England put India on backfoot

30th November -0001

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Cricket Mumbai, England pushed India against the wall in the third Test as the hosts lost three wickets for 89 in reply to the visitors' 400 in the first innings on the second day of the match here Sunday.

Pacer Matthew Hoggard removed openers Virender Sehwag (6) and local boy Wasim Jaffer (11) for just 24 in the innings' 12th over.

Seven overs later, James Anderson got the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar (1) when he slashed at a harmless delivery to be caught behind. As he returned to the dressing room, his home crowd booed him for disappointing them in his record 132nd Test.

Tendulkar's early dismissal reduced India to 28 for three before captain Rahul Dravid (batting on 37) and Yuvraj Singh (batting on 32) fought back with their unbeaten 61-run stand for the fourth wicket.

India, however, still need 112 runs to avoid a follow on, but it should not be a problem for the home side on a Wankhede Stadium pitch that is still offering bounce to the pacers.

It is, however, creditable for England to again put India on the backfoot, much like in the first Test in Nagpur that was eventually drawn.

England resumed the second day at 272 for three wickets and looked set to pile up a big total. But Indian bowlers did well and scalped the last seven England wickets for just 128 runs.

Indian batsmen, especially the openers, could not consolidate on the good work done by the bowlers. After the poor start, Dravid, playing his 100th Test, and left-handed Yuvraj defied the potent-looking bowling attack till the close of play on another sunny day.

Earlier in the day, debutant Owais Shah, who had retired hurt at 50 Saturday due to cramps in his hands, returned to bat and took his score to 88 (162 balls, 13x4s, 1x6) before Harbhajan Singh had him caught by Dravid.

Shah acknowledged the help from former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin, who was present at the stadium.

After Andrew Strauss' 128 - the only century of the English innings - Shah's was the highest score. Captain Andrew Flintoff (50, 83 balls, 6x4s, 3x6s) scored the only other half-century of the innings. It was his third successive 50-plus score, but it contained three 'lives' courtesy Indian fielders.

The Indian fielding left a lot to be desired as missed catches enabled England to reach a total that perhaps they did not deserve. Pacer S. Sreesanth (four wickets) and off-spinner Harbhajan (three wickets) took two wickets apiece Sunday to hasten the end of the innings. Pacer Munaf Patel took two wickets and Anil Kumble managed one. Irfan Pathan went wicketless. Patel, playing his second Test, came close to performing a hat-trick when he dismissed Shaun Udal and Hoggard off consecutive deliveries, but failed to complete the feat.

SCOREBOARD

Day 2, Third Test, India vs. England, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, March 19

England (1st innings):

Andrew Strauss c Dhoni b Harbhajan 128
Ian Bell c Harbhajan b Sreesanth 18
Owais Shah c Dravid b Harbhajan 88
Kevin Pietersen c Dhoni b Sreesanth 39
Paul Collingwood c Dhoni b Sreesanth 31
Andrew Flintoff c Tendulkar b Kumble 50
Geraint Jones c Kumble b Sreesanth 1
Shaun Udal lbw b Patel 9
Matthew Hoggard b Patel 0
James Anderson c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 15
Monty Panesar not out 3

Extras: (byes 5, leg byes 7, wides 3, no balls 3) 18
Total: (all out in 133.3 overs) 400

Fall of wickets: 1-52 (Bell, 20.4 overs), 2-230 (Strauss, 75.3), 3-242 (Pieterson, 80.3), 4-326 (Collingwood, 108.2), 5-328 (Flintoff, 109.2), 6-333 (Jones, 112.1), 7-356 (Udal, 118.5), 8-356 (Hoggard, 118.6), 9-385 (Shah, 127.3)

Bowling:

Irfan Pathan 17 4 64 0
S. Sreesanth 22 5 70 4 (2w)
Munaf Patel 29 4 81 2 (1nb, 1w)
Anil Kumble 39 7 84 1
Harbhajan Singh 26.3 4 89 3 (2nb)

India (1st innings):

Wasim Jaffer c Jones b Hoggard 11
Virender Sehwag c Shah b Hoggard 6
Rahul Dravid batting 37
Sachin Tendulkar c Jones b Anderson 1
Yuvraj Singh batting 32
Extras: (nb 2) 2
Total: (for three wickets in 37 overs) 89

Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Sehwag, 6.1 overs), 2-24 (Jaffer, 11.2), 3-28 (Tendulkar, 18.1)