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Kumble blames the batsmen

Special Correspondent

Ponting praises his team-mates; Gilchrist sets Australian record

— PHOTO: AP

PASSING ON THE BATON: Adam Gilchrist (right), who broke former Australian wicket-keeper Ian Healy’s record, praised the current set of Australian bowlers.

Melbourne: The Indian captain Anil Kumble said on Saturday that the collective failure of the batting had cost the side in the first Test, which ended in four days at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

At the post-match press conference, Kumble was lucid and thoughtful, even summoning the ability to laugh at himself.

“The batting didn’t stand up,” said Kumble. “It was the kind of wicket that was tough to score on, but if you put your head down and got in, it wasn’t easy to get you out. We didn’t back up a good first day. It was crucial to get near the Australian first innings score or even pass it. It’s disappointing; it hurts especially the second innings.”

Game plan

Kumble said the plan had been to play it by session, once the Australians set India 499 for an improbable victory and more realistically two days to survive. “We wanted to go to lunch without losing wickets. But, we weren’t able to do it. We didn’t adjust well enough, credit to the Australian bowlers.”

The leg-spinning great said a re-assessment of the mental makeup was vital ahead of the second Test at Sydney which begins on Wednesday.

“The batsmen do have the quality. It’s just a question of playing more freely, being more positive, ensuring they are more relaxed,” said Kumble. “A lot of people doubted our bowling and we showed we could take wickets. It’s a matter of the batsmen banding together. We have done it before and I’m sure the Sydney wicket will be better for shot-making as well.”

Asked if, given the benefit of hindsight, he’d have played a different combination, Kumble said, “It was the right decision by form and team composition. It’s always difficult (deciding on the combination). When Yuvraj is kept out you ask why we aren’t playing him and when he’s picked you question (why he was accommodated by asking Dravid to open). I need to look at the team dynamics. The other two openers weren’t really getting runs. It was a tricky situation. Had Viru (Sehwag) or (Dinesh) Karthik been getting runs, it would have been clearer.”

Kumble admitted that the slow pace of scoring was of concern, but said Rahul Dravid, who made a 66-ball 5 and a 114-ball 16, was “too good a player to worry about”.

Intimidating team

The manner of Australia’s win in the first Test against India was indicative of why the side was the world’s leading cricket team, said Rick Ponting, its captain.

“We are used to blasting people out here in Australia with slips,” said Ponting, “but the nature of the surface here didn’t allow us to do that. But, we adjusted quickly and won in a way that was a little bit foreign to us. The conditions probably suited India better, and the way we adapted showed why we are such a good side both home and away.”

Ponting said the opening partnership between Matthew Hayden and Phil Jaques on the first day and the pressure exerted by the bowlers in India’s first innings contributed to the win. “We scored pretty quickly first up and even though we lost nine wickets I thought it was an even game on day one. Then, we created apprehension in their batting with our plans. The way we started with the ball, the Indian innings wasn’t going anywhere. And our fielding I thought was outstanding.”

Gilchrist’s record

Adam Gilchrist, who broke Ian Healy’s Australian wicket-keeping record of 395 dismissals, said it was “a great thrill and a testament to the quality of both our quick-bowlers and spinners.”

Gilchrist said the current set of bowlers was “of the highest quality”.

Matthew Hayden, who spent a large part of Saturday off the field with a sore back, said he expected to be fit for the second Test. “I think it’s called 36,” said the opener when asked of the reason.

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