Gaji
Indians 327 for 7 (Abhinav 113 retd, Laxman 49, Mishra 48*) v Northants
On a tour where India's cup has not exactly run over, a century from Abhinav Mukund in the two-day practice match versus Northampton could have been a solution to a problem. All it is now is yet another nagging poser as the third Test at Edgbaston nears.
India ended the day at 327 for seven, after the loss of two quick wickets after tea that took some of the air out of their innings and put Abhinav's century into perspective.
Abhinav is not the stereotypical left-hander whose dip in scores is easily defended by his advantages of flair or style. His first five Tests have been played on demanding wickets in the West Indies and England, fiery baptisms for all batsmen, never mind openers. Today Abhinav saw the first signs of daylight in weeks at No. 3, largely against a second-string county attack, and was alert enough to cash in.
Unfortunately, the other batsmen who could have done with much-needed time in the middle were unable to do so. Gautam Gambhir's elbow put in nearly 90 minutes of work against the new ball and a disciplined Northants attack before falling for 18.
The two middle-order men who needed a strong dose of confident batting, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, did not have the day they were hoping for either.
Yet the irony is that Abhinav will not be an instant pick for Birmingham, despite the resolution he showed in his testy second innings in Nottingham and his smart batting today. His runs came at a good pace; the seamers were attacked when their width and length demanded it. He was secure off his backfoot of the quicker men and nearing his 100, feasted on the spinner. It came with a single to mid-on and was celebrated fervently, Abhinav driving his arms aloft and pulling off his helmet.
His 132-run third wicket partnership with VVS Laxman came off 26 overs and upped the tempo of the innings. Had Laxman been rested for this game, like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar were, it would have been understandable, but the crowd would have been deprived of some entertainment. Under a clear, sunny sky, Laxman cut and drove and had the crowd enjoying his private carnival.
He had whistled to 49 before a pull so ugly it could have belonged to his nightmare ended up in square leg's hands. .
On a tour where India's cup has not exactly run over, a century from Abhinav Mukund in the two-day practice match versus Northampton could have been a solution to a problem. All it is now is yet another nagging poser as the third Test at Edgbaston nears.
India ended the day at 327 for seven, after the loss of two quick wickets after tea that took some of the air out of their innings and put Abhinav's century into perspective.
Abhinav is not the stereotypical left-hander whose dip in scores is easily defended by his advantages of flair or style. His first five Tests have been played on demanding wickets in the West Indies and England, fiery baptisms for all batsmen, never mind openers. Today Abhinav saw the first signs of daylight in weeks at No. 3, largely against a second-string county attack, and was alert enough to cash in.
Unfortunately, the other batsmen who could have done with much-needed time in the middle were unable to do so. Gautam Gambhir's elbow put in nearly 90 minutes of work against the new ball and a disciplined Northants attack before falling for 18.
The two middle-order men who needed a strong dose of confident batting, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, did not have the day they were hoping for either.
Yet the irony is that Abhinav will not be an instant pick for Birmingham, despite the resolution he showed in his testy second innings in Nottingham and his smart batting today. His runs came at a good pace; the seamers were attacked when their width and length demanded it. He was secure off his backfoot of the quicker men and nearing his 100, feasted on the spinner. It came with a single to mid-on and was celebrated fervently, Abhinav driving his arms aloft and pulling off his helmet.
His 132-run third wicket partnership with VVS Laxman came off 26 overs and upped the tempo of the innings. Had Laxman been rested for this game, like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar were, it would have been understandable, but the crowd would have been deprived of some entertainment. Under a clear, sunny sky, Laxman cut and drove and had the crowd enjoying his private carnival.
He had whistled to 49 before a pull so ugly it could have belonged to his nightmare ended up in square leg's hands. .
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