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Sehwag and Karthik fail to get going

S. Ram Mahesh

Good partnership from Wasim Jaffer and Rahul Dravid

Canberra: The objective of the three-day tour match against the ACT Invitational XI was to manufacture some time in the middle for the Indians, away from the pressures that constrict a Test match. Away from the recent unpleasantness, at any rate.

A fast strip and at least one quick opposition bowler will have done nicely, what with the Perth Test coming up. The grassy Manuka Oval track was therefore an encouraging sight; and M.S. Dhoni’s success with the toss ensured his batsmen had a shot at two innings on it.

But, not everything panned out as desired on Thursday. Against an attack that posed few threats, Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik, two men in need of match practice and in contention for a Test spot, got started but failed to press on. Yuvraj Singh didn’t get as far — having forced a re-ordering of India’s Test line-up, the left-hander has done little to justify it.

The slide

Wasim Jaffer (92) and Rahul Dravid (62) added 93 for the third wicket, but the former fell at the stroke of tea, prompting a slide: 210 for two became 233 for five, and later 291 for seven. The Indians eventually declared on 325 for nine. ACT in reply was on 10 without loss from four overs at close on day one.

The ACT bowlers — a tall medium-fast seamer, a left-armer who ran it down the angle at similar pace, two gentler swing-and-cut merchants, and a leg-spinner partial to the full toss — produced fewer than half a dozen genuine wicket-taking deliveries between them. There was bounce to be had (though inexplicably the odd ball died) as well as deviation off the seam, but the discipline on show wasn’t world class.

Sehwag batted from memory on Thursday morning. His attempt to keep a Richard Sherlock in-ducker out was adequate, but no more. Several times he flashed at short, wide deliveries, struggling to catch up and losing his poise. He took 17 balls to get off the mark; things improved however. He struck Ash Perera, the left-armer, through cover — a stroke of considerable balance — before off-driving Adam Ritchard.

Spectacular catch

But, Luke Swards tempted Sehwag with a beautifully pitched out-swinger, dragging the batsman forward and prompting the rash drive outside off. Captain Mark Higgs took off at second slip to snag a spectacular catch.

Jaffer, who had dealt calmly with a beamer in the first over, leant on a cover-drive to confirm that he was settling well. It has been a lean tour for the opener, and he looked stylish and assured, even forceful at times, on Thursday. The hook for six was violent but in a bloodless sort of way; the upper cut that cleared deep point was languid.

It must be said, however, that Jaffer didn’t face anyone of troubling pace — he has fallen to Lee in all four Test innings, appearing a fraction late on the ball. One hopes his demonstrably better footwork travels well. He struck up a partnership with his old opening mate Dinesh Karthik, who immediately looked the part.

Impetuosity

But, Karthik succumbed again to impetuosity. Having driven exceptionally with a shimmy down the track, he aimed a pull at a ball wide outside off. It went off the toe-end to mid-on.

Dravid’s start was scratchy: he was having trouble with the bowlers’ lack of pace as evident from how hard he pushed in front of his leading leg. A thudding pull turned things around, and soon he was advancing to Ryan Bulger’s airy leg-breaks, driving either side of mid-on and lofting one straight. He reached 50 with another pull.

Jaffer allowed boredom to get the better of him against Higgs’s occasional left-arm slows, finding long-on, who had been brought in ten paces from the boundary rope. Yuvraj was done in by bounce: off the back-foot, he sliced Perera with a vertical bat to gully. Dravid forced his hands at Perera’s lefty angle to edge behind, and it was left to M.S. Dhoni and Irfan Pathan to stitch the lower-order together. They added 55 largely confident runs before a mini-collapse pre-empted the declaration.

The scores: Indians — 1st innings: W. Jaffer c J. Rogers b Higgs 92, V. Sehwag c Higgs b Swards 24, D. Karthik c Perera b Swards 25, R. Dravid c Crosthwaithe b Perera 62, Yuvraj c Dean b Perera 2, M.S. Dhoni c & b Ritchard 38, I. Pathan c Bulger b Swards 33, Harbhajan c Crosthwaite b Bulger 0, R.P. Singh c Crosthwaite b Ritchard 12, Pankaj (not out) 5, V.R.V. Singh (not out) 4; Extras: (b-5, lb-9, nb-6, w-8) 28; Total: (for nine wickets decl. in 84 overs) 325.

Fall of wickets: 1-66 (Sehwag), 2-117 (Karthik), 3-210 (Jaffer), 4-220 (Yuvraj), 5-233 (Dravid), 6-288 (Dhoni), 7-291 (Harbhajan), 8-304 (R.P. Singh), 9-321 (Pathan).

ACT XI bowling: Sherlock 17-4-72-0, Perera 15-3-40-2, Swards 17-2-45-3, Ritchard 18-1-71-2, Bulger 12-0-70-1, Higgs 5-0-13-1.

ACT XI — 1st innings: E. Cowan (batting) 8, C. Rogers (batting) 2; Total: (for no loss in four overs) 10.

Indians bowling: Pathan 2-1-5-0, Ishant 2-1-5-0.

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