India v Zimbabwe Feb 28

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

icricketer.com > Live Matches > Match Updates

India v Zimbabwe Feb 28 - Mar 04

Check out the latest ground updates done by our correspondent, at the matches.

Second Test

DAY FIVE
March 04, 2002 - 0730 GMT

India whitewash Zimbabwe

NEW DELHI: The Indian cricket team continued their juggernaut progress when the beat Zimbabwe by four wickets in the second Test at Ferozeshah Kotla Ground on Monday to clinch the two Tests rubber 2-0.

Resuming at the overnight score of 36 for the loss of three wickets, the hosts reached the modest victory target of 122, losing batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar (42), Shiv Sundar Das (31) and Rahul Dravid (6). Tendulkar's blazing knock included seven boundaries and a six.

India, who won the first Test in Nagpur by a record margin of an innings and 101 runs, play Zimbabwe in the first match of seven One-day Internationals at Faridabad on Thursday.

Scores:
Zimbabwe 329 & 146 v India 354 & 126-6

DAY FOUR
March 03, 2002 - 1230 GMT
Harbhajan strikes to raise Indian victory hopes

NEW DELHI: Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh led a devastating spin attack to skittle out Zimbabwe for a paltry second innings total and set up a modest 122-run victory target for India in the second Test on Sunday.

The 21-year-old grabbed six for 62 with leg-spinner Anil Kumble taking the other four for 58 as Zimbabwe were dismissed for 146 runs to raise Indian hopes of sweeping the two-Test series.

But India were themselves struggling at 36 for three at close on the fourth day on a turning Ferozeshah Kotla pitch. Left-arm spinner Grant Flower struck off consecutive balls to remove skipper Saurav Ganguly (20) and nightwatchman Anil Kumble, for a first ball duck, after opener Deep Dasgupta was run out for one run. Opener Shiv Sundar Das (10) and Sachin Tendulkar, who is yet to score, were together at close. India were effectively four
wickets down as batsman Virender Sehwag is unlikely to bat after suffering a suspected shoulder dislocation while diving for a catch in the final session.

As many as 17 wickets tumbled on a dusty fourth day track where some of the deliveries jumped and spun viciously from the rough areas around the good length spot.

Zimbabwe looked to have lifted themselves after bowling out India for 354, restricting their first innings lead to just 25 runs, in reply to their 329. Ganguly was out for 136 in the day's first over, having reached his eighth hundred on the rain-hit third day as the Zimbabwe bowlers took the last four wickets for 33 runs. But Zimbabwe were straightaway in trouble as their ploy to hit their way out of trouble against spin misfired.

Harbhajan, brought into the attack as early as the sixth over, took his first three wickets in the space of only 16 deliveries to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 31-3. That included key left-hander Andy Flower for a fourth ball duck, offering a bat-pad catch to the close cordon like many of his team mates.

Harbhajan then took a stunning return catch, diving to his left and just managing to cling on to the ball to end skipper Stuart Carlisle's (37) nearly 90-minute vigil. Kumble joined in the wicket-taking act as five wickets tumbled in the mid-session to reduce Zimbabwe to 129-8.

Grant Flower top-scored with a defiant 49 before being the last man out, holing out Kumble to the deep. The lethal Indian spin duo, who shared 13 wickets to bowl India to an innings victory in the first Nagpur Test, ended the series with a combined haul of 28 wickets, Kumble alone taking 16.

March 03, 2002 - 1200 GMT
Harbhajan, Kumble leave Zimbabwe in a spin

NEW DELHI: Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh claimed his seventh five-wicket haul in a Test innings as he and wrist-spinner Anil Kumble had Zimbabwe reeling at 134 for eight at tea on the fourth day of the second and final Test on Sunday.

Harbhajan took five for 56 after claiming the first four wickets and Kumble grabbed three for 52 as Zimbabwe, only 109 runs ahead in their second innings with two wickets in hand, were left on the brink of a series whitewash.

