da dobrowin： India’s batsmen dominated the first two sessions, but Australia fought back tigerishly in the final session to redress the balance
The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran at the WACA16-Jan-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid built on a solid start by adding 139 for the third wicket © Getty Images
As the temperature soared in the afternoon, Sachin Tendulkar appeared oncourse to replicate his achievement as an 18-year-old, when he madecenturies in Sydney and Perth. But a poor decision from Asad Rauf, andthree poor strokes from the Indian batsmen redressed the balanceas Australia fought back tigerishly in the final session.Tendulkar departed for 71, and Rahul Dravid fell seven short of a century,leaving MS Dhoni and the tail with the task of propelling India to asizeable total on a pitch that was nowhere near as fearsome as it had beenhyped to be. Despite play being extended by half an hour, Australia stillfinished six overs short, a deplorable state of affairs that the matchreferee will surely investigate.Tendulkar and Dravid had been largely untroubled while adding 139, thoughAustralia may yet look back ruefully at the chance that Michael Clarkeshelled at first slip when Dravid had made just 11, and India, 85. Indiahad gone to tea on 2 for 177, and after seeing an edge fall short ofsecond slip soon after, Tendulkar had once again showcased his positiveintent with a magnificent off drive off Stuart Clark.Cue Lee, who had bowled at furious pace all day, and a delivery thatthudded into the flap of Tendulkar’s pad even as he hopped up a little.Rauf had a think and then raised his finger, leaving Tendulkar to trudgeoff, shaking his head in disappointment. Sourav Ganguly opened with alovely off-drive off Clark, but was then distinctly fortunate to see aninside edge streak past his leg stump.His good luck didn’t last long though, and a casual slap to a widedelivery from Mitchell Johnson was brilliantly caught low to his right byMichael Hussey at gully. Suddenly 2 for 198 had become 4 for 214, andAustralia’s effort with the ball and tireless commitment in the field hadits reward.It should still have been India’s day through. VVS Laxman got going with acouple of languid caresses past point, and Dravid (on 67) got a reprievefrom Billy Bowden when a Johnson yorker struck him on the boot palpably infront. They capitalised too, with Dravid cutting the ball crisply and thentaking to spin when Ricky Ponting attempted to make up for the appallingover-rate. Michael Clarke was glanced and then cut for four, and Andrew Symondswas swept through midwicket as Dravid moved into the 90s.
Brett Lee halted India in their tracks and helped Australia claw back in the final session © Getty Images
But a century still proved elusive, with a horrendous hoick at Symonds flying off the top edge to Ponting at cover. That was bad enough, but it got worse soon after when Laxman miscued apull off Lee to Shaun Tait at mid-off. Once again, he had made a start, only to fritter it away in cavalier fashion.That was pretty much the story of India’s day, one that began with theopeners adding 57 on the surface that was supposed to be leastIndia-friendly. Lee started at blistering speed, and Johnson at the otherend wasn’t much slower. A well-timed cover-drive got Virender Sehwag off the mark,and he followed up with a couple of magnificent shots through the coverswhen Lee erred in line. With runs being leaked, Ponting replaced Johnsonwith Clark, but Sehwag was in no mood to slow down, clipping onebeautifully through midwicket.Though Clark was the slowest bowler on view, he also appeared the mostdangerous, frequently beating the bat with subtle seam movement. Johnsonreplaced Lee at the other end, but even with the wind behind him, hestruggled to find his rhythm. Clark’s control though was making all thedifference, though Sehwag marked the 50 of the innings with a crunchingshot through extra-cover that bounced back into the field of play off theboundary boards.After 56 came in the first hour, progress slowed, and the pressure createdby Clark’s accuracy was finally capitalised on by Johnson, who got someextra bounce to catch the upper edge of Sehwag’s bat as he went foranother audacious slash. The Melbourne encore [he made a thrilling 195 onBoxing Day in 2003] hadn’t materialised, and it went slightly pear-shapedthereafter, with Wasim Jaffer edging Lee behind.Tait, unleashed only 20 minutes before lunch, and Lee then ensured atorrid passage of play for Tendulkar and Dravid, but India’s premierbatsmen went to lunch with no further damage to the scoreboard. Tendulkartwice saw edges whiz past the slip cordon, but with the temperaturesoaring past 36ºC in the afternoon, it was Australia’s bowlers who feltthe heat.Tait was erratic, and Tendulkar made full use of the fact that hardslashes were always likely to clear the slip cordon. An edge off Tait didexactly that, and when Lee got one to bounce steeply, Tendulkarnonchalantly bunted it down to third man for four. With both batsmenthreading Tait through the off-side field for fours, Ponting opted forchange in the shape of Johnson and Clark.With the runs accumulating steadily and options running out, themedium-pace of Symonds was called on. And with the kettle boiling for tea,India had their second alarm when Tendulkar survived an excellent shoutfor leg before. Soon after, he scythed the returning Tait over slips toget his half-century from 91 balls. At the other end, Dravid, reprieveapart, was solid, and an elegant off-drive off Tait emphasisedIndia’s ascendancy.As has so often been the case in recent times though, it was the Australiantenacity that had the last word.