December 5, 2001	Wednesday	Ramazan 19, 1422

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MOHALI (India), Dec 4: Opener Deep Dasgupta hammered his maiden Test hundred Tuesday to steer India in to a commanding position on the second day of the first Test against England.

The 24-year-old wicket-keeper from Kolkata, who had shown grit and poise last month while scoring 50 after critics condemned the decision to promote him to opener in South Africa, scored exactly 100 from 254 balls.

In combination with Rahul Dravid, who stroked an unbeaten 78 from 193 balls, Dasgupta took India to 262 for three at close of the second day’s play, 24 ahead of England’s first innings 238. India’s best batsman Sachin Tendulkar was unbeaten on 31 with five fours at the close.

Dasgupta, who had scored 19 runs of India’s overnight 24 for one, started hesitantly, taking over an hour to move from 21 to 22 on a lively morning pitch but thereafter negotiated the English attack with ease.

Dasgupta cut occasional medium-pacer Mark Butcher to the point boundary before driving debutant off-spinner Richard Dawson through the covers for four and raising his 50, off 159 balls, cutting him to the third-man fence for his seventh boundary.

He gave a half chance on 83, when he edged Dawson but the ball fell just short and to the left of Andrew Flintoff at slip and sped to the third-man fence for four.

Dasgupta swept Dawson for two fours in an over to race from 88 to 96 and then raised his 100, off 253 deliveries, steering the off-spinner to the third-man fence for his 15th boundary.

But he was dismissed next ball, bowled through the gate by paceman Craig White after spending nearly six hours at the crease.

Dasgupta is only the sixth Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test hundred, and the first since Nayan Mongia scored 152 in New Delhi against Australia in 1996-97.

Dravid, who always starts slowly leaving anything ouside the off-stump, played a characteristically well-paced knock.

He cut Dawson for a four backward of square before pulling him to the mid-wicket fence for four more in the same over for his first two boundaries.

Dravid got a life on 33, when he glanced Flintoff down the leg-side but wicket-keeper James Foster dropped a catch to his left.

He brought up his 50, off 126 balls, driving paceman Matthew Hoggard for a straight four and then hammered him to the long-off fence for four more.

Earlier in the morning, India’s batsmen were in all sorts of trouble when they had to fend off chest-high balls.

Nightwatchman Kumble edged paceman James Ormond on a couple of occasions but the ball either fell short of the slips or went through the cordon for four to the vacant third-man region.

Kumble scored 37 in a 53-run second wicket partnership with Dasgupta before he was caught behind of Dawson, the 21-year-old’s first Test wicket.