Transcript of the Commentary: India vs Pakistan,
2nd Test Delhi, February 4-8, 1999

India - 1st Innings - Last hours play

Prem: Srianth in defensive mode here, Saqlain going round the wicket, good thinking, but Sri well forward, covers the slant and defends. Next ball Saqlain goes back tgo over the wicket, pitches off, brings it in and keeping it low, Srinath making the mistake, goes back instead of forward, rapped on the pad and no problem there with the decision, India losing its eighth and that is the end of play for the day, with one ball left. Saqlain gets his third successive five-fer, and Mongia unbeaten on 9 with the score 247/8 at stumps off 89.5 overs. We will be back tomorrow, with day two.

Prem: Saqlain to Srianth, slip, silly point, gully, forward short leg, for the last over of the day. Short, and Sri defends.

Prem: Nice cover drive there from Mongia, getting one of fuller length, fetches him two more and INdia 247/7. Some natter happening from the close fielders, Bucknor cooling things down and again, Mongia into the drive but this time he finds mid off, no run, 247/7 and one over left to play in the day.

Prem: Good ball that, pitched middle, turned and bounced sharply, gets Mongia's outer edge, pitching just short of Ijaz at slip and runnign down to third man for two more. 245/7.

Prem: End of the over, Srinath the new man in... and t3wo overs left in the over, Mushie bowling the penultimate over of the game, India 243/7.

Prem: Saqlain continuing, three overs including this one to go for stumps, four round the bat and Kumble is gone -- blindly groping forward to one from Saqlain not full enough for the front foot defence, gets the ball on the top part ofthe bat and easily held at forward short leg.

Prem: Mushie continuing, focussing on line of off and Mongia at this point looking very confident in defence in that region. Kumble, though, has looked rather iffy with his play, seems unsure what the ball is doing, Mongia gets one square on the on, India 242/6.

Prem: Saqlain continuing, Kumble on strike, tghree round the bat and off a floater, he drives, gets the outer edge, Ijaz dives, gets a hand to the chance at slip and puts it down.

Prem: Kumble and Mongia out there, five more overs to go for close and India 240/5 and with Srinath, Prasad and Harbajan to follow, these two really have the onus on them. Single to Mongia as he pushes to mid off. 241/6.

Prem: That ball is a beauty -- Mushie pitches middle, just short, Azhar on the back foot, the ball jumps at him, turns square, Azhar had no option, ball taking the bat and Ijaz taking a beauty at slip, Idia 240/6 and Azhar gone for 67, Mushie finally getting the wicket -- of the man he let off immediately after tea.

Prem: Mushie continues, Akram still off the field, so we are looking at spin through to close, with the new ball probably being taken first thing tomorrow. Mongia on strike.

Prem: Straigher one, outside off to end the over and Azhar picks the arm ball, onto the front foot and a spanking cover drive beating the fielder, four for it and India at the end of the Saqlain over, 239/5 with Azhar 67.

Prem: Next abll, Mongia onto the back foot, playing with the turn to square leg, single, India 233/4. Mongia had a good 50 in the second innings at Madras, needs an encore here if India is really to climb into the box seat.

Prem: On this track, India needs to have at the least 350 on the board in the first innings -- which puts the onus enormously on Azhar now, with just Mongia and the tail for company. Meanwhile, beginning to think the new ball might not be taken -- Akram just went off the field, which means when he gets back he will need to wait out an over before he can bowl, and there aren't too many overs left for stumps today. Azhar meanwhile beaten by one that turns in sharply, lucky to edge it onto pad or he was another LBW candidate right there. 232/5 as he works the next one behind square for the single.

Prem: That brings Mongia to the wicket to partner Azhar, India losing a wicket just when it didn't need to, with very little time left for close of play. 231/5 the score.

Prem: Azhar straight driving, Mushie gets it on the first bounce, very awkward bounce too, lets it through, single and India 231/4. Ganguly on strike, plays outside the line to a full length ball on off, ball straightening, sneaks past the bat onto pad, the strike in front of off and Bucknor has no problem with this appeal, Ganguly gone LBW and India now 231/5.

Prem: Just that one four in the over, Saqlain promptly throttling back, pushing them through quicker, not letting Ganguly come after him. Interesting contest here between bat and ball. 230/4 at the end of the over.

Prem: Ah ha, there we go -- last over, had the feeling Ganguly would like to go for the big one, and here he goes, down the track, gets under one from Saqlain, doesnt hit too hard, just lifting over the bowler, back down the track, one ball and four, India 230/4.

Prem: Maiden from Mushie meanwhile, not really letting Azhar have much room for strokeplay, and India 226/4 at the end of it.

