Since the India-Australia cricket series started, Indian television channels have been running an ad called "Aussie ki Taisi (To hell with the Aussies)". As part of the ad, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar says, "Humko Australia mey Australia chahiye (We want Australia in Australia)".
Tell you what Akshay. You have got your wish. As have a billion-odd Indians. We have got Australia, in Australia.
The lions have been bearded in their den. The world champions have been tamed in their own stronghold. Even more importantly, the famous Indian victory at Perth has only driven home the fact that they were denied unfairly at Sydney.
The comeuppance, after the Sydney drama, has been of almost Biblical proportions. In a matter of two weeks, the victors have become the vanquished, and the victims have redeemed themselves in one of the most rousing sporting spectacles of recent times. Over the past five days, more than once, I have thanked the torn knee ligament for the pleasure of allowing me to lie on my bed and watch the drama unfold, ball by enthralling ball.
Indians appear bullish going into Adelaide, venue of another stirring Indian victory four years ago for the last Test. Not only is the momentum with them, the side has been bolstered by the return of Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan, both proven matchwinners.
Sehwag can be explosive at the top of the order and is handy with the ball. He gave decent starts in both innings at Perth and delivered a knockout punch to the Australians when he bowled the dangerous Adam Gichrist round his legs at a critical juncture of the match.
Pathan was rightly adjudged the man of the match following an excellent all round performance with both the bat and the ball. He swung the new ball to account for both the Australian openers in both innings. With the bat he was rock solid. He added important runs with Dhoni in the first essay, and in the second innings, sent in as nightwatchman, he was most impressive. He kept the scoreboard ticking and held one end up as Aussie quickies ran through the famed Indian middle order.
The presence of Sehwag and Pathan allows skipper Anil Kumble more options in both batting and bowling. With the duo in the side, it is already being suggested Kumble should go into the Adelaide Test with five specialist bowlers, including Pathan. The idea is not without its merits. But Adelaide is still five days away. For now, though, let us savour the sweet sweet taste of the Perth success.
Yesterday, on the fourth -- and what turned out to be the final -- morning, the match was evenly poised. Australia needed 348 runs, and India needed eight wickets. Though history backed India ( only once in the 128 years of Test cricket had a team scored more in the fourth innings to win a match), no one was writing off the Australians yet. Ricky Ponting, perhaps the world's best fourth innings batsman and Mike Hussey, the man with an Bradmanesque average, were at the crease. As long as they were around, Indians knew victory was still some distance away.
And then happened a passage of play which makes Test cricket what it is -- the purest form of the game. As both teams wrestled to seize the initiative, India's 19-year-old rookie fast bowler Ishant Sharma took on Ricky Ponting, arguably the world's best batsman. If ever there was a David versus Goliath contest, then this was it.
After the Indian cricketing orchestra had played in perfect symphony for the first three days in Perth, on the fourth and critical morning, it was the turn of young Ishant Sharma to provide Ponting with an hour of most compelling chin music.
The lanky Sharma used his height to get disconcerting bounce on the helpful Perth track and swung the ball at appreciable pace, making Ponting duck and weave. An inswinger cut him in half, another one pitched a fraction outside the off stump and held its line, missing the bat by the proverbial whisker. Two close LBW decisions were turned down.
Ponting played and missed more than he would care to remember. After seven probing overs on trot, Sharma was about to complete his spell. In an inspiring move, Kumble threw the ball for one last over to Sharma. His second delivery found the edge of Ponting's bat and ended the Australian skipper's agony.
With Ponting gone, the Australians were on the back foot. And then RP Singh got Mike Hussey. Hussey could have felt aggrieved by the manner of his dismissal. Though he was hit on the back leg when well within his crease, there was doubt about the height. Those familiar with the bouncy Perth pitch would tell you that short of length deliveries usually sail over the stumps. In Hussey's case, Hawkeye too concurred with that view.
There was, however, consistency in Hussey's dismissal. Under similar circumstances, Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf had twice before in the match ruled against Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The icing on the cake for me was the Symonds dismissal. In perhaps the most delicious irony of the match, Symonds, the most significant beneficiary of umpiring largese in Sydney, was done in at Perth at a key moment of the match by an umpiring error.
One of his quicker deliveries, the ball fizzed out of Anil Kumble's hand at over 100 kmph, and hit Symonds below the knee roll in line with the off stump. To the naked eye, and more importantly to umpire Billy Bowden it looked very out. The slow mo replay showed an inside edge -- a big edge from the bat, at that. A disconsolate Symonds departed, pointing to his bat.
Revenge, served piping hot, had rarely tasted better.
