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Indian batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, right, and V.V.S Laxman return for the tea interval. AP Photo/Gautam Singh
Everything Sachin Tendulkar touched in the just concluded series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy turned to gold. Everything Nathan Hauritz touched turned to fours and sixes. And almost everything Ricky Ponting touched turned to dust.
Almost, because Ricky played two masterly innings: 71 in the first innings of the first Test in Mohali and 77 in the first innings of the second Test in Bangalore. Also, he won the toss in both the Tests and Australia posted 400 plus runs in the first innings of both the Tests.
This was a big advantage because a side batting last has to face the chin music or cobra-like spin on a crumbling fifth day wicket. But his bowlers let him down, especially spinner, ‘Horror’ Hauritz.
Not that the Aussie quickies were much better.
Ben Hilfenhaus bowled his heart out but India’s top order batsmen faced him with ease. Despite Mitchell Johnson taking a 5-fer in the first Test, he was a huge disappointment. Someone has to get to his ear and tell him that line and length is more important than swinging the ball way outside the off stump.
An Under-12 boy would be chastised by his coach for bowling such atrocities at least twice every over.
Yet Ponting kept mum, chewing his gum rather than giving him marching orders.
But you can’t criticise the skipper for Hauritz’s sub-standard spinning. Well, unless you are Shane Warne who can Twitter as fast as he can SMS.
Give young spinner Steven Smith a chance for the Ashes starting in six weeks time. And bring in Usman Khawaja for Marcus North, notwithstanding his century in Bangalore.
Khawaja has reminded the selectors about himself by hitting a double ton in the Sheffield Shield match this week.
It’s not all doom and gloom for Ponting’s men. They were unlucky to lose the Mohali Test by one wicket. It was almost a tie. While opening batsman Shane Watson was consistent as an opener, scoring 126, 56, 57 and 33 – totaling 271 runs at 67.75.
Young wicket-keeper Tim Paine played two gutsy innings. And Peter George showed promise as a pace bowler, claiming the great Tendulkar as his first Test victim.
But Australia was out-batted and out-bowled by a confident India, especially in Bangalore.
Not only were their spinners, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha, superior to Australia’s non-existent spinners, their temperamental quickies, Zaheer Khan and S. Sreesanth, also swung and reverse-swung the ball better.
But it was Man of the Bangalore Test and of the Series, Sachin Tendulkar, who turned the series India’s way, amassing 403 runs at 134.33, and climaxing it with a double century in Bangalore. He smacked Hauritz for four sixes in his match-winning innings of 214 and 53 not out.
Much has been written on this cricketing legend and he will be remembered with awe the same way Don Bradman is revered in decades to come.
Young batsmen also shone for India: left-handed dasher Suresh Raina, with his 86 in Mohali, opener Murali Vijay, with his 139 in Bangalore, and debutant Cheteshwar Pujara for his classy 72, also on the same venue yesterday.
I expect a big future for Pujara. The 22 year-old has talent, temperament and elegance.
But India would not have won the series but for the gallant 81 run stand for the 9th wicket between VVS Laxman and Ishant Sharma in the first Test.
I have a tinge of pity for Ponting. Despite his Test victories everywhere, he is still looking for a Test win in India.