielding so soon after the break.
Scorecard
Indians 1st innings:
KD Karthik b Saqlain Mushtaq 76
W Jaffer c Hodd b Martin-Jenkins 12
G Gambhir c & b Yardy 81
R Dravid retired hurt 57
Laxman c Montgomerie b S Mushtaq 95
Yuvraj Singh st Hodd b Rayner 31
MS Dhoni lbw b Rayner 5 A Kumble c Montgomerie b
Saqlain Mushtaq 2
S Sreesanth not out 7
Extras: (b 12, lb 6, w 3, nb 1) 22
Total: (7 wickets dec; 130.5 overs) 388
Did not bat: RP Singh, RR Bose
Fall of wickets1: 37 (Jaffer, 16.2 ov), 2-166 (Karthik, 57.4 ov), 3-206 (Gambhir, 70.4 ov), 4-357 (Yuvraj Singh, 119.4 ov), 5-367 (Dhoni, 123.4 ov), 6-375 (Kumble, 126.2 ov), 7-388 (Laxman, 130.5 ov)
To bat: MA Thornely, wicket-keeperAJ Hodd, JD Lewry, RSC Martin-Jenkins, RJ Kirtley, CD Hopkinson, Saqlain Mushtaq, OP Rayner
Sussex 1st innings:
CD Nash not out 9
Montgomerie c Karthik b Sreesanth 18
MH Yardy not out 1
Extras: 7
Total: (1 wicket; 16 overs) 35
Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Montgomerie, 12.4 ov)
Toss: Indians, who chose to bat first