At the tea interval, Grant Flower was unbeaten on a defiant 41 with Raymond Price yet to score.

Earlier, Zimbabwe had restricted India to a 25-run lead on first innings by dismissing the home team for 354 one hour into the morning's play. The 21-year-old Harbhajan, who took three wickets in the space of 16 balls to leave Zimbabwe struggling at 42 for three at lunch, struck two more blows as the visiting batsmen struggled on a turning pitch. Leg-spinner Kumble then picked up his three-wicket haul to reduce Zimbabwe to a precarious 129 for eight shortly before tea. Skipper Stuart Carlisle provided some resistance early in the afternoon session, but Harbhajan
took a stunning return catch on his second attempt diving to his left to remove the opener for 37.

Kumble trapped both Dion Ebrahim (22), who earlier had been dropped by forward short-leg Shiv Sundar Das off Kumble's bowling on 19, and Heath Streak (9) leg with his fast flippers.Harbhajan then had Travis Friend playing his off-break on to the stumps for a duck to claim his fifth wicket as Zimbabwe slumped to 114 for seven.

Grant Flower and Tatendu Taibu (10) managed to steer Zimbabwe's lead past the 100-run mark before Kumble dismissed Taibu to another catch in the close cordon.

Both sessions were extended by 30 minutes to make up for the loss of over three hours of play on the rain-hit third day. Skipper Saurav Ganguly hit a patient 136, having reached his eighth Test hundred overnight, to lift India before the innings ended with the last four wickets falling for 33 runs.

March 03, 2002 - 1030 GMT
Harbhajan leaves Zimbabwe reeling

NEW DELHI: Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh grabbed three wickets in 16 deliveries to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 42 for three wickets in their second innings on the fourth day of the second and final Test on Sunday.

India were all out for 354 midway through the morning for a slender 25-run first innings lead. Skipper Stuart Carlisle was 22 not out and Dion Ebrahim was on five as Zimbabwe waged a grim battle against the Indian spinners on a
track which afforded vicious turn.

Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly was out for 136 in the morning's first over as the Zimbabwe bowlers fought back to take the last four wickets for 33 runs after India resumed at their overnight 319-6.

Ganguly gloved a sweep against left-arm spinner Raymond Price to offer a simple catch to Trevor Gripper at forward short leg. The Indian skipper, who hit his eighth Test hundred to end a barren spell off 22 Tests spanning over two years, hit 21 fours and a six during his 284-ball innings.

Harbhajan first removed Trevor Gripper for 10, caught by Rahul Dravid at slip off bat-pad as he tried to hoist the ball over the field. But slow motion television replays suggested Dravid had not taken the catch cleanly.

Harbhajan then struck twice in one over to send back left-handers Alistair Campbell (2) and Andy Flower, for a fourth ball duck. Campbell edged a sharp off-break which kicked after pitching and Dravid took an easy catch in the slip.

Flower, who hit 92 in the first innings, was also beaten by the turn to offer a bat-pad catch to forward short leg.

March 03, 2002 - 0800 GMT
Harbhajan's 6-62 lifts India towards victory

NEW DELHI: Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and wrist-spinner Anil Kumble combined to skittle Zimbabwe for a paltry 146 in their second innings and set up a 122-run victory target for India in the second Test on Sunday.

Harbhajan captured six for 62 to claim his seventh five-wicket haul in a Test innings and Kumble claimed four for 58 as Zimbabwe were dismissed in 67.3 overs early in the final session on the fourth and penultimate day.

None of the Zimbabwe batsmen played the spin duo with much conviction as they failed to capitalise on restricting India to 354 early in the day in reply to the visitors' first innings 329 all out.

Zimbabwe's second innings ended in the 68th over when Kumble had top-scorer Grant Flower caught in the deep for a defiant 49. India were left to face 17 overs in the day as they bid to wrap up the series 2-0, having won the first Test in Nagpur by an innings and 101 runs.

