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India struggling to
save third Test
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: India, needing 291 to avoid
an innings defeat, were four down for 169 after
Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul had slammed
centuries to put West Indies in a perfect position
for a series-levelling third Test win on Saturday.
Opener Wasim Jaffer
scored 51 in an 80-run opening stand with Shiv
Sundar Das (35), but India lost quick wickets to
be pegged back on a lively third-day pitch at the
Kensington Oval.
Captain Saurav Ganguly
was batting on a patient 15, keeping up India's
slim survival hopes with the last recognised
batsman Vangipurappu Laxman on a fluent 30.
India, who had
famously fallen for 81 while chasing 120 for
victory in a Test at the same venue in 1997, were
bundled out for 102 in the first innings on
Thursday.
Hooper struck an
elegant 115 and shared in a 215-run stand with
Chanderpaul, who added an unbeaten 101, as West
Indies amassed 394 in reply.
Resuming on 314 for
four, Hooper cut left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra for
three boundaries in an over to reach his 12th Test
century.
But the Guyanese, who
scored 233 for his maiden Test double-century in
the first drawn match at Georgetown, was out mis-hitting
an attempted pull against off-spinner Harbhajan
Singh to mid-off, where Sachin Tendulkar held a
well-judged skier.
West Indies then
experienced a familiar lower-order collapse,
losing six wickets for 18, after his departure.
Wicketkeeper Ridley
Jacobs, brought back into the team after a poor
batting performance from Junior Murray in the
first two Tests, fell for a duck edging a wideish
delivery from Nehra, who had figures of four for
112, to wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra. Chanderpaul,
quickly running out of partners, raised his fourth
Test century and second of the series with three
to deep point. Mervyn Dillon was out for six,
fending off a Nehra ball to Das at forward
short-leg and Harbhajan removed Pedro Collins and
Adam Sanford, both for nought, in one over.
Last man Cameron Cuffy
was run out when he tripped in the middle of the
pitch when trying to scramble back to the
non-striker's crease after a misunderstanding with
Chanderpaul over a quick single.
India had won the second Test at Port of Spain,
Trinidad by 37 runs last week to take a 1-0 lead
in the five-match series.
The 24-year-old Jaffer,
included in place of all-rounder Sanjay Bangar,
finally ended India's opening woes in the series
with his positive approach. He drove left-arm
paceman Collins through the covers and square cut
Dillon for an exquisite four to the point fence.
The Bombay player had an escape on 39 when he cut
Collins to cover where Ramnaresh Sarwan dived
forward and claimed to have caught the ball
cleanly.
Television replays
suggested the ball bounced just short of the
fielder and Jaffer survived. He raised his 50, off
67 balls, driving Collins through extra-cover for
his 10th boundary before being run out while
attempting a cheeky single to Chanderpaul at
point.
Sarwan, at forward
short-leg, held a sharp catch off the bowling
of Dillon to get rid of Das before Rahul Dravid
fell for a 61-ball 14 when he was caught behind
chasing a wideish Sanford delivery.
Sachin Tendulkar, who
had back-to-back ducks coming into this innings,
was adjudged lbw for eight to a delivery from
Dillon that nipped back in after pitching outside
off.
India slumped to 118
for four but television replays suggested
Tendulkar might have been unlucky as the ball
could have marginally missed leg-stump.
Ganguly was the only
Indian batsman to have put up any resistance in
the first innings with a 76-ball 48. India have
not won a Test series outside south Asia in over
16 years while the West Indies, who have lost six
of their last seven Tests, are looking to bounce
back from two straight Test series losses.
Hooper wary of
Indian fightback despite big lead
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: West Indian captain Carl
Hooper is wary of an Indian reversal over the last
two days of the third Test despite his team being
firmly in command.
The Indians, needing
291 to avoid an innings defeat, are 169-4 with the
last recognised pair of Sourav Ganguly and
Vangipurappu Laxman at the crease.
"It's never over
till its over," Hooper said on Saturday.
"In cricket, you have to be prepared for
anything. Who knows Sourav and Laxman might come
out tomorrow and bat the whole day."
One recent match
supports Hooper's circumspection. Laxman had
scored 281 and Rahul Dravid 180 as they batted an
entire day against Australia at Calcutta last year
to lead India to victory after they had being
asked to follow on.
"We'd obviously
like to remove this pair as early as
possible," Hooper said. "We've got to
keep working, without taking for granted that this
one is already in the bag. We have to chip away at
them. There are still six dismissals to get and
anything is possible."
But a fightback of
that magnitude would be most unlikely on a pitch
that is getting harder and harder to bat on.
Hooper, who scored 115
for his 12th Test century in West Indies's first
innings 394 said the deteriorating wicket was
another reason he wanted to wrap up the Indian
innings quickly. India were bundled out for 102 in
their first innings.
"In the second
innings, this wicket always becomes difficult to
bat on. It gets harder, the ball stops a bit
before coming on and there are a lot more worn-out
areas," Hooper said.
"If they get near
the 300-mark with wickets in hand, it won't be
good for us because you want to chase as few runs
as possible here."
India had been famously bowled out for 81 while
chasing 120 for victory at the same venue in 1997.
