CRICKET TEST MATCH:ALL THAT planning, all that concentration, all that toil. England had laboured for nearly four days to force an impregnable position in the Chennai Test and then along came Virender Sehwag.
In his wanton presence, all logic was lost, all outcomes were imaginable. Now anything is possible.
England set India 387 to win in a notional 126 overs, a fourth-innings total far in excess of anything achieved at the Chidambaram Stadium. That was thanks largely to centuries from Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood - both out for 108. It should have represented absolute security, but Sehwag the batsman is consumed by disobedience. He responded with 83 from 68 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes. India, 131 for one at the close, need 256 on the final day.
"It was a big moment for me," admitted Strauss after following his 123 in the first innings with another hundred. The opener was overlooked for the tour 12 months ago to Sri Lanka after a run of 25 Test innings without a century. "Having not done it [ two centuries in the same Test] in first-class cricket either, it really kept me going when I was flagging a little bit, certainly yesterday evening," Strauss said.
"From our point of view I think we're still pretty confident we can take those last nine wickets. There's definitely enough happening in the pitch so if we just remain patient and keep doing the right things I think there are going to be nine opportunities out there for us, it's just a case of us making sure we take them.
"Sehwag was exceptional. He always takes the game to the opposition and plays a game that most people are pretty unfamiliar with, and he rode his luck a little bit, but that's the kind of player he is and he has given India a sniff of a victory."
England's bowlers, Andrew Flintoff apart, were mugged. If Sehwag played like this at Lord's, a shirt-sleeved constable would probably serve him with an Asbo for rowdiness in a public place.
Sehwag's half-century came in only 32 balls, only two balls short of Kapil Dev's record for India's fastest Test 50. England's 57-run afternoon session, as they edged to a declaration, was outstripped by India in 6.2 overs. Jimmy Anderson's new-ball spell lasted two overs, Steve Harmison's four. Monty Panesar's first ball, a full toss, was slugged over square leg for six, Graeme Swann craned his neck in the direction of long-on. He was out, leg-before to Swann, trying to paddle through the legside. For the last 22 minutes, Rahul Dravid blocked to restore normality.
Sehwag's disorderly magnificence was entirely out of keeping with an enervating first two sessions in which England moved sombrely towards a declaration. Strauss and Collingwood completed worthy hundreds, all temptation was eschewed and India indulged in shameless timewasting. The umpires made a few efforts to chivvy things along, but they generally looked impotent.
It was agreed extravagant shot-making was impossible on such a slow, pocked surface and, indeed, for ordinary mortals, so it was. By the time a declaration came 15 minutes after tea, it all added up to 139 more runs in 52 overs.
The passive manner in which Strauss and Collingwood secured their centuries encapsulated the mood of self-denial. Strauss's second hundred came with a quiet push to midwicket and an understated celebration. Collingwood marked his hundred with a gentle leap. India marked both occasions with a feigning of uninterest and a lot of unnecessary field changes. Gautam Gambhir called for the physio after diving forward at short leg to try to catch Collingwood. Balls eventually thrown back to the bowler were missed, sightscreens were moved, the ball was tossed to the umpire with a query about whether it was out of shape.
The game slowed during a stifling afternoon session when England added 57 in 22 overs and struck only two boundaries. There was one from Strauss that nobody noticed and a flamboyant drive from Matt Prior that woke up the crowd.
England's third-highest partnership in India came to an end with Strauss's dismissal, caught at short extra cover as he tried to use his feet to drive Harbhajan Singh. It was a shot that he had deliberately excluded for more than 6½ hours, its failure therefore serving as much as a get-out clause as a get-out shot. Collingwood, who batted for 6¼ hours, fell lbw to a Zaheer Khan inswinger.
Prior, who cobbled together 33 from 56 balls, was the only other batsman to reach double figures and his demise, cue-ending Ishant Sharma to short extra, brought England's declaration.
- Guardian Service
England: first innings316 (A Strauss 123, A Cook 52, M Prior 53 not out)
India: first innings241 (M. Dhoni 53) England: second innings (172-3 overnight) A Strauss c Laxman b Harbhajan 108
A Cook c Dhoni b Ishant 9
I Bell c Gambhir b Mishra 7
K Pietersen lbw b Yuvraj 1
P Collingwood lbw b Zaheer 108
A Flintoff c Dhoni b Ishant 4
M Prior c Sehwag b Ishant 33
G Swann b Zaheer 7
S Harmison b Zaheer 1
J Anderson not out 1
Extras (b-10, lb-13, w-2, nb-7) 32
----
Total(nine wkts decl, 105.5 overs) 311
Did not bat:M Panesar
Fall of wickets:1-28, 2-42, 3-43, 4-257, 5-262, 6-277, 7-297, 8-301, 9-311.
Bowling:Zaheer 27-7-40-3 (w-2), Ishant 22.5-1-57-3 (nb-7), Mishra 17-1-66-1, Yuvraj 3-1-12-1, Harbhajan 30-3-91-1, Sehwag 6-0-22-0.