DAY THREE
March 02, 2002 - 1230 GMT
Ganguly ends long wait with century

NEW DELHI: Skipper Sourav Ganguly ended a long barren run to score 100 not out as India reached 243 for four at tea on the third day of the second and final Test against Zimbabwe on Saturday.

The 28-year-old left-hander completed his first Test hundred after a two-year, 22-Test wait, leaving his team 76 runs adrift of Zimbabwe's first innings 329 all out. Virender Sehwag was unbeaten on 66, having helped put on 99 for the fifth wicket.

Ganguly, his position under scrutiny and desperate for a big score, kept his concentration even when bad light and mild drizzle forced a series of interruptions amounting to almost three hours of play. He whipped fast bowler Heath Streak to fine leg for his 14th four to reach three figures at the stroke of tea and celebrated by pumping his fist
before taking off his helmet and waving his bat to the crowd and his team mates.

Ganguly, who was on 95 when play was halted for the second time in the morning because of failing light, also hit a six during a hundred spanning five hours and 42 minutes and taking 221 balls.

The Indian skipper's last Test century came in October 1999, a score of 125 in the third Test against New Zealand at Ahmedabad. Since then the closest he came was a 98 not out in the second Kandy Test during India's 2-1 defeat in a three-Test series in Sri Lanka last year.

The 23-year-old Sehwag kept up his scoring momentum at the other end after India resumed on their overnight 171 for four. The well-built batsman attacked the left-arm spin of Raymond Price and also played fluent drives through cover for most of his 14 fours during a 110-ball knock.

March 02, 2002 - 0945 GMT
Ganguly nears century in weather-hit Test

NEW DELHI: Skipper Sourav Ganguly neared his eighth Test century as India reached 214 for four in reply to Zimbabwe's first innings 329 on the truncated third morning of the second Test on Saturday. Ganguly was 90 not out with Virender Sehwag unbeaten on a strokeful 47 as India made steady progress after resuming at their overnight 171-4 at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground.

Poor visibility and light drizzle interrupted play twice during the session with lunch being called 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Both Ganguly, 78 not out overnight, and Sehwag raised their unbroken fifth wicket partnership to 70 runs, playing cautiously against the pace-spin attack used by skipper Stuart Carlisle on a slow turner.

Ganguly played cautiously throughout the morning as he looked for his first Test hundred for over two years. He hit 11 fours and a six in his 208-ball knock spanning over five hours.

Local hero Sehwag played more aggressively, driving left-arm spinner Raymond Price through long-on and then hitting paceman Heath Streak and Travis Friend through covers for most of his six fours in the session.
Play began in thickly overcast conditions and haze and the light remained poor throughout the morning.

March 02, 2002 - 0710 GMT
Bad lights stops play

NEW DELHI: Bad light stopped play on the third morning of the second Test between India and Zimbabwe on Saturday with the game evenly balanced.

India, resuming at their overnight 171 for four in reply to Zimbabwe's first innings 329, reached 205 without any further loss when play was stopped.

Play had begun under overcast skies and mild haze but visibility deteriorated. Saurav Ganguly was unbeaten on 85 and Virender Sehwag was 43 not out, having added 34 runs in 14.3 overs bowled in the session. The batsmen, hoping to build on a fifth wicket partnership already worth 61 runs, preferred to play on after being offered the light by the umpires the first time, but then chose to take the offer the second time as conditions worsened.

The covers were brought on soon after as rain seemed possible. Ganguly, 78 not out overnight, scored his runs in singles while Sehwag batted aggressively against Heath Streak's pace and left-arm spinner Raymond Price to add 27 runs to his score.

DAY TWO
March 01, 2002 - 1222 GMT
Zimbabwe strike early in second Test

NEW DELHI: India were 91 for two in reply to Zimbabwe's first innings 329 all out at tea on the second day of the second Test on Friday.

