Shami shines on debut; Ind on top
7 Nov 2013 6:02 AM IST
At stumps, India were 37 for no loss, with Shikhar Dhawan (21; 27b, 4x4) and Murali Vijay (16; 45b, 2x4) in the middle on a slow wicket where the odd balls kept low while some rose appreciably.
Shami (23) gave a delightful exhibition of swing bowling to finish with figures of 4/71 besides playing his hand in a run out to grab the spotlight from Tendulkar, albeit temporarily. His figures were the best by an Indian bowler on debut at Eden Gardens. Tendulkar, appearing in his 199th Test match, also drew applause from the 33,000-strong crowd for taking the wicket of Shane Shillingford at the stroke of tea.
Opting to bat on a wicket which captain Darren Sammy thought was ‘tricky’, the West Indies saw its middle order give way in the post-lunch session as five wickets went down with the addition of just 54 runs. From 138/2, the Caribbeans slumped to 192/7.
Shami bowled with control, and became particularly lethal in the post-lunch session with the umpires replacing the ball after 40 overs. The fresh leather aided reverse swing and Shami utilised the conditions to the maximum by getting rid of the dangerous looking Marlon Samuels (65; 98 b, 11x4, 2x6), the top scorer, and Dinesh Ramdin (4) with two excellent deliveries.
In the morning, the visitors lost openers Chris Gayle (18) and Kieron Powell (28) by the first drinks break, before Samuels and Darren Bravo (23; 96 b, 2x4, 1x6) stitched together a 91-run third wicket stand. The destructive Gayle nudged at a Bhuvaneshwar Kumar delivery outside the off stump and the thick edge was accepted by Vijay at second slip, while Powell gave Shami his first Test wicket when an attempted pull finished as a top edge to Kumar. The visitors were 10/2 at lunch.
The day saw three debuts. Apart from Shami, Rohit Sharma became the first cricketer to make his Test debut after playing 100 ODIs. Cotterel was included in the West Indies side as Kemar Roach was unfit owing to a shoulder problem.
Shami dedicates good show to Tednulkar
Basking in the glory of a dream Test debut, talented speedster Mohammad Shami dedicated his four-wicket haul to Sachin Tendulkar, who is playing the second-last match of his illustrious career.Shami said it was a dream come true for him to play alongside Sachin Tendulkar who will retire after the second Test in Mumbai. ‘It’s a big thing for me that I made my debut in a match where Tendulkar was playing. It’s the biggest achievement for me that I could play alongside Sachin Tendulkar. I dedicate this performance to Tendulkar. I was already a part of the T20 and ODI squads, so the dream was only to play for India in Tests and do something for my country. That’s the biggest thing for me,’ Shami said after the day’s play.
Shami agreed the change of ball helped his cause. The replaced one started swinging much more, enabling him to get rid of a set Marlon Samuels and an experienced Dinesh Ramdin off successive overs in the second session.
‘The first ball was softer and I wasn’t able to get a lot of swing with it. But after the ball was changed, it started swinging and reversing. It was a great feeling to bowl with the changed ball,’ Shami said.
He has enjoyed decent success in ODIs but the Bengal-based speedster said he didn’t have to make much adjustments while switching from the 50-over format to the five-day version. ‘Only the (jersey) colour changes (in Test format).There’s no alteration in basic line and length bowling. There wasn’t any plan as such. My strength lies in line, length and swing. I don’t change my technique as per opponents.
Shami (23) gave a delightful exhibition of swing bowling to finish with figures of 4/71 besides playing his hand in a run out to grab the spotlight from Tendulkar, albeit temporarily. His figures were the best by an Indian bowler on debut at Eden Gardens. Tendulkar, appearing in his 199th Test match, also drew applause from the 33,000-strong crowd for taking the wicket of Shane Shillingford at the stroke of tea.
Opting to bat on a wicket which captain Darren Sammy thought was ‘tricky’, the West Indies saw its middle order give way in the post-lunch session as five wickets went down with the addition of just 54 runs. From 138/2, the Caribbeans slumped to 192/7.
Shami bowled with control, and became particularly lethal in the post-lunch session with the umpires replacing the ball after 40 overs. The fresh leather aided reverse swing and Shami utilised the conditions to the maximum by getting rid of the dangerous looking Marlon Samuels (65; 98 b, 11x4, 2x6), the top scorer, and Dinesh Ramdin (4) with two excellent deliveries.
In the morning, the visitors lost openers Chris Gayle (18) and Kieron Powell (28) by the first drinks break, before Samuels and Darren Bravo (23; 96 b, 2x4, 1x6) stitched together a 91-run third wicket stand. The destructive Gayle nudged at a Bhuvaneshwar Kumar delivery outside the off stump and the thick edge was accepted by Vijay at second slip, while Powell gave Shami his first Test wicket when an attempted pull finished as a top edge to Kumar. The visitors were 10/2 at lunch.
The day saw three debuts. Apart from Shami, Rohit Sharma became the first cricketer to make his Test debut after playing 100 ODIs. Cotterel was included in the West Indies side as Kemar Roach was unfit owing to a shoulder problem.
Shami dedicates good show to Tednulkar
Basking in the glory of a dream Test debut, talented speedster Mohammad Shami dedicated his four-wicket haul to Sachin Tendulkar, who is playing the second-last match of his illustrious career.Shami said it was a dream come true for him to play alongside Sachin Tendulkar who will retire after the second Test in Mumbai. ‘It’s a big thing for me that I made my debut in a match where Tendulkar was playing. It’s the biggest achievement for me that I could play alongside Sachin Tendulkar. I dedicate this performance to Tendulkar. I was already a part of the T20 and ODI squads, so the dream was only to play for India in Tests and do something for my country. That’s the biggest thing for me,’ Shami said after the day’s play.
Shami agreed the change of ball helped his cause. The replaced one started swinging much more, enabling him to get rid of a set Marlon Samuels and an experienced Dinesh Ramdin off successive overs in the second session.
‘The first ball was softer and I wasn’t able to get a lot of swing with it. But after the ball was changed, it started swinging and reversing. It was a great feeling to bowl with the changed ball,’ Shami said.
He has enjoyed decent success in ODIs but the Bengal-based speedster said he didn’t have to make much adjustments while switching from the 50-over format to the five-day version. ‘Only the (jersey) colour changes (in Test format).There’s no alteration in basic line and length bowling. There wasn’t any plan as such. My strength lies in line, length and swing. I don’t change my technique as per opponents.
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