Saturday, Dec 13, 2003
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Cricket
By K. SRIKKANTH
The fact that the Aussies have reached the 400-run mark indicates the level of their dominance on the first day of the second Test in Adelaide. It must be said though that the surface at the Adelaide Oval is among the most batsmen friendly ones in Australia. The bounce is on the lower side, and since the side boundaries are short, any delivery lacking in length is bound to be put away. If the Indians had won the toss and opted to bat first, they too could have come up with a good display. It was not very easy for the Indians to be bowling on this pitch, and they did not help their cause either by bowling short. The need of the hour was discipline in line and length. The absence of Zaheer Khan, India's pace-bowling spearhead, was certainly felt and there was that much more pressure on Ajit Agarkar to show the way. However, Agarkar disappointed, and it is this streak of inconsistency in him that worries me. On his day Agarkar can be a handful, moving the ball away from the right-hander at will, however, those days do not appear to be coming often enough. Agarkar will have to take a serious look at himself and ask whether he is doing justice to his talent. Agarkar was on the mark on the second day of the first Test, keeping the ball on or around the off-stump, and landing it on a length, but at the Adelaide Oval, the Mumbai paceman was disappointing. Having called Murali Kartik to join the Indian squad in Australia, the team-management could have fielded the left-arm spinner in the eleven. Kartik might have been suffering from a jet lag, but cricket at the highest level is all about overcoming challenges, both physical and mental, and the left-armer could have risen to the occasion. Ricky Ponting is in astonishing form and the manner in which he destroyed the bowling showed just that. He is among the finest cutters and pullers of the ball, and can pick the gaps with ease on the off-side, with his drives. He is extremely positive in his approach and wastes little time before asserting himself at the crease. Ponting could do a lot more damage, if he is not removed early on the second day. Adam Gilchrist is another dangerman from an Indian perspective and he should not be allowed to settle down. For this to happen, the Indian bowlers will have to attack him around the off-stump. The last ten overs of the first day produced nearly 80 runs for Australia, and in Test match cricket, no team can afford to give away so many runs. Simon Katich is a relative newcomer to the international scene, and one would have expected the Indians to have removed him early. However, he proved a stumbling block after the Aussies had lost four wickets for 252. It was a stage where the Indians could have got back. The Indians now find themselves in a situation from where the Australians, if they get to a score near 600, could apply enormous psychological pressure, irrespective of the nature of the pitch. www.kris-srikkanth.com
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