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Trent Bridge: India crashed to one of their biggest defeats in terms of runs when they lost the second Test against England by 319 runs on the fourth day at Trent Bridge.
Out of chaos emerges order; out of despair rises hope. The Indian team, though, had nothing to cling on to on Monday as England slammed it with a double whammy: first, it was sent on a painful leather hunt and, then, its much-vaunted batting was reduced to next to nothing.
Yet, there was just a glimmer of an unfulfilled dream: Sachin Tendulkar. The little maestro walked in with the scorecard reading an ominous 13 for two: an implausible victory was still 464 runs away and safety nearly one-and-a-half days off.
Typically, he watched the first few deliveries closely, getting behind the ones on target and leaving alone those flying away; in his third over, he moved forward confidently too and gently punched the ball through covers: perfect four. Suddenly, a dead match came alive; suddenly, the buzz was back at the ground.
Eighty-six deliveries and eight boundaries later, including a few exquisite drives, it all ended where it began at the start of Day 4: in the dumps. Tendulkar shouldered James Anderson outside the off stump; the ball sharply came back in, taking him by surprise. Umpire Marais Erasmus couldn't have said not out even if he had wanted to. Once again, he had fallen short. By 44 runs.
During his promising stay, however, India had already slipped beyond redemption: he saw the younger bats in the side succumb to aggressive, short-pitched bowling. Worse, he also watched despondently as captain MS Dhoni too left the wrong one to be declared out-not-offering-a-stroke.
India's tail wagged, like it usually does when there is absolutely no need to be happy; inevitably, though, it whimpered to a corner and lay down in defeat. The World number one had suffered one of their worst defeats: by 319 runs. Two Tests down, two to go. The crown is on the line.
England's hero was the replacer Tim Bresnan. The barrel-chested Yorkshireman came in as a last-minute reinforcement, just like he had done in the Ashes series; he usurped five wickets after missing out on his century by just 10 runs in the morning.
He claimed his first victim in his opening over itself (Abhinav Mukund fending awkwardly at a snorter) and was on a hat-trick in his seventh over too. But the third ball, in his next over, turned out to be a full toss and Harbhajan Singh dispatched it to the fence; he would have the last laugh, though, tempting Harbhajan into a desperate hook later.
Much before that he had Suresh Raina caught in no man's land too. Yuvraj Singh showed the desire to stay in the middle (though he almost walked away once when the ball hit him on the elbow and ballooned; but better sense prevailed soon) even as short balls came at him in a torrent.
He took another blow on his glove, rose on his toes again and again to smother the bounce. But it was just a question of time for his will and defense to break. Sadly, when he poked blindly at another one going for his throat, he didn't even know where the catch was taken.
As if Bresnan was not torrid enough, India had to cope with the swing of Anderson and pace of Stuard Broad too. Indeed, the collapse was triggered by the latter, when he drew danger man Rahul Dravid into a fatal forward defensive stroke; Anderson took care of the other thorn, VVS Laxman, with a perfect inswinger.
India, of course, knew that the end was nigh in the morning itself. Resuming at 441 for six with Matt Prior (64) and Bresnan (47), they needed quick wickets to at least recover their body language; it wasn't meant to be. England took the tally to 544 by which time even hope had flown out of the window. For once, there was only chaos and despair in the Indian camp.
Brief scores
England 221 (Broad 64, Praveen 3-45) and 544 (Bell 159, Pietersen 63, Morgan 70, Prior 73, Bresnan 90, Praveen 4-124)
India 288 (Dravid 117, Laxman 54, Yuvraj 62, Broad 6-46) and 158 (Tendulkar 56, Bresnan 5-48)
Results England won by 319 runs
MOM Stuart Broad (England)
