India-Eng Test Day 1: From Exceptional to the Ordinary

Amidst much speculation whether play would actually get underway given the rain forecasts, play was not only feasible but turning into a day when England went from being exceptional to turning into something like the ordinary, which was rather an unfortunate way to end the day. India though were not complaining.

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England batting first could have been dicey if the early movement assisting the bowlers came into play. But the England openers looked perhaps a tad too comfortable in the morning and India a little too innocuous to really set the cat amongst the pigeons. It certainly made memories flood back of Virender Sehwag’s triple century here in Chennai earlier in the year against South Africa in what turned out to be a batsman’s paradise.

Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, the more settled opening pair in England’s Test team as opposed to the much fluctuating opening slots that one saw in the one day internationals in India two weeks, set about putting England’s best forward and certainly the first session looked much like England’s.

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Alastair Cook sports a black band on his arm in the wake of the terror attacks. The teams also observed a two minute silence before the start of the match.

With both openers past half centuries, England could not have asked for a better opening start. Their partnership worth 118 was only broken by one ambitious shot by Cook off Harbhajan Singh’s bowling. But Strauss continued in the same vein as Ian Bell joined him at the crease.

But Strauss’ partners seemed less reluctant to stay at the crease, which was strange because the pitch was still playing true while India had significantly upped the ante in the bowling department. Strauss scored his thirteenth century but it would soon be overshadowed with England virtually conceding the advantage back to India.

Bell fell to a plumb lbw decision to a devastatingly accurate Zaheer Khan while Kevin Pietersen’s end came much like the way he was at the crease, uncertain and desperate to break the shackles. Paul Collingwood’s decision was a howler but that has only followed his string of poor scores. Strauss’ own wicket was a gem as Amit Mishra caught a straight one off his own bowling, leaving England in tatters.

The four wickets after tea beginning with Bell just into the second ball of the final session on day one, meant that India had come back into the match. After all, looking at the way the top order was batting, it led many to speculate that England were looking at nothing less than 400. From 164 for one, the fall from grace was tragic for England as it was ecstatic for India.

Losing their way, not to mention their patience, after making such an exemplary start, was simply too depressing from an England perspective. England have not often put up their best foot forward on the tour to India and it appeared England did gather their wits and forces accorded to them since the Mumbai terror strikes.

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But just when it appeared this would be a sedate day that went England’s way, India pulled it right back. Mahendra Singh Dhoni did break a few conventions, using Zaheer Khan along with an unlikely spinner in Yuvraj Singh immediately after tea. Perhaps he was banking on the nemesis-like presence of Yuvraj, especially so on the England skipper himself, Kevin Pietersen.

Losing four wickets for sixty runs in the final session could be a telling blow as England’s dreams were reduced to 229 for five and little apart from Andrew Flintoff to inspire confidence.

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