All those fools who were asking about the declaration, read below, and don't dare you laugh:
Declaration our only chance: Dravid
Harish Kotian in Chittagong | May 22, 2007 20:00 IST
India captain Rahul Dravid on Tuesday said the bold declaration on the fifth and final day of the first Test in Chittagong was their only chance to force a result.
Inclement weather had eaten nearly half of the playing time and India tried to make up for it. The visitors declared their second innings at 100 for 6, setting Bangladesh a target of 250 in 43 overs, which they didn't bother having a go at.
"We had to give them a bit of target. We hoped they would play positively and go for the target. We hoped to take some early wickets and then anything could have happened, and that was the thought process. But after the first wicket they played sensibly and there was not much swing for us in the second innings," Dravid said.
Opener Javed Omar top-scored with 52 not out, adding 70 runs with captain Habibul Bashar (37) to thwart the Indian bowlers in the final session of play.
The Indian bowlers had a decent outing in the first innings, especially left-arm pacer RP Singh who took 3 for 45 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 238.
"The conditions were not exactly suitable for them to bowl fast. RP Singh ran in and bowled with a lot enthusiasm. He has improved a lot than we had seen him in the past. It is matter of playing a lot of overs for guys like VRV Singh and RP and it is critical for them," he added.
Veteran spinner Anil Kumble was down with fever and could not bowl in both the innings and his services were sorely missed by the inexperienced Indian bowling attack. Dravid said his Karnataka teammate should be fine for the second Test, which begins in Dhaka on May 25.
"Kumble should be alright. It is just a fever. You know a lot of Bangladesh bowlers got affected by that in the last week. Unfortunately Anil got it during the game. It was a blow for us in this sort of conditions," he said.
For India it was a complete turnaround in fortunes after reducing Bangladesh to 149 for 8 in their first innings. Mashrafe Mortaza, however, rescued the hosts with a brilliant knock of 79, adding 77 runs for the ninth wicket with Shahadat Hossain, who made 31. That innings helped the hosts avoid the follow on and that proved critical in the final analysis.
"After the first day, when we were at 295 for three, we were in a position to control the Test. It was good to see after winning a good toss you bat well and score runs at quick rate. At that stage we were definitely in the driver's seat. After that it was a stop-start game and there was not enough cricket for us to force a result. Probably our only chance was make them follow on, but that ninth wicket partnership really hindered us from enforcing the follow on," the Indian captain said.
Dravid paid rich tributes to Mortaza, saying Bangladesh is lucky to have a player like him in their team.
"Mortaza is a terrific cricketer and Bangladesh is lucky to have such a cricketer. He is a very good trier with the ball and his contribution down the order with the bat is also important for Bangladesh. He did well in the World Cup and this match especially. He is developing as a genuine all-rounder and there not many around at the moment, especially fast bowing all-rounder," he said.
Bangladesh gave India a few worries when they reduced them to 100 for 6 in the final morning, having claimed four wickets. Also their batsmen had no real problems countering the Indian batting in the final session as they eased to 104 for 2 in 28 overs before agreeing for a draw.
But Dravid believes there were no real worries for his team in the match.
"They were struggling at one stage and we were trying to set up a game at that stage. If they think they have psychological edge; good luck to them. I am not here to win any psychological battle.
"It's going to start 0-0 in the next game. I can't think of any stage when we were doing the chase. First day we ended on 295 for three, and next day we went out looking for runs knowing that we have only 20 overs and that again was a strategy. I can't think of time when we were under any sort of pressure at all," he added.
The right-hander admitted it was frustrating to miss out playing because of the weather. But he added with the busy international calendar ahead for India, this was the only available time to tour Bangladesh.
"Ideally, the timing of the series could have been better. But schedules are cramped; over cramped if you ask me, so I don't know how we are going to fit everything in. The solution is that we have to get the scheduling right and try to get certain number of Test and ODIs and try not to exceed that number and plan your tours well and prepare for your tours well. At the end of the day, quality is important and as an international player you want to provide quality cricket to people," the 34-year-old said.
AuthorTopic: Match Thread.. Ind vs Ban : 1st test Chittagong (Read 5009 times)
