The pundits had written the Indian ODI team off even before the series had got rolling. Largely due to the disappointing performance of the Indian batsmen against the duo of Mendis and Murali in the test series which India lost 2-1. But Dhoni’s men have gotten used to being the underdogs before the start of a series and yet emerging triumphs at the end of it. The ODI series down under early this year was one such example. But the side filled with young rising talent was a treat to watch in this series a they went from strength to strength and managed to pull off the series even with a match in hand. Even in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag both of whom had to pull out due to injuries, the Indian bench made up for their absence.
A victory in Sri Lanka is always sweet. The last bilateral series in Sri Lanka had India face an embarrassing defeat of 3-0 and confirmed the fact that taming the Sri Lankan lions in their own backyard is not such a frivolous task. But finally India succeeded in triumphing in an ODI series here and this success can be attributed to the team work and the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Right from calling the coin correctly, Dhoni has not set a foot wrong in this series. He led from the front especially in the last two matches in Colombo. But what is important to note is the way he motivated the team after the embarrassing loss in the first one dayer in Dambula. The Indian team was expected to lose this series badily as none of the batsmen had any experience whatsoever against the duo of Mendis and Murali and that too on spinner friendly tracks in Sri Lanka. But the young Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and even Badrinath applied themselves to the early swing of the experienced Vaas and against the guile of Mendis and Murali. They applied themselves, used their feet and were not scared of hopping down the pitch in order to counter the spin. During the test series it was just one batsman Sachin Tendulkar who had tried to get aggressive against the spin duo. But in the one day series it was all the batsmen who went aggressively against the Sri Lankan spinners and emerged triumphant at the end.
But the primary reason why the Indians have got the series in the bag has been the success of the Indian bowlers. The pace bowlers Zaheer and Praveen kumar have always picked up wickets with the new ball. Right from pitching the ball in the right areas to getting early break throughs, the Indian pacers have laid the foundation for Harbhajan to come and clean up the tail. Even the fifth bowler in the form of Yuvraj Singh has picked up wickets at regular intervals.
The series win against Sri Lanka would come as a huge sigh of relief for the thousands of the Indian fans who had given up after the test series. But this win will do wonders to the confidence of the Indian ODI team who has just started a fresh innings under the reign of Mahendra Singh Dhoni who has appeared to be calm and unperturbed even when faced with tremendous pressure. The Indian team can only get better from here and after the infusion of Sachin and Sehwag at the top of the order, this team will have the perfect mix of flamboyant aggressive youth and dependable experience.
Sourav Ganguly is sure to be in a quandary. He had registered one of the greatest comebacks into the Indian team. Scoring 1240 runs in ODI’s in the calendar year of 2007 at an average of 44, you could not have asked for more.
The Indian team were savoring the win at Perth when the bombshell was dropped by the selectors. Ganguly dropped from the team for the upcoming tri series against Australia and Sri Lanka. The in form Dravid and Laxman were ignored once again. The selectors seem to have made up their mind to go with youth for the ODI side. It might augur well for the Indian team in the future but in the present context, it could be disastrous for the Indian team.
The selectors could have made the announcement after the fourth test as there is gap between the tests and the ODI’s. Also there is a 20-20 match against the Aussies on February 1st, which the entire nation would be waiting for. But the team of selecters has acted as party poopers and has taken the sheen of the tremendous win at Perth. But perhaps the greatest impact it will have will be on the performance of the dropped players in the Adelaide test. Kumble will have his task cut out, in order to get Dravid and Ganguly to focus on the test match at hand which is a must win for the Indian side.
The selectors have infused youth into the side, dropping all the seniors except for Tendulkar. Ganguly has been replaced by Suresh Raina. Now, Raina last played an ODI in January 2007, more than an year back. His form in the domestic season last year wasn’t something to be proud of but yet he has found his way into the ODI squad in place of Ganguly. Ganguly had been the in form batsman for India as he made consecutive hundreds against Pakistan in tests and had looked one of the few composed batsman in the side in Australia. But yet he has been unceremoniously dropped. Is it the end of the road for Ganguly atleast in ODI? Only Ganguly can make the decision and it wont be an easy one.
We have an ODI squad which is similar to the 20-20 squad that had won the World Cup. But can these youngsters repeat their magical performance against the World Champions in their own backyard? There has to be a balance between youth and experience in the side which the selectors have not adhered to. And the high profile ODI series could definitely not be used for experimenting. The theory of being ‘in form’ in order to be selected seems to baffle me completely. If there was one player who has woefully out of form on the Aussie tour, it was Yuvraj Singh who barely troubled the scorers in the first two test matches. Dhoni too had not looked particularly confident against the rising ball. But both these players have been retained as vice captain and captain respectively. Virendra Sehwag has retained his place in the ODI side after a good performance in the Perth test. But is a single performance enough to cement your place in the ODI side? IF yes, then Ganguly gave us some of the best performances of his career last year. Why wernt they considered?
The only legitimate thing that could have gone against the former Indian captain is his fielding prowess or the lack of it. Ganguly is definitely not the most agile fielder on the park and he would be the first man to accept it. But, if fielding was all to be considered then with due respect Glenn Mcgrath, Shaun Pollock, Wasim Akram and Inzamam ul haq would never have played for their sides, forget being the all time greats to represent their country. And Sehwag who has been chosen in the side, is not a terrific fielder too.
Ganguly should consider himself really unfortunate for it was his last tour to Australia and would have wanted to make the most of it. It might well signal the end of the road for the Prince of Kolkatta, a young prodigy who with his sheer grit and determination had scripted the best story of comebacks in Cricket at the age of 34. Dhoni may have got his desired team for the series, but it will be interesting to see if his bunch of young boys can perform against the mighty Aussies. And don’t be surprised if after a couple of failures, Sachin Tendulkar will find himself missing from the ODI side. In Indian cricket, anything can happen.
THE contrast could not be more stark. At the very venue they reclaimed the Ashes last summer, the Australians yesterday witnessed the end of their record-equalling 16-Test winning sequence, though not before an enthralling late-innings fightback. [Alex Brown for Sydney Morning Herald]
I found this interesting article on Fox Sports.
WELCOME to the future, Australian cricket fans. Welcome to a world where your team will remain among the best sides in the world but will have to work like drover’s dogs to subdue their closest rivals.
We have seen the end of a golden era and will have to get used to the occasional silver and bronze medal against teams ready to answer our best sledges.
The fortress was attacked in Sydney and the barricades finally fell in Perth.
The post Warne-McGrath adjustment which had to happen has finally kicked. We have learned that Phil Jaques is not Justin Langer, that Shaun Tait is not yet Jason Gillespie, that Shane Warne is irreplaceable and that if you take Matthew Hayden out of the team it hurts everywhere.
The most challenging era of Ricky Ponting’s captaincy starts this morning.
How Allan Border managed to average 50 despite a decade’s worth of the type of pressure that has engulfed Ponting this series defies belief.
We have also learned that Australian batsmen who skated along like mini-Bradman when their side was crushing the world can be vulnerable when put under pressure.
Any Australian batsman who averages 50 over the next four or five years will have earned it.
As Steve Waugh says, there is no need for Australian fans to get too worried. They will continue to be among the world leaders and there will be no slide into the abyss which was home to Australian teams of the mid-1980s.
It’s just that they will find it harder to win.
Even as Australia despairs, world cricket is rejoicing at the discovery of a team who not only do not fear Australia but actually fancy their chances against them.
No praise is high enough for an India side whose entire pace attack is younger than Tait.
Australia is being threatened by a new breed of Indian, whose confidence was embodied by a gesture from young quick Irfan Pathan, when he held his hand up to his ear to the crowd after taking the ninth wicket. India’s win will send waves of delight and anticipation across the cricket world. If Australia can falter against India in Perth they can falter anywhere. This is an extraordinary result.
Australia will probably win this series but Shane Warne was right. This is no time to be arrogant.
India, without their top three fast bowlers, deserve to be rejoicing.
The potential of their young fast bowler Ishant Sharma is limitless.
Sharma’s harassment of Ricky Ponting at the WACA was the best spell of fast bowling Australians have faced since the 2005 Ashes tour when Andrew Flintoff was making the ball swing like a soap bubble.
It takes a great spell to contain Ponting; it takes a freakish one to make him look as if he is batting with a cricket stump.
His arrival is great news for a world cricket scene desperately seeking some new fast bowling heroes.
He has only been playing serious cricket for five years. A great career beckons for him if his drain-pipe physique can be kept in one piece.
If there were any devils in the pitch as predicted by the pundits, they were to be seen only on the second day of the test match as the Aussies were bundled out for a mere 212. The swing bowling by the Indian pacers would have even made the Sultan of Swing Wasim Akram proud and the famed Aussie batting line up was left in the lurch. But the day belonged to Anil Kumble, the mechanical engineer of yesterday and the Captain and Man Manager of yesterday accomplished the feat of taking 600 test wickets.
