The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Anil Kumble has the Australians in a tangle

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Friday, Oct 15, 2004

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Anil Kumble has the Australians in a tangle

By Sanjay Rajan

MAGNIFICENT SEVEN: Anil Kumble celebrates the fall of Adam Gilchrist at Chepauk on Thursday. The Australian captain, who walked without waiting for the umpire's signal in a laudable and customary display of sporting spirit, was one of the seven victims of the Indian leg spinner on the first day of the second Test. Australia, 136 without loss shortly after lunch, collapsed to 235 all out. India was 28 for one at close. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan.

CHENNAI, OCT. 14. Anil Kumble was irrepressible once Harbhajan Singh showed the way at Chepauk on Thursday. The gangly leg-spinner's metronomic accuracy seems to have returned, and this augurs well for India, which is down, 1-0, in the four-match series for the TVS Cup in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The Karnataka cricketer took seven wickets — the `wicket-to-wicket' analysis in his decisive second spell read 10-2-25-7 — as Australia, opting to bat, was bowled out for 235 on the opening day of the second Test.

India was 28 for one at stumps, after Yuvraj Singh became Shane Warne's victim No. 532. The blond leg-spinner has levelled Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan again for the most number of Test wickets. Earlier, Yuvraj enjoyed a reprieve in the very first over of the innings, when Michael Clarke dropped a straightforward catch in the slips off Glenn McGrath.

Simon Katich could only look on helplessly as Australia lost all 10 wickets for the addition of just 99 runs after left-handers Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden provided the side with a 136-run start. It was the duo's 12th century-plus partnership in the 62 innings that they have opened the batting in Test cricket.

ASSASSIN SMILES: Darren Lehmann is caught behind by Parthiv Patel off Anil Kumble. - Photo: V. Ganesan

The wicket held no devils. The visiting batsmen lost the battle in the mind, especially after Harbhajan Singh got the ball to jump about. In fact, the off-spinner, who took 15 wickets in the final Test of the 2001 series at this very venue, surprised Hayden with one that turned and jumped from a length as early as in the 10th over of the day.

It was clear then that the pitch was offering bounce, but none expected the Indian spin duo to wrap it all up in a matter of 38.2 overs. At the same time, it is obvious that only batsmen with a certain amount of skill could have handed the situation. Katich possibly could have. The New South Wales skipper, who resembles West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul a lot in approach, had been the one to turn the contest Australia's way in Bangalore. But he was reduced to a mere spectator here, with absolutely no support coming from his mates.

Twin strike

A bulk of the action occurred in the second and third sessions after Harbhajan jolted the opposition with his twin strike. Bowling around the wicket, the off-spinner dismissed Hayden with a drifter after first deceiving the batsman in the air. Langer departed two deliveries later, playing for a drifter, only to edge the regular off-break to slip.

The morning session belonged to the openers, who rattled up 111 by lunch. But Langer didn't look one bit comfortable against the incoming delivery from left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan. He survived owing to his grit.

Zaheer Khan looked a pale shadow of the sprightly young man that he was when he broke into the international arena a couple of seasons ago. Ajit Agarkar would have been a better choice; the Mumbaikar is a `shoulder bowler' who has the ability to nip the ball back.

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly operated the mediumpacers from one end to check the run-flow for nearly two sessions.

Katich and the stylish Damien Martyn helped the side recover from the twin blows through a 53-run stand, looking every bit ready to wrest the initiative back from the host.

Ganguly brought Kumble back at the right time — about 25 minutes before tea — for his second spell. The two batsmen were beginning to look comfortable and a change in the attack was imperative. Moreover, Harbhajan had been bowling for a long time and needed rest.

Kumble provided the crucial breakthrough when he had Martyn pushing forward to be caught at short-leg. Darren Lehmann fell in the leg-spinner's next over, foxed by a top-spinner which came back slightly even as the left-hander made room to cut, only to edge behind.

This brought together Katich and Michael Clarke, who had put on a century-plus stand in the first Test. Both are fine players of spin.

But Kumble had Clarke leg-before with what is described as a thumb ball; the delivery forces the batsman onto the back-foot even as it comes in a wee bit.

Like in the first Test, Gilchrist walked into a pressure situation. But this time Kumble got him early, pushing forward hesitantly to be caught at short-leg. It was curtains for the visitor thereafter.

Speaking later, Kumble said, "We put the ball in the right areas. The seamers bowled well. Harbhajan's breakthroughs provided us the initiative. Ours (Harbhajan and I) is a good partnership when it benefits the team."

Gilchrist said, "It's tough to explain the batting collapse. But then we know such a thing can happen in the sub-continent. We also know once a team gains momentum, they can dominate the opposition for a long time."

Scoreboard

AUSTRALIA — 1st innings:

J. Langer c Dravid
b Harbhajan
71

(159m, 113b, 8x4)

M. Hayden c Laxman
b Harbhajan
58

(155m, 91b, 6x4, 2x6)

S. Katich (not out) 36

(164m, 106b, 2x4)

D. Martyn c Yuvraj
b Kumble
26

(75m, 53b, 5x4)

D. Lehmann c Patel
b Kumble
0

(7m, 6b)

M. Clarke lbw b Kumble 5

(30m, 28b)

A. Gilchrist c Yuvraj
b Kumble
3

(8m, 9b)

S. Warne c & b Kumble 4

(8m, 7b, 1x4)

J. Gillespie c Kaif
b Kumble
5

(16m, 12b, 1x4)

M. Kasprowicz c Laxman
b Kumble
4

(2m, 3b, 1x4)

G. McGrath (run out) 2

(8m, 5b)

Extras (lb-4, b-7, nb-4,
w-1, pen-5)
21

— —

Total 235

— —

Fall of wickets: 1-136 (Hayden), 2-136 (Langer), 3-189 (Martyn), 4-191 (Lehmann), 5-204 (Clarke), 6-210 (Gilchrist), 7-216 (Warne), 8-224 (Gillespie), 9-228 (Kasprowicz).

India bowling: Pathan 12-3-29-0 (nb-1), Zaheer 11-2-44-0 (nb-2, w-1), Harbhajan 29-2-90-2, Kumble 17.3-4-48-7 (nb-1), Sehwag 2-1-8-0.

INDIA — 1st innings:

Yuvraj c Gilchrist
b Warne
8

(53m, 40b, 1x4)

V. Sehwag (batting) 20

(68m, 36b, 3x4)

I. Pathan (batting) 0

(3m, 2b)

— —

Total (for one wkt.) 28

— —

Fall of wicket: 1-28 (Yuvraj).

Australia bowling: McGrath 5-1-13-0, Gillespie 5-2-9-0, Warne 2-1-1-1, Kasprowicz 1-0-5-0.

Telecast: Live on DD, 9.30 a.m.

Weather: Chances of rain in the morning, clear weather in the afternoon. Temperature is expected to hit a maximum of 32 degrees Celsius, and dip to a minimum of 25.

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