India hold the number one ranking in Test cricket but for five days at Lord's England staked their claim to that lofty status, outplaying the tourists and clinching a 197-run win.
Jimmy Anderson led the charge on the final day with 5-65 while Chris Tremlett and Stuart Broad provided able support. Indian resistance was led by Suresh Raina (78) but there was no fairytale ending for Sachin Tendulkar, who made just 12 from 68 balls while battling illness. The little maestro will go down in the history as the greatest batsman of his generation but with no Lord's century to his name - just as Shane Warne failed to record a five-wicket haul at the home of cricket.
Once Tremlett broke the Raina-Mahendra Singh Dhoni partnership to expose the tail, England showed an encouraging ruthless streak, taking the final four wickets for 36 runs. And after Broad trapped Ishant Sharma lbw to seal the result, deserved celebrations began in earnest. Kevin Pietersen collected the man of the match award for his unbeaten double hundred in the first innings but there were several other worthy contenders in the home dressing room.
The past five days at Lord's provided the best possible advert for Test cricket. Gripping session after gripping session went England's way but India refused to roll over. The tourists scrapped hard but did not play their best cricket. They will surely bounce back as the series continues on Friday at Trent Bridge.
If this opener was any indication, the next three Tests will be unmissable. Check back later in the week for Nick Rogerson's First Test recap.
No comments:
Post a Comment