Day 1 - MCG Test
Two things before a roundup of today's play
1. I owe Anil Kumble an apology. A sincere one at that.
2. If only he had caught Hayden at gully when the man was still in his early 20s.
Day 1 ended on a satisfying note. It sure did not look that way at 7:00 am as I rued the decision to wake up at 5:30 and sit through the first hour watching the Aussies edge in the gaps. Kumble moved around his slips and gullies but the ball just seemed to evade the fielders. At lunch(113-0), the game seemed to be going to the Aussie plan - pile on 500 odd and then kill the visitors with pace and strangulating field settings.
Things changed and 337-9 ended the day on a more even keel. Bowling wise, Zaheer and Kumble were impressive. RP seemed to blow hot and cold. Harbhajan was the one big disappointment. The Aussies have certainly improved in reading finger spin, but the lack of pace and revs showed as Bhajji was swept at will. Picking Ishant or Pathan may have served India better. But who knows, I'll be apologizing to Harbhajan sometime before this match ends. Hope he can get some top order Aussie scalps - here is one reputation that needs to be salvaged desperately.
Expect the last wicket to be wrapped up before the first half hour. It may not be a bad idea to allow the last Aussie pair to play out the first half or 1 hour while still restricting the runs. It may well nullify the early morning advantage for the Aussie bowling attack. Knowing Dravid and Jaffer - we may yet survive the first hour. The possibility of another successful day on Aussie soil looks a little more realistic after today. Certainly hope Kumble's boys have flattered and not deceived.
1. I owe Anil Kumble an apology. A sincere one at that.
2. If only he had caught Hayden at gully when the man was still in his early 20s.
Day 1 ended on a satisfying note. It sure did not look that way at 7:00 am as I rued the decision to wake up at 5:30 and sit through the first hour watching the Aussies edge in the gaps. Kumble moved around his slips and gullies but the ball just seemed to evade the fielders. At lunch(113-0), the game seemed to be going to the Aussie plan - pile on 500 odd and then kill the visitors with pace and strangulating field settings.
Things changed and 337-9 ended the day on a more even keel. Bowling wise, Zaheer and Kumble were impressive. RP seemed to blow hot and cold. Harbhajan was the one big disappointment. The Aussies have certainly improved in reading finger spin, but the lack of pace and revs showed as Bhajji was swept at will. Picking Ishant or Pathan may have served India better. But who knows, I'll be apologizing to Harbhajan sometime before this match ends. Hope he can get some top order Aussie scalps - here is one reputation that needs to be salvaged desperately.
Expect the last wicket to be wrapped up before the first half hour. It may not be a bad idea to allow the last Aussie pair to play out the first half or 1 hour while still restricting the runs. It may well nullify the early morning advantage for the Aussie bowling attack. Knowing Dravid and Jaffer - we may yet survive the first hour. The possibility of another successful day on Aussie soil looks a little more realistic after today. Certainly hope Kumble's boys have flattered and not deceived.