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| December 14, 2001 | Friday | Ramazan 28, 1422 |
Giles lifts England after Tendulkar hits century
AHMEDABAD (India), Dec 13: Left-arm spinner Ashley Giles ran through the India lower order Thursday to give England a firm grip on the second Test despite a fighting 103 by Sachin Tendulkar.
On a third day of fluctuating fortunes, Giles finished with five for 67 as England, who scored 407 in their first innings, bowled out the hosts for 291 towards the end of the day to take a 116-run lead.
At the close, England were 15 without loss from three overs in their second innings with Marcus Trescothick (10) and Mark Butcher (5) still together.
Tendulkar led an Indian rally to become joint third in the list for the most number of Test hundreds with 27 alongside Australians Steve Waugh and Allan Border. Only his compatriot Sunil Gavaskar (34) and Australian Don Bradman (29) have scored more.
But it was Giles who stole the show after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury and a subsequent bruised heel that sidelined him for the first Mohali Test last week.
The 28-year-old Warwickshire spinner took the last four wickets in quick succession to raise England’s hopes for a victory to level the three-Test series.
England’s pacemen provided the early breakthroughs to reduce India to 93 for four in the morning after resuming at 71 for two.
Tendulkar then showed his class, dominating a 118-run fifth wicket partnership with Vangipurappu Laxman, who was last man out for a well-made 75.
Tendulkar struck 12 fours, hoisting off-spinner Richard Dawson over long on for a six and reaching his century in style with a pull off Matthew Hoggard through midwicket for four.
Hoggard took his revenge in the same over when Tendulkar drove uppishly to mid-on where skipper Nasser Hussain completed a tumbling catch on his second attempt to reduce the hosts to 220 for five at tea.
Laxman, struggling for his Test form, held firm and played a few pleasing shots for most of his nine fours in nearly five hours at the crease before being being caught at long-on trying to heave Giles out of the ground.
India’s last five wickets tumbled for 48 runs as Hussain posted as many as six fielders on the boundary to