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Australian captain Ricky Ponting admitted his team had a vexing task ahead to devise a way of claiming 20 Indian wickets after the third Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla ended in a boring draw.
A farewell bowling spell from retiring captain Anil Kumble added poignancy to the conclusion after sturdy Indian batting foiled slim Australian hopes of a last day victory, continuing a strong theme of home batting dominance.
The Indians declared after tea at 5-208, an overall lead of 244, with VVS Laxman (59no) and Sourav Ganguly (32no) occupying the crease after Sachin Tendulkar (47) and Gautam Gambhir (36) provided time-sapping resistance.
Australian openers Matthew Hayden (16no) and Simon Katich (14no) played out a token eight overs to reach 0-31, as Kumble fittingly took the new ball on a dusty subcontinental wicket for the last time after announcing his retirement earlier in the session.
In an unrepresentative finish to a career that gleaned 619 Test wickets, the third most of all time, Kumble’s final ball was a full toss struck to the straight fence by Hayden.
However the close brought a more fitting moment, as members of the Indian team – including captaincy successor Mahendra Dhoni – carried Kumble for part of his lap of honour.
The squads travel to Nagpur for the final Test beginning Thursday with India holding a 1-0 lead, meaning Australia must win to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“I think we’ve proven in this game that our batting’s certainly up to scratch in these conditions …. the challenge ahead is to take 20 wickets in Nagpur,” Ponting said.
“We’ve got to look long and hard at the guys on the sidelines, Doug Bollinger, Peter Siddle, and Jason Krejza and see if we think they can add anything to our bowling group.
“We probably need to look at Jason a little bit closer, he was named in the 12 here and believe me he came very close to playing in this Test match here, so with a bit more work this week he’d certainly come into consideration.”
Brett Lee (2-48), Stuart Clark (1-22) and Mitchell Johnson (1-23) put in dangerous spells, bending their backs in a last despairing effort to wrench a result from a pitch that held up well despite predictions.
Allrounder Cameron White (1-23) was not employed until the outcome was virtually decided, but he bowled tidily when given the chance and dismissed Tendulkar for the second time in the series with a rare ball that turned.
Given his success in the first innings, it was puzzling that left arm wrist spinner Simon Katich was not used today.
Gautam Gambhir (36) was again a thorn in the side of the Australians in the morning, seeing off the bowlers until Johnson won a dubious lbw verdict from umpire Aleem Dar.
Australian desire to win the Test bubbled over in the final moments before lunch, Johnson exchanging harsh words with Laxman to attract a word of warning from Dar.
Tendulkar batted sensibly and with the freedom he has shown since becoming Test cricket’s highest run scorer.
Rahul Dravid, though, was not so successful, unable to survive Lee’s initial burst in which the Australian gained a hint of reverse swing to complicate matters for the batsmen.
Only 10 runs came in eight overs before Lee delivered a yorker that shaped in enough to disturb the stumps via an inside edge.
At the other end, Clark gave Gambhir a working over, on one occasion delivering a grubber that touched a bottom edge before dribbling through to ‘keeper Brad Haddin.
Tendulkar was less troubled and unfurled the odd sweet drive to take the lead beyond 100.
He and Gambhir would have taken the home side to lunch but for an error by Dar, who failed to accurately gauge that the inswing on Johnson’s delivery to Gambhir had to take the ball past leg stump.
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