Indian stylist VVS Laxman ground Australia into the Delhi dust today then rebuked the team from down under for their “very very defensive” tactics.
The hosts declared at 7-613 before Australia’s Matthew Hayden (16no) and Simon Katich (29no) saw off 15 overs to be 0-50 at the close, leaving the draw as the visitors’ main hope in what is becoming a one-sided battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Already Indian spinners Anil Kumble and Amit Mishra are gaining vicious turn and awkward bounce to hint at the troubles in store for the Australians in the next three days.
Laxman followed his damaging batting with equally cutting words, criticising Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s approach to the series.
“Their total approach is very, very defensive, right from the start of the series, you see the captain, the way he says that his team is an underdog for this series, that itself puts them on a defensive note,” he said.
“Whereas you’ve got our captain Anil, through all the criticism he’s having he’s very, very positive in the way he’s talking about his team.
“Ricky is talking about India rather than talking about his own team, so I think they’re very, very defensive in the way they’re approaching their cricket.”
Following Gautam Gambhir’s departure for 206 (550 minutes, 380 balls, 26 fours, one six), Laxman carried on with the help of the tail to a magnificent 200no (470 minutes, 301 balls, 21 fours), the second double century of his career.
Both have come against the Australians, who not for the first time looked absolutely clueless as to how to stop his uniquely subcontinental mix of wristy flicks and majestic drives.
It is an accurate indicator of Laxman’s incredible batting prowess against Australia that his career average against them (54.65) is nearly 10 runs better than his overall mark of 44.99.
Six of his 13 Test centuries have been at Australia’s expense.
Mitchell Johnson (3-142) had the best figures of the bedraggled touring attack, though part-time wrist spinner Simon Katich (1-60) again demonstrated why he may have been a useful slow bowling option if utilised earlier in the series.
Resuming at 3-296, Gambhir and Laxman pushed through some committed Australian pace bowling with the second new ball before making hay as the day wore on.
Laxman reached his century by gliding White through cover to the fence.
He had batted soundly on the final day to help save the first Test for India in Bangalore, but this performance showed much of the shotmaking skill that has always made him a player the Australians fear more than anyone, even Sachin Tendulkar.
Delhi native Gambhir meanwhile drove to his highest Test score, again befuddling the touring attack with his combination of neat strokes and a combative attitude.
Eventually Shane Watson (2-66) defeated his man, bowled off inside edge and thigh, and backed up by coaxing an outside edge from Mahendra Dhoni for a quickfire 27.
Katich maintained Sourav Ganguly’s record of getting out to Australian left-arm spinners, having the former skipper caught at cover for five by Ponting, who had earlier been forced to bring himself on to bowl two overs of medium pace.
Ponting’s Australians were bereft of ideas by the end of the innings.
Unable to manufacture wickets, they simply waited for the declaration, which arrived when Laxman clipped Michael Clarke to long on for his 200.
India’s total was the 12th largest conceded by Australia in Tests and the highest on foreign soil since Laxman’s 281 inspired a second innings of 7(dec)-657 in the memorable 2001 Kolkata Test match.
The Gambhir/Laxman partnership of 278 (316 minutes, 438 balls) was India’s third highest fourth wicket stand in all Tests, surpassed only by Sachin Tendulkar’s unions of 281 with Sourav Ganguly against New Zealand at Ahmedabad in 1999 and 353 with Laxman against the Australians at Sydney in 2004.
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