Cricket is armed with a few rather vague phrases,but there is one particular cliche that seems to define the word ambiguity. They let the game drift, is an allegation thrown by coaches while dissecting a day's play gone wrong,or mainly parroted by team managements whose side started well but gradually lost control. Its an easy phrase to use,for it is so generic that it can never really pinpoint the moment the tide began to shift. Unusually,though,at The Oval,there was a clear demarcation separating the periods of dominance of the two teams. India won the first session,lost the momentum in the second,and interest in the third. The wickets and run tally during the three phases that England batted today further amplify the point. First session: 51 runs,2 wickets; second session: 170 runs,0 wickets; third session: 161 runs,1 wicket. The two main architects of England's umpteenth tall score 457/3 were Ian Bell (181 n.o.) and Kevin Pietersen (175). Incidentally,just as the hands on the clock tower over the pavilion signalled lunch,the pendulum swung Englands way in sync with the break. Both before and after lunch,there were these moments that India could have termed as match-turning chances; chances that would have helped continue their authority or even turn the tide. But as has been the trend on this tour,India froze. On the very last ball before lunch,Pietersen,still on 18,flicked an Ishant Sharma ball to a strategically placed Suresh Raina at leg-slip. A timely forward lunge would have seen England hitting the dining room at 126 But it was not to be. Same was the case after the break. An Ian Bell straight drive brushed S Sreesanth's hand and hit the stumps,but Pietersen saved his wicket with a furious dive back into the crease. While Sachin Tendulkar would have probably been questioning the strange designs of fate he was out in similar fashion in Birmingham his misfield off the very next ball cost four runs. All-out assault The missed chance and the misfield triggered an all-out assault by the two English batsmen. For in the next nine overs,Pietersen and Bell smacked 11 fours. And this is where the coaches should have taken notice,for this is exactly where India let the game drift. Just after the tea break,India got one last chance to stop the onslaught. Batting on 98,Pietersen pulled the first ball of the final session for a four to reach his hundred. Next ball,Sharma bowled another short one that ballooned to Gautam Gambhir at mid on. While backpedalling,Gambhir tripped over,dropped the catch and fell on his head. Simultaneously,Team India hit the canvas,reeling from the drop at 300/2 like a punch between the eyes. Bell and Pietersen,after surviving the brief period when the Indians were in control,were soon at their dominating best. Bell was a delight to watch for the packed house,as he played the swinging ball with soft hands,guiding it through the slip cordon,or while taking a confident stride to drive through the covers. On the other hand,Pietersen played unconventional shots,like his against-the-spin chip to wide mid-wicket off Amit Mishra,which in the process disturbed the bowler's line and length. Sharma was the only one to really bowl well,and one wonders what could have been had he received support during and after his morning show. The support didn't come from RP Singh,who with figures of 30-7-96-0 showed that he isn't someone who would solve India's wicket-taking problems. Mishra,with 27-2-126-0,wasn't of help either,as he couldn't even restrict,let alone dismiss and work out opponents. Towards the end of day,the Indians became an all too familiar joke. Sreesanth flaring his nostrils while trying to sledge a batsman who had crossed 150 was plain embarrassing. Mishra was carted over the sightscreen by Bell consecutively,and switch-smashed by Pietersen. And,of course,there was the innocuous Suresh Raina,whose off-spinners never turned. Bringing Raina on to bowl is symbolic of Dhoni waving the white flag,a skipper who has run out of all options. Today at the Oval,11 Indians enacted a script on how a game can drift if the all-important little things aren't done right. Over the last couple of Tests,Dhonis men have seemed to be going through the motions,waiting for this ordeal to end. On Friday,the Indian fans mirrored the state of their cricket team.
