Amre to India's rescue with maiden Test century

From R. Mohan dence, sorted out his technique in stepping back There was none prouder than Ajit Wadekar, the and across to play the short balls aimed at his body manager, whose opinion was instrumental in , Nov. 15 and begun moving the strike around to take the the picking of Amre for the Test The manager had It was a triumph of labour, of perseverance fur- pressure which would have built up in a runless situ- stuck to his choice so much that it then became a thering talent and of dedication bringing out the ation as on Saturday. matter of choosing between Jadeja and Raman and best out of a cricketer. At no time in his six-season Such resistance and the accelerating scoring pat- the and vice-captain had to accept it. first class career has Praveen Amre been showered tern went down well with the largest crowd (14,700) with paeans of praise about his ability The declining strike rate of the bowling could be of the three days. The day too was brighter and explained away by the grit shown by the late order though he has scored runs aplenty on home pitches. more conducive to a public seeking entertainment. He changed all that with a century on debut after which too had commanded for a short- There was a short sharp exchange between Schultz er period of time when its resumed on the having come in when India was tottering on the who seemed to point to Amre's weakness against brink at 38 for four. second morning. The Indians took it far further, al- the rising ball. This broke down when Schultz him- most batting out the day. Kiran More C214 balls, 3 x In becoming the ninth Indian to score a century self did as he strained his hamstring when he stop- on appearance, Amre places himself in the com- 4) had been in for a full five hours before he missec ped abruptly in his runup and took no further part in an attempted paddle sweep and the ball fell on his pany of some batting greats. His innings at the innings. Kingsmead had, however, more to do with proving boot. This was a second for Henry who had himself in the face of adversity not only from the There was a grave challenge in Donald with the earlier beaten Kumbles heave and bowled him. His team's position but also to fight against a system second new ball But South Africa's main strike late bag of two may give the Indian spinners some that had not recognised his talent bowler seemed unable to find his rhythm — the encouragement pace and the line — to be more of a threat after he Spin may be the key: Spin may well be the key tc The stunning transformation of fortunes for India dismissed Prabhakar. Prmgle's outswingers may which was badly placed to a position from which it which way this Test will head. The behaviour of the have been a fine work of art but they were not well pitch is bound to be another major factor If it re> can look at the remainder of the first Test with hope enough directed in that they began at off stump and was brought about principally by the manner in tains the docile nature it seems to have picked up moved further away There was an increasing today, this may well be a draw, but one that the which Amre applied himself. The century stand he surenness in the batsmen about what to play and shared with Kiran More was marked by the latter's Indian batsmen, principally Amre, had helpec what not to, and they kept clear of any commitment fashion out of a desperate position. The weather wil, well known pluck. to the inviting away going ball. Technically, the bat- The grimness of the situation and of the circum- be another factor since some rain has been predict- ting was of a far higher order than on Saturday. ed for the last two days over and above the daily stances and conditions of the match meant this was Method replaced desperation. a contest in which only the gritty men could come thunderstorms that hit this city almost every nighi out triumphant. The home team's pace bowlers, with Jonty here, there and everywhere: The of without fail. • the exception of Brian McMillan who was steadfast Jonty Rhodes kept everyone entertained even more. in his line and innovative in his movement and phy- He moved in his fleet-footed way from cover point sically strong in sustaining his pace over spells, may to chase balls that the batsmen got past the infield. not exactly have shone today. The pitch may have He was here, there and everywhere and the crowd eased up and may have played at its best in the last roared each time there was such electric action three days. What India's batsmen had to get to con- from this bundle of energy He was not involved in quer first was their own diffidence anything as dramatic as the TV-replay--out situ- The largely negative decision of inserting South ation again though he Amre (374 mins., 298 Africa may have been positive and the match bristl- balls, 10x4 and one four all run) at point to reward ed with possibilities had not the batting remained McMillan for his streunous effort through the day subdued and subversive to the attack. Amre stuck Break in concentration: The cut may have come to grinding his way past his difficulties while More from a break in concentration brought about by the ducked and wove his way past the shortpitched tea interval as Amre kept flashing and got beaten stuff he seems to provoke in any set of pace bow- thrice in the same over in which he hit the ball into lers. Rhodes. There had been no such uncertainty in the Turning point The turning point of the game may second session which was Amre's best since he have come when Amre failed to negotiate had begun to assert himself Once he convinced McMillan's bouncy away seamer and the ball lob- himself that he has more strokes than the nudge and bed towards Jimmy Cook at second slip. The fiel- the deflection, he could dictate terms to tiring bow- lers by coming well forward and driving through the der may have believed the ball would come right McMillan who claimed three bowling to Kumble (not in picture). The non-striker is Kiran More. — Fax Photos: V V Krishnan into him and failed to take the one step towards it offside. for the catch that would have nipped this fine effort A great coordinator: An able partner for Amre as to recognise the least opportunity for the place- some easy offerings, beating the crowded offside dian to make a century on appearance and since he from Amre who was then on 43. Prabhakar had was More. There is none better to keep anyone ments that fetch the runs effectively even if not in field with drives that were notable for their elegance had gone on to make many more, Amre should fallen in sticking to the previous evening's pattern of chirpy company, running the singles busily and egg- spectacular style. as much as for their efficiency of runmaking. fancy himself to get more hundreds to beat the hoo- flashing at a wide and short one which McMillan ing his colleague on with well meaning advice. The The run rate picked up once Henry came on the An ondrive running teasingly past a diving fielder doo that had afflicted the first six Indian century- took in the slips to demonstrate that at least he was keeper is a great coordinator of activity on the scene. The veteran leftarm spinner is from a differ- makers on debut who did not get another Test ton sticking to certain standards of performance field. A fair share of the credit went to him too for ent era. He can float the ball up, get it to turn some. brought up a great personal moment for a batsman in their careers. The one to break the spell was Vis- There was not to be another wicket for nearly keeping the stand going though he has his own limi- But his very high arm does not lend itself easily to whose first class average in the low 90's is almost vanath, now chairman of the selection committee four hours. In that time Amre had gained in confi- tations in strokeplay. But he keeps himself so busy greater subtleties in the air. Amre latched on to Bradmanesque Since Azharuddin was the last In- which picked this team