Zaheer Bowls india to Win

Amiable off the field and aggressive on it, Zaheer Khan is a man of two parts. Thankfully for India, the man from Shrirampur was at his menacing best at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium here on Wednesday and set up India’s fourth successive triumph in Tests. Zaheer’s second innings yield of seven for 87, which turned out to be his career-best, and a match-haul of 10 for 149 proved too tough a hurdle for the Bangladesh batsmen and the second Test hurtled towards an early closure here on the fourth day. India defeated Bangladesh by 10 wickets to win the match and sweep the Idea Cup series with a 2-0 verdict. The victory though was attained with a touch of irony. India needed just two runs after Bangladesh’s second innings folded up at 312. Openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir looked up at the sun, muttered their prayers and soon walked in with an easy victory firmly in sight.
In a hurry
Usually Gambhir takes first-strike but Sehwag was in a hurry and took guard. A mighty heave off Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan scythed through air. Sehwag failed to connect the next ball too that also eluded wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim. Sehwag and Gambhir pocketed the two byes, punched their gloves mid-pitch and the number one Test team had lived up to its billing though the triumph was registered against a squad yet to fully find its feet in Test cricket. Resuming at 228 for three in its second innings on the penultimate day, Bangladesh stayed resolute in the first hour. The overnight pair of Shahadat Hossain and Mohammad Ashraful extended their fourth-wicket partnership to 68 runs and the prospect of India batting again became increasingly evident.

For further: www.hindu.com/2010/01/28/stories/2010012861231900.htm