Prem: Mushie continuing, into the 81st over here so the new ball is now officially due -- I suspect Akram will take it after another three, four overs, get three over spells for himself and younis so they can come back again, tomorrow, with the still new ball for another bite ofthe cherry.

Prem: End of anotehr good over from the offie, though in this over I thought I saw signs that Ganguly is readying one of his forays down the track to try and hit over the top -- jjust that touch of impatiencce against the offie, who has scored 9 off 39 balls faced off Saqlain.

Prem: 88 for the fist wicket, 69 for the fourth and now an unbeten 35 between ganguly and azhar for the 5th, Saqlain into the 80th over of the day, ten to go still before stumps. Ganguly on strike with two round the bat on the off, none on the on. 57 runs added thus far off 24.2 overs and Ganguly down the track, using his feet, gets to the pitch and drives, but finds mid off.

Prem: Nice probing over here from Mushie, testing Azahr with a three quarter lengtha round off, not letting him rock back and go for the gaps square on the off or through midwicket. 226/4 at the end of the over,.

Prem: Mushie continues, 79th over coming up. 12 overs including this one to go for close of play.

Prem: Saqlain squaring up Ganguly and beating him with one that turns rapidly away from him, great ball that on middle turning away. 61 to Azahr, 9 to Ganguly who leaves the next one alone, from line of off.

Prem: 56 to Azhar, 9 to Ganguly, Saqlain continies and Azhar gets one full in length on off, leans into the drive and spanks it very close, past the bowler, down to the mid off boundary for four and that is the first time Azhar is getting runs in that region, with the hardest shot in the book against an offspinner, the off drive hit against the turn. Next ball, played off his legs and one more, India 226/4.

Prem: Mushie continuing, presumably with just three more overs to go, Akram might opt for the new ball when due. Three round the bat still, and Ganguly appearing a shade tentative against the leggie,221/4 at the end of the over.

Prem: Saqlain has bowled 28 overs of the 76 that have been bowled so far, more than Akram and YOunis combined. Meanwhile, a back foot square drive, off Mushie, single to Azhar, 221/4.

Prem: Saqlain's spinning fingers have been getting a work out on this tour, he's doing the bulk of the bowling here, as he did earlier in Madras, India 220/4 at the end of the over.

Prem: Lovely ball that, pitches middle, jjust short of driving length, Ganguly had to push at it, sharp turn takes it past the edge ofthe bat outside off.

Prem: This time, to the leg break outside off and Azahr, like it or not, uses his wrist to put it through square leg!! Which would be the exact opposite of where the ball by rights would be going, the man has wrists of high tensile steel. 50 runs now since tea, off 20 overs, India 220/4 and Saqlain resumes, with Ganguly on strike.

Prem: Back foot cover drive this time to a leg break but finds cover. Ball four, flipper keeping low, Azhar wants to cut, that one skids and keeps low, Azhar getting his bat down just in time, India 218/4.

Prem: Mushie to Azhar, ball pitching outside off, turning further away, short in length, Azhar decided to cut, then changed his mind, went to pull, finally managed only the bottom of the bat to find mid on, no run.

Prem: Saqlain now to Ganguly, with slip, silly point and short square in place. 218/4 the score. Flights one, Ganguly extends into the drive but this time, no flourish to the shot, finds cover, no run, end of the over.

Prem: Saqlain bowling and now, noticeably, Azhar looking very confident even on the defensive play to the spinners, very correct. Again plays square to point, this time Ganguly is on the ball, runs the single, India 218/4.

Prem: Inzy wasn't wearing shin guards, and an Azhar coverdrive took him bang on the shins, it is cold out there and that kind of thing can hurt big time. Meanwhile, a push to backward point, lots of yes, no, perhaps tomorrow kind of calling and Azhar sent back at the last moment, Azhar regains his crease in time and gives Ganguly a bit of a glare.

Prem: 217/4 the score. Inzamam limping off, seems to have a bit of a problem and the crowd helping him on his way with shouts of 'aloo, aloo', which I dont think is a good way to go -- beating Pakistan with bat and ball is the ideal, but needless personal heckling seems a tad over the top. Lull in play meanwhile, as Azhar Mahmood, the substitute, puts on shin guards that extend to his knees*

Prem: First ball outside off. Hits pad. Appeal rejected. Second ball played down. Third ball wide of off. Azhar goes on the front foot and drives. Hits the silly point. Next one played down to mid-off

Prem: On off. Saurav goes on the front foot and plays it down. Classical front foot defence

Prem: saqlain bowling... shorter outside off. saurav drives into the covers. four

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