Thu, 18 Aug 2011 - England vs India, India Tour of England 2011, 4th Test Match - Bulletin

Day 5 - IND: 300 - 283 / 10 in 91.0 overs RR: 3.11; ENG: 591/6 dec. in 153.0 overs RR: 3.86

Whitewash catapults England to No. 1

Another batting collapse, another innings defeat, another England celebration and the whitewash was complete on the red-faced Indian team. Sachin Tendulkar and Amit Mishra resisted with a fine salvaging act but Graeme Swann’s six-wicket haul propelled his team to an emphatic victory, the margin of defeat for India being an innings and 8 runs. And, with it England were crowned the new number one in tests while as India slipped one below South Africa to three. The defeat at Oval capped off what was one of the worst nightmare for a touring Indian team on foreign soil in recent history.

When play started one last time in white clothes, India’s hopes of a face-saving effort rested on Sachin, still stationed on 99 international hundreds. With him was night-watchman Amit Mishra, who had shown bit of fight in the first innings while partnering Rahul Dravid.

Sachin started off on a positive note guiding the second ball of the morning for a boundary, the shot was important in the sense that India required runs as well to enhance chances of a draw. Carrying on in the same vein, he even upper-cut Anderson over point as Mishra was beginning to replicate his earlier resolve.

Graeme Swann, touted to be the biggest threat for India on the last day did bowl with lot of zip when the ball was hard and new but the spin slowed down considerably once the ball got older. His contest with Sachin was highlight of the session, with both men fighting it out to the hilt. Though, the good thing about Sachin was that he didn’t retreat into a shell; there was positivity in everything- shot selection, feet movement and overall body language.

He found an able partner in Amit Mishra, who may have come as night watchman but played more like a batsman. The feisty leggie played proper cricketing shots, particularly severe on anything on his legs. He even defended with aplomb, thus frustrating the English bowlers. His batting also sent a message to the rest of batsmen that they can survive on the track provided they were willing to grind it out in the middle. A couple of blows on the body also couldn’t break his concentration.

Meanwhile, Tendulkar got to his fifty with a square cut as India played out the first hour unscathed. However, England bowlers tried their best to break the partnership. One or two balls from Anderson came real close to getting his team a wicket. The man who has tormented Sachin throughout the English summer, James Anderson was on the money; Stuart Broad also bowled a nagging over beating Sachin’s edge couple of times. Luck seemed to be on his side when Cook failed to hold a sharp chance at short leg, a big let-off for India as well as Tendulkar when he had made 70.

Amit Mishra’s doggedness ensured that India do not go down without a fight, completing his second Test half-century in the process. His confidence level showed while using feet against Swann to hit one over bowler’s head and take India into the break at 216 for three, still needing 75 runs to make England bat again. India had finally managed to play out a full session without losing any wicket in the four match series.

If the pre-lunch session belonged to India, England came out all guns blazing after the break. The bowling, particularly Swann suddenly became lot more incisive creating a host of chances. There were oohs, aahs and loud appeals as England threatened to break through. While Mishra was on course to overtake Tendulkar in the scoring, the man on the verge of 100 hundreds was getting tentative with each ball.

Tendulkar had probably the luckiest day in his cricketing career, after Prior didn’t appeal for a possible stumping last evening he dropped a nick much to the annoyance of bowler Swann. Two more vociferous appeals followed but it seemed Tendulkar was destined for the century of centuries. In between all the noise, he swatted a Pietersen long-hop to move into the nineties.

Swann finally had a wicket in the next over when Mishra played for the spin but the ball went straight on to hit the off-stump. The man who had come out as a night watchman walked back to the pavilion after surviving for 141 balls for a tenacious knock of 84. Once, the partnership of 144, India’s highest in the series was broken, the floodgates were opened.

Three balls later, Bresnan was brought in to the attack to utilize the reverse swing on offer and struck straightway claiming the big scalp of Tendulkar with one that ducked in and umpire Rod Tucker decided the ball was hitting the stumps. The 100th hundred had to wait as Sachin on 91 was consumed in the nineties for ninth time in Tests.

Since, the two settled batsmen were sent back, England went for the Kill. Suresh Raina was unlucky to be given out for a king pair; India lost 3 wickets for 4 runs in 19 balls. If that was not enough, England took the second new ball without much hesitation. Captain MS Dhoni played a rash shot, RP Singh had no answer to a Broad jaffa, dazed Gambhir couldn't do much and Sreesanth, as always tried his best to get out many times in one innings. Fittingly, Swan after having grabbed a fifer claimed his sixth wicket by castling Sreesanth and India had collapsed from 262 for 3 to 283 all out in a span of 15.3 overs.

Day 4: Bulletin on next page