The visiting Zimbabwe team started with a mission to avoid the follow-on
on the fourth morning. Grant Flower duly completed his century but he was
left on his own as Srinath consumed the lower order batsmen fairly quickly.
He was the best bet for Ganguly and the experienced speedster responded
well. It was yet another occasion he delivered the goods for his team at
the right moment in this series. Flower remained unbeaten as the
Zimbabweans were made to follow on. A consistent scorecard for the visitors
was not good enough to cross the first hurdle of following on.
Dismissing the visitors to complete a victory required a very good
performance from the Indian bowlers with the pitch playing true. The major
problem was the fact that they had to bowl back to back which meant that
the fitness level and tenacity of the bowlers were under severe test. The
visitors knew that they could draw the Test match if they applied
themselves but the pressure was there always. They had lost the first match
at Delhi due a couple of bad hours for them on either side of the fourth
day. That would have been at the back of their minds and they needed the
top order to click collectively to achieve a draw.
Whittal, who scored runs in the first innings, threw his wicket away after
negotiating the medium pacers with assurance. Sharandeep Singh, the
off-spinner, lured the batsmen with clever variations in flight accounting
for Carlisle and Whittal. The young spinner made the ball drop on the
batsmen by bowling at the right speed in the air. Campbell and Andy Flower
had a huge responsibility on their shoulders because the fortunes of their
side depended on them. Campbell and Flower played sensibly by mixing
caution with aggression. They played the waiting game and the loose
deliveries were despatched with the minimum of fuss.
Campbell is a very attractive player to watch once he gets going and
Flower was the man the Indians were sick and tired of watching him
repeatedly grind the attack. The left-handed duo tackled the spinners with
circumspection and it was rather strange that the spinners hardly bowled in
tandem. Joshi was once again given the preference of bowling from the end
Sharandeep succeeded from. Unfortunately, Ganguly seemed to have overlooked
the fact that a bowler has to bowl well in order to succeed. Joshi was
looking far too desperate to get wickets, which resulted in him spraying
the ball. He would have been a far better bowler if he were to bowl from
over the wicket to exploit the rough against the left handers.
Flower demonstrated that the sweep is a great weapon to frustrate and put the
spinners off line. His reverse sweep was incredible and such was his
confidence that he was playing this stroke against the spin as well. He
exhibited excellent temperament, stamina and extreme powers of
concentration. He would have liked the Test series to prolong, as he never
looked like getting out. Campbell, his partner until the last morning
played some spanking drives against Srinath to reach his maiden hundred.
His dismissal gave the Indians a hint of a chance but Viljeon played with
pluck and kept Andy Flower company to survive the crucial phase of the
game. Flower and Viljeon ran aggressively between the wickets and it was
the positive approach of the Zimbabweans, which enabled them to draw the
Test match.
The Test series was enthralling as both sides played a good brand of
cricket and the visitors being really impressive even though they lost the
series 1-0. Zimbabwe knew their limitations and they never ever showed a
negative streak though they were at the receiving end for most of the time.
They played sensible cricket in an entertaining manner, which was their
aim. Streak and his men also displayed very good spirit and excellent
behaviour throughout the Test series.
The Indians have gained a lot by way of some young cricketers coming
through with flying colours. Das, the young opener, has shown that he
belongs to the national side. Sharandeep Singh has shown enough promise in
his first Test and has to be nurtured very carefully. Dahiya, I must
confess has answered his detractors with a flawless show and the search for
the keeper may at least temporarily be disbanded. All in all, the Indians
have done well under Ganguly in the Tests but it will be a different ball
game in the one-dayers which is Zimbabwe's forte.