The Hindu : Sport : Harbhajan, Mishra script emphatic win

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Harbhajan, Mishra script emphatic win

S. Ram Mahesh

Hayden wages a lone battle; India regains Border-Gavaskar Trophy

— PHOTO: PTI

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: The Indian team members return to the pavilion after beating Australia in the Nagpur Test.

Nagpur: M.S. Dhoni, citing the Mahabharata, referred to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as the bird’s eye — the pinpoint of focus for India’s quiver of arrows. On Monday, however, the crossbow appeared mounted on terribly unsteady ground, its aim jerky and awry.

Matthew Hayden’s bruising 77 gained from both India’s reluctance to attack him and their butter-fingered catching. With Michael Hussey, Hayden took Australia to 150 for three — more threatening than it seems in hindsight, for the spread fields and the unimaginative bowling were bleeding runs (68 off 77 balls), and Dhoni appeared unsure of how to staunch it.

But in fourth-innings chases of 382 on strips as well-worn as the one here, it’s only ever a matter of one wicket. Final days in India are apt to turn dramatically; often ground is conceded with the readiness of a monarch in his night robes, a dagger to his throat, and India regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in time for sandwiches and tea.

Outplayed

The 2-0 win is India’s first against Australia since the storied series of 2001. It’s also the most comprehensive series defeat the world champion has suffered this decade. This Australian side might have been stripped of its aura during this tour, but on Monday morning, the team briefly showed why it has earned so scary a reputation.

Hayden and Simon Katich announced their intent about as subtly as a charging, trumpeting bull elephant. Immediately India took cover. Why something approaching this wasn’t attempted by Australia’s batsmen on day three, with a game to advance, will never be known — more likely, it will be explained away in deceptively sensible-sounding, and unconvincing, arguments. But apparent on Monday morning was the effect of intent.

Dhoni switched between 8-1, 7-2, and 6-3 fields, the tactics revolving rapidly like an out-of-control kaleidoscope, as Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan, who have been terrific for much of the series, struggled to strangle the rate of scoring. Indeed the first time the rate dipped below five was in the 17th over.

India’s first two wickets had little to do with bowling skill. Katich, his shuffle taking him outside off-stump, swiped across the line of a wide delivery, and the swirling, steepling top-edge was held superbly by Dhoni, who repositioned himself several times and had to finally lunge to make good the distance. The catch settled the Indians; had it been dropped, the frayed nerves might have begun to split.

Ricky Ponting, whose edge off Zaheer very nearly carried to first slip, was then done in by a fine — and let’s be honest here, thoroughly unexpected — piece of fielding.

The Australian captain pushed to mid-off and scampered. Amit Mishra, who isn’t the sharpest mover in the field, anticipated the run, swooped, and threw the stumps down with the momentum of his dive forward.

Michael Clarke, who came out with a runner, survived a close shout for leg-before on 0, Ishant’s conventional in-swinger (swinging against the shine) cutting in to the batsman. Although Ishant claimed his man with one that straightened — the period in between saw India lose it a touch.

Dhoni dropped Hayden (on 30) off Harbhajan — a regulation take, for the deflection was anaemically thin. Four runs later Rahul Dravid grassed a more difficult chance at first-slip, again off Harbhajan, this time involving the reverse-sweep.

Emboldened, the left-handed opener muscled the off-spinner, sweeping him hard after lunch during an inexplicable phase of boundary-saving fields and negative lines (which were continued despite not fulfilling their design).

It was left to Mishra to break Australia’s momentum, and the leg-spinner struck in his first over. A ripping top-spinner pitched on the seam and leapt off the rough to take Hussey’s glove to first slip.

Harbhajan then settled the issue with one that went with the arm from around the wicket, pinning Hayden, who had stepped across his stumps. Mishra had time to beat both Brad Haddin (Tendulkar taking his 100th catch) and Jason Krejza in flight before Harbhajan polished off the tail.

Past and future

The scenes of victory were both a tribute to the past and a passing of the torch: Dhoni handed Sourav Ganguly the reins of captaincy for five overs (and Ganguly returned them in three); Anil Kumble, the widest smile playing on the great man’s thin lips, hugged his former teammates before receiving, with Dhoni, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from the men it was named after.

SCOREBOARD

India — 1st innings: 441.

Australia — 1st innings: 355.

India — 2nd innings: 295.

Australia — 2nd innings: M. Hayden lbw b Harbhajan 77, S. Katich c Dhoni b Ishant 16, R. Ponting (run out) 8, M. Clarke c Dhoni b Ishant 22, M. Hussey c Dravid b Mishra 19, S. Watson c Dhoni b Harbhajan 9, B. Haddin c Tendulkar b Mishra 4, C. White (not out) 26, J. Krejza st. Dhoni b Mishra 4, B. Lee c Vijay b Harbhajan 0, M. Johnson lbw b Harbhajan 11; Extras (b-6, lb-1, nb-2, w-4) 13. Total (in 50.2 overs): 209.

Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Katich), 2-37 (Ponting), 3-82 (Clarke), 4-150 (Hussey), 5-154 (Hayden), 6-161 (Haddin), 7-178 (Watson), 8-190 (Krejza), 9-191 (Lee).

India bowling: Zaheer 8-0-57-0, Ishant 9-0-31-2, Harbhajan 18.2-2-64-4, Sehwag 4-0-23-0, Mishra 11-2-27-3.

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