The talented Mr Cricket

The morning after Sourav Ganguly's extraordinary outburst against selectors and team-mates dominated talk in Indian cricket circles, it was left to the wonderful Michael Hussey to remind us just what's at stake on the field over the coming month. Resuming on 46, and with just an unproven and inexperienced middle order for company, Hussey struck a superb century to lead his team past 400 on a pitch where inconsistent bounce will have a big role to play in the coming days. Despite a spirited riposte from Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in the final session, it's the Boxing Kangaroo that controls the ring after two days.

Presumably, Ganguly wasn't referring to Ishant Sharma or Zaheer Khan when he spoke of every "Tom, Dick and Harry" being in the team. But for the new-ball pair, India's plight would have been pitiable. Ishant, even on a pitch as lifeless as this, was magnificent, troubling batsmen with bounce, movement and clever changes of pace. Though just 20, he has the accuracy and tenacity that remind you of two other beanpoles - a moody Antiguan and a country boy from New South Wales who didn't do too badly while taking 1000 Test wickets between them.

Zaheer let himself down with the second new ball but recovered quickly to polish off the innings with an inspired spell of reverse swing. Hussey was the last man to go, middle stump knocked out of the ground, but by then he had made exactly 100 of the 176 that Australia added on the second day. It was yet another lesson in how to bat with the tail, and a ninth hundred in just 26 Tests for the man whose refusal to give up on his international dream should be an inspiration to so many.

Hussey certainly isn't the most elegant left-hander you'll ever see, but there's something beautiful about the precision with which he plays the cover-drive. He unfurled it on a few occasions on Friday, though it was the quick singles that hurt India most on a day where they once again looked their age in the field.

Thus far, Anil Kumble's Bangalore swansong has been a dirge. All those overs going back to the days of the Berlin Wall appear to have caught up with him, and as hard as he toiled, there were few moments when he really looked like breaking through. The zip off the pitch that once made him such a ghastly proposition on Indian pitches has gone, and it's hard to see him adding too many to that tally of 616 wickets before the curtain falls.

Harbhajan Singh was more economical, but just as innocuous, and their combined figures of 1 for 232 mark a new nadir for Indian spin. If Cameron White and Michael Clarke end up outbowling them, then the selectors really will have some tough calls to make.

On Saturday, with a near-capacity crowd expected, Tom, Dick and Harry*, and Ganguly himself, will have a chance to bat India back into contention. Something tells you though that the key man will be Sehwag, unbeaten on 43 at stumps. If he bats for two sessions or more, India can yet dream of victory. If he goes early though, Australia might just storm the barricades as they did four years ago, when the result of the match was never in doubt after the first two days.

* - If Tom is Tendulkar and Dick is Dravid, then who on Earth is Harry? Answers on a postcard.

Comments

[Pritam Sinha]

Well, Harry for me would be the stylish 'Hyderabadi' VVS Laxman.

[neilsrini]

how long can inida continue with sachin tendulkar and ms dhoni as passengers in the side.

[Cameron]

Neilsrini I am afraid that an examination of the facts does not support your claim. Ganguly had a good series against India when Tundulkar didn't play through injury but in the series aganst Australia Tendulkar was superb with 2 hudreds and 2 50's while ganguly was mediocre and only averaged 29. They both had a poor series against SL.
Also I can't agree with your view on the match result. An Indian victory would only be possible based on a sizeable first innings lead. It will be very hard to chase a target on day 5. I would back the draw.

[neilsrini]

I have to say I throughly agree with dada. What have Sachin Tendulkar or MS Dhoni actually done for the past 2 years to merit their guaranteed place in the side. Dada has performed better than these guys and with a gun to his head. As a leader his tenure became polarized and divisive but as a batsman he has played great innings of great heart.

Can anyone actually name me an innings of Sachin's that can be classed as great. When he came onto the scene it was said that like Bradman all records would be his when he retired. It seems quite obvious now that when Sachin retires no records will be his, Mr Ponting will have more runs and hundreds, and Mr Lara will have the record for runs and simply amazing innings that were sent from god. When you two other contemporaries have achieved more than you Sachin can not be classed as the Bradman of his time. And he certainly should not be a gimme for selection.

[Vijay Padmanabhan]

Well harry must be Dhoni i guess/
The talk abt players changing hair styles more than runs scored certainly reflects Dhoni. Dhoni might be a relevation in odis but he hasnt done enough to command his place in the test side barring a few flashy knocks in pakistan and windies. Whoever it might be,the selectors need to find the right balance to remove someone from the team or that might well sound death knell of cricket as a gentlemans game

[ABC]

Is the board now going to suspend Ganguly for the outburst according to the code of conduct rules? If he indeed said what he did, its quite poor judgement on his part. As a team, India should be focused on beating Australia but the side-stories always distract. Also, it doesn't help that Kumble seems severely jaded. For a man who plays with such pride, will his non-performance lead to him stepping down after this match? Dileep, your thoughts?

[neilsrini]

I think their total is below par. This is a bat first score 600+ and win pitch. A draw or an Indian win are the only possibilities.

And when India's lucks in and they get a featherbed to bat first on against that popgun Aussie attack we shall see who the Mr's or cricket really are.

[Pritam Sinha]

After Steve Waugh & Michael Bevan, and a few other Aussie too, Michael Hussey seems perfect in the art of playing with the tailenders. His century should be well received by us Indians and an inspiration too for we lack such quality frankly. Spin bowling was other talk of the day for non-performance. Mr Premachandran seems right in his analysis of Kumble at least. It will be a test of Indian tenacity and mental resolve a la Hussey if they have to claw back into the Test match. A certain Tendulkar might be hungry I have a feeling. Fingers crossed.