“Enough is enough!” the cry rang out at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.
It was from a mother to a whiny son, who wanted another popsicle, in addition to the two he had crammed in his mouth, but the plea could well have been from India to Australia.
All series, Australia has mercilessly collared India, plundering runs, plucking wickets, and on the second day of the fourth Test, ‘dead' as far as the series is concerned, the hosts continued their authority, allowing the tourists no more than a snivel in protest.
First Australia ran up a score of 604 for seven declared. There were double-hundreds for Ricky Ponting (221) and Michael Clarke (210), who were involved in a fourth-wicket partnership of 386, a record for any wicket here at the Adelaide Oval. The declaration allowed Australia 21overs of bowling; the contest, comatose till afternoon, came alive.
Pressure
What would India's batsmen make of a pitch that had flattened even more after Tuesday? And how would Australia's bowlers do without assistance for the first time the series? Both questions will be answered in greater detail on Thursday, but from Wednesday's play, this much can be ventured: how they deal with scoreboard pressure, the weight a massive first innings exerts, and how long they can delay errors in batting will decide the fate of India's batsmen; Australia's bowlers, unless they can convince the ball to swing reverse or turn and bounce, will be able to do no more than ‘bowl dry' i.e. test the batsmen's patience.
Virender Sehwag looked as if he might bed down for a big one — his bedding down, consisting not of studied defence and self-denying leave-alones, but of slapping at least a four every over. He even received a reprieve when Ed Cowan, at mid-wicket, clapped clanging hands on a stinging flick off Ben Hilfenhaus.
But Sehwag, who had said before the match that he believed his (and his batsmen's) “time was bad”, found further evidence to substantiate his faith.
Peter Siddle, who has made a habit of striking in the first over of a spell, gave the Indian captain a full-toss that should have been postmarked to Bowral. Instead Sehwag contrived to bunt it back to the bowler, making his stroke far too early, an opened-up, hunched leading-edge, if you will. Siddle had sufficient athleticism to leap to his right and take it one-handed.
Dravid castled again
In walked Rahul Dravid, down the steps that have recorded his 233 in stencilled paint, but this was not to be a repeat of 2003-04. For the sixth time in seven innings, he turned around to find his stumps disturbed. Again the back-foot didn't move from leg-stump. As a result he leant with his upper body, front foot not sufficiently covering the line. Hilfenhaus' delivery deviated slightly and bounced, passing between bat and pad, glancing off the elbow onto the stumps.
This was a worrying dismissal. Both his defensive technique and his mind, such strengths of his, appear to have deserted Dravid suddenly; he certainly commanded both in England, where he made three centuries.
Gautam Gambhir (30 batting) and Sachin Tendulkar (12 batting) ensured India ended the day better than it had begun it, but much work remains. They and those that follow them will need the skill, the run-hunger, and the fortune of Ponting and Clarke, who it seemed would never get out.
The Australian pair added 65 in the first hour, Ponting 27 to his overnight score of 137, Clarke 35 to his 140. They split eight fours. Any thoughts India might have had of an early, balance-altering wicket — Sehwag began that way, three slips, gully, point (not deep point) — soon vanished.
Clarke became the first captain to make a triple-hundred and a double-hundred in the same series before Umesh Yadav bowled him off the pad with a break-back in the over after lunch.
Ponting brought up his double-hundred as well, but he pulled Zaheer Khan to deep square-leg to depart. He had had two ‘lives', a caught-and-bowled chance that looped on Ishant Sharma, who didn't get his hands down, and chip off R. Ashwin to V.V.S. Laxman at mid-wicket. The first occurred on 186, the second on 215.
Neither detracted from a magnificent innings, which just edged Clarke's for stroke-making if not virtuosity.
Gambhir had an inspired moment at silly-point when he ran out Michael Hussey. But Brad Haddin and Ryan Harris made sure it would be a declaration, not a dismissal, that would end Australia's innings.
It couldn't come soon enough for India's bowlers.
Scoreboard
Australia — 1st innings
E. Cowan c Laxman b Ashwin (62b, 3x4) 30
D. Warner lbw b Zaheer (23b, 1x4) 8
S. Marsh b Ashwin (12b) 3
R. Ponting c Tendulkar b Zaheer (404b, 21x4) 221
M. Clarke b Umesh (275b, 26x4, 1x6) 210
M. Hussey (run out) (33b, 3x4) 25
B. Haddin (not out) (66b, 1x4, 2x6) 42
P. Siddle c Saha b Ashwin (15b) 2
R. Harris (not out) (51b, 2x4, 1x6) 35
Extras (b-3, lb-17, w-8) 28
Total (for seven wkts. decl in 157 overs) 604
Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Warner), 2-31 (Marsh), 3-84 (Cowan), 4-470(Clarke),
5-520 (Hussey), 6-530 (Ponting),7-533 (Siddle).
India bowling O M R W
Zaheer 31 4 96 2
Umesh 26 1 136 1
Ashwin 53 6 194 3
Ishant 30 6 100 0
Sehwag 16 0 55 0
Kohli 1 0 3 0
India — 1st innings
G. Gambhir (batting) (56b, 4x4) 30
V. Sehwag c&b Siddle (18b, 3x4) 18
R. Dravid b Hilfenhaus (9b) 1
S. Tendulkar (batting) (43b, 1x4) 12
Total (for two wkts. in 21 overs): 61
Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Sehwag), 2-31 (Dravid).
Australia bowling
O M R W
Harris 6 2 18 0
Hilfenhaus 6 1 21 1
Siddle 3 0 13 1
Lyon 5 2 9 0
Clarke 1 1 0 0
