NEWS
MATCH REPORTS
DIARY
OTHER SPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
PEOPLE
ARCHIVES

Pressure perfect

A thoroughly inviting scenario was offered by the pleasant Roop Singh Stadium at Gwalior, seeming to promise another run fest as India seized the crease, all pumped up from their massive record score at Hyderabad. It didn't pan out that way, for Sachin came off his record score with an almost opposite record: 17 balls to score at all, 23 for his single and then a billiards shot off Chris Drum to be caught at first slip.

It was retribution for Drum who had been so savagely mauled before. His joy, however, was brief for this time it was the Indian magician Ganguly who chose the occasion to play another masterful one-day innings. Drum came in for another beating but he should never have been required to bowl again at the death.

Until the 40th over New Zealand held sway, quite parsimonious in their old style. Then they fell into their hybrid bad habits as Ganguly and that batting pugilist Robin Singh added an exhausting 114 in the last 10 overs. It was daring stuff, reminiscent of the old Indian rope trick, with pulls to fine-leg from outside off stump, pulls over mid-wicket from anywhere, pulls that dragged India up to a reasonably defensible total after all looked lost in their cause.

They were again aided by a curious lack of tactics by New Zealand. Daniel Vettori, the least expensive at Hyderabad, was not used at the bowling crease at all. This absence of damage control again cost the Kiwis. Once the two left-hand batsmen took charge and started their flurry of six hits, the Kiwis seemed to become so startled by the blinding headlights that they became inert. They needed to bowl around the wicket to these two batsmen with three men on the leg-side boundary but this obvious ploy was almost entirely neglected.

Once again it was that doughty battler Nathan Astle who led New Zealand's spirited reply. He plays in a quite unique way, forcing offside deliveries from short of a length that most players would merely push away. But the other batsmen were unable to dominate the slower deliveries of Ganguly who produced an inspired effort with the ball to match his match-winning knock.

It was difficult to understand why Adam Parore was sent in at number three when his value was obviously much less than that of a left-hander like Twose who had played such a blistering hand at Rajkot.

Chopra and Bharadwaj controlled even Cairns with their flat off-spinners and suddenly New Zealand's policy of keeping wickets in hand was negated, as wickets kept falling. The Indian fieldsmen maintained a relentless pressure that ensured a victory that began with the demoralising partnership between Ganguly and Singh.

It is the application of pressure that decides these needle encounters. India showed they are better equipped to apply this and they deservedly take a lead in the series. By scoring 76 runs from the final five overs of their innings they placed themselves in an ultimately impregnable position. But oh, for some damage control by New Zealand! Twice the match could have been won by the Kiwis and twice they cast away the opportunity, first with the ball and then with the bat. In each aspect of the "death", those last 10 overs, India proved superior. At least the Kiwis could not blame the umpiring for this was of outstanding quality. New Zealand must redeem themselves in the fourth match to make for a wonderful climax to a splendid series.

(Gameplan)

Martin Crowe