Indians would win the 2nd Test today

Reports state that the Test at Chinnasamy stadium is interestingly poisted – NZ made 365; India replied with 353 and in the second NZ were 232 for 9 – presently leading by 244 runs.

Will India make 250 with 2 days to go is the Q – the pitch is not menacing nor are the NZ bowlers – though Tim Southee had a career best 7 for 64 for in the first innings.  Often statistics can bemuse you.

In the 113 wins for India, only 25 have come at home when chasing and of that only 6 when chasing more than 200 +.  The first of them came against Australia in 1964 in Test 567 when India successfully made 256.  In the recent past they have won at Delhi in Nov 2007 against Pak making 203/4; at Chennai in Dec 2008 against England making mamooth 387/4; made 216/9 against Aussies at Mohali in Oct 2010; made 207/3 against Australia at Bangalore in Oct 2010 and 276/5 against WI at Delhi in Nov 2011.

After a rallying 3rd day – the last wicket needs to be claimed before Gambhir and Sehwag have a go at the chase – the pair has not been performing too well – still the openers followed  by Pujara, Sachin, Kohli, Raina, Dhoni should have it easy chasing something around 250. 

Dhoni continues to throw surprises as he opened with Ojha in a Test and the bowler who had taken 12 wickets in the last test was given the ball as the 4th bowler after passage of many overs – Ashwin contrived to finish at 5 for 60 building his reputation in Tests though Bangalore wicket did not offer much of purchase and it is not a threatening mud flying surface.  Viewed in that perspective Tim Southee’s performance becomes all the more creditable.  The Indian lower order folded too meekly, though Ashwin did score some useful runs with confidence of a batsman. 

On this track against the touted batting line-up, Tim Southee's 7 for 64  is the sixth-best for New Zealand in Tests, and their second-best against India, next only to Richard Hadlee's 7 for 23 in Wellington in 1976.

While I hope of  not so complicated Indian win, one’s memory takes back to March 1987, the last Test that Sunil Manohar Gavaskar played on a minefield of a pitch at the same Chinnaswamy stadium.  That was the last Test in the Series of 5 – and came after a  run of eleven successive draws between India and Pakistan either due to  the quality, or rather lack of quality, of a Test match pitch designed to produce a result.  Bangalore was no good wicket to bat on. 

You will be surprised to find that  India employed Kapil Dev, Maninder, Shivlal Yadav and Ravi Shastri – Pak used only 3 bowlers – Wasim Akram, Iqbal Qasim and Tasueef Ahmed.  Maninder spun the ball prodigiously and made life miserable but perhaps the Indians were spinning it too much, while the guily Pak bowlers made Indian bat each delivery, ensuring result they wanted.  Gavaskar gamefully carried on  and was adjudged out dubiously at 180/8 chasing  221 and Indians lost by 16 runs.   It was a test of nerve which India, despite having dominated many phases of the first four Tests and having bundled out Pakistan for next to nothing in the first innings, failed. Imran Khan realised Pakistan's and his own ambition to beat India in India.

Maninder photo courtesy .www.cricinfo.com

In the first innings Pakistanis were all out for 116 with Maninder Singh claiming 7 for 27 – his figures read 18.2-8-27-7.  India made 145 with a 50 from DB Vengsarkar.

Pak made 249 in the second after being 198/8. The loose runs in the end perhaps undoing their efforts.  The Indian batting line-up was Gavaskar, Srikkanth, Mohinder, Vengsarkar, Kiran More, M Azharuddin, Ravi Shastri, Kapil Dev and Binny – the others being Shivlal Yadav and Maninder Singh.

For the Indian fan the defeat would always rankle in their memories.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.
posted at 07:47 am today - 3rd Sept 2012