Tags:
Journalism of Courage
NAGPUR, NOVEMBER 25: Devastating cyclones and perennial drought situations may be bad enough but the emergence of a new cricketing hero would certainly bring the much-needed cheers to the eastern state of Orissa.
Cricketers from that part of the country hardly get a chance to play at the international level. So, there were quite a few eyebrows which were raised when the diminutive-opener Shiv Sunder Das was drafted into the Indian squad.
The Dhaka test gainst Bangladesh wasn’t a memorable debut for the 23-year-old Bhubaneshwar batsman but his half-century in India win over Zimbabwe at Delhi must have been quite a moment for Das.
The number of fans Das had must have got multiplied today as he scored his maiden Test hundred. The most notable feature of his knock was his composure. He took time to settle on this batting paradise but such was his fluency that once he started driving and cutting the ball, his partner Sadagopan Ramesh too went ahead, full throttle.
Just when it seemed as if the two would continue on and on, Ramesh, in a hurry to reach the 50-run mark, slowed down while going for a single and found his nemesis in the form of a dircet hit from the Zimbabwe skipper Heath Streak.
Joined by Rahul Dravid, Das went on unruffled. After the lunch break, runs came more easily as Dravid got into the top gear. The pair milked the rival attack at will with Das reaching his fifty, hitting a beautiful square drive off an Henry Olonga delivery. Dravid’s innings was continuation of his Delhi effort. He too reached his fifty with a four, which was an addition to the seven boundaries he had hit by then.
Then came the testing time for Das. However, the Orissa youngster did notdisappoint a small crowd here. He made them forget what Nervous Nineties was all about, getting to his hundred with ease.
But, his and the spectators’ joy was cut short by a controversial `caught-in-the-slips’ decision and an unhappy Das walked back to the dressing room. However, when he spoke to the mediamen he was a changed man altogether. "It’s part of the game," an emotional batsman said adding that his knock of 110 runs was a "dream come true".
India’s total (306/2) after the first day’s play was an ample proof what the Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly’s plan would be. With Dravid (93 batting) continuing his excellent form, and Sachin Tendulkar, not prepared to play a below-hundred knock, the Indians are in a strong position already.
Scoreboard
INDIA: (Ist innings)
Shiv Sundar Das c Campbell b Murphy (175b, 252mts, 19×4) 110
Sadagoppan Ramesh run out (65b, 98mts, 7×4) 48
Rahul Dravid batting (204b, 206mts, 13×4) 93
Sachin Tendulkar batting (97b, 106mts, 6×4) 49
Extras: (lb-2, W-2, nb-2) 6
Total (for two wickets in 90 overs) 306
Fall of wickets: 1-72, 2-227.
BOWLING:H Streak 18-5-55-0, H Olonga 14-2-44-0, M Nkala 14-1-58-0, B Murphy 22-2-83-1, D Viljoen 12-2-36-1, G Flower 10-0-28-0.
