2nd Test: India v Zimbabwe at Delhi, 28 Feb-04 Mar 2002 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Test: India v Zimbabwe at Delhi, 28 Feb-04 Mar 2002
Santhosh S

Pre-game: Toss and Teams,
Zimbabwe 1st innings: Lunch: Day-1, Tea: Day-1, Stumps: Day-1,

ANDY FLOWER MISSES OUT ON A HUNDRED
Andy Flower came out to bat with an aggressive intent after the tea break, square-driving Kumble for a four and then swinging him high over mid-wicket for a huge six to go into the nineties.

But Harbhajan Singh brought to an end to what might have been another big innings by Flower, caught bat-pad by Shiv Sunder Das at forward short-leg. Flower made 92 off 154 balls (15 fours, 1 six) to hold the Zimbabwe innings together at a crucial stage.

Dion Ebrahim carried on with his good form, accumulating runs in a solid fashion. There is nothing spectacular about the way he plays his cricket, but it is very effective indeed. Along with Andy Flower, he added 116 runs for the fourth wicket to steady things for Zimbabwe. By the close of play, Ebrahim had moved on to 82 not out off 183 balls, striking nine boundaries.

Grant Flower replaced his brother in the middle and found himself lucky early on. Deep Dasgupta let the ball go right between his legs to give Grant Flower an early reprieve. In the meanwhile, Ebrahim got to his fourth Test fifty. Grant Flower and Ebrahim added 65 runs for the fifth wicket, and it took a needless attempt for a run by Ebrahim to dismiss the younger Flower.

Pushing the ball just to the right of the bowler, Anil Kumble, Ebrahim took off for a suicidal run and a hesitant Flower was never going to make it to the striker's end. A direct hit from Kumble saw Flower well short of the crease. Grant Flower departed, having just 30 runs across his name on the board.

Heath Streak came in to bat and dragged a ball from Kumble onto his stumps without even opening his account. The dismissal of the former Zimbabwe skipper left the visitors in trouble at 246/6. Travis Friend, as he showed at Nagpur, is no mug with the bat, and he played on bravely against the double spin attack of Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to remain not out on 7. At the close of play on the first day here in Kotla, Zimbabwe are 260/6.

ANDY FLOWER LEADS THE ZIMBABWE FIGHTBACK
Zimbabwe are 163/3 at the tea interval on Day 1 of the second Test match between India and Zimbabwe at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. Andy Flower is going great guns with an unbeaten 81 off 149 balls, and Dion Ebrahim is giving him good company with a solid knock of 40 not out.

Andy Flower averages 104.60 against India, and the most interesting statistics is his record in Feroz Shah Kotla. In the four innings here before the start of this Test, Flower had scores of 115, 62*, 183* and 70, averaging a whopping 215. Andy Flower's romance with Delhi seems to continue as he toyed with the Indian bowling during the second session.

With the Indian bowlers not being able to produce any magic in the post-lunch session, Flower went on grafting the runs, striking the occasional boundary. The running between the wickets has also been excellent in this session. In the 50th over of the innings, bowled by Anil Kumble, Flower swept a couple of boundaries and then struck the ball to the backward point fence to take 12 runs off the over.

In the very next over bowled by Zaheer Khan, Flower played a delicate late cut to the third man fence. This was followed by a loud shout for leg-before, turned down by umpire de Silva. Flower has so far struck 14 boundaries in his knock.

Dion Ebrahim has played excellent second fiddle in an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership that has yielded 98 runs. The diminutive right-handed batsman has so far hit four boundaries. The Indian bowlers have toiled hard without any success. The session saw 27 overs bowled and 89 runs scored.

ZIMBABWE OFF TO A SHAKY START IN DELHI TEST
Zimbabwe are 74 for the loss of three wickets at lunch on the first day of the second and final Test being played at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. Andy Flower is unbeaten on 37 off 57 balls with the help of eight boundaries. Giving him company is Dion Ebrahim on two.

Stuart Carlisle's decision to bat first must have been hastened by the sight of cracks on this Kotla pitch, which clearly looks under-prepared. Zimbabwe soon found themselves in trouble against the Indian pace bowlers.

Carlisle himself was the first wicket to fall without getting off the mark. The Zimbabwe skipper allowed a ball from Javagal Srinath to go through, but the delivery promptly took the bails on its way to the wicket-keeper. With the first wicket falling off the fourth ball of the morning, both Indian new-ball bowlers bowled with a lot of fire to trouble Trevor Gripper and Alistair Campbell.

There was big drama in the seventh over. Deep Dasgupta was very confident that Campbell had edged one from Srinath. With the umpire unmoved and the batsman staying put, the Indians belatedly appealed for the caught-behind decision. Umpire EAR de Silva then gave the batsman the benefit of the doubt.

Zaheer Khan set up Gripper's dismissal with a good display of fast bowling. The second ball of the eight over was dug in short, and Gripper duly pulled it away for a boundary. After having pinned the batsman on the back foot, Zaheer Khan unleashed a quick delivery that angled away from the right-hander. Gripper (8) could only edge it to the safe hands of Rahul Dravid at first slip.

Andy Flower and Campbell then set out to repair the Zimbabwe first innings. Flower was the more aggressive of the two, striking the ball cleanly to the fence on many occasions. Sanjay Bangar got the ball to wobble in the air a bit, and Flower was lucky on one occasion, edging a delivery just past the stumps.

Anil Kumble was introduced in the 16th over and had a loud shout for lbw against Andy Flower turned down. Campbell and Flower added 54 runs for the third wicket and looked like taking Zimbabwe out of jail. Sourav Ganguly brought Zaheer Khan back into the attack, and the speedster struck immediately, getting Campbell (16) caught by Dravid at first slip.

The Indian skipper delayed Harbhajan Singh's introduction into the attack, bringing him on to bowl the last over before lunch. As the sun beats down on this track, the cracks are bound to get wider and will help the two Indian spinners. Zaheer Khan was the most successful of the bowlers in the morning with the figures of 10-3-23-2.

ZIMBABWE ELECTS TO BAT FIRST IN DELHI TEST
Stuart Carlisle has won the toss and elected to bat first in the second Test match being played at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Zimbabwe are 0-1 down in the series after losing the Nagpur Test. The visitors have made one change to their side, Dion Ebrahim replacing Gavin Rennie.

As expected India have left out VVS Laxman in favour of the local boy Virender Sehwag. The pitch at the Kotla has a lot of cracks and is expected to turn from day-1. This is also a very important Test match for Deep Dasgupta, who will have to put up an impressive show behind the stumps.

The teams:

India: SC Ganguly (C), SS Das, R Dravid, SR Tendulkar, V Sehwag, S Bangar, D Dasgupta, A Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, J Srinath, Z Khan.

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe: Stuart Carlisle (C), Diona Ebrahim, Alistair Campbell, Heath Streak, Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Travis Friend, Trevor Gripper, Raymond Price, Tatenda Taibu, Brighton Watambwa.

Umpires: EAR de Silva, AV Jayaprakash Third umpire: Narendra Menon