Sport

India finds itself in a prickly situation

Adelaide: Australia mugged England here at the Adelaide Oval late in 2006. For India, leading by eight after the fourth day of the fourth Test, the parallels with the December match are eerie.

England too went to the fifth day one down in its second innings — two first-innings totals of over 500 very nearly counterbalancing each other. The final-day collapse, orchestrated by Shane Warne, was as spectacular as it was pusillanimous. But, India, through the series, has displayed an admirable fixity of purpose. One day remains — and it will severely test Anil Kumble’s strong-willed men.

The strip has shown signs of variable bounce, but nothing untoward for its age. It is of utmost importance that India retains thoughts of winning. Virender Sehwag, dropped by Michael Clarke at second slip off a hostile Brett Lee, swept Andrew Symonds for six in Sunday’s penultimate over, showing he wouldn’t retreat into a shell.

That India finds itself in so prickly a situation is courtesy a 210-run partnership between Ricky Ponting and Clarke that allowed Australia to surpass the touring side’s 526 by 37. Ponting and Clarke affected urgency early on Sunday morning, knocking off the five required to avert the follow-on in the first over itself.

Thereafter, things settled, although the second new ball, Ponting’s improved touch, and the diffused fields ensured Australia would score at three an over without any great risk. Ishant Sharma defeated Ponting’s two pet strokes. A sharp bouncer overwhelmed the Ponting pull. Then, the 19-year-old screeched a delivery at 145.5 kmph past the cut.

But, Ponting, having scrapped to 79 on Saturday, was discovering the benefits of spending time in the middle. His feet were more certain, his hands less strained. This was particularly evident against Harbhajan Singh, his nemesis. The forward defensive stroke was a stable construction, bat assuredly beside pad, not an out-of-balance thrust.

But, it was Clarke, Australia’s most skilful player of spin, who subjected Harbhajan. The off-spinner bowled better than he had on Saturday, testing Clarke with flight. The release was impeccable, the seam canted just right. Clarke countered with fluid footwork, reaching the pitch of the ball and wristing it to leg.

Other times, he created room, leaving his stumps as lightly as a thistle in a draft, to explore the off-side. He further challenged Harbhajan’s angle into the pads and choice of length with flashing sweep strokes.

It was no surprise that the off-spinner wilted, and barring a troubling spell against Symonds, never regained the flight he started Sunday with. Worse for India, his captain, Kumble, bowled just eight overs before tea, and one after, seemingly struggling with a niggle.

Ponting, who had joined Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara on 34 Test centuries, feasted on two Kumble half-trackers. Whether the Australian captain twinged his back in his eagerness to pull his counterpart isn’t certain, but he sought medical attention soon and a runner on 128. Ponting might have retired, but with a mate close to a hundred, he chose to stay on.

Clarke gave Sehwag a chance on 84, the flawed cut flying to Dravid’s right at first slip, before pushing a single to mid-off to reach his sixth Test century. The single, in fact, was a feature of the Ponting-Clarke combine: Ponting had 43 in his 100, Clarke 46.

The alliance also highlighted cricket’s capacity for variety. Where Ponting’s bat-speed is driven by his forward stride, the bat pick-up early, Clarke’s is a product of tricking his fast hands into descending from a late back-lift. They left within 40 runs of each other.

Ponting, constrained by the back injury, edged a Sehwag off-break onto his stumps. Clarke was bested by another superb bit of bowling from Ishant. Running in with the most glorious rhythm, never flagging during a 12-over spell broken by tea, Ishant harassed both Symonds and Clarke with speedy leg-cut.

His front-on action and angle into the right-hander makes such deliveries devilishly tough to play. He was also reverse-swinging it both ways at this stage — remarkable variety and confidence in one so inexperienced. Ishant got one to straighten on Clarke from just short of a length for V.V.S. Laxman at second slip to take a marvellous catch falling to his right.

Adam Gilchrist nearly beheaded umpire Billy Bowden with a straight hit, prompting warm mutterings of ‘That’s our Gilly’. But, he thrashed Pathan to cover and skipped off the field to a standing ovation. Symonds took his team past India before he was cramped by Ishant. The Australian lower-order then cobbled together enough, falling at just the right time to scare India late by dismissing Pathan.

SCOREBOARD

India — 1st innings: 526

Australia — 1st innings: P. Jaques b Kumble 60, M. Hayden b Ishant 103, R. Ponting b Sehwag 140, M. Hussey b Pathan 22, M Clarke c Laxman b Ishant 118, A. Symonds b Ishant 30, A. Gilchrist c Sehwag b Pathan 14, B. Hogg (not out) 16, B. Lee c M.S. Dhoni b Pathan 1, M. Johnson c Ishant b Harbhajan 13, S. Clark b Sehwag 3; Extras: (b-10, lb-12, nb-11, w-10) 43; Total: (in 181 overs) 563.

Fall of wickets: 1-159 (Jaques), 2-186 (Hayden), 3-241 (Hussey), 4-451 (Ponting), 5-490 (Clarke), 6-506 (Gilchrist), 7-527 (Symonds), 8-528 (Lee), 9-557 (Johnson).

India bowling: R.P. Singh 4-0-14-0, Pathan 36-2-112-3, Ishant 40-6-115-3, Harbhajan 48-5-128-1, Kumble 30-4-109-1, Sehwag 19-2-51-2, Tendulkar 1-0-6-0, Ganguly 3-1-6-0.

India — 2nd innings: V. Sehwag (batting) 31, I. Pathan lbw b Johnson 0, R. Dravid (batting) 11; Extras: (lb-1, nb-1, w-1) 3; Total (for one wicket, 17 overs) 45.

Fall of wicket: 1-2 (Pathan).

Australia bowling: Lee 6-1-8-0, Johnson 5-0-6-1, Symonds 3-0-20-0, Clark 3-0-10-0.

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