da spicy bet： Although Indian bowlers gave their all on the third day after their batsmen had faltered, the match still hangs heavily in Australia’s favour
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan at the MCG28-Dec-2007
Although Harbhajan Singh’s contribution with the ball proved unsatisfactory, he remains confident that India can still stage a comeback in the series © Getty Images
Look at the third day’s play in isolation and you have an interesting contest:Australia 351 for 7, a good score but not necessarily a match-winning one. It wouldstill be Australia’s day but India would end it upbeat, hoping to mop up the tail inthe first hour tomorrow. They would have taken heart from their effort and looked tosustain the fight on the next day.Test matches mean nothing without context. A tepid crowd watched a game being setup, fully aware of the possibilities ahead. There was no guesswork going on. Almostdouble the number turned up for the opening day, one where Australia managed 337 for9. Only 14 more runs were scored today for two less wickets but the day but therewas hardly any buzz; just 35,000-odd people waiting for the declaration.It may sound preposterous to praise the Indian bowlers on such a day but they showedthe stomach for a fight, a quality that had served them well on the opening day.Zaheer Khan ran in with purpose, RP Singh came with a bit more fire, Harbhajan Singhslowed it down a bit and Anil Kumble refused to waver. On the hottest day of theirtrip, after their batsmen had let them down, they showed the sort of defiance thebatsmen could have done with.Zaheer’s run to the wicket has rarely been quicker. It was clear that he wasdesperate to make a point, so eager that he overstepped once too often. The in-cutterto castle Andrew Symonds was a cracker – he had almost finished his celebrationbefore he realised it was a no-ball – and the intensity of his appealing told youabout a strike bowler wanting to create inroads. He generated some lethalreverse-swing and changed his angle often enough to keep the batsmen guessing. Hehad displayed a similar zeal in the second innings at Nottingham, a match that heturned with a couple of fiery spells.What hurt India, for the second time in three days, was Australia’s urge to get amove on. It’s not only the strength they summoned to smash fours and sixes but alsothe stealth to grab quick runs. They have been stronger and faster than theIndians. Nowhere were their batsmen’s approach more evident than when Symonds wasbowled. Turning back to see his stumps shattered, he seemed to be heading towardsthe pavilion before realising it was a no-ball. One would have expected him to lookup at the heavens, instead he was furiously calling his partner for a run. Scorefirst, thank later.India’s sloppy fielding wasn’t going to help – they were always going to struggle insuch big arenas – but they would be heartened by Harbhajan Singh’s improvement. Hedidn’t extract much spin from the surface but slowed his pace and worked his angles.He is still far from being a threatening force but will take a few positives toSydney, where the surface might suit him more.He also reminded everyone about this being only his second Test in Australia. “Ittakes time to adjust to the conditions in Australia,” Harbhajan said of his poorfirst-innings effort. “These pitches have some extra bounce, something we’re notused to in India. I think we bowled well today. As a bowling unit, we’ve beenbowling well.”Harbhajan’s responses to a few critical questions summed up the bowlers’ day. “We’rehere to win the series and are not going to try and draw the game.” When provoked -“Don’t you think the series might be gone before India acclimatise to theconditions?” – he turned combative: “We won’t lose the series. Bythe time we return to India, let me show you we’re here to win.”It is a stubbornness that will serve India’s batsmen well. The Test may be gone butthere’s plenty to be gained over the next couple of days.