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England Win First Test
England finally completed a 170-run victory over India in the opening npower Test after ending their resistance in mid-afternoon. An impressive start to England test series, I have to say! Hussain led his young, but experienced side to victory at Lourds in a 5 day match. The game went Englands way right from the start. Hussain got yet another century against India, and Jones got his first test wicket.
Resuming 335 runs adrift on 232-6, India were expected to capitulate on the final morning and hand England an emphatic victory with most of the day to spare. Instead, they battled on beyond the lunch interval with VVS Laxman making a determined 74 while Ajit Agarkar hit a career best 109 not out before the innings finally ended for 397. Credit must go to Laxman and Agarkar. I know from experience, that it is hard and frustraiting batting out the last overs of the match, knowing you are going to end up loosing.
England's hopes of wrapping up the victory early were frustrated for 68 minutes by Laxman and Agarkar, who forged a 126-run partnership spanning 35 overs and was only broken five overs after taking the new ball.
Laxman was fortunate to survive with the second delivery with the new ball, Ashley Giles failing to make up the ground to take a catch from point after Matthew Hoggard's short delivery looped off the shoulder of his bat and fell to earth.
But England did not achieve the breakthrough until captain Nasser Hussain threw the ball to debutant Simon Jones, who struck with his second ball when Laxman was caught at point by Michael Vaughan driving on the up.
Hoggard earned his reward for a tight new ball spell by claiming his fourth wicket of the innings five overs later when he caught a leading edge from Anil Kumble, who had made 15.
Zaheer Khan fell two overs later for seven, edging Craig White behind to wicketkeeper Alec Stewart but England could not claim the final wicket they needed for victory with Agarkar and Ashish Nehra surviving for nearly 50 minutes after lunch.
White eventually induced a snick to slip by Nehra, but not before he and Agarkar had added 63 runs for the 10th wicket, a record for India against England in Tests.
I think that if England play like they played in the first test, in all of their test matches, they can go on to win. ME Trescothick and D Gough did not play, but the team played together and did not let any chances slip. Great work.
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