A childhood dream comes true

By Malcolm Conn

CHENNAI, MARCH 18. Matthew Hayden's sweat-laden Indian summer continued apace as the Queenslander led a bold Australian assault with another imposing century during the opening day of the third and final Test on Sunday.

It was Hayden's third hundred in a topsy-turvy 15-Test career over seven years but, more importantly, his second in three Tests on this tour, which has also included a 97.

``I fulfilled an ambition today to bat a day in Test cricket,'' an exhausted Hayden said later. ``I've been wanting to do that since I was a boy. It was tough because I was crook with this flu but as the day went on it became a bit easier as it got cooler and there was a bit of breeze.

``The last few overs dragged on but I felt strong. It was good to bat with Mark and Steve Waugh. The sweep was again an effective shot for me. The surface is good but it's breaking up. We've got the best of the conditions.''

Determined to regain the ascendancy after the calamity of losing from nowhere in Calcutta only three days earlier, the tourists went after the Indian bowlers with a vigour rarely seen in modern cricket.

It was done with the confidence and daring of a team which has spent the past 17 months devouring opponents around the world.

India's come-from-nowhere victory last week was rationalised by the Australians as one brilliant innings, V.V.S. Laxman's 281, and one back-breaking partnership - 376 between Laxman and Rahul Dravid (180).

In analysing this, the Australians would have reassured themselves that as well as this pair played, and few have ever played better than Laxman, just one delivery could have changed everything.

The 16-match winning sequence may have ended but there is a series to be won - a trophy to held high signalling that this side can beat anyone, anywhere. After 31 years without success in cricket's most challenging arena these men are up to the task. They would not be defied by one setback.

On Sunday, the swift reply came as batsman after batsman lifted the spinners over the infield and regularly over the fence.

The lunch score was a staggering 140 for two from 28 overs. It included 16 fours, seven sixes and just 20 singles as all the Australian batsmen went after the spinners.

Mark Waugh took over as the dominant partner after the main break, making his first decent contribution of the series in the most team-oriented batting display of the series by the Australians so far.

Hayden has been a revelation on this tour. With questions over his form and footwork going into the first Test, the left-hander has played with a cleanness of blade and steadiness of body which has overshadowed many of his more reputed teammates. His latest performance chart shows scores of 119, 28 not out, 97 and 67.

This is indeed remarkable for a man who has spent seven years attempting to gain a regular place in the side and went into this series with a career batting average of just 24.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the Australian dressing room when Steve Waugh won his third successive toss and had no real choice but to bat on a wicket so barren that it prompted India to include three spinners and just one fast bowler.

This gave Australia's bowlers and wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist some valuable rest after spending 223 overs in the field from Monday to Thursday last week.

The tourists went for their last remaining pair of fresh bowling legs, including off-spinner Colin Miller at the expense of fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz.

Shane Warne played, as he must on this wicket, leaving coach John Buchanan and captain Steve Waugh to sort out the relative merits of discussing Warne's condition, or the lack of it, in public.

Once again the toss proved no simple matter and appeared to further expose the barely concealed animosity between Steve Waugh and Sourav Ganguly.

After waiting for several minutes in Kolkata for his leadership counterpart, Waugh abandoned the tradition of captains striding out together half an hour before the scheduled start and waited the extra six minutes or so in the centre with Match Referee Cammie Smith, who ticked off Ganguly when he eventually arrived.

Was it that the Indian skipper was involved in a last- minute selection meeting which reversed a decision on wicket- keepers? Whatever the case the game's traditions and one of its great traditionists, Steve Waugh, deserve more respect than Ganguly has shown in these past two matches. Maybe Ganguly has a different view of his place in the game than conventions dictate. One hopes not.

The most unnecessary act on Sunday was Harbhajan's send-off as Justin Langer was leaving. Glenn McGrath has been publicly hung for much less. If the Australians are to be criticised for moments of excessive behaviour, as Michael Slater so rightly was during the first Test, then the Indians must expect the same.

Harbhajan was definitely out of line. The game and his opponents deserve better. Surely once a bowler has taken a wicket it is statement enough about the victor and the vanquished.

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