Score line: -
India (1st innings):- 469-10 (129.0 overs, Sourav Ganguly 102 (225 Balls), Mitchell Johnson 3-85)
Australia (1st innings):- 268-10 (101.4 overs, Shane Watson 78 (156 Balls), Amit Mishra 5-71)
India (2nd innings):- 314-3 declared (65.0 overs, Gautam Gambhir 104 (138 Balls), Cameron White 1-48)
Australia (2nd innings):- 141-5 (46.0 overs, Michael Clarke 42* (95 Balls), Harbhajan Singh 3-23)
Report Sheet of the Day: - Australia 8 % - India 92 %
Match-Report:-
Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. This was a day when Australia have played embarrassing cricket. It has largely been India being the aggressor, while Australia have remained over-confident with a thought that putting one-or even two boundary fielders guarantees you a win against this Indian team; they have kept with it-and are due to pay a heavy prize tomorrow unless a glorious uncertainty turns up to save them.
Well, I will keep it very short today, because there was nothing much to write about. Aussies started with their “new-age” approach and it was all at sea. They started off by just one slip and two boundary-fielders. And Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were up for it. Both ran their singles hard, kept hitting the 2’s & 3’s when ever the opportunity presented itself. Ricky Ponting was as defensive as he could be today. He introduced White early in the morning, only to take him off straight away when Sehwag & Gambhir feasted his one over for 15 runs. Mitchell Johnson came on, and off he went, after a few expensive overs.
Only the statistics tell the full story though. 130 runs for the loss of the two openers in 26 overs; the team rattling along at a 4.8 run-rate that would have done Australia proud in its pomp; a lead of 431 already going into lunch. Mitchell Johnson had given 72 off his 14-and his ineffectiveness against Right-Handers finally was for all to see. Peter Siddle looked the best of the lot, and with a little bit more luck-could easily have had a couple more. The bloke bowls at superb pace, coupled with the ability to move the ball both ways without noticeable difference in his action. Brett Lee has been dispatched for 237 runs for his 4 wickets at an average of 59.25, and is looking like an astonished kid lost in a crowd. All the Aussie bowlers leaked runs. With the umpires also giving Australia some headaches (an appalling Not Out decision was given when Sehwag had clearly hit the ball and was taken cleanly by Haddin. Asad Rouf must be doubly dumb to not have heard the nick. Indians meanwhile, seem to have taken a cue from Michael Clarke’s infamous refusal to walk after he was caught at slip-in Sydney this January.) Sehwag finally got out, to a fine ball from Peter Siddle which moved just a touch away to take the edge, and Sehwag was finally on his way for a crucial 90. (1-182)
The match, by then was already out of Australia’s control. Dhoni came in and smashed a few…meanwhile Gambhir (he was extremely lucky with a few close shaves in the morning), finally got his first Test match hundred against Australia-a feat which he should have achieved in the 1st innings. He too got out the Ganguly way, trying to loft White, and was held easily at long-off. (2-224)
Dhoni, moved Ganguly up the order-possibly to keep the Left-Right hand combination going. Ganguly, to his credit, played a few glorious shots despite being troubled by his tennis elbow midway through his knock. The damage was already done by then, and he too fell, playing a tired lofted shot off a visibly ineffective Lee…caught by Michael Clarke at point. (3-290)
Sachin Tendulkar came out, and strolled a few runs before the dreaded declaration finally came, 314-3 declared. About 15 minutes too late, or was it?
Meanwhile, an interesting observation. Australia’s over rates in the past few years (especially since Warne departed) have been woeful. And their over rate in the morning was shoddy even by those low standards. The over-rate was repeatedly shooting between 12.0 to 12.5 an over, and Shane Watson missed his run up so many times to prompt the then commentating Sunil Gavaskar to have yet another dig at the Australian sportsmanship.
So, the Australian openers came out. Surprise, surprise, It was Shahid Afridi & Simon Katich coming out to bat. The real Matthew Hayden was hiding somewhere in Australia and Shahid Afridi, somehow, was looking exactly like Matthew Hayden. He started off by playing a classic T20 heave against Zaheer Khan, the ball dropping just ahead to the sprinting long-off. The there was a run chase on. Aussies were playing to score 516 off 50 overs and off they went. A lot off beautiful shots mixed with some lucky ones. A straight drive off Zaheer & a back foot punch off Ishant stood out.
