Hard grind at Headingley as India make slow progress

Pa Sport,David Clough
Thursday 22 August 2002 00:00 BST
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Rahul Dravid and Sanjay Bangar ground out unbeaten half–centuries to give India a hard–fought advantage by tea on the first day of the third Test against England at Headingley.

Dravid, who joined his second–wicket partner when Virender Sehwag departed in the seventh over, had 51 to his name as did Bangar in putting on an unbroken 117 to post 132 for one from 59 overs.

It was tough going along the way, though, as England's pace attack found plenty of movement in the air and off the pitch but only one significant outside edge.

After India had won the toss and chosen to bat under cloudy skies, the early loss of Sehwag put a question mark over that decision.

But vindication was at hand for captain Sourav Ganguly, courtesy of Dravid and Bangar.

India's prospects of victory here to give themselves a chance of prevailing in a four–match series they trail 1–0 suffered a setback when combative opener Sehwag drove loosely at a ball from Matthew Hoggard which was not full enough for the shot.

The result was an edge to second slip, where Andrew Flintoff took a neat catch away to his left to give the Yorkshire pace bowler the breakthrough on his home ground.

A turgid morning saw India reach 58 for one from 28 overs as England's four–pronged pace attack strove for further success in conditions which apparently favoured them.

But India survived by hook or crook, with two close calls going the way of Dravid.

He had made 16 when Michael Vaughan failed to throw down the stumps from cover with the batsman short of his ground – and then in the afternoon session Hoggard had a plausible lbw appeal turned down with Dravid aiming to leg on 40.

By then Dravid had become the seventh Indian to pass 5,000 Test runs.

It was Bangar who reached the next milestone. But he again ran the gauntlet with Vaughan to do so, escaping a run out in near identical circumstances to his partner when he pushed the single he needed on 49.

He had hit seven fours in his 166–ball half–century, collecting most of his runs square of the wicket with neat deflections in a compact innings.

Dravid duly reached his own trademark 50 just before tea, having spent 153 balls over hitting six boundaries in a contribution which hardly set a barely three quarter–full Headingley alight but was of undoubted value in helping to build a solid foundation for India.

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