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A win at last!
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The Adelaide Test was a `defining moment' in Indian cricket, writes V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
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CONQUERING THE `Final Frontier'! That's exactly what Sourav Ganguly's boys did when India recorded a historic, four-wicket win over Steve Waugh-led Australians to notch up what is the first win `Down Under' after a gap of 22 years in Test cricket.
Be it the classicism of Rahul Dravid or the romanticism of Hyderabadi V.V.S. Laxman or even the stunning spell from the much-hated Ajit Agarkar or the two-wicket crucial spell from the little master Sachin Tendulkar or the those unexpectedly, brilliant efforts in the deep from Virender Sehwag, what was unmistakable is the team effort that ultimately did the Aussies in. Bearding the lion in its own den is something, which was almost unthinkable for many teams in contemporary cricket. But, that Ganguly, the most aggressive captain the Indians had in recent past, was always in the mood to rewrite a new chapter this time around and he virtually set the trend with his own scintillating century in Brisbane when the first Test ended in a highly creditable draw.
It is pretty obvious that it had become a favourite pastime to whip this Indian team when the going was not that good and praise them sky-high once they find the winning touch. So, it is no different when critics are up to point this win as the `defining moment in Indian cricket'. Just consider all those critical comments, which the `experts' showered on the big names of Indian cricket not long ago, conveniently forgetting that India has not done badly in the last couple of years. They won a Test each in England and West Indies and now in Australia. What this team needs is a series win abroad and, it would be naive to presume that Ganguly will be satisfied with this solitary win. Laxman is a perfect example of the good old adage - class is permanent and form is temporary. The way he went after the Australian slow bowlers Stuart McGill and Katich, showed that he revelled being on a different plane and in a real hurry to finish off the match in style. The elegance and the authority with which he essayed those delectable strokes on either side of the wicket in both the innings even as the `Wall' Rahul Dravid showed no signs of crumbling under intense pressure were the highpoints of this amazing Test match. More importantly, a Test win minus anything substantial from the willows of the two of the best batsmen in the game - Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.
Not very often does a team score 577 in the first innings and still end on the losing side.
There is no doubting that the collective brilliance of the Indians spoiled what was being planned to be a grand farewell party to one of the all-time greats of cricketing history - Steve Waugh. Well, he tasted his second defeat in five years as captain and both of them had come against the Indians. This has apparently something to do with the reliable Dravid and Laxman firm which should go down in history as one of the most outstanding combinations with a rare ability to make a mockery of a crisis consistently in Test cricket. A virtual repeat of that famous Eden Gardens saga which stunned the cricketing world as India won the Test after being forced to follow-on thanks to Laxman's record-breaking 281 and Dravid's equally impressive century. And, what an effort they put on to record only the second triple-century stand on Australian soil after four decades.
No better way to explode the myth of the Australians on their home stretch. Critics might still harp on the absence of Glen McGrath and Brett Lee but the plain fact is it is their famed batting line-up, which crumbled to be bowled out below 200 to set up what turned out to be a historic win. Blame it on complacency or over-confidence; the end result is that the Indians proved that they can bowl out this Australian line-up twice. The Aussies were laid low at the Adelaide Oval. What is in store for the next two Tests, gentlemen?
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