P-word prevails

With the risk of sounding repetitive while once again talking about India8217;s batting woes, and also giving the batsmen the benefit of doubt 8212; both captains called the pitch tricky 8212; it would be safe to focus on the brilliant bowling display and the surfacing of Munaf Patel as India8217;s main pace weapon. Patel 8-2-18-3 got the Man of the Match award in a game where Irfan Pathan recorded his best bowling performance against a quality opposition.

England captain Andrew Flintoff said Munaf8217;s unerring line and length was the main reason for their top order collapse. While Munaf8217;s first two wickets 8212; Ian Bell and Michael Yardy 8212; did push England back, it was his third wicket that proved to be the turning point.

Munaf8217;s dismissal of England8217;s MVP Kevin Pietersen showed how sticking to a seemingly mundane instruction of line and length can prove so decisive in a match. Pietersen looked like falling in the groove, ready to tide over the initial batting collapse, but Munaf8217;s 8216;ball on the coin8217; strategy was too stifling.

With Pietersen just managing one boundary from the 13 balls he faced from Munaf, the frustration on the England attacking batsman was showing. And that8217;s when he made a mistake. Not moving his feet while trying to punch through cover to one pitched on the good length, he edged to Tendulkar at first slip.

After the game, Munaf stressed on the importance of discipline. 8220;I would like to bowl fast, but the coach has stressed that I stick to line and length. And that has so far worked very well for me,8221; he said.

Like Munaf, Harbhajan too continued his good form. And making it a problem of plenty for the Indian think tank was the fact that Pathan and Ramesh Powar too returned to form.

That, in the days to come, will suit captain Dravid perfectly as he deals with the string of batting failures. Packing the XI with batsmen and banking on the in-form four bowlers will give him more flexibility.

But, as Dravid said, finalising the XI will always be a problem. Today the captain made a few perfect decisions. The inclusion of out-of-form Pathan and Powar was brave and so was bowling first after winning the toss.

Talking about his 8216;pick and drop8217; theory Dravid said, 8220;I know Pathan is a player who is very vital for the team with his early breakthroughs, his batting and his fielding. I had the confidence that he would get over his recent setbacks. As for Powar, I had to choose between him and Dinesh Mongia. But with Powar a better bowler and the need for a specialist spinner in the side saw him getting the nod,8221; he said.

Untimely fireworks

Meanwhile, a spectacular show at the ground went horribly wrong. Rajasthan Cricket Association8217;s effort to add glitter to India8217;s victory with an array of fireworks ended up an embarrassment as it went off in the middle of the 10th over 8212; 20 minutes after the scheduled dinner-break time and 19 overs before India eventually won.

Worse still, the fireworks coincided with Pathan8217;s dismissal and even as the fireworks continued, Dravid too had made his exit, prompting spectators to point angry fingers at RCA8217;s callous attitude that probably disrupted Dravid8217;s concentration. The skipper, of course, knows it was just a combination of a bad shot off a good ball.