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Cricket
By Vijay Lokapally
Century-makers Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan India 366, Australia 317 for 3
Thanks to a lackadaisical show by the visiting team on the second day of the third Test, Australia saw its hopes resurrected following a majestic batting show by Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, both of whom scored centuries. Enjoying the batting conditions, Australia finished at 317 for three — trailing by just 49 runs, a scenario very different from what might have been imagined on day one. India's much-heralded batting depth failed to make an impression and allowed Australia to place itself in a situation of some strength. The onus will now clearly be on India to try and establish a safe passage considering the state of the pitch. "The wicket will get tough. The cracks are opening up. It would be nice not to bat again," said Ponting. An early loss because of a careless slash by Justin Langer did raise India's hopes but Hayden and Ponting read the Indian attack comfortably and exposed its limitations in the second session, so crucial to Australia's fightback. The Australians had bowled to a plan, inviting the batsmen to play their shots. When it was their turn to perform, the Indian bowlers displayed a lack of understanding of the situation and paid dearly for their appalling line in the afternoon. They lacked the heart to fight a pair of batsmen most committed to raising their game and grinding the opposition.
Zaheer's injury
Zaheer Khan, who bowled with a shortened run-up after suffering hamstring pain in his fifth over, and a subdued Nehra failed to make any impact, the latter succeeding in containing but never looking like taking a wicket. Agarkar strove but couldn't make an impression on Hayden and Ponting as the two added 234 for the second wicket. A few odd balls did behave alarmingly but not enough for the batsmen to lose their composure. India's attack lost much of its bite once the captain realised that Zaheer had to be used in short spells. The left-arm spearhead presented a sorry picture as he bowled four unimpressive spells and this certainly had a bearing on the rapid progress that Australia made. Kumble also was not at his best, pitching too short to cause any discomfort and was hammered by Hayden and Ponting. In Zaheer's defence vice-captain Rahul Dravid said, "he had passed a fitness test before the match. He did feel a twinge but showed tremendous character to come out and bowl. It was unfortunate that the injury recurred during the game. There's a worry on this front but I think he showed tremendous character by bowling. He knew he had to keep bowling and he did it.'' Hayden's 17th century in 49 Tests and Ponting's 20th in 74 made the day for the 40,000 spectators. Their association was built on the strong foundation of waiting for the bad ball and the Indians obliged them very generously. Hayden, who was out for 99 at Brisbane, guided his partner with an innings that confirmed his excellent form in this series. Ponting did not lag behind and used the opportunity to swell his aggregate against the Indians in the series with his second century after the 242 at Adelaide. He survived a strong shout at 97 when Zaheer beat him with late movement. The Indians were convinced of the nick but not umpire Billy Bowden. "I don't know what the appeal was for. I nicked nothing," Ponting said later. It was Kumble's perseverance in his fourth spell that brought some cheer to the Indian camp. Hayden's penchant for the sweep proved costly and the promotion of Adam Gilchrist to unsettle the Indians misfired when he skied the ball in a clumsy attempt to dismiss the leg-spinner.
Chance frittered away
Earlier, India frittered away the good work of Virender Sehwag with some shoddy batting as the last six wickets contributed just 16. Instead of building from a position of strength the batsmen showed far more faith in their aggressive instincts and paid for it dearly. The last nine wickets for India were worth 88 runs, a dismal performance after the 141-run opening wicket association between Sehwag and Akash Chopra. The collapse set in early Ganguly fell to the steer that has often proved fatal. This steer, away from the body, had caused enormous damage to Ganguly in the recent past. Parthiv Patel flashed at the first ball he faced and came to grief. With a senior partner like Laxman at the other end, Patel merely had to play the supporting role. Ajit Agarkar showed poor cricket sense in running with the shot, a firm push, immediately on his arrival at the crease and was beaten by a direct hit. Laxman, meanwhile, was not sure about the approach to adopt. With his partners indulging in ambitious strokeplay, he allowed himself the freedom to whip a couple of boundaries but soon lost Kumble. The Indian innings by now had lost its direction and it was hardly surprising that the procession saw Laxman lose his concentration. The Australians tempted Laxman with fielders in the deep but he perished to a meek edge to slip. "Tough day for us," said Dravid. "Very satisfying" remarked Ponting. That summed up the day's play.
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