India tighten grip on second test
The Indian tail wagged again with Patel (54) and Kaif (64) continuing to frustrate the Australian bowlers. The partnership crept up to 102, before Patel edged a catch to Gilchrist off Warne.
Kaif played through to the lunch break, but was unable to return after lunch due to severe cramps caused by the hot and humid conditions. With the bowlers losing wickets, the courageous Kaif returned with a runner. He showed his intentions by lofting Warne down the ground for 4 runs off the first ball he faced. He was out next ball after trying to run after reverse sweeping to third man and collapsing with cramps. He was unable to get back to his crease in time and was run out. In obvious pain, he refused a stretcher and very slowly, using small steps, managed to walk off the ground.
Patel and Kaif managed to lift India to a lead of 141 runs, while Warne took his first ever 5 wicket haul against India, finishing the day with 6 for 125. Dropped catches may prove costly for the Aussies, with 7 chances going down in the Indian innings.
When the Aussies came out to bat, there was an intent that had been missing in the first innings. The sweep shot, which had been virtually unsighted in the first innings, was employed by Hayden and Langer as they worked their way to another 50 run opening stand before tea.
First ball after tea saw Langer edge the ball to Dravid off Kumble. Hayden was dismissed soon after, top-edging a sweep shot. Gilchrist had promoted himself to No. 3 and, after a nervous start, had 49 on the board before being bowled by a Kumble wrong-un just before the end of play. Gillespie came out as night watchman and survived until stumps.
As we start day 4, Australia have 9 run lead with 6 wickets in hand. India have the upper hand, but Chennai is a pitch where scoring in the fourth innings is not easy. The highest 4th innings score to win was the 8-155 by India against Australia 3 years ago.
India will be hoping for early wickets, while the Aussies will be hoping that Martyn, Lehmann and Clarke can add another 200 runs to give them a chance of rescuing the match and taking a 2-0 lead in the series.
Sehwag shines as Warne wins wicket record
Verinder Sehwag played a materful innings holding the Australians at bay while the rest of team fell around him. At stumps, the Indians held onto a small 56 run lead with 4 wickets still in hand, thanks mainly to Sehwag's 155.
After an uncharatceristic slow start, Sehwag broke loose and was punishing all bowlers. Unfortunately, his partners were turning over regularly at the other end with Dravid's 26 being the next best while Sehwag was batting. When Sehwag finally departed for 155, Australia looked like it would clean up the tail quickly.
Mohammad Kaif was not going to waste the opportunity after 3 years out of the test team and batted well with keeper Patel to frustrate the bowlers with a 58 run unbroken partnership. The fielding was well below the Aussies best, with many catches failing to stick. Admittedly, most of the chances were difficult, but the Aussies have the reputation for capitalising on half chances.
On a positive note, Warne broke the world record when Pathan edged to Hayden at slip to boost Warne's wicket tally to 533. He also dismissed Sehwag to finish 2 wickets clear of Muralithuran.
As we head into the third day, the match is fairly even, with India just edging in front. While India have more runs on the board, they have to bat last on a pitch that will be harder and harder to score on. The Aussies need early wickets today and will need to keep the Indian lead as low as possible.
If India are still batting at lunch, then they will be well on their way to levelling the series.
Australia takes lead in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Under the captaincy of wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist, Australia scored a convincing victory against India in the first of the 4 test series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy against India.
Australia's batting proved the difference as debutante Michael Clarke and captain Adam Gilchrist both scored centuries. Clarke grafted an impressive 151 off 248 balls, while Gilchrist scored with his usual speed with his 104 coming off just 109 balls. Katich's 81 came at a time when Australia needed a batsmen to steady the innings.
Although Pathan bowled well, he was unable to penetrate the early batting order. Kumble finally started to make in-roads to the Australian batsmen, including his 400th test wicket, and had Australia concerned at 4 for 149. Katich, Clarke and Gilchrist then batted well to establish a handy first innings score. The turbanator, Harbhajan, then managed to clean up the tail in short order to end with the impressive figures of 5 for 146, with Kumble chipping in with 3 for 157. By that time, the Aussies had amassed 474 runs.
Despite talk of a spin friendly wicket, it was the quick bowlers who took the match away from the Indians. With 2 wickets off his first 2 overs, Glen McGrath returned from injury to show why he is regarded as one of the best bowlers in the world today, ending with 4 wickets. Gillespie, Kasprowicz and Warne each captured 2 wickets.
The Indian batsmen struggled with Sehwag (39), Ganguly (45) and Laxman (31) all making starts but failing to build on their scores. The tail showed the way with Patel (46), Pathan (31) and Kumble (26) holding off the Australian attack to extend their score to 246.
Australia decided not to enforce the follow-on and added another 228 to leave India with the task of scoring 457 to win. Most of the Australians struggles against an in form Harbhajan, who captured another 6 wickets for just 78 runs. Martyn made up for his first innings disappointment with the high score of 45.
India's attempt at the massive target was skittled as early wickets fell, leaving India with 4 wickets down with just 19 runs on the board. Dravid (60) batted through the carnage and again the tail batted well, to delay the Australian victory with a very slow run rate, before finally falling 217 runs short. The wickets were spread among the Australian bowlers with Gillespie taking 3 for 33.
After the 2001 tour, the Australians have used a more conservative approach to their Indian adventure. One that has showed success so far, but there are still 3 tests left to play. The resilience of the Indian lower order is a danger signal for the Australians. If the Indian top order manage to put some runs on he board, they could set some big targets. On a wicket where the Indian spinners took 16 wickets, Warne only managed to take 4 wickets. This is another danger signal for the Australian team.
Much has been written about the errors made by the two umpires. It's time the ICC started allowing more technology to help the umpires make the right decisions. More on this issue later.
Thursday sees the players move to Chennai for the next test. Reports from the match will (health permitting) be more regular.