Anil Radhakrishna Kumble has started off as a young bespectacled spinner in the 1990 season. Unconventional by nature he was written off by all his critics. From his first wicket of Allan Lamb to his 600th yesterday, the great Indian spinner has come a long way. He has been the leading Indian bowler ever since the departure of Kapil Dev. Time and time the Indians have relied on him to get the first breakthrough and he has almost always delivered. Kumble reached this landmark in just his 124th test even quicker than Shane Warne. With only Warne and Muralitharan in front of him, we could well see Kumble taking 700 test scalps by the time he hangs up his boots.
Kumble’s value to the team comes to light in the following facts. He has taken one third of the wickets Indians have taken at home in the past eighteen years. Whenever Anil takes a 10 wicket haul in a test, the Indians have never lost a test match. He has claimed 50 wickets or more in a year thrice in 1999, 2004 and 2006. He defied all odds when he bandaged his fractured jaw during a test match against West Indies to deliver a telling blow and claim the prized wicket of Brian Lara. Not to forget his marathon spell of 72 overs against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1997. His wily flippers and googlies have bamboozled batsmen world wide and has earned him the respect of all ex players as well.
In his long untiring tenure as India’s premier spinner, Kumble has done it all. Taking diving catches at the gully position, scoring a hundred at Lords and taking all ten wickets in an innings against Pakistan. Anil Kumble the giant killer or the smiling assassin, whatever you may call him has been an invaluable gift to the Indian team, one which we would even cherish long after he’s gone.
For in his corner stood perseverance, aggression and dignity, great human qualities if you are searching for a role model. In the last month, his tremendous Man Management qualities have surprised many. Captain courageous dealt with the Racism Row in the best possible manner. Standing by his team mate throughout the fiasco and then extending the olive branch to Ricky Ponting regarding Hogg’s abusing issue, Kumble has turned out to be the best man at the helm of the affairs.
If there was one player the Indians would sorely miss after his retirement, it would undoubtedly be Anil Kumble. Not because he is a great bowler, but because there will never be anyone who could fill this massive void in the Indian team. If there was ever a list of unsung heroes in Indian Cricket, this man would top that list. It is time to acknowledge the genius of this man. His determination, his will to perform despite all odds has made him a paragon of virtue. It is time for Kumble to deservingly revel in the glory and for all us mortals to stand up and salute him.
And guess what awaits the Indians at Perth. A red hot fiery pitch which will be mouth watering for the Aussie pacers even before the start of the Test. Perth has arguably the most bouncy track in the World and don’t expect anything different this time around. In fact the Aussie will more or less be going with four pacers including Shaun Tait in the line up. For the first time in sixteen years even before the Shane Warne era had started the Aussies will not field a spinner in the eleven. The Indian batsmen will surely have their task cut out.
The Indian think tank will have to take some tough decisions. Should they leave out Harbhajan Singh and go ahead with Irfan Pathan. Should they swap the cupid struck Yuvraj for the in form Sehwag or should they include an extra fifth bowler by keeping Yuvraj out. Lots of points to ponder on as Kumble would try and put the emotionally and mentally draining week of Cricket at Sydney behind him.
The Aussies are ruthless. It is fitting that the tours to Australia are called ‘Down Under’ because once the Aussies are on top they bury you right under their will to win. You need the character of an Iron Man to survive let alone triumph in Australia. The Aussies maybe unsporting, may not really be popular with the viewers but they play to win. Even if it involves bending of the rules or not playing Cricket the gentleman’s way they make sure that they emerge as Winners.
When Aussies toured India last time around they lost the last test at Wankhede. Remember Ponting whining about the pitch not being up to Cricketing standards. Ah! all that losers can do is whine. Or take for example Glam Doll of Indian Television Rakhee Sawant. Didn’t she throw tantrums after losing Nach Baliye 3. If you win then everything is sound and perfect, if you lose the opposition has cheated. Kiddish really. Doesn’t work in a mature society.
If the Sydney Test is anything to go by, then the verdict is clear. Never trust the Aussies. They’ll do whatever it takes (even more than CNN-IBN) to come out trumps. The Indians can no longer be meek. If they sledge, give it back to them. If they appeal for grassed catches, you appeal for catches which haven’t even been taken. Let the Aussies know, you aren’t playing with the ethics and morals of the game anymore. Winning will be the best revenge. There are no rules in Love and War. No prizes for guessing what the Battle at Perth is going to be like. This is where I think Sreesanth will be sorely missed. He might not have been the most talented bowler around, but with his sheer antics he could unnerve the Aussies. Even as the 12th man coming on to the pitch with the occasional towel or drinks, he would have got under the skin of the Aussies just by giving them a stare right into their retina.
