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Test #1531 India vs Australia at Mumbai. Report by Ryan Seccull.

Steve Waugh won the toss and sent India into bat, hoping that his three quicks would be able to extract the most out of the pitch in the morning session. Colin Miller was controversially named 12th man, but the Australians always had Mark Waugh to turn to if an extra spinner was needed.

Das and Ramesh started slowly against the new ball, knowing that the pitch offered McGrath and Gillespie quite a bit of movement for the first hour before settling into a spinners wicket.

Fleming struck in his first over when he got Ramesh playing at one of his outswingers, nicking a fairly simple chance to Mark Waugh at second slip. Fleming was delighted to have started so well in his first test match in over fifteen months. Dravid looked in good touch against the spin of Warne and Fleming’s pace, but tried to drive Fleming once too often hitting a half chance to Ponting who brilliantly took a diving catch. India was off to a bad start at 62/2 but now Tendulkar came out to set things right for the Indians. He and Das kept the scoreboard ticking over until lunch, putting a decent 100 runs on the board for the loss of two wickets.

After lunch, Das and Tendulkar set about putting a partnership together. The pair made eighty runs and it seemed Steve Waugh’s plans to use pace against India had backfired as Tendulkar was picking them off with ease. With the score at 144/2, Das was out trying to cut a ball which was too close to his body, hitting the ball down Ponting’s throat. Ganguly then edged the next ball to Gilchrist and the Indian captain was gone, with Gillespie on a hat trick. Laxman survived the hat trick ball, but looked shaky against McGrath and Gillespie. Tendulkar knew the responsibility of scoring lay upon him, but was bowled trying to smash a Fleming slower ball over Mid Wicket for a fine 57 which came of just 66 balls.

India never recovered from Tendulkar’s dismissal. Mongia and Laxman slowly put together a sixteen run stand before Gillespie, who was bowling brilliantly on a pitch not conducive to pace, took his third wicket of the day when Laxman gave Gilchrist an easy chance behind the stumps. India were now struggling at 6/174 with all the wickets falling to the pace trio. Agarkar, even though he hardly troubled the scorers with his eight runs, managed to stick around until McGrath produced a superb delivery to bowl him. His replacement, Srinath, managed to hang around until tea, at which India was at 188/7.

Srinath was the first man to go after tea when Gilchrist took his third catch of the Innings, this time off McGrath’s bowling. He had added a total of 17 to the India’s, which now looked unlikely to pass 230. Harbhajan Singh and Mongia then put together a spirited partnership of 36, then Singh became Gillespie’s forth victim of the day, being bowled middle stump. Fleming also picked up his forth wicket of the day in the following over, when Mongia was caught at short leg by Justin Langer. India’s 253 in 78 overs was disappointing on a pitch which favored batting and spin bowling.

With 22 overs still to be bowled, the Australians were looking to Slater and Hayden to get them off to a good start. It didn’t happen though and Slater was out in just the third ball, when he hit an easy catch to Harbhajan Singh. Langer and Hayden put 39 runs on the board before stumps, but not before rain cost 12 minutes of play.

It became quite clear Hayden was in good form at the start of the second day’s play, making a careful fifty in a 97 run partnership with Justin Langer, until the latter fell to a great catch by Sanghvi of a well bowled Harbhajan Singh Arm ball. That was the only wicket to fall in the morning session, with Australia at 139/2 at lunch. Hayden was looking good with 74 runs.

Mark Waugh was next out, going out LBW to Srinath for 20. He however did better than big brother Steven whom was bowled by Agarkar for only 17 runs. Australia was now 184/4 and still needed 69 runs for a 1st Innings lead with the tail not too far away. Ponting did not however provide the Australians with too many of those runs, and fell for 14 having been trapped infront by Sanghvi. Hayden ended a bad session for the Australians by making his second ever test century, his 100 coming off 195 balls and included 11 fours. However, India was now back in the game having taken 4 wickets in the session.