Hooper shared in a 215-run stand for the fifth
wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (101 not out)
but his dismissal sparked a lower-order collapse
that saw them put up lead of 292 when a much
bigger one had seemed on the cards.
"I'm happy to get
a hundred here but it was important for Shivnarine
and I to continue this morning and push the lead
to 300-350 plus to get India under more
pressure," Hooper said. The Guyanese heaped
praise on his bowlers for coming back with three
wickets in the post-tea session after openers
Wasim Jaffer (51) and Shiv Sundar Das (35) had an
opening stand of 62. "We bowled too short and
with too much width in the first 15 to 20 overs.
But we came back strongly after tea, bowled closer
to the off-stump and made them play."
Hooper said one of the
reasons for the slow start could be his team's
poor Test record over the last few years. They
have lost six of their last seven Test matches
coming into this game.
"Its not often we
find ourselves in this position -- 300 ahead with
two days to go. "We knew we had to get 10
wickets so maybe we were trying a bit too hard to
do something special."
Jaffer leads India
resistance with half-century
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Opener Wasim Jaffer led
India's fightback with a half-century as the
tourists, needing 292 to make West Indies bat
again, reached 85 for one by tea on the third day
of the third Test on Saturday.
Jaffer drove the
four-pronged West Indies pace attack fluently
through the off-side before eventually being run
out for 51. He struck 10 fours in his 75-ball
innings.
Shiv Sundar Das (27
not out) played the anchor role in the 80-run
opening partnership, with Rahul Dravid on one at
tea. West Indies captain Carl Hooper had earlier
struck 115 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul 101 not out
before India hit back with six wickets for 18 runs
to restrict the West Indies first innings to 394.
India, bundled out for
102 first time around, still face an uphill task
to save the match on a lively Kensington Oval
wicket, where they famously fell for 81 while
chasing 120 for victory in a Test in 1997.
The 24-year-old Jaffer,
included in place of all-rounder Sanjay Bangar,
finally ended India's opening woes in the series
with his positive approach. He drove left-arm
paceman Pedro Collins through the covers and
square cut Mervyn Dillon for an exquisite four to
the point fence.
The Bombay player had
an escape on 39 when he cut Collins to cover,
where Ramnaresh Sarwan dived forward and claimed
to have caught the ball cleanly.
Television replays
suggested the ball bounced just short of the
fielder and Jaffer survived. He raised his 50, off
67 balls, driving Collins through extra-cover for
his 10th boundary before being run out while
attempting a cheeky single to Chanderpaul at
point.
The West Indies had
resumed at 314 for four on Saturday with Hooper
cutting left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra for three
boundaries in an over to reach his 12th Test
century.
But after he fell, mis-hitting
an attempted pull against off-spinner Harbhajan
Singh to mid-off where Sachin Tendulkar held a
skier, West Indies experienced a familiar
lower-order collapse.
Chanderpaul completed
his fourth Test century and second of the series
with three runs to deep point before he ran out of
partners as Nehra finished with four wickets for
112 runs and Harbhajan added three for 87.
India won the second
test at Port of Spain, Trinidad last week by 37
runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
DAY
Three
May 04, 2002 -
West Indies firmly in control at 314-4 v India
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: The West Indian middle-order ensured their team got into perfect position for a series-levelling win at the Kensington Oval on the second day of the third Test on Friday.
Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Carl Hooper cracked half-centuries as the hosts, who had bundled out India for a paltry 102 on Thursday, amassed 314 for four to take a commanding 212-run lead.
They will be looking to build on it further with Chanderpaul at the crease on a breezy 75 and captain Carl Hooper, who played the anchor role initially, on 70.
The two, who had added 293 for the fifth wicket in the first drawn Test at Georgetown, put on an unbeaten 153 runs together after Lara (55) and Sarwan (60) brought up 119 for the third wicket.
India had won the second Test at Port of Spain by 37 runs last week for their first victory in the Caribbean since early 1976. West Indies, who have lost six of their last seven Tests, are seeking to bounce back from two straight Test series losses.
Lara and Sarwan put Windies on top
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan struck half-centuries as West Indies took full control of the third Test against India on Friday.
The home side reached 199 for four at tea on the second day after bundling out the tourists for 102. Lara (55) and Sarwan (60) shared in a 119-run stand for the third wicket that assured the West Indies, already 97 runs ahead, were well-placed for a series-levelling win in the five-match rubber.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who scored a career-best 140 in the drawn first Test at Georgetown, was unbeaten on 27 with captain Carl Hooper on 11.
Left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan struck early as West Indies, resuming on 33 for one, lost opener Chris Gayle before he could add to his overnight 14.
Khan had Gayle lbw with a ball that pitched on off-stump and then bowled two excellent overs to Lara, putting the left-hander, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on Thursday, in all sorts of trouble.
But Sarwan, playing his 20th Test, enthralled the Kensington Oval crowd with a flurry of boundaries. The 21-year-old from Guyana glanced Khan for four to fine-leg before driving him through the covers and pulling him to the square leg fence later in the same over.
