Tenacious Taibu leads from the backfoot

On it two men approached landmarks. Sourav Ganguly is now India8217;s most capped captain and, irrespective of recent happenings in his career, that is something to be applauded. It suggests longevity and success though it is later in this game that his attempts at getting to a half century will be seen. He lost the toss which wasn8217;t much of a help because this is a beautiful surface to be batting on. Harbhajan Singh, approaching his 200th wicket, was rewarded with a long spell from Ganguly. Early in the session there was both turn and bounce and the 200th seemed like it could be one of many. But eagerness can sometimes be a handicap and the more he tried, the more the landmark grew distant and occasionally his persistence traded places with frustration.

The early wickets went to the quicker bowlers 8212; and the use of the comparative is intentional. They were merely quicker than the others and that must concern India a bit for, apart from a stray delivery at 138 kmph, the bowlers limited themselves to around 130.

It was symbolic of a general lethargy in the field and Zaheer Khan8217;s last spell with a ball 80 overs old was the sharpest. Catches went down, the odd stumping too and, curiously, Ganguly ignored Kumble for much of the morning. He had a six over spell and then only returned an hour after lunch. The aggression was there, so was the scowl and soon the wickets appeared. Heath Streak had been, frustratingly for Harbhajan, dropped by Dravid at slip but an over later an easier opportunity materialised and was easily taken. Then, Coventry, like many others before him, found himself stuck in the path of a Kumble projectile.

If Zimbabwe prospered, and that can be a relative term, up till tea it was largely because of a gritty display from their debutant Terence Duffin. He grew in confidence as the minutes passed, and initially they passed very slowly, and then played some charming shots. There were on-drives against the turn to Harbhajan and, most notably, a back foot punch through cover off Pathan. The likes of Duffin suggest that Zimbabwe can be a competitive side but far too many of his kind have come and gone. He will need more examination, more opportunity.

And it was a pretty good day for the admirable Taibu, merely four years old in international cricket and already captain, wicket-keeper and lead batsman. He put a big price on his wicket and hasn8217;t yet found someone ready for it. Occasionally he would emerge from the safety shell he constructed around him and knock the spinners into the deep field. And he ran beautifully, first with Streak with whom he had a crucial fifth wicket partnership and, late in the evening, with the refreshing Keith Dabengwa. In only his second test Dabengwa was very impressive, quite happy to hook the bouncer, perfectly willing to hoist Kumble for six over mid-wicket in the last over of the day and to run like young men in their early twenties must.

It has been a good day for Zimbabwe. They didn8217;t look a test side against New Zealand. Against a friendlier attack they have been far more comfortable and now can think of 300. The ball has turned more than you might have expected here but it isn8217;t alarming yet.

The jacarandas are blooming in Bulawayo and Zimbabwe haven8217;t spoilt the mood. Not yet.