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Never judge a book by its cover. The first day and a half of the Mohali Test was like the books in the discount bin at Dymocks. In the excitement of the narrow loss and feel good about Test cricket we must not forget to ask some important questions.
Is it time to overhaul Australia’s middle order? In the first innings only Watson and Ponting did their jobs. Paine and Johnson saved the embarrassment.
Second time around, Australia went from 1 for 92 to be all out for 192. Harbhajan and Ishant Sharma bowled with fire and skill and the Australian middle order buckled under the pressure. North, Clarke and Hussey were like ‘roos caught in the headlights. And their innings ended like the carcasses on the side of the road.
Is Hauritz the spin we need? He bowled competently to mediocre opposition like the West Indies and Pakistan. He seems ineffective against the Indians. The only thing in his favour is that Warne also struggled in India.
Hauritz is dispensable for the next Test starting Saturday. The Indian batsmen don’t fear him and more damming is the fact the Indian tailenders don’t rate him either. Confidence and self-belief are so important at the elite level.
Test Cricket writes its own scripts. Every ball on the fifth day was wrapped in multiple questions. Hauritz bowled one of his rare good balls to entice an edge from Zaheer Khan and at 5-76 only Tendulkar stood against an Aussie win.
His Test was against Laxman and he failed this comprehensively.
VVS Laxman came out with a bad back and a runner and India were ready to be knocked out for the count. The third ball from Hilfenhaus was short and slightly wide but Laxman had time to get his head over the ball, study the makers name and steer it behind point for four. He slapped the next one to cover and seemed to have all the answers and had shut the spasms out of his mind.
Hauritz was having spasms in his spinning fingers as Tendulkar whistled a straight drive past him. A customary single followed and VVS greeted the hapless Hauritz with two successive cover drives. Both different and both exquisite. One of the back foot and the other off the front. How he moved his foot to the pitch of the ball I will never know. The over yielded 14 and the target was 120.
This was Cardiff 2009 all over again. Ponting had to turn to North and this was an indictment of the main spinner.
Smith then is the logical replacement.
And what of Bollinger? How much did he cost Australia? He did not bowl after lunch on the 5th Morning. He only bowled 8.3 overs in the second innings.
Ponting was relying on Bollinger to hustle the Indians. His first ball was played by Tendulkar with a bat as straight and wide as the Nullabor. But Doug was like an enraged bee and the next one spat from a length and stung the Little Master. This was the last over before the first drinks break and Bollinger induced a mistake as Tendulkar tried to steer a bouncing ball only to lob it to Hussey. Surely the game was up now.
At 6-119 there were another 97 to get and only Dhoni and a game Laxman to see them through.
Bollinger was on a roll and India was going backward. Unfortunately, Bollinger did not come out after lunch. India was 8 down and still needed another 90 runs.
Bowling four over spells in the Champions League was no preparation for a Test match. Bollinger is injured and George is readymade to step in.
The cold hard statistics tell us that VVS score 73 off 77. He was responsible for India winning. He played well but the lack of Bollinger and the ineffectiveness of Hauritz cost Australia dearly.
There was more sledging from India than from the Australians. The Aussies need to have an aggressive body language. They are too friendly with the Indians and showing them too much respect.
Test cricket is not for pussycats. And it galls me to see Gavaskar gloat in his commentary.
Ishant Sharma bowled with needles during the Test and he always had a mouthful for the Aussies. He may be tall and thin but he is as mean as a junkyard dog. And Harbhajan is no lapdog either. Dhoni lets his charges express themselves in much the same way as Steve Waugh did.
Ponting, on the other hand, seems to be reading from a script written by a politically correct administration more concerned with effect than substance.He should unchain Johnson and Watson.
In hindsight Mohali did not deserve to host this most exciting of matches. It deserved a capacity crowd and it is only the self interest of the principal advisor to the ICC that sees Mohali get a Guernsey.
Australia needs the aggression and hunger of youth. There must be three changes for Bangalore: George for Bollinger. Smith for Hauritz and Hughes for North. Australia then, also has the option to bat Watson at 6. And get ten decent overs from him.
Clarke must bowl. If his back is sore let him take some painkillers like Laxman did.
The next test is Australia’s to win.Gambhir is out and so is Ishant Sharma. Laxman is doubtful. Time to stop pussyfooting around. These two teams are separated by the barest of margins.
Ponting has shown he wants to be positive. Team management must now unlock the aggression and throw away the key.
A game played over 22 yards, but determined in the end by the narrowest of inches.
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