Tell you what Akshay. You have got your wish. As have a billion-odd Indians. We have got Australia, in Australia.
The lions have been bearded in their den. The world champions have been tamed in their own stronghold. Even more importantly, the famous Indian victory at Perth has only driven home the fact that they were denied unfairly at Sydney.
The comeuppance, after the Sydney drama, has been of almost Biblical proportions. In a matter of two weeks, the victors have become the vanquished, and the victims have redeemed themselves in one of the most rousing sporting spectacles of recent times. Over the past five days, more than once, I have thanked the torn knee ligament for the pleasure of allowing me to lie on my bed and watch the drama unfold, ball by enthralling ball.
Indians appear bullish going into Adelaide, venue of another stirring Indian victory four years ago for the last Test. Not only is the momentum with them, the side has been bolstered by the return of Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan, both proven matchwinners.
Sehwag can be explosive at the top of the order and is handy with the ball. He gave decent starts in both innings at Perth and delivered a knockout punch to the Australians when he bowled the dangerous Adam Gichrist round his legs at a critical juncture of the match.
Pathan was rightly adjudged the man of the match following an excellent all round performance with both the bat and the ball. He swung the new ball to account for both the Australian openers in both innings. With the bat he was rock solid. He added important runs with Dhoni in the first essay, and in the second innings, sent in as nightwatchman, he was most impressive. He kept the scoreboard ticking and held one end up as Aussie quickies ran through the famed Indian middle order.
The presence of Sehwag and Pathan allows skipper Anil Kumble more options in both batting and bowling. With the duo in the side, it is already being suggested Kumble should go into the Adelaide Test with five specialist bowlers, including Pathan. The idea is not without its merits. But Adelaide is still five days away. For now, though, let us savour the sweet sweet taste of the Perth success.
Yesterday, on the fourth -- and what turned out to be the final -- morning, the match was evenly poised. Australia needed 348 runs, and India needed eight wickets. Though history backed India ( only once in the 128 years of Test cricket had a team scored more in the fourth innings to win a match), no one was writing off the Australians yet. Ricky Ponting, perhaps the world's best fourth innings batsman and Mike Hussey, the man with an Bradmanesque average, were at the crease. As long as they were around, Indians knew victory was still some distance away.
And then happened a passage of play which makes Test cricket what it is -- the purest form of the game. As both teams wrestled to seize the initiative, India's 19-year-old rookie fast bowler Ishant Sharma took on Ricky Ponting, arguably the world's best batsman. If ever there was a David versus Goliath contest, then this was it.
After the Indian cricketing orchestra had played in perfect symphony for the first three days in Perth, on the fourth and critical morning, it was the turn of young Ishant Sharma to provide Ponting with an hour of most compelling chin music.
The lanky Sharma used his height to get disconcerting bounce on the helpful Perth track and swung the ball at appreciable pace, making Ponting duck and weave. An inswinger cut him in half, another one pitched a fraction outside the off stump and held its line, missing the bat by the proverbial whisker. Two close LBW decisions were turned down.
Ponting played and missed more than he would care to remember. After seven probing overs on trot, Sharma was about to complete his spell. In an inspiring move, Kumble threw the ball for one last over to Sharma. His second delivery found the edge of Ponting's bat and ended the Australian skipper's agony.
With Ponting gone, the Australians were on the back foot. And then RP Singh got Mike Hussey. Hussey could have felt aggrieved by the manner of his dismissal. Though he was hit on the back leg when well within his crease, there was doubt about the height. Those familiar with the bouncy Perth pitch would tell you that short of length deliveries usually sail over the stumps. In Hussey's case, Hawkeye too concurred with that view.
There was, however, consistency in Hussey's dismissal. Under similar circumstances, Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf had twice before in the match ruled against Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The icing on the cake for me was the Symonds dismissal. In perhaps the most delicious irony of the match, Symonds, the most significant beneficiary of umpiring largese in Sydney, was done in at Perth at a key moment of the match by an umpiring error.
One of his quicker deliveries, the ball fizzed out of Anil Kumble's hand at over 100 kmph, and hit Symonds below the knee roll in line with the off stump. To the naked eye, and more importantly to umpire Billy Bowden it looked very out. The slow mo replay showed an inside edge -- a big edge from the bat, at that. A disconsolate Symonds departed, pointing to his bat.
Revenge, served piping hot, had rarely tasted better.
1 comment:
Rajan, very well written. Aussies had this coming to them for a long time now. You will be surprised to know how many New Zealanders are following the India-Australia series here. Ricky Ponting or his men aren't the most popular people in this country.
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