Gilchrist came storming out of the blocks in the final session of the day. His fifty was reached in just forty balls and Hayden was reduced into a supporting role. Then while still on fifty, Gilchrist offered Agarkar an chance, but Agarkar barely got a had on the straight forward chance and Gilchrist survived to further destroy the Indian bowling attack. Hayden, after 118 superb runs however, finally was out when Laxman took quite a difficult chance off Srinath.

Before Warne was able to get off the mark, the heavens opened up and 72 minutes of play was lost. Gilchrist however simply took off were he left off, and such was his domination, scored 43 of the first 50 runs of their partnership. Only the new ball slowed him down slightly, but at stumps he was 99 of 104 balls. Great going in a ODI, simply amazing in the five day version of the game. Thanks to Gilchrist and Hayden, Australia was 334/6 and well in control after two days. Could this be the start Australia’s first series win in India for 30 years?

The first ball of day three was put into the fence by Gilchrist and his 103 runs were off just 105 balls. He didn’t last long into the day, unfortunately for Australia, as he mis-timed a pull shot straight to Ramesh. Gillespie followed in the next over, having been caught by Mongia. Then the rain came, bringing forward the lunch break, and Australia were now 368/8. Once the rain cleared, it didn’t take long for Agarkar and Srinath to mop up the tail, with Warne out for 17 and McGrath falling for 6. Fleming made an unbeaten 6 in Australia’s 379.

McGrath and Gillespie opened the bowling for Australia, and McGrath put down the easiest of chances from Ramesh. The openers, thanks to a bit of rain, ha survived until Tea on the third day, but not before Das survived an LBW appeal from McGrath, which the Australian were noticeably quite upset with.

Gillespie however, came up with the goods, with Das been caught absolutely plum in front of the stumps soon after Tea. McGrath claimed Dravid for 1 when he played a one that swung away from him, catching a thick edge through to Gilchrist. However, the prized wicket of Tendulkar fell to Fleming when he was given LBW for 2. With India now at 38/3, still 87 runs short of the Australian first Innings total, victory seemed a long, long way away.

Ganguly became the first victim of an Australian spinner, when Warne picked up Ganguly LBW for 25. India still needed 53 runs just to make Australia bat again, with six wickets still in hand. Ramesh was out for 36 (the highest score of the innings) a couple of overs later, when he failed to dig out a McGrath yorker. Mongia plodded along to make 1 from 22 balls before McGrath trapped him LBW to make the home side 97/6 and still needing 29 runs to avoid an embarrassing innings defeat.

Laxman was next to go, the last of India’s batsman was caught by Michael Slater at mid wicket for 19, with the score now 107/7, fortunately, a partnership from Agarkar and Srinath brought the Indian’s passed the 126 they needed to make Australia but again. Just before stumps Agarkar was out when yet another Indian was out LBW. At stumps on day three, Australia were well on top with India at 142/8.

Srinath was out early on, but Harbhajan Singh and Sanghvi frustrated the Australians by staying at the crease for over an hour, before Sanghvi was caught by Hayden of the bowling of Fleming for 6. He was the Nineteenth Indian to be dismissed at the hands of an Australian quick in the match, an endorsement of Steve Waugh’s earlier decision to make Colin Miller 12th man and use Damien Fleming as the third Australian fast bowler.

Australia needed just 55 to win in the final innings. Hayden fell for 1 and Langer failed to reach double figures. Slater was out on the last ball before lunch to an unbelievable catch from Harbhajan Singh, but the result was never beyond doubt and the Waugh twins guided the Australians home to win by seven wickets. Steve Waugh’s side have proved that they can defeat India on foreign soil, but can they do it again to win the series? They can, if the Australian bowlers continue with there success here in Mumbai. They after all, have just proved that if you are good enough, you can succeed anywhere.

However, one must not forget the efforts of Srinath who took 6/91 in the first innings, and has unlucky to have Gilchrist score that century, which earned the Australian the Man of the Match award.