Sachin Tendulkar was on 24 and skipper Sourav Ganguly, promoting himself to number three, was 29 after openers Shiv Sundar Das (13) and Deep Dasgupta (19) fell to pace bowlers.

Zimbabwe showed signs of recovery after their innings defeat in the first Nagpur Test, scoring 329 after electing to bat. Young Dion Ebrahim became the second batsman in the Zimbabwe innings to be dismissed in the 90s, falling six runs short of his maiden Test hundred as their innings ended close to the lunch interval.

The 21-year-old was trapped leg before by seamer Javagal Srinath for 94 to miss the landmark after prolific left-hander Andy Flower was out for 92 on the opening day. Ebrahim hit 10 fours in his 203-ball knock spanning five hours.

Resuming at their lunch score of 11 for none, India first lost Das when he edged a short, rising ball from Heath Streak to offer a legside catch to wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu.

Dasgupta, under pressure to retain his Test spot because of his wicket-keeping errors, added 34 runs for the second wicket with Ganguly before seamer Travis Friend foxed him with a slow full toss to trap him lbw.

Ganguly, struggling for his Test form, promoted himself to the number three spot usually taken by Rahul Dravid and played his shots freely. In the morning Zimbabwe, who were reduced to 289 for seven at Ebrahim's dismissal, went on to add 69 runs to their overnight 260-6 before being all out nearing the lunch interval.

Number eight batsman Travis Friend weighed in with a patient 43 before being the last man to be out.

March 01, 2002 - 0650 GMT
Ebrahim misses maiden ton in Zimbabwe's 329

NEW DELHI: Dion Ebrahim missed his maiden Test century by six runs as Zimbabwe were all out for 329 in their first innings in the second Test against India on Friday.

The 21-year-old fell leg before to paceman Javagal Srinath for 94. Andy Flower was out for 92 on the opening day. Ebrahim looked unlucky after television replays suggested the delivery which nipped back sharply from outside off-stump could have missed the stumps as he played back.

The Zimbabwe innings ended about 30 minutes before lunch on the second day.

India were 11 for none from four overs in reply at the interval. Ebrahim hit 10 fours in his 203-ball knock lasting just over five hours. Zimbabwe added 69 runs to their overnight 260 for six as Travis Friend once again led the late order fight scoring 43 before being the last man out.

He attacked pace bowler Srinath and left-arm Zaheer Khan and hoisted off-spinner Harbhajan Singh over long-on for a six before holing out to the same bowler to midwicket, where Sachin Tendulkar took a well-judged catch on the boundary. Friend faced 105 balls during his innings lasting two hours.

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble took two wickets in one over to end Zimbabwe's hopes of a huge score, dismissing teenager Tatenda Taibu (13) leg before attempting a sweep and bowling Raymond Price for a second-ball duck to reduce Zimbabwe to 310-9. Kumble finished with three for 88 to be the most successful bowler.

Andy Flower and Dion Ebrahim shared in a 116-run fourth wicket partnership on the opening day to lift Zimbabwe after a shaky start which saw them reeling at 11 for two.

DAY ONE
February 28, 2002 - 1135 GMT
Flower lifts Zimbabwe after poor start

NEW DELHI: Andy Flower hit a sparkling unbeaten 81 to rescue Zimbabwe after the tourists made a disastrous start on the opening day of the second and final Test against India on Thursday.

Flower regained his superb batting rhythm after his recent failures to enable Zimbabwe to reach 163 for three wickets at tea after electing to bat at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground.

Zimbabwe's most prolific batsman is heading for his 13th test century, having scored 56 of his runs in fours at his favourite ground where he has already scored two centuries.

Flower has so far added 98 for the fourth wicket with Dion Ebrahim, who was batting on 40 in an excellent supportive role. The tourists added 89 without losing a wicket in the second session after resuming after lunch at 74-3.

