The Hindu : Sport : India halts Australian juggernaut once again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 20, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport

India halts Australian juggernaut once again

S. Ram Mahesh

Anil Kumble’s men overwhelm Ricky Ponting’s side in four days

Perth: There are moments in sport that are rewardingly cathartic, that seem to make worthwhile — even necessary — all that has preceded it, and on Saturday at the WACA, India experienced one such.

Divorced from context, the third Test rates as a fabulous game of cricket, contested by two exceptionally gifted sides; seen in the light of last fortnight’s tumult, its significance is elevated. The firmness of purpose India exhibited had a certain nobility to it.

Down 0-2 in the four-match series — unjustly, they reckoned — Anil Kumble’s men did to Australia what few sides have managed at this venue: overwhelm the champion in four days. Indeed, only the West Indies, England and New Zealand have defeated Australia at Perth, and while the strip here wasn’t as fearsome as some thought it might turn out to be, it contained more pace and bounce than most grounds around the world.

It was fitting that the Test ended a day early: from the beginning, the action has been impossibly compressed into each day, advancing the match along at breakneck speed. On Saturday morning, the position of affairs stood thus: India required eight wickets, Australia 348 further runs.

Aussie resistance

India managed one wicket in the morning session (and some session it was too), four between lunch and tea, and three before 6 p.m. local time, with the scheduled close half-hour away. During all this, the Australians, typically, refused to give up.

India had to beat the resistance out of them, and to Kumble’s credit, he never let the intensity slacken, even if some of the tactics weren’t above question. But, to carp would be both petty-minded and pointless, for the 37-year-old made several excellent, imaginative decisions which turned Saturday’s play.

The first session seemed carefully culled from the very best Test cricket has to offer: bowler against batsman, wheels within wheels, the romance of the underdog, but at its heart, bare conflict. Ishant Sharma duelled Ricky Ponting to a standstill, the 6ft 6in teenager perturbing the world’s best batsman as few before have.

Much hinged on the battle, for Australia, thanks to the heavy roller calming the strip and anxiety tightening the bowlers, had made a brisk, assured start. Besides, Ponting’s record under pressure is prodigious.

Kumble had cleverly bowled himself first-up, to get at the batsmen when they were yet to settle, but after two speculative overs he threw the ball to Ishant. The 19-year-old had shown signs of nerves on Friday evening; on Saturday morning, however, he was striking.

Swing and cut

Bowling in the late 130 to the early 140 kmph, Ishant both swung and cut the ball into Ponting, maintaining a faultless length, too full to pull, but not adequate to drive. The Australian captain isn’t the masterful batsman he is for nothing, and he attempted to wear Ishant down, taking hits on the hip and the mid-riff, and chopping down on slippery in-duckers that threatened his front pad.

Ponting seemed to have succeeded, for R.P. Singh offered the umpire his cap after seven scrutinising Ishant overs, but Virender Sehwag had the captain’s ear. “He told me Ishant bowls 10-over spells for Delhi,” said Kumble, “so I asked Ishant if he wanted another.”

He did, and off the first ball of his eighth over, Ishant finally got his man. The delivery was impeccable, straightening on Ponting to procure the edge to first slip.

Michael Hussey and Andrew Symonds fell to marginal leg-before decisions before the second drinks break. Hussey, who had batted with a great deal of care, drawing from his knowledge of local conditions, was hit on the front pad by an R.P. Singh delivery that held its angle and cut in to the left-hander. But, it may well have gone over the stumps. Symonds shaved a fast Kumble leg-break onto his pad to be incorrectly adjudged.

Clarke counter-attacks

Michael Clarke decided to try and scare the Indians by counter-attacking. Some of Clarke’s strokeplay was magical, the work to mid-wicket, for instance, even the smoothed drive straight.

With Adam Gilchrist settling, India was desperate for a breakthrough. Kumble brought on Sehwag, who immediately curled an off-break around Gilchrist legs, defeating the sweep and disturbing the stumps.

Sehwag also had Lee caught at silly-point, and when Kumble turned one past Clarke’s bat to have him stumped for a fine 81, India was on the threshold.

But, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark scattered the bowling, the former slog-sweeping with ridiculous ease and the latter pulling and hooking, to add a threatening 73 in just 12.5 overs for the ninth wicket.

Then, Irfan Pathan struck with the second new ball, coercing Clark to edge behind. Finally, R.P. Singh put a ball though Shaun Tait’s insufficient defences, and India had broken a record streak for the second time.

SCOREBOARD India — 1st innings: 330

Australia — 1st innings: 212

India — 2nd innings: 294

Australia — 2nd innings: C. Rogers c Dhoni b Pathan 15, P. Jaques c Jaffer b Pathan 16, R. Ponting c Dravid b Ishant 45, M. Hussey lbw b R.P. Singh 46, M. Clarke st. Dhoni b Kumble 81, A. Symonds lbw b Kumble 12, A. Gilchrist b Sehwag 15, B. Lee c Laxman b Sehwag 0, M. Johnson (not out) 50, S. Clark c Dhoni b Pathan 32, S. Tait b R.P. Singh 4; Extras: (lb-6, nb-10, w-8) 24; Total: (in 86.5 overs) 340.

Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Rogers), 2-43 (Jaques), 3-117 (Ponting), 4-159 (Hussey), 5-177 (Symonds), 6-227 (Gilchrist), 7-229 (Lee), 8-253 (Clarke), 9-326 (Clark).

India bowling: R.P. Singh 21.5-4-95-2, Pathan 16-2-54-3, Ishant 17-0-63-1, Kumble 24-2-98-2, Sehwag 8-1-24-2.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport