Tendulkar, Ganguly give India edge
Saturday, 18 October 2008
MOHALI, Oct 17 (Cricinfo): India's batsmen sandwiched a middle-order wobble in the afternoon with excellent batting during the first and third sessions to inch ahead of Australia on the first day in Mohali.
A brief passage of play, during which India lost three wickets for 17 runs, threatened to undo the 104-run platform built in the morning but Sachin Tendulkar, who became Test cricket's highest run-scorer, and Sourav Ganguly ensured that the initiative wasn't lost by batting the majority of final session.
Unlike the pitch in Bangalore, which had variable bounce from the start, the surface at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium was true.
There was hardly any swing or movement off the pitch, and the ball came on to the bat, and sped off it. It allowed the batsmen to drive on the up, or hit through the line.
Australia's bowlers failed to bowl disciplined lines during the first session.
However their more accurate methods brought them success and at tea, given the outstanding batting conditions, Australia held the edge having reduced India to 174 for 4.
Another wicket would have made it their day but they were blunted by Tendulkar and Ganguly who scored at nearly four an over without any risks.
Tendulkar broke Brian Lara's record off the first ball after tea, steering Peter Siddle to third man but, once the seemingly endless fireworks subsided, India needed a much more substantial contribution from him.
It was Ganguly, however, who set the pace initially. He had taken 17 balls to get off the mark before tea but after the interval he hit the ball through gaps in the offside with precision, driving Shane Watson and Peter Siddle for three boundaries between point and cover.
He milked that region for 41 of his runs and apart from a stumping against Cameron White - Rudi Koertzen did not refer it to the third umpire - and a couple of uncertain wafts against the second new ball, his innings was calm.
By the end of the day, Tendulkar was batting so confidently that he dispatched the first ball with the second new ball, bowled by Siddle, through cover with a back foot drive.
He tried to repeat the shot the next ball but inside edged the ball past his stumps.
His third attempt to push the new ball through the offside 15 minutes before stumps landed in Matthew Hayden's hands at first slip and gave Siddle his maiden Test wicket.
It ended a 142-run stand and helped even the balance between the teams.
Before that error in judgement, however, Tendulkar had scored runs all round the ground and wasn't tied down by any bowler. He was severe on Siddle, against whom he scored 29 off 20 balls, driving him twice past mid-on for four and steering him to the third-man boundary.
India 311 for 5 (Tendulkar 88, Gambhir 67, Ganguly 54*) v Australia.
A brief passage of play, during which India lost three wickets for 17 runs, threatened to undo the 104-run platform built in the morning but Sachin Tendulkar, who became Test cricket's highest run-scorer, and Sourav Ganguly ensured that the initiative wasn't lost by batting the majority of final session.
Unlike the pitch in Bangalore, which had variable bounce from the start, the surface at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium was true.
There was hardly any swing or movement off the pitch, and the ball came on to the bat, and sped off it. It allowed the batsmen to drive on the up, or hit through the line.
Australia's bowlers failed to bowl disciplined lines during the first session.
However their more accurate methods brought them success and at tea, given the outstanding batting conditions, Australia held the edge having reduced India to 174 for 4.
Another wicket would have made it their day but they were blunted by Tendulkar and Ganguly who scored at nearly four an over without any risks.
Tendulkar broke Brian Lara's record off the first ball after tea, steering Peter Siddle to third man but, once the seemingly endless fireworks subsided, India needed a much more substantial contribution from him.
It was Ganguly, however, who set the pace initially. He had taken 17 balls to get off the mark before tea but after the interval he hit the ball through gaps in the offside with precision, driving Shane Watson and Peter Siddle for three boundaries between point and cover.
He milked that region for 41 of his runs and apart from a stumping against Cameron White - Rudi Koertzen did not refer it to the third umpire - and a couple of uncertain wafts against the second new ball, his innings was calm.
By the end of the day, Tendulkar was batting so confidently that he dispatched the first ball with the second new ball, bowled by Siddle, through cover with a back foot drive.
He tried to repeat the shot the next ball but inside edged the ball past his stumps.
His third attempt to push the new ball through the offside 15 minutes before stumps landed in Matthew Hayden's hands at first slip and gave Siddle his maiden Test wicket.
It ended a 142-run stand and helped even the balance between the teams.
Before that error in judgement, however, Tendulkar had scored runs all round the ground and wasn't tied down by any bowler. He was severe on Siddle, against whom he scored 29 off 20 balls, driving him twice past mid-on for four and steering him to the third-man boundary.
India 311 for 5 (Tendulkar 88, Gambhir 67, Ganguly 54*) v Australia.