When you play a Sport you play it for the pride. There are no ethics or morals in War. If there were, then the war would have not occurred in the first place. Lets keep the Sydney fiasco behind us and take on the Aussies with a fresh strategy. Glory awaits those who succeed under the most trying circumstances. Forgive the cliché but when the going gets tough the tough needs to get going. No more of the Indian Gentleman behaviour because in the sport of Life, Winning is all that matters.
In all probability, even before the series began, the Indian think tank would have decided to rest Harbhajan for the third match, and bring in a fast bowler in his place. Fate had other ideas though. The recent events in Sydney involving racism have thrown all prior planning out of the window. The Indian team has fought tooth and nail to clear Bhajji of all allegations. After staying back in Sydney, and going through a myriad of emotions for matters not directly related to cricket, will the Indian team actually go ahead with their plan of resting Harbhajan for the WACA test? What kind of message will it send out to the Australian team, and the world? That we complained, fussed, and created all the brouhaha and got a ban lifted, only to personally drop him? Unfortunately, in a country where sentimentality rules over most issues, that is not going to be the case.
It all boils down to this: The entire Sydney episode has meant that Harbhajan will play at Perth. That will mean an attack having two spinners, on a pitch where many sides field none. A third seamer is a necessity at Perth, and that opens up the door for one of the benchwarmers on this tour so far. A fit Zaheer would have been ideal for India, but now they need to field an inexperienced fast bowling lineup. Conditions at the WACA will be ideal for VRV Singh, but playing Harbhajan as well as an extra fast bowler will mean that the Indians end up with an extra-long tail. So, there’s only one choice left : Irfan Pathan.
Pathan’s inclusion in the side will help strengthen the batting just a little bit, as well as the bowling. He might as well open the batting as his performances cannot be worse than that of Jaffer at the top. This obviously implies that Sehwag or Karthik will not get a chance, as Pathan will be usurping that place.
So, with three fast bowlers and two spinners, India will head into the Perth test. There is a practice game before that, but no one expects any surprises as to what the team for the third test will be. It will be interesting to see what the Indian team does : will it go the practical way and rest Harbhajan Singh and include a pacer in his place? Or will sentimentality rule and we will end up seeing an imbalanced side waiting to be steamrolled in three and a half days? It seems the “victory” at Sydney has opened up a very serious predicament.
It was a day that any cricket fan would love to forget but the repercussions of the day would continue to haunt us in the days to come. Harbhajan Singh’s ban for three tests is the first ever ban for Racial Abuse in this so called, ‘Gentleman’s Sport’. Racism has always been prevalent in the Western countries where the Asians and Africans were subjected to racial abuse. But now, countries have started reporting incidents of Reverse Racism.
Harbhajan Singh’s offence falls under 3.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct which refers to players or team officials “using language or gestures that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person’s race, religion, gender, colour, descent, or national or ethic origin”.
It is alleged that Bhajji has been convicted by the Match Referee for racial abuse for the usage of the word. ‘Monkey’. There had been similar chants at the Wankhede stadium when a few Indians had been convicted of making monkey chants and gestures. Now which country doesn’t get to face racial abuse. Ask the Subcontinent players when they tour Down under what all they get to hear from the players as well as the crowds. Ponting has made a mountain out of a mole hill and blown the issue out of proportions. And it isn’t a proven fact yet because there is absolutely no video or audio evidence to substantiate this allegation.
Ponting’s men Clarke and Hayden have testified against Bhajji saying that they heard this word being said. On the other hand Tendulkar who was present at the pitch when the incident occurred has categorically denied such a word being said. Without any evidence if someone’s word can be taken seriously then this game would become a breeding ground for false claims being the norm in all matches. The battle on the field would transcend into a battle in the Courts. Ponting would very well know what the real motive of getting Bhajji banned was. He would not want to be humiliated again by getting out to the Indian Turbanator.
Whose word are we taking. Oh yes. Michael Clarke. The same man that stood his ground when he was clearly caught at first slip of the bowling of Kumble hoping that another blooper from the perennially erring umpires be on their way and the same man who appealed for Ganguly’s catch when after turning from the dive had clearly touched the Ball to the ground. Ponting, it seems in his hunger for the sixteenth win forgot all the Sportsmanship that he used to possess when he appealed vociferously for a catch that was not clean by any means.
