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Dravid puts India in the driver’s seat at Wankhede 2002/10/10 By Manish Kumar Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid’s fourth century on the trot forced the West Indies on to the backfoot on the second day of the first Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on October 10. At Stumps on Day Two, the West Indies were 33/2 in their first innings, trailing India by 424 runs. Ramnaresh Sarwan (20) and night watchman Mervyn Dillon (1) were at the crease. Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh have taken a wicket each. The second day’s play started with India resuming their first innings at the overnight score of 278/2 with Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin failed to add a run to his overnight score. He edged a Mervyn Dillon delivery, which was gratefully accepted by wicket keeper Ridley Jacobs. It was his 150th dismissal. Skipper Sourav Ganguly who came in next was distinctly unlucky to be given out leg before wicket off Cameron Cuffy. The ball appeared to be heading towards the slip cordon and missing the off-stump. But Sri Lankan umpire Asoka De Silva thought otherwise, and that was the end of Ganguly’s innings at four. India looked in trouble at 296/4, but Dravid and Laxman added 105 runs for the fifth wicket taking the score to 401. But just at the stroke of Tea, Laxman was stumped by Jacobs off Mahendra Nagamootoo. The wristy Hyderabadi scored 45 runs. In the first over after Tea, Dravid flicked a Dillon delivery and ran for his 99th run. Just as he was turning around for another run, he pulled a muscle but managed to limp back for his fourteenth Test hundred. It was a sad end to a gritty knock. Dravid, who hit twelve fours in his innings, had to go off the field immediately leaving India at 407/5. This is Dravid’s fourth hundred in his fourth consecutive Test innings. The Wall’s sequence of hundreds started with India’s second Test against England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham where he scored 115. Then at Headingley in Leeds, Dravid made a match-winning 148. Then came the icing on the cake – a fabulous 217 at The Oval in London. With this ton, Dravid equaled the record of Aussie John Fingleton in hitting tons in four consecutive innings. If Dravid hits a century in his next innings as well, he will equal the record of West Indian Everton Weekes of five centuries in five consecutive Test innings. Incidentally, Weekes’ four of those five centuries were against India. Dravid’s exit triggered a collapse. India lost the next three wickets for the addition of just one run on the board! The last pair of Parthiv Patel (21 n.o.) and Javagal Srinath (31) added 49 runs for the last wicket to take the Indian total past the 450-mark. Srinath hit three fours and a six in his knock of 31. His was the last wicket to fall at 457. Dravid could not return to bat. |