The 2000th Test - England v http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 – 1st Test – 5th Day’s Recap
England 474/8d & 269/6d v India 286 & 261 - England won by 196 runs
India resumed their second innings on fifth and final day of the npower Test match, played at Lord’s, with the overnight score of 80 for the loss of one wicket from 27 overs.
The stadium was buzzing with noise when the Indian batsman made their way to centre. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/VVS-Laxman-c2772. Dravid had scored 34 runs while his partner closely followed him
with 32.
The Indians required another 378 runs to emerge victorious, while they had nine wickets in hand to accomplish this feat.
Chris Tremlett started the proceedings for Poms by bowling first over of the day. The bowler was gradually building up pace but Dravid was solid in his defences and blocked everything the bowler threw his way.
The probability of winning the match was minute for Indians and it was only a matter of survival for the Men in Blue.
In 32nd over, Tremlett forced Dravid to falter, but the batsman had a lucky escape when http://www.senore.com/Cricket/IR-Bell-c1597 could not cling to the ball at short leg.
Dravid failed to make most of this chance and got out a couple of overs later, scoring 36 runs from 93 deliveries. In the 35th over, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/JM-Anderson-c1705 bowled a good length delivery, enticing the batsman to have a go at it, which he did, and ultimately
got a leading edge to wicket-keeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Prior-c1984, who took a regulation catch.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Gambhir-c1447, who found the energy to bat despite being injured, made his way to the crease at the departure of Dravid. At that juncture, Indians were 94 for the loss of two wickets.
The left-handed Gambhir was struggling to cope with English bowlers but somehow made it through drinks. Laxman, on the other hand, was looking good as the personified batsman reached his half-century in the 45th over by glancing http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SCJ-Broad-c2465 for
a boundary towards fine leg.
Laxman, however, failed to convert his fifty to a big score as the batsman was shown the door by Anderson in the 48th over.
Anderson tested the batsman with a short ball and Laxman lashed at it but could not get enough elevation to cross short-midwicket. Bell made up for his earlier miss-field by taking a blinder. Laxman made a valuable contribution of 56 runs.
Gambhir soon followed in the footsteps of his country-men. The left-hander, who notched 22 runs, was put out of his misery by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GP-Swann-c1501 in the 50th over.
Anderson was on fire as the pacer got the better of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556 and denied him a chance to score his hundredth century. The Little Master, who recovered from viral infection, could only manage to add 12 runs to his tally as the English pacer trapped
him in front of stumps in the 67th over.
Indian skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AJ-Strauss-c964, to take the second new ball. This decision of Strauss paid-off as the gangly Tremlett
removed Indian skipper.
Dhoni made 16 runs and got out in the 86th over. Raina was running out of partners when http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Harbhajan-Singh-c61453 too left him alone in the middle. Anderson was once again in the wickets column.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/P-Kumar-c2143 did not last very long either and Broad claimed his wicket. Raina’s hearted efforts came to an end in 96th over as he became Anderson’s fifth wicket of the innings.
Broad sealed the victory for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brent-Fraser-Bowden-c48388.
This marked the English victory in the first Test of the npower series and the 2000th Test in world cricket history.
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