Ponting had gestured to Sharad Pawar after winning the ICC Champions trophy in India. Such is the arrogance in this man or you could call it lack of respect which he possesses. There had been a large hue and cry against this incident in India. Pawar has a strong political following and all of that was upset with Ponting’s gestures. But the Aussie captain was indifferent to it all. Even Gilchrist’s spirit of playing the game would come under the scanner when he appealed against Dravid. He had the best angle and would have known that the bat was far behind the pad and not close to the ball what so ever.
The game has taken a very murky turn. With the Indians claiming that Hogg had abused them during this test match, the hearing of the Aussie spinner is scheduled today and the Indian players will testify against him. Will Hogg face a similar ban? Maybe not, because he is an Aussie. Australians are World Champs and may get away with things they do on or off the field. Even the Aussie media is on the Indian side as they applauded Kumble when he said, “Only one team played the match in the right spirit”
Whenever Indians are hard done in this sport, there are protests all over. But after a few days everyone gets on with it. But this time BCCI will have its muscle to ensure that Justice prevails. The Australian tour Down Under has already become Down Blunder because of the shocking decisions made by the umpires. Even our Bunty and Babli could have fared better than Bucknor and Benson. Bucknor has already been taken off the Perth test. It waits to be seen whether Benson will officiate in that test or not.
The Indians should stay put and not even think of returning home. They can be proud of themselves even for they way they played the match. We are proud of them. They should give it back to the Aussies in the test matches to come. Australians on the other hand may have won the Test match but have not won the hearts of millions of viewers watching the Match.
Sachin’s love affair with the Sydney Cricket Ground continued as he made his 38th test hundred and his 8th against Australia. He has a whopping average of 326 at SCG. As a young eighteen year old, he had struck his first ton here. His double hundred last time around was arguably his best knock ever. One in which we saw Sachin leaving almost everything outside the off stump and scoring heavily on the On side. Yesterday’s innings was a long awaited one. A billion plus Indians would have heaved a sigh of relief as Sachin caressed the ball through the off side to reach this record landmark.
In this innings, we saw a more mature Tendulkar, ready to put the bad ball away but treating the good ones with utmost respect. He played his trademark drives through extra cover and powerful square cuts through the square region. Perhaps a first in tests, we saw him scooping over the gully and the slips. He scored most of his boundaries in the third man region taking advantage of the fact that it was left vacant. He was particularly aggressive against Hogg hitting him for a straight six over Long on early in the morning. Hogg had earlier dismissed Sachin in India and had asked for his autograph on the ball. The little master had conveniently written on the ball, “It wont happen again Hoggie”
Apart from the resilience and the determination,that the master blaster showed in this innings, another heartening thing was the way he treated the tail Enders. Showing full faith in their batting abilities, he was ready to take a single even on the first ball off the over. This did wonders to their confidence as the last three wickets added 186 to the Indian total and helped India to get an invaluable first innings lead of 69. Harbhajan Singh in particular delivered lusty blows to score 63 falling just 3 short of his highest test score. Ganguly had earlier played an aggressive knock of 67 before falling to Hogg yet again. Dhoni and Yuvraj meanwhile have barely troubled the scorers in this series. The bounce of the pitch did Dhoni while Yuvraj was caught plumb in front of the stumps playing across the line. Lee finished with figures 5 for 119 and was undoubtedly the best Aussie bowler.
Australian Prime minister Kevin Rudd made his way into the commentary box and was happy to see Indians fighting back. He went on to congratulate Sachin on his brilliant knock. Australian PM, a great sports lover. But how often would we have an Indian PM commenting on Cricket on TV? Not likely in the near future.
The day definitely belonged to Sachin Tendulkar. A flawless ton, his 5th in Australia and 22nd away from home. An innings for all his fans to cherish. An innings that showed that the master blaster is still hungry and craving for more. And an innings which would bring to rest all the criticism that he faced. Tendulkar himself said, “It was a sigh of relief when I drove the ball through the covers on 98”. He remained unbeaten on 154* as India posted a mammoth first innings total of 532. These lines would symbolize what we all expect of Sachin in the future as retirement for now is a long way away.
Quoting from
‘Stopping by the Woods on a snowy evening’ by Robert Frost.
