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| March 5, 2006 | Sunday | Safar 4, 1427 |
England in firm command of first Test
NAGPUR, March 4: Alastair Cook ground out a century on debut and Kevin Pietersen smashed a blistering 87 to boost England’s chances of forcing a win in the opening Test against India on Saturday.
Cook made a composed 104 not out and Ashes hero Pietersen hammered an aggressive half-century as England posted 297-3 at stumps on the fourth day for an overall lead of 367. Paul Collingwood was the other not-out batsman on 36.
Cook, a 21-year-old left-handed opener, became only the second England batsman to score a century on Test debut against India after Bryan Valentine, who made 136 at Mumbai in 1933-34.
The day started positively for England as swing bowler Matthew Hoggard picked up India’s final wicket for the addition of just one run to the hosts’ overnight score of 322-9.
It was Hoggard’s sixth wicket of the innings as he finished with impressive figures of 6-57, his sixth haul of five or more wickets in a Test innings and the first against India.
Cook then put his team on course for a big total with a 95-run stand for the opening wicket with Andrew Strauss (46) before Pietersen dominated the Indian bowling with an amazing array of aggressive shots.
The pair dented India’s bowling pride with a 124-run stand for the third wicket to ensure the hosts would have to bat through most, if not all, of Sunday to save the match.
“It has just sunk in that I have got a hundred. It is exciting, great. You need a bit of luck and it was my day. I enjoyed the moment and I did not want to be 90 overnight,” said Cook, who gave two chances.
“You never know what will happen on the fifth-day pitch (on Sunday) but we will give our best shot. We are already fired up.”
Cook only flew in from the West Indies to join the squad as a late replacement after several England injuries.
His century on debut, the first for England since his opening partner Strauss against New Zealand at Lord’s in 2004, followed an assured knock of 60 in the first innings.
It enabled Pietersen to put the Indian attack to the sword as he smashed one six and 14 fours in a blazing half-century, the fourth of his Test career.
Pietersen hit Anil Kumble for two fours early in his innings before Indian third-umpire Ivaturi Sivaram turned down a strong call for a caught and bowled from the Indian spinner in his next over, when England’s big-hitter was on 36.
Kumble again came close to dismissing Pietersen, but debutant Shanthakumaran Sreesanth dropped a sitter in the covers when the batsman was on 51.
Pietersen then swung Kumble for a six and drove for two fours in the same over before his eventual dismissal to a miscued sweep by skipper Rahul Dravid in the leg-spinner’s next over.
Meanwhile, Cook impressed with his temperament, taking no risks and patiently waiting for loose deliveries to punish. He hit 12 fours in his 243-ball knock.
India’s fielding left a lot to be desired as three more chances went begging.
Cook was let off on 70 when off-spinner Harbhajan Singh failed to latch on to a return catch and then on 91 when grassed by Dravid at lone slip off the same over.
The next man in after Pietersen, first-innings centurion Paul Collingwood, survived a chance on four when Mohammad Kaif put down a difficult chance out at deep mid-wicket.
There was only a brief period after lunch when the Indians had smiles on their faces as left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan removed Strauss and Ian Bell off successive deliveries.
Left-handed Strauss was just beginning to assert himself and was just four short of his half-century when he edged an away-swinger that was comfortably taken by wicket-keeper Mahendra Dhoni.
Bell, who scored nine in the first innings, failed again. He made just one before nicking another good delivery from Pathan to Dhoni.
Scoreboard
ENGLAND (1st Innings) 393 (P.D. Collingwood 134 not out, A.N. Cook 60; S. Sreesanth 4-95).
INDIA (1st Innings, overnight 322-9):
Wasim Jaffer c Flintoff b Hoggard 81
V. Sehwag c Pietersen b Hoggard 2
R. Dravid lbw b Hoggard 40
S.R. Tendulkar lbw b Panesar 16
V.V.S. Laxman lbw b Hoggard 0
Mohammad Kaif b Panesar 91
M.S. Dhoni c Jones b Flintoff 5
Irfan Pathan c Flintoff b Hoggard 2
A. Kumble c Cook b Harmison 58
Harbhajan Singh not out 0
S. Sreesanth lbw b Hoggard 1
EXTRAS (B-17, LB-3, W-5, NB-2) 27
TOTAL (all out, 136.5 overs) 323
FALL OF WKTS: 1-11, 2-140, 3-149, 4-149, 5-176, 6-183, 7-190, 8-318, 9-322.
BOWLING: Hoggard 30.5-13-57-6; Harmison 27-5-75-1 (nb-1); Flintoff 29-10-68-1 (1nb, 1w); Panesar 42-19-73-2; Blackwell 7-0-28-0; Bell 1-0-2-0.
ENGLAND (2nd Innings):
A.J. Strauss c Dhoni b Pathan 46
A.N. Cook not out 104
I.R. Bell c Dhoni b Pathan 1
K.P. Pietersen c Dravid b Kumble 87
P.D. Collingwood not out 36
EXTRAS (B-12, LB-7, W-2, NB-2) 23
TOTAL (for three wkts, 87 overs) 297
FALL OF WKTS: 1-95, 2-97, 3-221.
BOWLING (to-date): Irfan Pathan 14-2-48-2 (2w); Sreesanth 10-2-36-0; Kumble 32-8-101-1 (1nb); Harbhajan Singh 30-6-79-0; Sehwag 1-0-14-0 (1nb).—Agencies
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