He then drove Ashish Nehra for a straight boundary and cut him two balls later to the point fence before reaching his 11th Test 50 with a four through mid-off from the bowling of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
Lara hit some glorious shots after the lunch interval, driving paceman Javagal Srinath down the ground for two fours in an over and later crashing him though extra-cover for four more. The left-hander raised his second 50 of the series with a couple to square leg. He was just looking set for a big score when he got a leading edge to Nehra and ended up lobbing an easy return catch.
Nehra struck again in his next over when he had Sarwan caught at point by Wasim Jaffer as the batsman tried to cut him over the infield.
Mervyn Dillon completed figures of four wickets for 41 runs and Adam Sanford claimed three wickets as the hosts bowled out India in just 33.4 overs on the rain-hit first day.
Captain Sourav Ganguly offered the only resistance, scoring 48 off 76 balls. India had won the first test at Port of Spain last week by 37 runs.
DAY
TWO
May 03, 2002 -
Sarwan and Lara thwart India's revival hopes
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan steadied the West Indies with an unbroken 84-run stand in the third Test against India at the Kensington Oval here on Friday. Sarwan was batting on 47 and Lara on 32 as the West Indies reached 119-2 at lunch on the second day in reply to India's paultry 102. The West Indies, trailing 1-0 in the five-Test series, were 17 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand.
The third-wicket pair batted steadily to consolidate their team's position after opener Chris Gayle's dismissal in the second over of the morning.
Both batsmen remained watchful to deny India further success. Left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan struck in his first over when he trapped Gayle leg-before for 14, but proved expensive in his next three overs.
Sarwan fluently drove the fast bowler through the covers and pulled him for two fours in an over. He then drove paceman Javagal Srinath through the vacant mid-off for another boundary. Lara took time to settle before playing shots, firmly driving Zaheer through the covers for his first boundary.
He has so far hit three fours in his 92-ball knock. India skipper Sourav Ganguly persisted with his trio of pacemen
for more than an hour, but none could rattle the batsmen as the hosts added 86 after resuming at 33-1.
Zaheer often sacrificed accuracy for pace, while Srinath looked a run-container at best. Left-arm fast bowler Ashish
Nehra, who removed Lara and skipper Carl Hooper to pave the way for his team's win in the second Test, failed to find rhythm in his opening spell.
Sarwan punished an erratic Nehra, driving straight and then cutting for two boundaries in an over. He has so far struck eight fours in his 97-ball knock.
Ganguly had no option but to join the attack, trying to contain runs with his gentle medium-pace with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh bowling from the other. Sarwan greeted Harbhajan with a powerful square-cut that left the
fielders stranded for his sixth four, and then continued to frustrate India with his solid batting.
DAY
ONE
May 02, 2002 -
India resume on 35-3 after rain interruption
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: India lost three quick wickets, including Sachin Tendulkar for nought, as they were left struggling at 35-3 before rain interrupted play on the first morning of the third Test against West Indies on Thursday.
The teams took lunch but were able to resume after the interval with the home side calling the shots.
Before the break, Tendulkar went for his second successive duck, and the ninth of his career, when he played far away from his body and edged left-arm paceman Pedro Collins into the safe hands of wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.
He had been unlucky to be given out lbw for no score to paceman Adam Sanford in the second innings last week in Trinidad, where India won by 37 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series. Tendulkar's dismissal reduced India, who had already lost openers Shiv Sundar Das and Wasim Jaffer, to 27 for three.
Rahul Dravid was on 17 with captain Sourav Ganguly on five. Paceman Mervyn Dillon earlier justified captain Carl Hooper's decision to bowl first by striking two quick blows.
He bowled Das through the gate off the Test's first ball, beating him with pace on a fast, bouncy track.
Mumbai's Jaffer, included in the side in place of all-rounder Sanjay Bangar, cut paceman Cameron Cuffy for two of his three boundaries but was dismissed when he edged a Dillon outswinger and Jacobs took a tumbling two-handed catch diving to his right.
India left out leg-break Anil Kumble, their most successful current bowler with 318 wickets in 69 Tests, for the second straight match going with three paceman and Harbhajan Singh as the lone spinner.
West Indies made two changes, bringing in Collins for Marlon Black and Jacobs for wicketkeeper Junior Murray.
May 02, 2002 -
Hooper puts India in to bat in third Test
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: West Indies skipper Carl Hooper elected to field after winning the toss in the third Test against India at the Kensington Oval here on Thursday.
India lead 1-0 in the five-match series following their 37-run victory over the West Indies in the second Test at Port-of-Spain in Trinidad. India included opener Wasim Jaffer in place of all-rounder Sanjay Bangar for the only change from the team that played the second Test.
The West Indies made two changes, replacing wicket-keeper Junior Murray and Marlon Black with Ridley Jacobs and Pedro Collins.
India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Shiv Das, Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Ajay Ratra (wicketkeeper), Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra.
West Indies: Carl Hooper (capt), Chris Gayle, Stuart Williams, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs (wicketkeeper), Mervyn Dillon, Adam Sanford, Cameron Cuffy, Pedro Collins.
Umpires: Asoka de Silva (SL) and Daryl Harper (Aus). Match-referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL)
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