Sport

Third Test begins at an Indian stronghold

— Photo: S. Subramanium

CORNERED: With Australia down 1-0 in the series and the third Test to be played at the Ferozeshah Kotla, things look rather uncomfortable for Ricky Ponting who faces one of the biggest challenges of his career.

New Delhi: The Ferozeshah Kotla is often criticised for possessing neither the warmth nor the grandeur of its surroundings. India, however, couldn’t have chosen a better venue for the third of four Tests against Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Cricketers are particularly sensitive to the vibes stadiums emit, and the home side, which nurses a 1-0 lead, will be comforted by its invincibility here over the last two decades.

It’s a curious phenomenon, one beyond the reaches of the logical mind.

There isn’t a convenient explanation for why India has won seven successive Tests at the Kotla — the presence of far too many variables prevents abstraction.

Illumination may be had, however, from the one constant in six of those wins — Anil Kumble.

The 38-year-old leg-spinner has 55 wickets at 15.41 here, but the bond he shares with the Kotla can’t be reduced to numbers.

Forced to watch the wholesome win at Mohali from the dressing room, Kumble returns to an old stomping ground with a point to prove.

From the fourth Test at Adelaide early this year until the mighty shoulder gave way, confirming the struggles of its owner, the great man laboured for his wickets.

The bite and accuracy that characterise his bowling were appearing to dull. A mere 13 wickets came in this period — one every 24 overs!

As so often happens in these cases, his replacements — Amit Mishra, the leg-spinner, and M.S. Dhoni, the captain — turned in outstanding performances.

The thrill and promise of freshness overwhelmed the solidity of character and fixity of purpose we had begun to take for granted.

Amidst all the talk of what might happen, India has rightly made its intentions clear. Kumble, his naturally competitive urge further stoked, will slot back in.

It’s a cruel fate for Mishra, although he may still make the eleven if Harbhajan Singh’s injured toe fails to heal sufficiently. The Indian team will assess the off-spinner’s fitness on Wednesday morning.

A large part of India’s success in the series thus far has had to do with its mastery of both dimensions of the opening battle.

Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag have punished Australia, building rapid partnerships of 70, 16, 70, and 182. India’s openers have tamed the leader of the Australian attack, Brett Lee. (Although it must be added that Lee, hurting from a break-up, hasn’t been near his best physically or mentally; he has worked during the break to build strength, but how he holds up emotionally, after the testy exchange with his captain in Mohali, will make for an intriguing subplot.)

Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma have more than held their end of the bargain, restricting Australia’s opening partnerships to 0, 21, 0, and 49. Zaheer has done particularly well in keeping Matthew Hayden down to 42 runs in four innings.

The left-handed opener, however, exhibited ominous signs in the second innings at Mohali — despite the apparent rashness, his feet were both staying out of the way of the swing and getting him into strong positions.

Zaheer and Ishant have out-bowled their Australian counterparts, displaying admirable control and subtle knowledge. Both have helped scar the SG Test ball by bowling cross-seam and landing it on the leather; that done, one side has been treated with spit and polish.

The Indian bowlers have in this way triggered an early onset of reverse swing, with the ball still hard and its seam still proud.

A measure of India’s supremacy in this department may be had from the fact that much of Australia’s preparation over the last three days has been devoted to reverse swing — both combating and recreating this arcane art.

Both captains said the playing strip here appeared good for batting — far from the rumours of the raging turner that were doing the rounds.

Ricky Ponting said, however, that the top surface might loosen as the game progresses. Off-spinner Jason Krejza, he added, was “in the reckoning”. Stuart Clark, who missed the second Test with an injured elbow, has recovered, and will likely play.

The sides (from):

India: Anil Kumble (capt.), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman, M.S. Dhoni (wk), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, R.P. Singh, and S. Badrinath.

Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt.), Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Cameron White, Jason Krejza, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger, and Shaun Marsh.

Umpires: Aleem Dar and Billy Bowden. Television umpire: Suresh Shastri.

Match referee: Chris Broad.

Hours of play: 9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., 12.10 p.m. to 2.10 p.m., and 2.30 p.m. to close.

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