India, boosted by left-arm Zaheer Khan's two early strikes, had Zimbabwe reeling at 11 for two in the eighth over. Having re-built the innings with a 54-run third wicket partnership with fellow left-hander Alistair Campbell (16) in the morning session, Flower's innings continued to grow in stature.

Both Flower and Ebrahim survived sharp afternoon spells in tandem by fast bowler Javagal Srinath - who beat the bat several times - and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh in the afternoon.

Ebrahim edged Singh twice past the slips but hung on to keep Zimbabwe's hopes for a good total alive. Zimbabwe, having suffered an innings defeat in the first Nagpur Test, began disastrously in the morning after Srinath bowled skipper Stuart Carlisle for a duck with the day's fourth ball.

Khan then forced opener Trevor Gripper (8) to edge to Rahul Dravid at slip before returning to dismiss Campbell in similar fashion. Flower, having played fluent shots through the off-side against the Indian pace attack in the morning, played and missed a few times against Srinath.

But he completed his fifty with a single to square-leg against Singh and then opened out.

February 28, 2002 - 0730 GMT
Flower steadies Zimbabwe after early losses

NEW DELHI: Indian pacemen Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath claimed early wickets to leave Zimbabwe struggling at 74 for three at lunch on the opening day of the second and final Test on Thursday.

Left-arm Khan took two quick wickets after Srinath had struck in the first over to remove Zimbabwe skipper Stuart Carlisle for a fourth ball duck after he elected to bat at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground.

Zimbabwe's hopes for a decent first innings total rested on Andy Flower, who was batting on 37 with Dion Ebrahim two not out at lunch.

Flower has struck eight fours in his 57-ball knock so far. Zimbabwe were reeling at 11 for two before Flower raised a 54-run third wicket partnership with fellow left-hander Alistair Campbell (16) to provide some resistance.

But Khan provided the breakthrough in the first over of his second spell by having Campbell caught in the slips, having removed opener Trevor Gripper (8) in the same fashion.

The tourists were in trouble straightaway as Srinath bowled Carlisle with a vicious in-swinger that clipped the bails. Gripper also fell soon after as the seamers provided the early wickets on a barren pitch where spinners are expected to dominate.

The batsman pulled Khan for Zimbabwe's first four in the eighth over, but he forced him to edge the next ball to first slip Rahul Dravid. Srinath bowled a lively seven-over spell to trouble the beleagured Zimbabwe top-order with sharp movement on a cloudy morning which encouraged seam bowling.

Both India and Zimbabwe made one change to the eleven from the Nagpur game by changing a middle-order batsman. The hosts dropped Vangipurappu Laxman to bring in in-form local batsman Virender Sehwag while Gavin Rennie, who failed to click in the previous game, made way for Dion Ebrahim.

February 28, 2002 - 0430 GMT
Zimbabwe elect to bat

NEW DELHI: Zimbabwe skipper Stuart Carlisle won the toss and elected to bat first in the second and final test against India on Thursday.

Both teams made one change from the first test in Nagpur, which India won by an innings and 101 runs earlier in the week. India dropped struggling batsman Vangipurappu Laxman for the in-form Virender Sehwag.

Zimbabwe also replaced a batsman, leaving out Gavin Rennie, who failed in both innings of the first test, and bringing in Dion Ebrahim.

Teams: India - Sourav Ganguly (captain), Shiv Sundar Das, Deep Dasgupta (wk), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sanjay Bangar, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath.

Zimbabwe - Stuart Carlisle (captain), Trevor Gripper, Alistair Campbell, Andy Flower, Dion Ebrahim, Grant Flower, Heath Streak, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Travis Friend, Raymond Price, Brighton Watambwa.

Umpires - Arani Jayaprakash (India) and Asoka De Silva (Sri Lanka). Match referee - John Reid (New Zealand).

[an error occurred while processing this directive]