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
So, amidst all the allegations – some of which border on the ridiculous- about the umpires, let us have a closer look at the match. India pretty much dominated the first two sessions of play, having Australia on the mat at 134/6. But, Andrew Symonds combined brilliantly with the tail to post a fighting total on the scoreboard. True, he got a couple of decisions in his favour, but he made them count in a big way.
The second Innings of the match was filled with absolute quality. VVS Laxman dished out the sort of strokeplay that makes batting look ridiculously easy. His century was brilliantly backed up by one from the little master, Sachin Tendulkar. The combined efforts of these two stalwarts, along with a few half centuries, meant that India finished the second innings with a lead of about 70.
Australia showed why they are the best side in the world by some superb batting in the third innings. Centuries by Hayden and Hussey- something that seems to have been lost in all the frenzy- ensured that the Aussies were never going to lose the game. This set a precedent for a declaration, albeit a late one by the skipper.
Drama unfolded in the fourth innings of the match. All India had to do was bat out 73 overs. However, the fifth day wicket proved to be too much for the vaunted line-up. True, there were some errors of judgment by the umpires, but the inability of this side to bat out to save games in the fourth innings surfaced yet again, something that has haunted us for a long time. In the end, the Aussies won with just 7 balls remaining.
Now the Aussie juggernaught will roll on to Perth. The conditions there will suit their play, and the Indians will have to come up with the goods, or run the risk of falling by the wayside yet again. They do have a practice game coming up at Canberra, and they should take full advantage of it to test some players on the basis of form and fitness. One good news is that Rahul Dravid looks like he’s hitting form now, something that the Indians have dearly missed. Here’s hoping that we get a good, fair and hard fought game at Perth.
The Australians were earlier dismissed for a mammoth total of 463 with Lee getting a fifty and Symonds remained unbeaten at a 162. Kumble wiped out the tail, picking up the last four wickets. The hosts had another umpiring decision going their way when Bucknor did not refer to the third umpire a stumping appeal made against Symonds. The replays completely showed that his foot was in the air, as the bails came off.
In the Indian reply, the majestic Laxman was at his wristy best as he came out in an aggressive mood to face the Aussie Bowlers. Jaffer, had no answer to the brilliant swinging yorker by lee. He flicked from outside off stump, drove straight down the ground and even pulled Clark and Lee behind square with ease. Laxman played his signature shots and reached his fifty off just 43 balls comprising off ten delightful boundaries. On the other hand, Dravid was defending everything on and outside the off stump and looked keen in only occupying the crease. Dravid played the sheet anchor role to perfection matching Laxman’s aggression with his defence.
Boundaries continued flowing from the bat of Laxman after tea. Dravid received a huge cheer from the 30,000 strong Sydney crowd when he finally managed a single after 38 dot balls. But, as Hogg came on to bowl even Dravid got into the groove playing aerial shots. Laxman on the other hand went on to complete his 12th test hundred in tests. No wonder, Aussies fear Laxman as four of his top five test innings have come against the World Champions. This was Laxman’s third consecutive ton at the SCG. Dravid meanwhile reached his fifty of 158 balls. But the 175 run partnership between Dravid and Laxman came to an end when Dravid was caught by Hayden at first slip off the bowling of Johnson. Laxman too got out against the run of play when he was caught at short cover of the bowling off Hogg.
Tendulkar(9) and Ganguly(21) were at the crease at the end of days play at 216/3 after successfully seeing out a spell of hostile bowling by Brett Lee. Indians would feel that they are well placed and can hope to cross Australia’s target of 463 tomorrow. Sachin has averaged a staggering 250 in his four test matches that he has played at SCG. In 2001 he got a double hundred here. Lee was the pick of the bowlers and was the only one who really looked like getting Laxman out. Hogg continued to trouble Ganguly with his wrong ones. Meanwhile, Gilchrist had a poor day behind the stumps, as he let off Dravid and Laxman when they were just getting settled. Ponting would be lauded for his sportsmanship when he didn’t claim the catch off Dravid at first slip.
The day belonged to Laxman. In this era of power hitting, it’s great to see a batsman having the sheer elegance as that of Laxman. One of the Indian top order batsmen had to go on to make a big score and it was Laxman who did it today. It was a Laxman Dravid partnership that had turned the series around in 2001 in India. This one didn’t match the Kolkatta one in terms of runs but certainly did in the amount of effort taken by the two batsmen in seeing of the new ball. Now the onus is on Saching, Ganguly and the rest of the batting line up to go on and make a big first innings big score and then we could well be looking at a historic test win at Sydney.