But then came the bowling change that changed everything in the matter of minutes. Harbhajan was given the final over before tea. He bowled a loopy off-break, which straightened after pitching-and just caught Hayden sweeping across the line-hit plumb in front of off-stump. The appeal was upheld by Asad Rouf and Hayden was gone after a great T20 innings. Seriously, this strange knock had more to do with desperation rather than a tactical move. (1-49)
“Thou shall Follow”-said Simon Katich, and off he went as well, in the same over. The bowl itself was not special-well flighted, loopy, pitching on good length just out side his off-stump. Katich lunged forward nevertheless and played a classic on the up drive-albeit it was insane. The ball looped up in the air, and Tendulkar plucked out a magnificent catch with a full length dive. And there went wind from the Australian sails. (2-50)
Mike Hussey came and looked honest. Trying to keep defending good balls and looking to get off strike to settle down…and then had a brain explosion. He tried to pull a shooter from Harbhajan-again not unplayable-and was caught so plumb in front that he walked. Australia in deep trouble. (3-52)
Then it was the turn of Ishant Sharma to rock Australia with a beautiful and hostile spell of fast bowling. He kept pitching it up to Ponting, allowing him to settle down in his stride, and then came the Jaffa. An in-cutter, which seamed in appreciably from good length. Ponting lunged forward, the ball went through from the gap between bat & pad, and the off-stump lay flat on the ground. Ricky Ponting just stood at the crease stupefied after Ishant Sharma had darted another delivery into him to make a mess of the stumps. Ponting, by common consensus the best batsman in the world over the past half decade, had fallen to Ishant for the fifth time in five Tests and his expression was not too dissimilar from that of a boxer subjected to a knockout punch. (4-52)
Ishant had not done yet. Another beauty, this time to Shane Watson. Watson did his usual style of staying back in his crease. But the ball again, moved of good-length, and seamed just enough to miss the defensive prod. Again, plumb in front. Watson was not going to rescue Australia this time. (5-58)
Both Ponting and Shane Watson were beaten by prodigious inward movement and it was hard to imagine that they were playing on the same pitch where Australia's bowlers had been caned for 214 runs (42 overs) earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Michael Clarke came and survived a few hostile overs from Sharma. This bloke is rapidly growing to be a great fast bowler. Both Clarke & Haddin played with gusto & determination to remain not out at the end of the day…but their act just looks to be set to go down the gutter unless they do a miracle (like VVS Laxman-281 in Kolkata-2001).
In the end…last rites to be performed by India. They should be able to pull it off before lunch tomorrow. Any longer than that and the Aussies would have done well. Zaheer Khan didn’t look in rhythm today…not getting the reverse-swing that made him so lethal in the 1st innings. Indians will hope that he turns it on tomorrow, otherwise Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, & Amit Mishra might just have to labor a bit longer. Harbhajan & Ishant remain the key, as do Michael Clarke & Brad Haddin. I really hope that India beat Australia tomorrow, not because I’m an Indian, but because Australia deserve to lose this game-quite badly too.
Some observations:-
(1) Amit Mishra hasn’t had much luck so far in the 2nd innings. He has bowled some real beauties but just missed the edge or the stumps. Thankfully, India have too many runs to play with, so he will just keep tossing it up.
(2) Johnson has looked seriously over-rated as a Test match bowler so far. He can’t swing the ball into the right-handers; it’s just the left-arm angle, which can be easily covered.
(3) Play on all 4-days has followed a very similar but interesting pattern. Every day, India have dominated the 1st & the 3rd session, while the middle session has generally gone with Australia…India will hope that the game isn’t stretched till 2nd session tomorrow.
Pitch: - Just slowing down, but it’s not happening as rapidly as it did in Bangalore. The pitch though is very dry. And the turn remains sharp. There is no sign of uneven bounce, and ball hasn’t reversed as appreciably as it did in Australia’s 1st innings. But 5-wickets are just too little to play with a minimum of 90 overs to go. And if Harbhajan & Mishra bowl long spells, India might even end up bowling 92 or 93 overs. Can’t wait for tomorrow. Hopefully, there is some eye-catching play in store for us.
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