Sport

India’s ‘golden boys’ looking forward to tie the Test series

— PHOTO: AFP

READYING FOR THE FINAL ASSAULT: The Indians, in a huddle during the training session at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, are hopeful of levelling the series and leaving Australia with their heads held high.

Adelaide: From the air, the Adelaide Oval looks like a wizard conference around a pewter cauldron — the pointed canvas canopies of the Chappell and Clem Hill stands not unlike wizard hats, the egg-shaped playing field a passable, if shallow, pot.

The impression of magic isn’t lost on the Indian team. It was here in 2003 that the side brewed an enchanting win seemingly from gold dust, newt’s eye, and phoenix feather.

This time around, India has the opportunity to tie the series 2-2. Considering Australia’s domination of the contemporary game and the ructions of the tour, the result will be remarkable.

“It’s indeed a special venue,” said Anil Kumble, whose career was resuscitated here in 2003. “It all started here, and the last four years have been fantastic for me and the team.”

In this period, India has evolved as a touring side to the point of expecting to defeat Australia in Australia. “As a senior group, we came to Australia with the purpose of winning the series,” said Kumble, who will lead the golden generation in what will (probably) be their last Test appearances in this country.

“We haven’t been able to achieve that,” said the Indian captain, “but we’ll go home with our heads held high after hopefully levelling the series. The future teams that come to Australia will look back and hopefully achieve what we didn’t, but I’m proud of this team.”

The strip here is dry as a rind, and the team winning the toss will doubtless bat. Only, the forecast for Thursday, Friday and Saturday admits the possibility of thunder showers. The locals say that when the clouds cling to the spire of the St. Peter’s cathedral, which sets off the Oval, the ball swings conventionally.

Another factor the skippers will mull over is the recent record: the captains that have won the toss in the last 10 Tests have, without exception, chosen to bat; five (four outstation and one Australian) have tasted defeat. Moreover, the first innings score in three of the last four Tests reads thus: Australia 526 (v India), West Indies 405, and England 551 for six declared. All three sides lost.

Traditionally, the strip proffers true bounce — Les Burdett, the curator, went so far as to call it “honest” — on the first three days before serving the spinners. Kumble said he was yet to decide the composition of his attack, but added he was considering drafting five bowlers.

The move makes cricket sense on many levels. India must force the play in the fourth Test, for a lost series is a lost series whether it’s 1-2 or 1-3, but a shared series is a cause worth staking everything on. Even accounting for the presence of reverse swing, the conditions grant the batsmen more than the bowlers. Unless the Indian think-tank convinces itself that a sixth specialist batsman offers more utility than Harbhajan Singh, the off-spinner will play.

In either case, Wasim Jaffer, who has totalled fewer than 50 runs in six innings, will be a casualty. The tall opener didn’t bat at the nets on Wednesday, while Dinesh Karthik, his partner in England, had an extended work-out.

Australia isn’t certain of its bowling attack either. “You have to weigh whether the historically preferred spin option is the way to go or use four fast bowlers to exploit the variable bounce,” said Ricky Ponting, the captain. “(Shaun) Tait has taken wickets for South Australia for a long time both early with the new ball and late in the game, when there has been variable bounce.”

Matthew Hayden, who missed the Perth Test with an injured hamstring, is set to return and challenge India’s young seam attack, so impressive in the third Test. The left-handed opener tested the strength of his right leg, hunkering down and sweeping spin, and India will do well to make Hayden stretch for every run; should he injure again the hamstring, and not for a moment does one wish such a fate on him, he will not be allowed a runner.

Ponting said he would adopt the tactic of starving India’s batsmen, much as he had at Melbourne, and how it plays out in the Oval’s unique dimensions — square boundaries of just over 60 yards and straight boundaries of very nearly 100 yards — will be of interest.

Also of interest is Australia’s response to being overwhelmed. The only time it lost successive Tests this decade was against India in 2001. “All I said to the guys after the Test is we lost a game which was bound to happen,” said Ponting. “What is important is how you bounce back, how you back your skills and talents after a loss.”

The teams (from):

Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt.), Matthew Hayden, Phil Jaques, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Shaun Tait, and Mitchell Johnson.

India: Anil Kumble (capt.), Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Dinesh Karthik, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman, M.S. Dhoni (wk), Harbhajan Singh, R.P. Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Wasim Jaffer, Yuvraj Singh, and Pankaj Singh.

Umpires: Billy Bowden and Asad Rauf. Third umpire: Steve Davis. Match referee: Mike Procter.

Hours of play (IST): 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., 8.40 a.m. to 10.40 a.m., and 11 a.m. till close.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu