Home > Cricket > Justin Langer March 14, 2001 | ||
Tuesday March 13, 2001
A Tough Day at the OfficeThankfully we are still in the box seat for this second test match but it is after a long, strenuous day in the field. Making India follow on was our first achievable objective when we took the field this morning. Two wickets was the target, and within forty-five minutes, two wickets had been taken. Goal one achieved, it was then up to our bowlers to draw from their reserves of energy and character on a lifeless Eden Gardens pitch. By stumps tonight, India, thanks to a magnificent batting display by VVS Laxman, are twenty runs behind our first innings effort, with six wickets in hand. Not for the first time, Laxman made a sensational century, playing beautifully timed drives and pull shots. He is a player of extreme class who hits the ball effortlessly to every conceivable boundary rope on a cricket ground. He is having a dream season here in India with something like fourteen or fifteen first class centuries to his name. He will be a major determinant in how this game transpires for the remainder of the test and I am sure his name will be on our highest priority list when we sit down for a team meeting tonight.
How our fast bowlers pull up in the morning will also be a contributing factor. Bowling long spells, on a flat pitch and in draining heat takes its toll, so their durability will be tested. Knowing 'Dizzy', 'Pigeon' and 'Kaspa', they will be raring to go come 9:30 in the morning. From Calcutta JL
You can also go to the: The archives
Photograph: Justin Langer
| ||
©1996 to 2001 rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved. |