2nd Test: West Indies v India at Port-of-Spain, 19-23 Apr 2002 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Test: West Indies v India at Port-of-Spain, 19-23 Apr 2002
Santhosh S

India 1st innings: Lunch: Day1, Tea: Day1, Stumps: Day1,
Pre-game: Toss & Teams,

TENDULKAR SCORES HIS 29TH TEST CENTURY AT PORT OF SPAIN
The story of the post tea session has been Sachin Tendulkar’s 29th Test hundred to equal Sir Donald Bradman’s record of Test hundreds. India are 262/4 at close of play with Tendulkar unbeaten on 113 off 235 balls with 14 fours and VVS Laxman on 21 not out.

Soon after the tea break, Black slipped in a fast delivery through to knock back Rahul Dravid’s gate. Dravid made 67 runs off 147 balls, striking 11 boundaries. The third wicket stand between Dravid and Tendulkar yielded a valuable 124 runs off 33.3 overs.

Sourav Ganguly took his time to get into full flow as Tendulkar started hitting the boundaries. The Indian skipper took ten runs off his counterpart’s one over, striking two boundaries. The two batsmen put together the fifty runs partnership at a good rate. Ganguly (25) danced down the track to Hooper and gave an easy catch to Dillon at mid-off.

The second new ball almost got rid off VVS Laxman, as he has been dismissed on so many occasions in his career, the stylish batsman playing away from his body could only edged a ball from Cuffy and Lara was found wanting at second slip. Cuffy bowled an excellent over to finish the day’s play, beating the outside edge of both Laxman and Tendulkar.

The full report of the day’s play will be available shortly.

DRAVID AND TENDULKAR STEADY INDIA AT PORT OF SPAIN
In the second session of the first day’s play in the second Test match between West Indies and India at the Queens’s Park Oval at Port of Spain, India went on to add 86 runs off 28 overs to go in for tea on 156/2. Rahul Dravid is unbeaten on 64 off 130 balls (11 fours) and Sachin Tendulkar is on 63 not out off 125 balls (9 fours)

Both the batsmen enjoyed their share of luck in the second session; it was all in the first half hour after the luncheon interval. Dravid survived a loud shout for leg before the wicket after offering no shot to a delivery from Marlon Black. There was a big relief on Dravid’s face when umpire Asoka de Silva did not put the finger up.

Sachin Tendulkar who is riding on a wave of luck today at Port of Spain, enjoyed a good one before lunch – umpire de Silva not giving him out caught behind. After lunch though it was the turn of umpire Harper to give him in after Mervyn Dillon had Tendulkar trapped plumb in front of the wicket, playing back to a ball cutting in sharply. The bowler had started celebrating and seeing Tendulkar staying turned around in dismay to see the umpire unmoved.

The two Indian batsmen made most of the good fortune that came their way. Slowly but surely they took command over the situation and started striking the boundaries. Dravid, who scored an unbeaten century in the first Test match played at Georgetown in Guyana has been carrying on with the good form. He raced past his consecutive Test fifty with a powerful straight drive for four off Sanford.

Tendulkar took his time to settle down; he was not to be left far behind as he too reached his consecutive Test fifty. The two batsmen has been severe on Sanford, just before the tea break, Tendulkar played a breathtaking cover drives and then powerful square cut for four.

The Windies bowler will be looking forward to better luck in the final session.

DRAVID AND TENDULKAR TAKE INDIA TO 70/2 AT LUNCH
India are fighting hard through Rahul Dravid (25) and Sachin Tendulkar (20) at the Queen’s Park Oval at Port of Spain in Trinidad. At lunch on the first day of the second Test match, India are 70 for the loss of both the opening batsmen.

On a track that has something in it for the fast bowlers, India got off to a poor start. The new pair of Shiv Sunder Das and Sanjay Bangar could only put together 18 runs for the first wicket. Mervyn Dillon forced Das (10) to go back to a delivery sharply cutting in to trap him plumb in front of the wicket.

Sanjay Bangar, in his new role of an opening batsman, did not look assured to start with, surviving a loud shout for lbw off the bowling of Cameron Cuffy. Bangar (9) played a glorious off drive for four off Dillon and was soon walking back to the pavilion, caught behind by Junior Murray off the bowling of Adam Sanford.

Sachin Tendulkar walked in to join Rahul Dravid with the India score on 38/2 in the 16th over. Dravid carrying on with the good form from the Guyana Test; made batting look easy to steady the Indian innings. Marlon Black making a comeback bowled with a lot of pace and in particular tested Dravid some purposeful pace bowling.

In the 23rd over of the Indian innings bowled by Sanford there was high drama. Sachin Tendulkar, playing a bit too early at a short pitched delivery, managed to get a thick edge and the ball landed just in front Cuffy at mid-off, who was quite slow to react to the opportunity. A couple of balls later, Sanford bowled a beauty to the little master and duly found the edge of the bat on its way to Murray. The only person who was not quite convinced about it was the man who mattered most – umpire Asoka de Silva.

So far Dravid has struck five boundaries, which includes a glorious cover drive and a trademark flick to the long leg fence. Sachin Tendulkar went in for lunch after striking a couple of fours in the last over of the session, bowled by Black. A sweetly timed cover drive for four was followed with a flick to the deep backward square leg fence.

WEST INDIES PUT INDIA IN TO BAT FIRST AT PORT OF SPAIN
Carl Hooper has won the toss for West Indies and asked India to bat first in the second Test at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It was a foregone conclusion that the captain winning the toss would want to bowl first on a pitch that has a lot of grass in it.

The nature of the pitch has resulted in a few changes to both teams. The home side has brought in the fast bowler Marlon Black in place of the leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo. India have been forced to make a few tough decisions. They have left out the most experienced and successful bowler in the team, Anil Kumble, to accommodate the extra seamer Ashish Nehra.

As expected Deep Dasgupta has also been left out and his replacement young Ajay Ratra makes his Test debut. Harbhajan Singh is fit to play, and replaces the other off-spinner Sarandeep Singh.

Sanjay Bangar goes up the order to open the innings with Shiv Sunder Das. The first session of this Test match is going to be crucial, with the four-man pace attack looking to make early inroads.

The Teams are as follows:

West Indies: Carl Hooper (captain), Chris Gayle, Stuart Williams, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Junior Murray, Mervyn Dillon, Marlon Black, Adam Sanford, Cameron Cuffy.

India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Shiv Sunder Das, Sanjay Bangar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Ajay Ratra, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra.