Wisden India Extra Issue 6

1

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

63 NOT OUT, FOREVER PAGE 4

TESTING TIMES

INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA 2014-15

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

WHAT’S INSIDE

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

PHILLIP JOEL HUGHES If fate had been kinder, Phillip Hughes would have been nursing nothing more than a bad headache. This was not how the story was supposed to end

Dileep Premachandran |

04

THE GAME COMES SECOND

With the players in different stages of mourning and grieving, taking the field as scheduled was never a realistic possibility

Anand Vasu |

06

DASH OF SPICE

SCALING THE FINAL FRONTIER

What is it that makes playing in Australia so much of a challenge? Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman on the adjustments to be made to be successful

R Kaushik |

12

India’s tours of Australia have resulted in a fair few controversies, raised hackles and he-saidSachin-said. But here’s what really happened

Saurabh Somani |

19

IT‘S ALWAYS A LONG, TOUGH TOUR

WHERE THE BANTER STARTS EARLY

The vast majority appreciates a keen contest. But when the visitors are hapless, the contempt – both from the stands and the media boxes – can be withering

Dileep Premachandran |

23

SPARKS OF GLORY

During the hunt for that elusive series victory have come some classic individual performances

Manoj Narayan |

27

Kiran More

|

37

DUELS OF THE GREATS

There has been no dearth of fascinating individual contests over the years in Australia

Sidhanta Patnaik |

39

HIGH-IMPACT HISTORY

INITIATION BY PACE AND BOUNCE

It’s an inexperienced Indian side that is travelling to Australia, but the first-timers could well be the ones best equipped to grapple with the conditions Down Under

Shamya Dasgupta |

Australia has a lot to offer off the field, but if you’re not playing well, three to four months in the continent can be difficult

32

The Indians who have done well on the high-pressure tours of Australia

50

“SPINNERS ARE AS GOOD AS THE CAPTAIN LETS THEM BE“ A bowler’s perspective on playing in Australia

Erapalli Prasanna |

54

THE ONE THAT GOT MIANDAD

“OUR SPINNERS COULDN‘T GET U-16 OUT“ Matthew Hayden on the India-Australia rivalry and the teams’ chances ahead of their next meeting

Kritika Naidu |

57

The 1985 World Championship of Cricket win inspired modern greats of Indian cricket, who in turn inspired millions more, says Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, as he shares his highlights of the tournament

Karthik Lakshmanan |

43

Edited by: Karunya Keshav Designed by: Ashish Mohanty All pictures published as part of Testing Times courtesy of Getty Images and Wisden India Archive

4 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

5

Phillip Joel Hughes 1988-2014 DILEEP PREMACHANDRAN “A torrent of words came forth in the vain wish to

batting order seemed to be his for the taking.

do justice to the young man and his deeds. Then life

Almost inevitably, days of famine followed those of

went on again, almost as before, leaving only photo-

plenty, but through it all, the smile seldom wavered.

graphs, grey columns of prose, a few handwritten let-

A technique that few could fathom probably went

ters, and, over a plot of Australia’s hard brown earth,

against him, as others were given far longer ropes,

a gravestone on which the inscription proclaims with

but there were plenty of signs in the past 12 months

beautiful simplicity: ‘He played the game.’”

that he was close to wresting back his place in the XI.

David Frith wrote those words in The Archie Jackson

As the days and years pass, we will remember those

Story. Tragically, four decades after its publication,

twin centuries in Durban, and the exuberance behind

we are left to ponder those lines again.

the heaved sixes that took him to three figures for the first time. We will recall too that more often than

If fate had been kinder, Phillip Hughes would have

not, he played with a grin on his face.

been nursing nothing more than a bad headache, while reflecting on a deserved recall to the Australian

Just how good might he have become?

Test side. Instead, his family, teammates, those that played against him and watched him are left with a

Not yet 26, he had already made 26 first-class hund-

sensation of numbness and incomprehension. This

reds. Virat Kohli, a few days older, has half that num-

was not how the story was supposed to end.

ber. Whether it was a low-profile game for Australia A or a Twenty20 hit-out, Hughes’s appetite for runs

Like Jackson 80 years before him, Hughes was a

bordered on the gluttonous. When the cricketing

teenage prodigy, marked for greatness before his

gods called time, he was unbeaten on 63, possibly on

chin needed a razor. Who can forget the early head-

his way to another century.

lines? Youngest to make a hundred in a Sheffield Shield final. Second only to Bradman when it came to

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow

the rate at which he got to 1500 first-class runs. The

old,” says Laurence Binyon’s Ode of Remembrance.

youngest to score centuries in both innings of a Test.

“Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

Close on the heels of the retirements of Justin Langer

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We

and Matthew Hayden, a place at the top of Australia’s

will remember them.”

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

6 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

SERIES PREVIEW

THE GAME COMES SECOND With the players in different stages of mourning and grieving, taking the field as scheduled was never a realistic possibility ANAND VASU

I

t’s not every day that the last thing on anyone’s mind

at the start of a cricket tour is the game itself. But, the dramatic and tragic

that was set in stone and eagerly

anticipated has had to perforce be reworked.

Originally scheduled to start

events that led to the death of

at the Gabba in Brisbane on

plenty of time to contemplate a

on December 9. On December 3,

Phillip Hughes on November 27

mean that India’s players have wide range of themes, the least of

which is cricket proper as a tour

December 4, the first Test will now begin at the Adelaide Oval

Australia bid farewell to a beloved son in his hometown of Macksville

in New South Wales. With the

players, especially those involved

in the game when Hughes was struck by that fateful Sean Abbott

bouncer, in different stages of mourning and grieving, taking the field as scheduled was never a realistic possibility.

Michael Clarke, the Australian

captain, who referred to Hughes as

7

NEW LOOK This time round in Australia, India have no real cause for complaint.

his brother, was distraught when he fronted the media, paying a rich and emotional tribute not

only in his newspaper column

on what would have been Hughes’s 26th birthday, but in an emotional press conference

the previous day. “I was drawn

to him instantly, falling for his cheeky grin and love of life,”

Clarke wrote for the Sunday

Telegraph.

Emotions are running high in both camps, and the players find themselves in a situation so unfamiliar that there is no previous experience to fall back on for comfort, no Plan B in place to help them

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

“Phillip

truly

was

uncomplicated – what you saw was what you got. I don’t think in

12 years of playing cricket at the

top level I have ever come across

a more loyal or generous-hearted teammate.”

Clarke underlined the manner

in which Hughes had reacted to

the setbacks he suffered in the

8 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

EMOTIONAL The Australian team is grieving as a group.

course of his career. “Whenever

take the field once more. But

he wasn’t scoring as many runs

do eventually take the field, it’s

Hughesy suffered adversity – if he was replaced in the team or if

as he wanted – he never dropped his head, never once complained,” wrote Clarke. “If he had a tough

conversation with a selector, he

would nod, agree he needed to work harder, grin because he felt

bad for the person delivering the message, and then get on with it.”

It goes without saying that

the healing process will only

truly begin when the players

Emotions are running high

there was certainly no sense in

in both camps, and the players

uncertain exactly how the players

previous experience to fall back

rushing things. Even when they will approach the game. Will Varun Aaron, the quickest bowler

India have had in their ranks for the longest time, bounce David Warner first up? Will Clarke, who

has

suffered

so

much,

unleash Mitchell Johnson in those characteristic

fiery

four-over

bursts with the same freedom as

he has done to great success in the past?

find themselves in a situation

so unfamiliar that there is no on for comfort, no Plan B in place to help them cope. Cricket

Australia, led admirably by James Sutherland, who was a fast-

medium bowler himself, have put excellent support systems in place

for their wards, and, for their part, the Board of Control for Cricket in

India have stepped up, showing

the appropriate concern and patience.

9

India must not merely show the stomach for a fight, they need to win matches in Australia for the health of the sport For the moment, the Indian team

is in Adelaide, and in training. The Australian team is grieving as a

group, with some like Ryan Harris inititally considering pulling out of the first Test at least.

Now, though, all the players

can do is wait. It’s an uneasy period for everyone, but in the larger context, patience is the only option, and time the greatest healer.

In another sense, this Indian

tour of Australia is a test not

deal with the weight of extra expectation.

Given

that

India

lost

0-4 when they travelled to

India, on their first tour post

three losses after winning at

something

this team has travelled poorly.

and Ernie Toshack’s 11 wickets

Test in either South Africa or

independence, and missing Vijay

Lord’s on their last England

scores of 58 and 98 in Brisbane

New Zealand, and racked up

Merchant and Rusi Modi, needed

tour, it would be fair to say

didn’t help. Don Bradman’s 185

That said, India are not

defeat in the first Test. The script

alone in this. Australia got

blanked on a tour of India,

England have tasted limited success away and it is only

South Africa who manage to get across the seas and still

retain their winning ways on a consistent basis.

In 40 attempts in Tests

stomach for a fight, they need to

managed just five wins. Only

be competitive enough to win matches. For cricket to thrive,

Tests must appeal. For Tests to be relevant, there needs to be a

modicum of competition among the top teams. India, by virtue

of its position at the head of the table among the Big Three, must

inspirational.

Their

sent them crashing to an innings hardly changed thereafter. They eked out an 81-run first-innings lead in Sydney, but rain forced a draw. Bradman’s twin centuries in Melbourne helped Australia run away with it in a little over three days, while the last two Tests ended in two more innings defeats. Vijay Hazare was India‘s most successful batsman and

in Australia, starting way

India must not merely show the

1947-48 (5): AUSTRALIA 4 INDIA 0

Australia last, failed to win a

merely of the teams, but of the health of the world game.

TOUR HISTORY

his centuries in either innings at the Adelaide Oval were one

back in 1947, soon after

of few bright spots. – Akshay

once have India managed to

Most runs: Don Bradman – 715

independence,

India

have

win more than one Test on a

tour, and that was in 197778, when the Australian team was without the Chappell

brothers, Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh, Kerry O’Keefe and Doug Walters, all lost to ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

Gopalakrishnan

runs at 178.75 (Australia); Vijay Hazare – 429 runs at 47.66 (India) Most wickets: Ray Lindwall – 18 wickets at 16.88 (Australia); Lala Amarnath – 13 wickets at 28.15 (India)

10 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

QUIZ, DOWN UNDER DILEEP V 1. After X’s twin centuries in Adelaide in 1947, both splendid, Don Bradman was moved to say: “X is the most graceful batsman it has been my pleasure to watch.” Who is X? 2. For the 1968 Brisbane Test, who was flown in as replacement for BS Chandrasekhar and scored 74 and 101?

3. When Tony Mann scored 105 in the second innings of the Perth Test in 1977, he became only the second batsman to achieve what?

4. During the Benson & Hedges World Championship in 1984-85, which wicketkeeper had 12 dismissals, nearly thrice that of the second best?

5. In the 1991-92 series, who became the youngest man to score a Test century in Australia?

6. A qualified umpire predicted that India would lose the 1999-00 series 3-0.

Name him.

ANSWERS ON PAGE 62

7. Although he didn’t play the first Test of the 2003-04 series, who ended as the highest wicket-taker with 24 scalps against his name in the series?

8. Whose quote – ‘One is playing cricket and the other is not’ – did Anil Kumble paraphrase during the ill-tempered Sydney Test in 2008?

9. Which canny seamer took four wickets and was named Man of the Match in the second final in Brisbane en route to India’s VB series win in 2008?

10. When MS Dhoni was handed a onematch ban for slow over-rate in 2011, who led India in the Adelaide Test?

World Series Cricket. Even

losses, just not had enough steam

Australia took the series

This time round, India have no

on that occasion, India’s

two wins were eclipsed as

to engineer a fightback.

3-2. On two other jaunts,

real cause for complaint. Certainly,

Sunil Gavaskar and in 2003,

West Indies under the belt rather

India have managed to draw

the series, in 1981, under under Saurav Ganguly. The only other win came on

the 2007-08 tour, where Irfan Pathan was Man of the Match in Perth.

The reasons for India’s

poor showings in Australia, and they’ve outright lost

on 26 occasions, are not overly

complicated.

In

all their trips, India have

begun badly, never once

winning the first Test. This has allowed Australia to

get on top of the visitors,

something they are past masters at, and from that

point on, it’s a question of playing catch up. On

occasion, India have been

guilty of not being prepared enough, and being caught on the hop by the extra bounce.

On occasion, India have reached Australian shores on the back of too much

cricket, and after a couple of

they would have preferred to reach Australia with three Tests against than

five

one-sided

One-Day

Internationals against Sri Lanka.

In the bowling department, India have rarely arrived in Australia

with so much pace – Varun Aaron

and Umesh Yadav consistently clock in the mid-140s and Ishant

Sharma, when he hits his straps, is no slouch. Over the course of the

last year, once Sachin Tendulkar – the last of a golden generation

of Indian batting – called it a day, different young men have performed at different times. All

of Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya

Rahane have had their moments.

Now, the time has come for them

to come together as a unit and fire in unison. Anything short of that, and India will be reading from a depressingly familiar script.

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12 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

PLAYERS’ PERSPECTIVE

SCALING THE FINAL FRONTIER What is it that makes playing in Australia so much of a challenge? Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman on the adjustments bowlers and batsmen need to make to be successful R KAUSHIK

A

longside

South

occasions, most recently in 2003-

batsmen and bowlers need to

territory

the SCG was thwarted by Steve

VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble to

Africa, Australia remains only

India

the

haven’t

conquered yet in Test cricket.

Across ten tours and 40 matches,

India have registered only five

Test wins Down Under; a series win has remained elusive, though

India did come close on a few

04 when their push for victory on the final day of the series at Waugh, in his farewell Test, and

glaring lapses behind the stumps

by Parthiv Patel.

What is it that makes playing in

Australia so much of a challenge?

What

are

the

adjustments

make to be successful there? Few Indians are more qualified than speak with authority on these

issues. In 15 Tests spread over

four series, Laxman made 1236 runs at 44.14, inclusive of four

centuries. Kumble picked up 49 wickets in ten Tests, including 24 in three games in 2003-04.

13

EMPHATIC SHOW Kumble picked up 49 wickets in ten Tests in Australia.

“Be patient, but not defensive” On his first Test tour of

Australia, in 1999-2000, Anil

Kumble had a pretty ordinary

run, taking only five wickets from

three Tests at an unflattering average of 90. His next seven Tests

in

Australia

brought

Because you will get bounce but little else in terms of assistance, you need to be restrictive in your variations and in your lines. You have to bowl a bit slower through the air, you must get the loop going

emphatically that he wasn’t just a destroyer on designer Indian pitches.

“One of the huge plusses of

playing in Australia is that you will get plenty of bounce,” begins Kumble, fittingly enough because

he thrived on that bounce. “As a

rule, you get very little turn there, and there isn’t much wear and

tear on the surface when Australia

him 44 wickets as he proved

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

14 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

play India at home because they are wary of the threat Indian

spinners pose. Also, the seam of the Kookaburra ball goes fairly

quickly and we are generally used

to operating with the proud seam

that the SG Test ball provides when we play in India. Now that is quite a challenge for a spinner.

“You must perforce operate

with an in-out field. Because you

will get bounce but little else in

terms of assistance, you need to

be restrictive in your variations and in your lines. You have to bowl a bit slower through the air, you

must get the loop going. That is what I did in 2003-04 – I bowled a lot slower, and I also used the

googly a lot more. The googly spun

more than the legbreak. In 19992000, I didn’t employ the googly much, and the pitches were a bit

different too. I remember when

In India, you can get away with two batsmen making big hundreds and two bowlers taking fivefors. In Australia, all 11 have to contribute as a key virtue for a spinner in Australia. “You must have a lot

of patience, you need to keep plugging away. But that doesn’t mean you must be defensive in

your mindset,” says the legspinner with the attitude of a tearaway.

“You don’t necessarily have to have catchers around the bat, but

you have to be smart in your field placements – you need to have men in different positions for

different batsmen, depending on what their hitting areas are.”

The bounce, Kumble says, will

we played in Sydney in a four-day

require the quicker bowlers in

day three, with the ball turning

you would in India. Sometimes,

game against New South Wales, it

was a fantastic turning track from and bouncing. But by the time

we came back for the Test, the ball was seaming around liberally

and even Warney (Shane Warne) struggled to get a wicket.”

Kumble

identifies

patience

particular to adjust rapidly. “You need to pitch it up a bit more than fast bowlers from the subcontinent

tend to get carried away with the

bounce. It is essential to have straight fields, to pitch the ball up

and bowl the right lines, which

will make the batsman play across rather than straight. If you give

the batsman any room, then the

bounce facilitates scoring shots off back foot. Because our attack has a bit of pace now, we are also

in the position of being able to keep batsmen honest.”

Many cricketers have spoken of

the need to adjust lengths when playing

in

Australia.

Kumble

throws light on what the ideal

length should be. “For me, the right length was hitting the knee roll of the batsman,” he says. “On

some pitches you had to bowl up,

on some others you had to bowl slightly shorter. The right length

is a relative phrase, it depends on the nature of the pitch and the

height of the batsman. The whole idea is to make the batsman come forward. On a bouncy track, the

batsman has time to play off the back foot, and for a spinner, there

is not much turn unless a rough is created by the faster bowlers.

But when the rough does appear, it is fairly pronounced. (R) Ashwin

will have an advantage because

Australia have Mitchell Johnson’s left-arm over resource, which will

create an ideal rough for Ashwin’s offspin to thrive on. I hope he has been training in such a way that

his target is the rough. But like I said earlier, the right length is to

15

hit the knee roll of the batsman

– that will keep leg before in the

PROLIFIC In 15 Tests, VVS Laxman made 1236 runs, inclusive of four centuries.

picture and open up other modes of dismissal.

“Also, as a captain, you need

to be careful with the fields you set. You need to be realistic with

the scores you have. In Australia,

there is a temptation to keep the slips for that much longer but

more often than not, a lot of runs

will come through third man and

point. The smart thing will be to have the third man in place fairly

early. You have to be smart about

how to control the game because

in Australia, you can’t let it drift.

Runs come very quickly, the game can go away from you in one session. It is a tight balance

between attacking and being practical – as a captain, you need to keep that in mind.”

Kumble believes there is no

one single reason to explain away India’s lack of series wins in

Australia. “The closest we came was in 2003-04, but we didn’t manage our resources on the last

day in Sydney, otherwise it would have been a good victory,” he says, the disappointment still tangible.

For a spinner, there is not much turn unless a rough is created by the faster bowlers. Ashwin will have an advantage because Australia have Mitchell Johnson’s leftarm over resource, which will create an ideal rough for Ashwin’s offspin to thrive on. I hope he has been training in such a way that his target is the rough

“A lot of doing well in Australia ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

revolves around the mindset – you must be aggressive and

smart at the same time,” he

says. “People keep reminding you from the time you land in

Australia that we have never won a Test series there, it can be quite an intimidating place

for a youngster to travel. You need a strong mind and you

need to play to your strengths.

Preparation is the key, you need to be serious with the side games,

you can’t fool around. And you

need to challenge yourself and outperform your counterpart in

16 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

Under should be. “The mindset is the key to doing well in Australia,”

says Laxman. “It is important not to be over-defensive, that

is something I learnt from the 1999 tour. You should look to

play positively instead of just

trying to focus on survival. By positive, I don’t mean go in there

and start playing all your strokes, but it is essential that you look to

score runs. I suppose it applies to

batting anywhere, but particularly SUCCESS STORY You should look to play positively in Australia, says VVS Laxman

the opposition – every one of the

fans with his unique brand of

with two batsmen making big

astonishing 68.47 and included

11 players must look at it that way. In India, you can get away

hundreds and two bowlers taking

five-fors. In Australia, all 11 have to contribute.”

“Australian pitches are best to bat on” VVS

Laxman

began

and

ended his stint in Australia disappointingly,

but

for

nine

Tests between 2000 and 2008,

he wowed the partisan Aussie

batsmanship. Those nine Tests brought him 1027 runs at an

four hundreds and three fifties.

Cold numbers that don’t do justice

to his wonderful touch and timing that didn’t fail to move the hardnosed Aussie players themselves.

Laxman’s Test career received

a massive fillip with his counterattacking 167 at the SCG on his

maiden tour to Australia in 19992000, a tour he says helped him figure out what his approach Down

in Australia, if you go into a shell

and are not looking to score, then the Australian bowlers know how to always stay on top of you.

“It is important to be aggressive

from a mindset perspective, if not necessarily in your stroke-making.

And if that aggressive mindset doesn’t come naturally to you, then you have to make a conscious

effort to embrace that method, you

need to keep talking to yourself.

There will be stages when the opposition will be on top, but

you still have to remain positive.

There is no point in doubting your

skills or your ability to play on those kinds of pitches. You must

back your skills and believe in

yourself. Once that belief becomes ingrained in your system, things will change drastically. I have

17

always

maintained

that

the

He adds: “Obviously, the

pitches in Australia are the best to

critical period is when you

led to the positivity I carried with

second. The first 15 overs

bat on. That was reinforced by my hundred in Sydney in 2000, and it

me when we travelled there in 2003. I was desperate to do well, and I was determined never to doubt myself.”

Best pitches in the world for

batting? Australia? “Yes,” insists

Laxman, banking on his wonderful record there to make his point.

“You can trust the bounce and

the pace on those surfaces, I

have always enjoyed batting in Australia. Once you get your eye in, once you get through the testing early phase, I feel more shots can

be played on those pitches than

anywhere else in the world. Also, the outfields are very fast, so you always get value for your shots.”

COVER DRIVE

India have never won a series in Australia. Only 17 batsmen have scored hundreds and 14 bowlers have taken five wickets in an innings there. The 0-4 whitewash in 2011-12 was their third in ten tours to Australia; the previous ones were in 196768 (0-4) and 1999-00 (0-3).

are up against the new ball –

be it the first new ball or the

TOUR HISTORY 1967-68 (4): AUSTRALIA 4 INDIA 0

with either new ball is crucial;

It was a tour without a single win

and once you get through

losing twice, and drawing with

ball encourages swing and

the Indians – MAK Pataudi, the

you must work your methods

for India. The visitors struggled

that period, there are plenty

Victoria,

bounce, the openers will have

captain, carried a hamstring injury

out to counter that phase,

right from the first-class matches,

of runs to be had. The new

South Wales. Injuries haunted

to negotiate it carefully and

into the third test in Melbourne,

set the base for the batsmen

to follow. Just as bowlers need to figure out what lengths they

must employ in Australia, it is imperative for the batsmen

to adjust their approach on the basis of the lengths that the Australian bowlers are

Tasmania

and

New

but ended up scoring 75 and 85. BS Chandrasekhar injured his ankle, and was sent back home. ML Jaisimha, who replaced him in the second Test, took India to within 39 runs of the target with a gritty century in the second innings of that match. Erapalli Prasanna had a great outing, but got too little

bowling.”

support from the bowlers and

been a huge talking point

Most runs: Bob Cowper – 485 runs

on that subject. “It is all

Most wickets: Erapalli Prasanna

fielders. – Himanish Bhattacharjee

The Australian length has

in the lead-up to the series,

at 69.28 (Australia); Rusi Surti –

about

– 25 wickets at 27.44 (India); Bob

and

Laxman

elaborates

understanding

and

recognising that for the length that the Australians bowl on

their pitches, you don’t always have to play the ball,” he

explains. “Because the bounce in India is lower, you must ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

367 runs at 45.87 (India)

Simpson – 13 wickets at 16.38 (Australia)

18 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

TOUR HISTORY

brought their first Test win there.

A series of close finishes, thrilling contests and positive play ended 3-2 in the hosts’ favour. This after assembled

a

young team, led by Bob Simpson, who at 41 came out of a tenyear retirement, to make up for the players the team lost to the new World Series Cricket. Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath and Mohinder Amarnath played vital knocks, but it was Bishan Singh Bedi and BS Chandrasekhar who scripted India’s wins to draw level after they were two down.

Both bowlers had three fivewicket hauls and one ten-wicket match-haul apiece. However, India missed a genuine pace bowler and couldn’t press for a series win.

– Kritika Naidu Most runs: Bob Simpson – 539 runs at 53.90 (Australia); Gundappa Viswanath – 473 runs at 52.55 (India) Most wickets: Bishan Singh Bedi – 31 wickets at 23.87 (India); Wayne Clark – 28 wickets at 25.03 (Australia)

Australia can be comfortably

their strokes or whether they are

bowled at the same length in

India’s third tour of Australia

hastily

deeper into the series. But our

length; those same deliveries

1977-78 (5): AUSTRALIA 3 INDIA 2

Australia

play balls bowled at a certain

left alone because the ball

will sail over the stumps. It

therefore becomes critical to understand the lengths, and

judge and leave the ball well

alone. I can say from experience that whenever I have done well

in Australia, it is because I have

judged the length very early in the tour. And when I have not

succeeded in judging lengths

early, I haven’t made many

runs there. The pitches we

get during practice sessions are a fair indicator of what we will get in the match, so smart and

intelligent

preparation

ahead of the game will play a

vital part in how the batsmen

quickly adjust to the conditions because several of the toporder batsmen will be playing

a Test in Australia for the first time.

“Gabba (Brisbane) and Perth

are the bounciest surfaces in

Australia but we aren’t playing

(Tests) in Perth. Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney are

fairly similar pitches bouncewise, so that should help going

batsmen must not lose sight of the fact that whether they are playing

leaving the ball on bounce, they

must always remain positive and decisive.”

Laxman has a straightforward

formula for winning Test matches in Australia: “First-innings runs.”

“Whenever we have won in Australia during my time, be it

Adelaide in 2003, Perth in 2008,

we have made runs in the first

innings. If you are dismissed cheaply in the first innings, you

are always playing catch-up, and that is not easy to do in Australia

because the game moves so rapidly all the time. But if you can

put up say 400 in the first innings, then you give yourself a great

chance to put pressure on the Australians, and I believe with the

infusion of pace in our attack, we have the bowlers who can take 20

wickets if they can bowl with runs in the bank. The Adelaide and

Perth wins came about because

the bowlers had the luxury of attacking with plenty of runs, and

we nearly won in Sydney in 2004 as well because we had a big firstinnings total.”

19

CONTROVERSIES

DASH OF SPICE

India’s tours of Australia have resulted in a fair few controversies, raised hackles and he-said-Sachin-said. But here’s what really happened SAURABH SOMANI

*The events described below bear only a passing resemblance to cricketing history. Any fact not twisted beyond recognition is deeply regretted.

L

ittle children may

be made of sugar and

spice

and

everything nice, but

tours to Australia –

whether little or not, often with

that could be just from reading

the ‘sugar’ and ‘everything nice’

You think of India in Australia

enough room for childishness and churlishness – tend to drop

the day’s headlines.

bits. Fair warning to aspiring

and controversy, and if you’ve

have a burning sensation running

Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan

Australia cricket-tourists: You’re going to feel hot under the collar,

down your throat to where your

stomach ought to have been, and you’ll break out in a sweat. And ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

followed cricket in 2008, the only

image that comes to mind is of Singh exchanging addresses for Christmas cards – or at least

that’s what you’ll be telling your

20 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

children when they try to lip-read.

alive to the fact that he was being

him, the bowler – not knowing

knocking off a bail gently in 1947-

striker’s crease to try and have a

and Brown was ruled out. The

But right from Vinoo Mankad

48 to Virat Kohli, the captain for at

called but lost sight of the fact that

he shouldn’t have left his non-

least the first Test

finger

to

was

he

bowler’s

Vinoo Mankad been unfairly branded as

out, there’s been a

the man who gave

lack of ice and an

the name to one of

overdose of spice

cricket’s more ignoble

when India have

dismissals, instead of

Australia.

the man in the stands

What follows is a

who shouted out the

history – of sorts –

message. All of which

of some of the major The

the

that

name too. Thus has

had to declare them

talking points.

fan had called out coincidence,

would raise if he

visited

initials of what the

by a most unfortunate

the Sydney crowd which

steal a single – took off the bails

spelled ‘Mankad’ and

this time around, demonstrating

that Brown wasn’t intending to

is verifiable in any edition of the Wisden

India Almanack from

term

1948.

‘Mankading’ came

The Wisden India

about in Australia

in 1947-48 because

Almanack, all of (-)31

the backfoot a lot

down

Bill

Brown,

who

years old in 1981

either played off or didn’t like to take his car out,

and eagerly counting

was shaken out of his reverie by

word with the gentleman on the

Knob. And Drive.” Brown became

As he started out to confront

a well-meaning but irascible fan

who yelled, “Make At least Ninety,

fine-leg fence.

the

decades

to its existence, also has a lot to say about

the February 1981 match in Melbourne, and the fact that it

was a pointer to a decision Sachin Tendulkar received in 1999.

21

But that doesn’t account for the menu reportedly found in the dressing room with a seafood restaurant circled, and neat handwriting – the sort that could be of a man capable of scoring 10,000 Test runs – specifying that it served “the best prawn curry I’ve ever had” While on the surface, the link

between the two could be that

both Indian little masters of their generations were at the receiving

end of contentious decisions from Australia’s pace spearhead of the

SHOULDER BEFORE WICKET “That is when Tendulkar added the uppercut to his repertoire.”

is pointing out that the bounce

on Australian pitches is low – foreshadowing

the

Tendulkar

lbw; and c) You need to watch the video on mute to draw these conclusions.

Revisionist versions will tell

time, it went deeper than that.

you that Gavaskar was merely

decision against Sunil Gavaskar,

series where India had reportedly

In 1981, Dennis Lillee appealed

successfully for a leg before and in 1999, Glenn McGrath did the same against Tendulkar.

But if you watch the 1981 video,

you will see that a) Gavaskar and

Chetan Chauhan are discussing

lunch plans, having suddenly realised

that

their

favourite

restaurant in Melbourne will close

in 15 minutes; b) Dennis Lillee

incensed by what he saw as a

wrong lbw decision that came in a

copped more than their share of wrong ’uns, and in a moment of

anger decided to drag his partner off the pitch in protest too. But

that doesn’t account for the menu

reportedly found in the dressing room with a seafood restaurant

circled, and neat handwriting –

the sort that could belong to a

man capable of scoring 10,000 ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

Test runs – specifying that it

served “the best prawn curry I’ve ever had”.

In 1999, Tendulkar ducked

into what he thought was a McGrath bouncer, but the ball

just hit his shoulder, and when appealed against, Tendulkar was

also given out lbw. No doubt the umpire had Lillee’s gesturing of the bounce from 1981 in mind, and thought the ball would crash

into the stumps. It did give the

mandarins in charge of making

laws a headache though, because they realised too late that they hadn’t really thought about it while calling the dismissal ‘leg

before wicket’. Fledgling Grammar

Nazis took to a fledgling internet with glee in India – waiting for

22 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

TOUR HISTORY

lost

the

opening

overwhelmed

by

Test Greg

Chappell’s classic 204 and the fast bowling of Dennis Lillee and Len Pascoe. Despite Sandeep Patil’s memorable 174, India were on the brink of defeat in the second Test in Adelaide but managed to salvage a draw. They then rose above the handicap of having three injured bowlers to win the final Test in Melbourne by 59 runs.

Sunil Gavaskar’s one Test innings of substance, the 70 at Melbourne, ended in an anti-climax. Given out lbw to Lillee, an enraged Gavaskar wanted to forfeit the match, ordering Chetan Chauhan, his batting partner, to walk off with

him.

Wing-Commander

Durrani, the Indian team manager, intervened before Gavaskar left the playing arena and the series went on. – Disha Shetty Most runs: Greg Chappell – 368 runs at 73.60 (Australia); Sandeep Patil – 311 runs at 62.20 (India) Most wickets: Dennis Lillee – 21 wickets at 21.52 (Australia); Kapil Dev – 14 wickets at 23.78

on – to litter online message

pointing out helpful tips from

fail to connect, redial and log

in Sydney in three days after being

advice to Harbhajan on what he

connections to buzz, crackle,

1980–81 (3): AUSTRALIA 1 INDIA 1 India

five minutes for their dial-up

boards with “Oh I didn’t

know shoulder before wicket was also a new dismissal”,

discovering only after hitting

publish that roughly 1,048,576 people had thought of the same joke. It led to frenzied activity in the ICC headquarters, with

officials printing reams of copy

for the new laws that allowed ‘shoulder before the wicket’, ‘arm before the wicket’, ‘thigh

before the wicket’, ‘Tendulkar

with Steve Bucknor before the wicket’ and the like – until

Tendulkar calmed them down

by promising to never duck

when the ball was pitched short. That is when he added the uppercut to his repertoire.

The

mother

of

all

controversies though – or

should do with himself and ways he could gain pleasure, while

How to win friends and influence people. Touched by the gesture, Harbhajan immediately thought of Symonds as family, and solicitously inquired after his mother’s well-

being. What started as a friendly dialogue turned nasty when, in an

unguarded moment, Harbhajan

let slip that he didn’t really like Masterchef. A shocked Matthew

Hayden, who hadn’t conceived of anyone not liking a cooking

show and had heard the tailend

of the conversation, told him, “You’ve got a witness now”. The subsequently ugly altercations made Harbhajan resolve to settle

future disagreements on the field itself – with a slap or two if need

be. No more Kangaroo Court business.

Things have cooled noticeably

maa ki controversy as it’s

since the heat of the 2007-08

who chose to remain both

love notes to each other on the

called – occurred in 2008.

An

authoritative

anonymous

and

source,

fictional,

said that miscommunication

was the root cause of the incident. It began with Andrew

Symonds generously offering

series, but it’s still India versus Australia, and they aren’t writing

field yet. There’s a good chance that the current series will throw

up its own dash of spice – the essential ingredient when cooking up an alternative history.

23

REPORTER’S NOTES

WHERE THE BANTER STARTS EARLY The vast majority in Australia appreciates a keen contest. But when the visitors are hapless, the contempt – both from the stands and the media boxes – can be withering DILEEP PREMACHANDRAN

S

o,

you’ve

come

to

see a 4-0 whitewash, have you? Will your guys be as bad as they were last time?

When you arrive in Australia,

the sledging can start as early as

the immigration desk. As soon as

the officer perusing my passport knew what the purpose of my visit

was, the friendly jibes started.

Jetlagged and disoriented, I didn’t

mistake of wearing my media

It was to be a recurring theme

to follow a losing team, have you?”

even respond. wherever

we

went

on

that

2003-04 tour. Once India won in Adelaide, however, the banter became a little more respectful, a

little less dismissive. It was a far

cry from the opening morning at the Gabba, when I made the ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

accreditation card on the bus ride to the ground. “Come all this way

asked one bloke, kitted out in a Castlemaine XXXX shirt. “What

does it feel like to lose a World Cup final?”

I couldn’t let that half-volley

pass. Just a fortnight earlier, Jonny

24 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

AN EXPERIENCE The crowd in Australia is partisan and raucous.

25

Wilkinson’s

boot

had

kicked

Asia, you can afford to take your

turf. “Ask your rugby team,” I said

been sent. Let the words marinate

England to rugby World Cup glory

against the Wallabies. On their with a smile. Queensland takes its rugby pretty seriously, and I got only a grimace in response.

By and large, the humour inside

time with any feature you need to write once the match report has over dinner and possibly even a

cider or pale ale before you send them in.

And unless there’s a Monkeygate

and outside the grounds is fun.

going

but the vast majority appreciates

its cricket, but doesn’t obsess over

There will be the odd drunken boors with their “Coolie” shouts,

a keen contest. In both 2003-04 and 2007-08, they got that. But when the visitors are hapless, as

India were three years ago, the contempt – both from the stands and the media boxes – can be withering.

For a journalist, there are few

better tours though. Because

on,

it’s

also

perfectly

possible to switch off once you leave the ground. Australia loves it. The unhealthy voyeurism that

has become such an integral part

of the TV news experience in India

Sydney, or check out any number

dinner at a restaurant rather

Nature lovers should definitely

is seldom in evidence. It’s pretty

normal to see players having

than hiding away in their rooms dependent on room service.

There’s also plenty to do away

you’re so far east of the Greenwich

from the cricket. The Gold Coast

the UK, South Africa or South East

call it. If your tastes run to

Meridian, time is on your side. If you work for a print publication in

COVER DRIVE

India’s 445 in fourth Innings of the fifth Test in 1977-78 during their unsuccessful chase of 493 is the second highest total in a losing cause in Test history.

For a journalist, there are few better tours than the one to Australia though.

Because you’re so far east of the Greenwich Meridian, time is on your side. Let the words marinate over dinner and possibly a cider or pale ale before you send them in

is a short drive from Brisbane – or

Bris Vegas as some disparagingly quieter beaches without ugly

constructions overlooking them,

then you’re better off checking out the many beaches on the Great

Ocean Road that takes you from Melbourne to Adelaide.

The more adventurous can try

to climb the Harbour Bridge in ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

of adventure sports at scenic locations like the Twelve Apostles. experience Kangaroo Island, south of Adelaide. As large as Malabar,

it has a population of roughly 5000, and boasts of everything

from koalas and kangaroos to

fairy penguins and seals. The thirsty ones will find much to

explore in the vineyards around Sydney, Adelaide and Perth, while

a trip into the Dandenongs near Melbourne is incomplete without

a ride on the Puffing Billy heritage railway.

The

in-stadium

experience

is also unmatched. There are beautiful grounds in England and

26 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

MANY BENAUDS By and large, the humour inside and outside the grounds is fun.

South Africa, but nothing that

gives you the Coliseum feel of the

Melbourne Cricket Ground. From

the top of the Great Southern

and raucous, though a virtuoso

COVER DRIVE

display like Sourav Ganguly’s

Ground, no trip is complete

SK Gurunathan, who covered more than 50 Test matches including the 1947-48 series in Australia, founded the Indian Cricket Annual in 1946, which was inspired by the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack

Tendulkar and Laxman. Adelaide,

journalist, these can also be

Stand, the players look little bigger than ants.

As for the Sydney Cricket

without silent contemplation of the feats of Trumper, Bradman,

with the scenic walk across the bridge from town, was the most

English of the Australian grounds before its expensive makeover.

For a visiting player, fan or

intimidating venues. So successful have Australia been at the Gabba in

the

past

quarter-century

that many now refer to it as the Gabbatoir. The crowd is partisan

century in 2003 can bring them – grudgingly or not – to their feet.

The light is marvellous, as is the

variety of food on offer. The cities are easy to get around, and there

are few experiences in sport that

can compare to the MCG on Boxing Day. It’s a lot more fun when the

series is well contested though.

If the team you’re there to report on struggle, then be prepared for endless banter. Starting with the arrival desk.

27

THE CLASSICS

SPARKS OF GLORY During the hunt for that elusive series victory have come some classic individual performances MANOJ NARAYAN

A

ustralia be

a

may

citadel

Indian cricketers have

generally

struggled

to

narrowed down to six the top

Singh Bedi and BS Chandrasekhar.

Bishan Singh Bedi and BS

at 23.87 in five matches – while

series performances by Indians in Australia.

breach, but there are a few

Chandrasekhar, 1977-78

cricket folklore for their heroic

most successful in Australia till

extraordinary individuals who

have etched their names in attempts at doing so. After much

deliberation, Wisden India has

This tour was by far India’s

that point, and that had a lot to do with the spin duo of Bishan ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

Bedi ended the series as the

highest wicket-taker – 31 wickets Chandrasekhar

followed

close

behind with 28 wickets at 25.14 in the same number of games. Each

had three five-wicket hauls and

one ten-wicket match-haul apiece.

Bedi hit the ground running.

28 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

TOUR HISTORY 1985-86 (3): AUSTRALIA 0 INDIA 0 This tour didn’t prove to be as fruitful as Kapil Dev’s side expected, with all three Tests ending in a draw. The Indians were eager to bounce back from a disappointing tour to Sri Lanka, and the batsmen scored heavily.

They were led by Sunil Gavaskar, who amassed 352 runs, hitting two centuries along the way. For Australia, David Boon and Allan Border had reasonable success.

Though Kapil came up with an inspired spell in the first innings of the first Test, picking up 8 for 106, India’s bowling at times failed to capitalise on positions of strength.

– Akash Sarkar Most runs: Sunil Gavaskar – 352 runs at 117.33 (India); David Boon – 323 runs at 64.60 (Australia) Most wickets: Shivlal Yadav – 15 wickets at 22.26 (India); Bruce Reid – 11 wickets at 29.54 (Australia)

His five-wicket haul in the

They then combined to take

first Test in Brisbane helped

seven in the fourth Test in Sydney

India were themselves felled

innings as Australia were bowled

bowl out Australia for just 166

in the first innings, although for 153 in their reply. Australia

went on to win the Test by 16

runs after they amassed 327 in the second innings, with

Bedi going wicketless and Chandrasekhar returning 2 for 82. In the second Test in Perth,

Bedi, in his element, ended with his first ten-wicket haul in Tests, returning 5 for 89 and 5

for 105. His spells were crucial in making the contest another close

encounter.

Australia

eventually kept their nerve to win by two wickets.

Chandrasekhar hit form in

– Chandrasekhar picking up 4

for 30, Bedi 3 for 49 – in the first out for 131. Australia floundered again in their second hit, Erapalli

Prasanna returning 4 for 51 to seal

an

innings-and-two-run

victory. However, in the final Test in Adelaide, Australia put up a

huge first-innings score of 505, despite Chandrasekhar’s 5 for

136. India were bowled out for 256, and though Bedi got 4 for

53, Australia registered a 47-run victory for a 3-2 series win.

Sandeep Patil, Adelaide, 1980-81 India were taken apart in

the third Test in Melbourne,

the first Test in Sydney. They

12 Tests in Australia. He

and four runs within three days.

which India won by 222 runs – their first win in “bowled accurately and with

devastating fire to hasten India

towards victory”, reported the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack,

to return identical figures of 6 for 52 in each innings.

Australia were bowled out for 213 and 164, Chandrasekhar and Bedi taking all ten wickets in the second innings.

were twice bowled out for 201, as Australia won by an innings Things didn’t start off too well

in the next Test in Adelaide either, where India chose to field

and watched as Kim Hughes dominated the bowling with a 301-ball 213. It came on the back

of Graeme Wood’s century, as

Australia posted a massive 528.

Another big loss seemed on the

cards when India were reduced to

29

130 for 4. But they then found a

ADELAIDE,2003 Rahul Dravid’s double-century gave India their first win in Australia since 1981.

hero of their own in Sandeep Patil,

whose 65 in the first Test before he retired hurt was one of the few

positives. Handed a let off when he was on just 2, Patil went on to rival Hughes’s knock, hitting an

equally belligerent 240-ball 174,

which helped India reach 419, and eventually, draw the match.

More importantly, it showed India

had the fight in them. It was the turning point of the match and,

possibly, the series, as they won the next Test in Melbourne to level the three-match affair 1-1.

Gundappa Viswanath and Kapil Dev, Melbourne,

strain that forced him to use

Put in, India were tottering at

to seal a famous 59-run victory.

on the final day.

22 for 2 when Viswanath walked in. By the time he walked back,

1980-81 It was a match that India almost

walked away from. Sunil Gavaskar, the captain, was so irked by Rex

Whitehead’s decision to give him out lbw to Dennis Lillee in the

second innings of the third Test

that he walked off, taking his batting partner Chetan Chauhan

with him. Thankfully, the match went on, and it meant a fabulous first-innings

something special from Kapil Dev

century

from

Gundappa Viswanath didn’t go in

vain. The world also witnessed

the ninth man out four and a half

hours later, he had scored a fine

114. He was the only constant in the Indian innings that resulted in 237 runs from 84 overs.

Australia responded strongly,

putting on 419. India ended their second innings at a fighting

324, despite the distraction of

a runner the previous day –

remarkably returned 5 for 28 Bruce Yardley was bowled, Allan Border was caught behind and the

tail comprising Rod Marsh, Dennis Lillee and Jim Higgs was wiped out. “(He) bowled straight and to

a length and let the pitch do the

rest,” said the Wisden Cricketers’

Almanack. It was brave, it was

heroic. And victory was especially sweet for Gavaskar.

VVS Laxman, Sydney,

Gavaskar’s dismissal. Australia

1999-2000

the fifth morning. Kapil Dev –

outplayed India in the first two

needed just 143 to win, but the

match turned on its head on struggling with a thigh muscle ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

Australia

had

completely

Tests in Adelaide and Melbourne,

30 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar, Adelaide

PERTH, 2008 All-round contribution from Irfan Pathan.

2003-04 Australia had scored a massive

556 by the second afternoon of the second Test, Ricky Ponting with a 352-ball 242, and India

were reeling at 85 for 4 in their reply. Enter Rahul Dravid and VVS

Laxman. During their 376-run stand in Kolkata, it was Laxman

playing the lead and Dravid providing

able

support.

This

time, the roles were reversed. and India were visibly deflated ahead of the third Test in Sydney.

And there was no let up for them,

as India were bowled out for 150.

The Australian batsmen then feasted on the bowlers, with Justin

Langer hitting a double-century,

backed by a mesmeric unbeaten century from Ponting. Australia

eventually declared their innings

at 552 for 5, and India’s misery plummeted

further

reduced to 33 for 3.

on

being

One can well imagine the

mentality of a team on the verge of being knocked out cold. But then, VVS Laxman came up with

one of those defiant knocks he would make a habit of later in his career. He was aggressive and

graceful all at once. He took a blow

to his visor early on, but played his shots unfazed – the drive, the cut and the pull. Brett Lee,

Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath

were left frustrated, and even

part-timers Ricky Ponting and Michael Slater had a go. Laxman

put on 68 with Sourav Ganguly, 49 with Hrishikesh Kanitkar and 89 with Anil Kumble. He eventually

ended with a 198-ball 167 – his maiden Test century – including

27 majestic fours. If nothing else, it was evidence of fight.

Dravid’s cover drives were at their immaculate best and it was a shot

he used repeatedly to good effect.

At the other end, Laxman’s cuts

and flicks ensured runs from both sides of the wicket.

The two batted 93.5 overs and

their

fifth-wicket

association

added 303 runs. The stand was broken when Laxman was sent back at the stroke of tea on the

third day, but Dravid carried on, adding 135 with the tail. He was the last man dismissed, having

scored 233. Australia’s lead was just 33.

Then, it was the bowlers’ turn

to capitalise, and Ajit Agarkar

31

did just that. He swung it both

44-run stand with Mahendra

first victim, an inswinger trapping

Dravid’s (93) and Sachin

ways, and Australia were greatly

troubled. Justin Langer was his

him plumb in front. He then had the dangerous Ricky Ponting

holing out. The Australians slid as they tried attacking, and Agarkar returned later on, reversing the

ball to add the scalps of Simon Katich, Andy Bichel, Jason Gillespie and Stuart MacGill and return a

magnificent 6 for 41. India needed 230 to win, and Dravid, fittingly,

Singh Dhoni for the seventh wicket, which built on Rahul

Tendulkar’s (71) to take India

This was the first series to be

while swinging the ball with

on

bowled out for 212.

found some positives, not least in

for both Australian openers,

played under the ICC‘s new code

immense control. It started an

Although Australia beat India 4-0

reducing them to 13 for 2

of conduct, along with restrictions

Australian slide that had them

comprehensively,

In

the

second

innings,

Pathan came in at No. 3 as

soil since Melbourne 1981.

batted with the assuredness of

India’s first victory on Australian

Irfan Pathan, Perth, 2007-08 If you didn’t watch the match,

you would wonder what was special

about

Irfan

Pathan’s

nightwatchman after Wasim Jaffer fell late in the day. He a regular top-order batsman and was the sixth man out, a

Pathan returned to the playing

XI after nearly a year and his first contribution was a lead role in the

Sachin Tendulkar’s match-defining centuries in Sydney (148 not out) and Perth (114). Kapil Dev had his most successful series on foreign soil and made his way to 400 Test wickets, the second in the world to achieve the feat at the time.

Also, India discovered a prospect in Javagal Srinath. For the hosts,

in each of the last three Tests.

innings after Laxman’s fine Then,

with

Australia

to complete a match haul of

why he was Man of the Match.

visitors

79.

second-highest score of the

63 and 3 for 54. Not remarkable.

But closer scrutiny would explain

the

bowling.

while Mark Taylor stocked runs,

chasing 413 for victory, he

scored 28 and 46, and took 2 for

short-pitched

64-ball 46 to his name – the

contribution to India’s 72-run victory in the third Test. Pathan

1991-92 (5): AUSTRALIA 4 INDIA 0

to 330. Then, he accounted

scored the winning runs, ending with an unbeaten 72. It was

TOUR HISTORY

again got the openers out and,

later in the day, Stuart Clark five wickets. It was a fine all-

round performance that also prevented

Ricky

Ponting’s

Australia from extending their record to a 17th consecutive Test win.

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

David Boon was the bulwark of the batting, scoring centuries Craig McDermott picked up three five-wicket hauls, his 31 wickets an Australian record in a series against India. – Kritika Naidu Most runs: David Boon – 556 runs at 79.42 (Australia); Sachin Tendulkar – 368 runs at 46 (India) Most wickets: Craig McDermott – 31 wickets at 21.61 (Australia); Kapil Dev – 25 wickets at 25.80 (India)

32 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

DEBUTANTS

INITIATION BY PACE AND BOUNCE It’s an inexperienced Indian side that is travelling to Australia, but the first-timers could well be the ones best equipped to grapple with the conditions Down Under SHAMYA DASGUPTA

S

anjay Bangar, one of

Yadav,

Varun

best swing bowlers India have

said the other day:

and Shami bowl at over 140kmph

However, even putting aside

two assistant coaches of the Indian team, “We

may

probably

have the best seam attack going

to Australia for a number of years now.”

The

men

Bhuvneshwar

in

that

Kumar,

attack:

Umesh

Ishant

Sharma,

Aaron and Mohammed Shami. On paper, Bangar has it right – Yadav

had in a while.

consistently, Aaron hits the 150s

the shortcomings of some of

steep bounce and the sort of

have never played cricket in

even if he is occasionally wayward, Ishant is the beanpole who gets movement

Australian

pitches

are good for, and Bhuvneshwar,

though slow of pace, is among the

these

pacers

–

injury-prone,

inconsistent, etc. – two of them Australia as part of the national team,

and

another

one

has

travelled with the team but did

33

not get to play. Of the other two,

Yadav, part of the 2011-12 touring

party that lost the four-Test series 4-0 – picking up quite a few

wickets and conceding a whole

lot of runs – has played nine Test

matches. Ishant is the only one

with any serious experience of playing Test cricket in Australia,

having been a part of two tours.

His overall career record is pretty

unimpressive, considering the 58

matches he has played, but the

way he had one over Ricky Ponting in that 2007-08 tour is legend –

probably the biggest tick mark in his career. The others, Shami,

Bhuvneshwar and Aaron, have a total experience of 23 Tests.

That

inexperience

isn’t

restricted to the pace attack.

Among the batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, KL Rahul and

Cheteshwar Pujara have never toured Australia as part of the national team before. Ajinkya Rahane has, but he didn’t play a

game. Naman Ojha, picked only

for the first Test (which was

ultimately rescheduled) as backup wicketkeeper to Wriddhiman

Saha, who will become back-up to MS Dhoni once he is fit and ready

for action, has only been there as

part of the India A squad, as has

Such inexperience on a Test tour of Australia is far from ideal. But, then again, the last time India went to Australia, they came back 4-0 losers – in spite of a batting order boasting Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman Karn Sharma. Nor has Ravindra Jadeja toured there with the national team. It’s a big, bulky

squad – 19 people including Ojha – and the inexperience is glaring.

Importantly, three of the first-

timers are almost certain to make

the batting line-up in the playing XI, at least for the first Test – Dhawan and Vijay at the top, and Pujara at,

most likely, No. 3. Depending on fitness, form and the conditions

in Adelaide, one or two of Shami, Aaron and Bhuvneshwar could

well accompany Ishant and Yadav in the bowling attack. That’s four,

if not five players that will play

international cricket for the first time in Australia and, needless to say, it won’t be easy.

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

In Australia, like in South Africa,

even though the nature of the pitches has changed somewhat over

the

years,

places

like

Brisbane and Perth are certain to offer a lot more pace and bounce

than one would expect elsewhere.

For the batsmen, it’s about coping with that pace and bounce, and

for fast bowlers, the trick is to not

be too macho with the red cherry in hand.

The Indian pitch that comes

closest to that is Mohali – not quite Gabba, of course. That is where Dhawan started his Test career, playing against Australia. On that

occasion, in March 2013, Dhawan

scored 187 runs from 174 balls in

just over four hours in the middle.

The sort of innings that makes a star of a debutant. Since then, it’s

not always gone right but when it has, Dhawan has been fantastic

to watch: aggressive but not in the Virender Sehwag over-the-

top way, in control, superb on the offside, hitting through the line.

In that debut Test, however, there

was no Mitchell Johnson in the opposition. Over the past couple

of seasons, Johnson has easily

been the most exciting cricketer going and for all the numbers

anyone might have totted up,

34 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

TOUR HISTORY 1999-00 (3): AUSTRALIA 3 INDIA 0 India‘s batsmen struggled to adapt to the conditions and 285 was the highest they managed across six innings. The lack of a solid opening partnership cost the team. In Devang Gandhi’s absence, following the first Test, VVS Laxman moved to open the innings with Sadagoppan Ramesh, but that had little effect. Already strong on the bowling front, with Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming in prime form, Australia‘s decision to hand Brett Lee his debut in the second Test proved to be a masterstroke as India were undone by his raw pace and he finished with 13 wickets from two matches. Tendulkar’s 278 runs earned him the Man of the Series award, but it was Ricky Ponting’s remarkable consistency that stood out and powered Australia to a 3-0 whitewash. – Akshay Gopalakrishnan Most runs: Ricky Ponting – 375 runs at 125 (Australia); Sachin Tendulkar – 278 runs at 46.33 Most wickets: Glenn McGrath – 18 wickets at 13.77 (Australia); Ajit Agarkar – 11 wickets at 31.90

negotiating Johnson, at Gabba,

is a whole different ball game.

Can Dhawan do it? True, he couldn’t quite cut it in England, where faster bowlers get more movement off the air than in most parts of the world. But

going by what we have seen of his game over the years, the

conditions in Australia might just be more to Dhawan’s liking.

More than Dhawan, his

opening partner and the man likely to walk in at one-drop, Vijay and Pujara, are probably

best placed to counter the pace and bounce.

When Dhawan was breaking

records

with

that

debut

century of his, Vijay was going about quietly accumulating

runs. He ended with 153 of his own, coming on the back

of a 167 in the previous Test.

But the Vijay that turned up in

South Africa later in the year was a revelation. He scored

six runs in over an hour and 39 in two-and-a-half hours in

the first Test in Johannesburg

and then 97 in over five hours before failing in the second

innings in Durban. This Vijay

COVER DRIVE * Of the 282 Indian Test players 16 have made their debut in Australia, ten of whom were medium pace bowlers. * Kiran More toured West Indies in 83 and Australia in 85 as an understudy to Syed Kirmani, and made his debut in the World Series Cup when Kirmani got injured. wanted to stay in the middle for as long as he could – he valued

his wicket over all else. And he’s

continued in that vein. He could well be key to India’s performance on this tour.

As for Pujara, while he isn’t

quite Rahul Dravid (yet), he is as

close to being a wall-like figure

as Indian cricket has now. A Test

man through and through, his average has dipped below 50

after disappointing tours of New Zealand and England earlier this year: 282 runs in seven Tests. But

Pujara will be a central figure in the next few years of Indian Test cricket. If Puj, along with Vijay and

Virat Kohli, can find his mojo in

Australia, there could be surprises in store.

35

FRESH ATTACK Bhuvneshwar Kumar, though slow of pace, is one of India’s best swing bowlers.

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

36 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

Coming to the pacemen, who

Shami has the pace, the accuracy

one in the top of the order could

Aaron? Would you pick four

Of the lot, it would be the most

good innings Vijay and Dhawan,

would you pick among Ishant,

Bhuvneshwar, Shami, Yadav and

pacers to go with R Ashwin at No.

7 or extend the batting order and play three pacemen with Ashwin?

and the stamina to be a Siddle of sorts. And Aaron has the pace.

fascinating to see what Aaron does if he gets the chance. But, coming

back from a long injury layoff, he went and picked up

some stage depending on how Such inexperience on a Test

tour of Australia is far from ideal.

As the pack is shuffled

4-0 losers – in spite of a batting

depending on conditions, it is pretty likely that

all five of them will get a chance at some point during the four Tests.

That may not be the

case with Rahul, Ojha, Karn or Jadeja.

Rahul has been, by far, the

Tricky. One would have to assume,

most exciting opening batsman

the Adelaide Test. Who else?

the tour of Australia was a no-

the swing and can bat a fair bit too.

Jadeja too could get a chance at

would be a major area of concern.

Bhuvneshwar is slow but has

While Ojha and Karn would be

Ashwin goes.

forget the whole series –

Yadav will be in the starting XI for

the first couple of Tests.

fitness – whether he can

last a full Test match,

fitness permitting, that Ishant and

especially Dhawan, can tot up in

in it mainly for the experience,

Sri Lanka recently. His

Or no Ashwin, just four pacers?

change depending on how many

a niggle in the first One-

Day International against

RAW PACE Umesh Yadav can consistently bowl at over 140kph.

be a long one for Rahul. That could

in India over the past couple of

seasons, and his selection for

brainer once Gautam Gambhir failed in England. But the distance between a spot on the bench and

But, then again, the last time India went to Australia, they came back

order boasting Dravid, Sachin

Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. The expectations from this lot are markedly lower.

For the rank newcomers that

do get a go, this will be a chance to make a statement. And for the

experienced lot in what is largely a young side, it’s an opportunity

to underscore their abilities, a chance to prove that they are

the right people in this period of transition for the Indian team, that they are the ones around

whom the script for the next few years of Indian Test cricket will be written.

37

FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNT

IT’S ALWAYS A LONG, TOUGH TOUR TO AUSTRALIA Australia has a lot to offer off the field, but if you’re not playing well, three to four months in the continent can be difficult KIRAN MORE

P

akistan and India

On that day in Sydney, we

more but it was all right. When

total. The times were different.

told the bowlers to bowl up to him

used to play each

batted first and scored 216 (for

we

Getting a lot of boundaries and

other pretty rarely

those days. I think were

playing

after 1989 during that 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and you know how it is

in an India-Pakistan game – even

if it’s a charity match, it’s always a tense affair.

7, in 49 overs) and it wasn’t a bad

sixes was difficult those days – nowadays you have mostly 75-yard

boundaries

but

the

boundaries were much further away in Australia at the time.

We would have liked 30-40 runs ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

Javed (Miandad) came in to bat,

it was quite early (17 for 2) and I and not give him space to hit. He

got frustrated as he couldn’t score

freely, they had lost early wickets anyway, and there was an appeal

for a catch down the legside off Sachin’s

(Tendulkar)

bowling,

which I thought was out. That’s

38 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

how the chatter started. He said a few things to me and I gave it back

to him. In fact, our whole team was giving it back to him.

And

then

that

incident

happened. I appealed for a run out and Javed started jumping (in mock imitation of the appeal).

So David Shepherd (the umpire) came up to him and told him that if he did it again, he would be thrown out. So it ended there.

But Javed … he has always been

a great friend. He’s a great man. I

I appealed for a run out and Javed started jumping. So David Shepherd came up to him and told him that if he did it again, he would be thrown out.

So it ended there with them (Pakistan) because we

speak the same languages – Hindi,

Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi … sharing stories, spending time together.

One must also remember that

months there can be tough. When we were done with the World

Cup, we realised what a long tour

it had been. Especially if you don’t do well, that hits you more. We were in Australia for four months,

we lost four of the five Tests, we

did all right in the tri-series (West Indies were the third team) but

the World Cup didn’t go well. So you spend your time with the

same people for four months, you see the same faces in the hotel and at the ground – it can get tiring.

This time also, the Indians will

have been to his house for dinner

the World Cup came at the end

be in Australia for around four

tough opponent, but a great man

tough, and it’s always a wake-

the middle. We wanted it, but it

when in Pakistan and it’s always fun playing with him. He was a

off the field. He was competitive, which was true for all of us.

Stump mikes had also come in

around that time, and Channel

9 used them, and I used to say ‘shabaash, shabaash’ to encourage

the bowlers and fielders. It was a new formula in world cricket. I

used to talk earlier too, but people

could hear me then. So it must

have irritated Javed. Importantly, we won the match (by 43 runs).

But we are all friends after

the match is over. It’s always fun

of a long tour. Touring Australia

is never easy anyway; it’s always

up call of sorts. Of course, if you do well, the locals are very appreciative, and there’s a big

Indian community there, the people always want to help you

and fix Indian meals for you.

But the cricket is tough. So we would go out for dinner with

the teammates, there are lots of sporting activities in Australia,

away in Gold Coast, which is

beautiful, the beaches, long walks.

In Sydney, we would go to the

harbour and to the Sydney Opera House, and there’s a lot to do in

Australia. But spending three-four

months and it’s always good to get a break for 10-15 days in couldn’t be arranged. But things are different if you do well and win

a few games. If you start losing, there are always issues that crop

up, on the field and off the field; things start going wrong. There are injuries too. We are taking

five pacers for the Tests and they should go to the World Cup as

well. So injuries are a concern. I

hope we win, and everyone stays fit, because it will be a long and tough tour, as it always is when you go to Australia.

As told to Shamya Dasgupta

39

DUEL OF THE GREATS SIDHANTA PATNAIK India may have won only five of the 40 Tests they have played in Australia between 1947 and 2012, but there has been no dearth of fascinating individual contests over the years – mini-battles within the five-day ones, some perhaps with a tinge of David-versus-Goliath to them. From the tussle between Vijay Hazare and Ray Lindwall to the exploits of Sachin Tendulkar, from VVS Laxman facing off against Brett Lee to Ricky Ponting’s 19-year-old nemesis in 2008, there have been some epic clashes Down Under. As India embark on their 11th Test tour there, we look back at some of them.

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

40 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

Hazare and Lindwall set the tone (1947-48) Vijay Hazare and Ray Lindwall were both new to international

cricket, but proved to be their

teams’ big stars on India’s first tour to Australia. Hazare made

116 and 145 (in a second-innings total of 277) in the fourth Test at

Adelaide Oval to become the first Indian to score two centuries

in a Test. He spent a total of 584 minutes and played 675 balls; the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack

described it as Hazare’s “personal triumph”.

His second hundred came after India were asked to follow on,

and Lindwall, who finished with

career-best figures of 7 for 38, did much of the damage in that

second innings. Lindwall, the

best bowler of the series, bowled

Hazare, and then accounted for him again in the subsequent game

in Melbourne. Hazare aggregated 429 runs to finish second on the run charts behind Don Bradman.

Prasanna bamboozles Redpath and Chappell (1967-68)

India lost all four Tests on their

ten years after retirement, to

in the side, Erapalli Prasanna, gave

flesh. Though he was dismissed

return to Australia after 20 years, but the new engineering graduate them something to remember fondly. Prasanna, who would be

the best bowler of the series with 25 scalps, troubled Ian Redpath

and Ian Chappell the most. Both

of them fell to him thrice each

in just over a month. In the first Test in Adelaide, Redpath failed

to open his account in the first innings. Chappell could score only two before he became Prasanna’s second victim. Prasanna’s best

captain at the age of 41. He proved

to be the decisive thorn in India’s thrice

by

BS

Chandrasekhar,

and fell to Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan

once

each

during the series, his experience came in handy when it came to

negating the quartet’s threat. He was on top of the batting charts

and helped Australia win a tightly

fought series 3-2. Nowhere was

came in a closely fought Brisbane

Test, the third one of the series, where he picked up eight wickets in the match, including Redpath

twice and Chappell once. Prasanna

dismissed both of them six times apiece over the years. Chappell,

even now, regards Prasanna as the toughest spinner he faced.

Simpson counters Indian spinners (197778) Played

against

the

backdrop

of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket, a weakened Australian

team fielded 12 debutants in five Tests, and recalled Bob Simpson,

his nous best displayed than in the

two-wicket win in the Perth Test

where he guided his team from 65 for 3 to 394 with a patient 176.

Sandeep Patil settles scores with Pascoe (1980-81)

Sandeep Patil started his first overseas Test match with a 65

41

against Australia in Sydney, before

his 116 in the first innings there

tour of Australia, and there was

He, however, responded with

innings was India’s only hope at

in 2001 adding to his aura. His

he was hit on the head by Len Pascoe and forced to retire hurt.

a fiery 174 in the next game in Adelaide, a knock that had the distinct air of score-settling about

has since become a YouTube

classic, while his 52 in the second that stage. McGrath and Warne

also the matter of that epic, match-winning 281 in Kolkata

reputation was only strengthened

it as he took on Dennis Lillee and Pascoe.

Patil’s maiden century included

22 boundaries and one six. That aggressive knock came when

India were reduced to 130 for 4,

and ushered them past the 400run mark after Australia had put up 528.

Tendulkar over Warne, McGrath (1999-2000)

THREAT Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath got Tendulkar out twice each in 1999-2000.

Sachin Tendulkar had become the youngest batsman to score a

Test century in Australia in 199192; seven years later, he returned as the world’s best batsman.

He reaffirmed his reputation as

he handled Glenn McGrath and Shane

Warne

with

technical

precision. While the rest of the

batting collapsed in a 3-0 series loss, Tendulkar, the captain, used his feet well and counter-attacked to charm the crowd. He was at

his dominant best in Melbourne:

dismissed him twice each in six

when he finished with 494 runs

the third highest run-getter of the

Lee, who has dismissed Laxman

innings, but by then Tendulkar’s

aggregate of 278 had made him series behind Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer.

Laxman’s Australian affair (2003-04) VVS Laxman had impressed with

a knock of 167 in India’s previous ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

at an average of 82.33 in the four Tests of the 2003-04 tour. Brett

the most number of times in his career, could not deceive him in

the two Tests he played, and the others had little success. Laxman made an important century in the famous Adelaide win, and

reserved his best for the Sydney Test where Tendulkar and he

42 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

put up the highest fourth-wicket

Ishant Sharma, just three Tests

had looked uncomfortable against

Kumble proves his point through Ponting (2003-04)

Perth, chipping in for an emotional

you bowl one more over)?” Ishant

partnership for India: 353 runs.

old, made his first real impression with a good spell of fast bowling in win days after the Monkeygate

him. Kumble famously asked Ishant, “Ek aur over karega (Will

replied in the affirmative, and

Anil Kumble was dropped for the first Test in Brisbane, but he returned for the second game

in Adelaide and used all his experience to establish his stature as India’s No. 1 spinner. At the receiving end was Ricky Ponting,

who Kumble had accounted for three times in as many Tests. In Adelaide, Ponting was batting

on 242 when Kumble had him caught by Rahul Dravid, and in Melbourne,

another

Ponting

double-century was brought to an

end when he was stumped after

FEUD Ricky Ponting had looked uncomfortable against Ishant Sharma all along.

having spent close to ten hours at

the crease. Kumble had another

laugh in Australia’s first innings in Sydney when Ponting was trapped

in front of the wicket. Ponting

finished as the best batsman of

the series, while Kumble, with 24 wickets in three Tests, topped the bowling charts.

Ishant v Ponting (2007-08)

episode had nearly ended the

produced a rising ball outside the

without wickets to show for it. He

at first slip. Ishant had already

tour. Ishant, 19, had bowled seven overs harrying the batsmen, but

was about to be taken off when

Virender Sehwag suggested that

Anil Kumble, the captain, give him one more over as Ricky Ponting

off stump, which took Ponting’s

edge and went to Rahul Dravid accounted for Ponting in the

first innings, and would go on to dismiss him another five times in his career.

43

INTERVIEW

THE ONE THAT GOT MIANDAD: “I KNEW IT WAS A SPECIAL DELIVERY” The 1985 World Championship of Cricket win inspired modern greats of Indian cricket, who in turn inspired millions more, says Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, as he shares his highlights of the tournament KARTHIK LAKSHMANAN

O

ne

of

India’s

most memorable

moments in OneDay International

cricket was the

World Championship of Cricket

final in 1985, when a young side led by Sunil Gavaskar stunned

everyone to take the title without

losing a match. India had won the World Cup in 1983 but not many

gave them a chance after a string of failures at home the following season.

One of the key players for India during

the

tournament

was

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan. The

legspinner, just 19 then, made his ODI debut in the tournament and

went on to become the highest wicket-taker

with

ten

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

scalps

from five matches. That included a career-best 3 for 35 in the final against Pakistan - the memorable

wicket of Javed Miandad, who was

out stumped, was one of them which helped India to the title.

Almost

30

Sivaramakrishnan

years

on,

remembers

the tournament as if it happened

only yesterday. He spoke to

44 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

Wisden India about the victory,

the celebrations and what it did to Indian cricket.

What do you first remember when you think about the 1985 World Championship of Cricket?

My first memory is that of going

into the first practice session in Melbourne. It was a huge

Against England, Ravi was charged up and got me charged up as well England prior to the World

Championship of Cricket. Along with me, there was Mohammad

Azharuddin, Sadanand Viswanath,

Chetan Sharma, Manoj Prabhakar

VICTORIOUS “Everybody wrote us off before the 1985 World Championship of Cricket began.”

for a couple of days, whatever happened in India prior to that was behind us and we were

looking at how to compete in the tournament.

India won the World Cup in 1983, but later lost to West Indies, Australia and England after that. What sparked the turnaround?

Everybody wrote us off even before the tournament began,

so there was no pressure on us.

People were expecting us to get

thrashed. But the first match against Pakistan was the turning

point. We had a commanding victory in that match. We bowled

them out for 183 and then got

the runs quite easily. That gave us the confidence to do well and

the momentum for the rest of the tournament.

There was an exuberance of youth

in the side. It was one of the better fielding sides in that era, if not the

best. It was an all-round fielding

side as we had good fielders in stadium and the first time I was

and some others. Even an empty

after the home series loss against

landed in MCG and practised

there. There were a lot of other youngsters in the side as well,

Melbourne

Cricket

Ground

motivated us. The moment we

all positions, be it slips or in the

boundary. That proved to be of

great support to the bowlers and the energy on the field helped us build momentum as well.

45

EXUBERANT “Everyone jumped on the car with spikes on. Ravi had to make sure he got a new car.”

The pitches were very sporting

normal and not like the bats now.

and Roger Binny got the ball to

good chance of getting a wicket.

and suited our bowlers, both

pacers and spinners. Kapil Dev bounce and swing. There was

turn and bounce for the spinners as well.

While many teams would go for pace in Australia, India went for spin – you and Ravi Shastri came out very successful. What was the thinking behind that?

Australia had big grounds and big boundaries. The bats were

If the batsmen wanted to hit you

out of the ground, there was a

In Australian wickets, spinners will always get the bounce. If you are a good spinner, you can get

some turn as well. So turn and bounce turned out to be a lethal combination

and

big-hitting

wasn’t easy. That was the thinking

behind playing both Ravi Shastri and me in the side.

The best bowling phases of our career coincided with that ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

tournament. Our bowling in the

middle overs turned out to be very crucial for the side.

India won all five matches they played by convincing margins. How did India get the ruthlessness, something they were not known for?

One of the biggest reasons for that

was the settled bowling attack. The plan was simple and worked well.

Kapil (Dev) and Roger (Binny)

got the early wickets, Mohinder Amarnath and Madan Lal would then bowl some tight overs to the

46 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

TOUR HISTORY 2003-04 (4): AUSTRALIA 1 INDIA 1 After years of living in promise, India finally announced themselves as a force in Test cricket. The opening draw in Brisbane set the tone. To expect anything to match Kolkata 2001 was a tough ask, yet Adelaide, where India came back from the dead to fashion a four-wicket win, came close.

Ricky Ponting’s 242 had taken Australia to 556, and India were a worrisome 85 for 4 in reply. Rahul Dravid’s magnificent 233 and VVS Laxman’s 148 were a triumph of Indian spirit; they added 303 to become only the third pair to share two triple-century stands. In Melbourne, Ponting’s 257 outdid Virender Sehwag’s 195. In Sydney, there was Sachin Tendulkar’s resilient 241 and Laxman’s 178. But bowlers failed to press forth the advantage as Steve Waugh put victory beyond India‘s reach. The 1-1 scoreline did not fully reveal India’s gains. – Disha Shetty Most runs: Ricky Ponting – 706 runs at 100.85 (Australia); Rahul Dravid – 619 runs at 123.80 (India) Most wickets: Anil Kumble – 24 wickets at 29.58 (India); Stuart MacGill – 14 wickets at 50.78

new batsmen before Ravi and

I bowled in the middle overs.

The pacers made it easy for us in the middle overs. Ravi and I would regularly share

five or six wickets in the middle overs, which meant that the opposition was always playing with the tail going

into the death overs. There was pressure throughout the innings that way.

Once we beat Pakistan in the

first game, the confidence and morale was up for every

individual in the side. We

worked that much harder

even in the practice sessions.

I remember that throughout

the tournament, during the practice sessions, fielding and training was compulsory apart from batting and bowling.

The focus was specifically on

fielding, while some times even batting and bowling were

The 1983 World Cup was the turning point for Indian cricket. They realised that India has the potential to defeat big teams. 1985 reconfirmed the fact that India can be world champions.

It was a sort of comeback after some poor shows in the period

235 (against England) because

we bowled teams out cheaply.

The consistency in bowling and

fielding from everybody was

key for our good show in the tournament.

The icing on the cake would have been the final against Pakistan.

optional.

It was a dream final. There were

were not chasing too many

final. There was a huge crowd in

The effect of that was we big scores in the tournament.

Our highest run chase was 207 (in the semifinal against New Zealand) and our highest score in the tournament was

lots of people who had come in from India particularly for the

the hotel reception as we left for

the ground and after we won the match, a whole lot of Indian fans were waiting for us in the lobby

and celebrated our win. It was a

47

big-pressure match, but we had

a young side that could handle it very well.

But, actually, we were hoping to face West Indies in the final. It

would have been a repeat of the

1983 World Cup final and we could defeat them again, but that

didn’t happen. If we had defeated West Indies in the final, it would have been a complete tournament

for us. But they lost to Pakistan in

the semifinal and we hadn’t played them in the league stages either.

They were in the other half of the draw. It wasn’t in our control.

Your best performance was reserved for the final.

I remember that I came in to bowl

very late in the innings (34th over). It was almost like death bowling. I didn’t know what was

To go to Australia for the World Championship, become the highest wicket-taker in the tournament, and help the side win the cup when everybody wrote us off was easily the best phase of my career Pakistan

were

re-establishing

their innings. He wanted to cramp

them up for runs and create a

situation where they had to go after

me

straightaway

when

I came on, and they lost their

wickets when they tried that. In

my second over, Imran was run out and then I got Javed Miandad

and Saleem Malik off successive deliveries.

going on but I eventually bowled

Having faith in me to bowl the last

were bowling well in the middle

from the deep to take the ball for

the last over of the innings as well.

Ravi, Amarnath and Madan Lal

overs so Gavaskar brought me in when there was a partnership building between Imran Khan and Javed Miandad.

Gavaskar planned it in such a way

that I could come in late when

over was a special feeling. I still

if that had happened, we would have bowled out all sides in the tournament.

One of the memorable moments of the final was Miandad getting out stumped off your bowling.

Talk us through that.

I don’t know how many people

will believe me when I say this, but the moment I delivered the ball, I knew it was a special delivery.

Once

you

release

the

ball,

something will tell your mind if

it’s a good ball or a bad ball. When I released the ball, I knew that

something special was going to happen. It dipped on Javed and

then turned after pitching. He didn’t step out to hit, he was just beaten in the air and was dragged

outside the crease trying to reach the ball.

remember Kapil Dev running in

I almost got a hat-trick as well.

nine overs and asked Gavaskar

I bowled a googly to try and get

the final over. He had bowled only

if he wanted him to bowl the final over. But Gavaskar said I’m

bowling well and gave me the confidence. I was still trying to get a wicket in the final over, because ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

The next ball went over long on.

Wasim Raja was the batsman and

him lbw. I didn’t expect him to

have a slog at that, but he went for the big shot and Amarnath was

about 10 metres inside at long on.

It went just over his head.

48 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

Any regret that you didn’t get the hat-trick?

A hat-trick would have been better. I still think that if I had got

the hat-trick, I would have got the Man of the Match award in the final.

How were the celebrations after the win? Shastri’s Audi was almost damaged...

Not almost, completely! He got

an Audi for being the Champion

of Champions and his car was

completely damaged after the final. Everybody jumped on it

with spikes on. The car had marks all over it and Ravi had to make sure he got a brand new car later.

I think it was one of the first times that someone had got a car as an award and we got to drive around the ground on it. It was a great

moment for us, we celebrated with champagne and stuff. Ravi, Gavaskar and myself still talk

about it. It was one of the great moments of Indian cricket that I’ve been part of.

What was it like to share the room with Ravi Shastri?

Ravi and I have been friends

as well, but we lost the series.

of the match against England

disappointed that we lost a Test

ever since we played Under-19s together. I remember the morning in particular. England had the

better of us in India just before the tournament and their captain

had made some statements in the media prior to the match.

Shastri woke me up early in the

morning after reading the papers, made me read the article and said, “We have to prove that we are

better than them. The way we’re bowling in this tournament, we

will show it to them today.” They

were chasing 236 and after 25 overs, they were on a par with

where we were. But Ravi and I had spoken about it just before

the match, took it up as a personal

challenge and took three wickets each and bowled them out cheaply (149).

That is one particular match that I

remember – Ravi was charged up and got me charged up as well.

What did the tournament mean for you, personally?

My

individual

performance

was satisfactory but we were series at home against England.

But to go to Australia for the World

Championship,

become

the highest wicket-taker in the tournament, and help the side win

the cup when everybody wrote us off was easily the best phase of my career.

One

thing

in

Australia

any

cricketer has to be careful about is

the media. I was told by Gavaskar not to bowl a single googly in the nets, because there would be

television cameras all over trying

to find out what you do in practice.

“Just come and bowl leg-breaks

for an hour, have some fielding practice and go,” is what Gavaskar told me then. Even back then,

the Australian media was always

attacking other teams. That was one of my learnings.

How would you compare the win to the 1983 World Cup win?

That tournament was the highest

The 1983 World Cup was the

five matches) was pretty good

everybody looked at India as

point in my career. The Test series against England (23 wickets from

turning point for Indian cricket.

1983 was the high point when

49

a part of the cricketing world.

They realised that India has the potential to defeat big teams, and 1985 reconfirmed the fact that

India could be world champions.

THE FINAL “It was a highpressure match against Pakistan, but we had a young side.”

It was a sort of comeback after some poor shows in the period.

Unlike the 1983 World Cup, a lot of youngsters in India would have

seen

the

1985

World

Championship on television in India. In the World Cup, India had to beat Zimbabwe to qualify

and Kapil made a brilliant 175, but it wasn’t shown in India due to the broadcast strike. But the

1985 tournament was followed

by many people back home, and that would have inspired a lot of them. VVS Laxman still talks about

waking up early and watching

that tournament, so it was a big inspiration for many.

The

1985

proved

that

victory the

definitely

World

Cup

victory was not a one-off or fluke.

Both happened overseas and in different conditions.

Finally, what did the victory do for Indian cricket?

That victory did a lot of wonderful things for Indian cricket. The likes

of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman,

the victory. When you inspire

remember

become great cricketers. They

Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly the

1985

World

Championship as one of the best

Indian performances they have seen.

A lot of youngsters including those legends were inspired by ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

youngsters, they are bound to evolve into great cricketers after

seeing such performances. We managed to inspire those four people, and those four people

inspired millions more in the coming years.

50 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

HIGH-IMPACT HISTORY The Indians who have done well on the high-pressure tours of Australia India have a dismal Test record in Australia. They have won just five of the 40 Tests played there – two in 1977-78 and one each in 1981, 2003 and 2008

– and never a series. So while identifying the highest impact Indian performances, detailed below, more consideration has been given to consistency,

ability to do well under pressure and contribution to the match, rather than the series-defining performances, which are few and far between.

Highest Impact Batsmen Number

Name

Matches

Batting Impact

SDs

Runs Tally Impact

Pressure Impact

Failure Rate (in %)

1

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

3

3.76

1

2.16

1.59

0

2

Sandeep Patil

3

3.58

0

2

1.17

0

3

Gundappa Viswanath

8

2.64

0

2.02

0.49

25

4

Sunil Gavaskar

11

2.58

0

2.19

0.14

36

5

Rusi Surti

4

2.42

1

1.67

0.13

29

Minimum number of matches: 3 SDs: Series-defining performances All Impact numbers between 0 and 5

51

BATTING IMPACT Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi led India in three Tests in Australia in 1967-68 and was the highest impact batsman of the series. He scored 75 of a total of 173 (from 25 for 5) in Melbourne, and 74 (from 9 for 3) and 48 (from 61 for 3) in Brisbane. He absorbed the pressure of falling wickets better than any other Indian batsman.

healthy strike rate, in all three Tests on India’s 1980-81 tour: 65 off 78 (from 70 for 4), 174 off 240 (from 130 for 4) and a series-defining performance in the final Test at MCG, where coming in to bat at 243 for 3 – India had faced a deficit of 182 so were only 61 runs ahead) he smashed 36 off 26 balls.

Gundappa Viswanath was the highest impact player of

he scored a brilliant 114; the second-highest score was 25).

Sunil Gavaskar has the highest Runs Tally, Partnershipbuilding and New Ball Impact (ability to see off and score runs off the new ball) among all Indian batsmen.

His 113 in the second innings of the first Test at the Gabba in 1977 almost helped India pull off a victory. Chasing 341 in the final innings, the visiting

Highest Impact Bowlers Number

Name

Matches

Bowling Impact

SDs

Wickets Tally Impact

Economy Impact

Failure Rate (in %)

1

Bishan Singh Bedi

7

2.8

0

3.14

0.16

14

2

Kapil Dev

11

2.61

0

2.56

0.19

9

3

Shivlal Yadav

5

2.52

0

2.62

0.15

40

4

Dilip Doshi

3

2.48

0

2.07

0.44

33

5

Anil Kumble

10

2.32

0

2.78

0.04

30

Minimum number of matches: 3 SDs: Series-defining performances All Impact numbers between 0 and 5

His Runs Tally Impact (proportion of runs scored in a match) is second only to Sunil Gavaskar’s – an incredible feat, considering he batted at No. 7 and 5 in the series.

Sandeep Patil scored tough runs under pressure of falling wickets, and that too at a

the 1977-78 tour. He scored 89 (coming in at 23 for 2) and then 73 (from 79 for 2) in a final-innings chase of 493 in Adelaide. India fell short by 47 runs. Viswanath’s seriesdefining performance came in the final Test of the 1981 tour, when coming in to bat at 22 for 2 in the first innings, ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

Indian team fell short by just 17 runs.

Rusi Surti was consistent in the four Tests he played in Australia in 1967-68 with his highest impact batting performance coming in the third Test at the Gabba.

Walking in to bat at 5 for 2, he

52 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

scored 52 in the first innings and backed that up with 64 in the second (from 48 for 2).

Pataudi, Gundappa Viswanath, Mohinder Amarnath and Ravi Shastri.

Highest Runs Tally Impact batsmen (proportion of runs scored): Sunil Gavaskar, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Gundappa Viswanath, Sandeep Patil and Rusi Surti.

Most consistent batsmen (lowest failure rates): Rusi Surti, Dattu Phadkar, Sandeep Patil, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Gundappa Viswanath.

BOWLING IMPACT

Highest Pressure Impact

Kapil Dev was India’s most experienced and consistent bowler over three tours – 1980-81, 1985-86, 199192. His most memorable performance came in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval in 1985, when he picked up 8 for 106 off 38 overs in the first innings. His highest impact bowling performance came at the same ground in

Highest all-round impact Number

Name

Matches

Overall Impact

SDs

Batting Impact

Bowling Impact

Failure Rate (in %)

1

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

3

3.76

0

3.76

0

0

2

Sandeep Patil

3

3.63

1

3.58

0.13

0

3

Rusi Surti

4

3.56

0

2.42

2.03

0

4

Manoj Prabhakar

5

3.51

0

1.87

1.79

0

5

Kapil Dev

11

3.36

0

0.89

2.61

0

Minimum number of matches: 3 SDs: Series-defining performances All Impact numbers between 0 and 5

batsmen (most pressure absorbed of falling wickets): Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sandeep Patil, Manoj Prabhakar, Dattu Phadkar and Rusi Surti.

Highest Partnershipbuilding Impact batsmen (ability to occupy crease and build partnerships): Sunil Gavaskar, Mansur Ali Khan

Bishan Singh Bedi took 35 wickets in seven Tests in Australia and has the highest Wickets-Tally Impact. He was the highest impact bowler of the 1977-78 tour, with his highest impact performance coming in the second Test in Perth – 5 for 89 off 31 overs and 5 for 105 off 30.2 overs (eight top/middle-order wickets).

1992, in the fourth Test, when he picked up eight wickets, including seven top/middleorder ones.

Shivlal Yadav, the offspinner, gave three noteworthy performances in the five Tests he played in Australia. His most significant was in the last Test of the 1985-86 tour, at SCG, when he took 5 for

53

99 off 62.3 overs in the first innings and backed that up with 3 for 19 off 33 in the second. He was the highest impact bowler of the series with a high propensity to take top/middle-order wickets.

Dilip Doshi is India’s most restrictive bowler in Australia.

His 3 for 146 off 48 overs and 3 for 49 off 33 in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval in 1981 was his highest impact bowling performance from three Tests.

Anil Kumble had a disappointing tour in 19992000, but emerged as not only the highest impact bowler but also the highest impact player from both sides in 2003-04.

He led the aggregate wicketstally and bowling average charts too. His highest impact bowling performance came in the fourth Test at SCG in 2004, when he picked up 8 for 141 off 46.5 overs in the first innings and 4 for 138 off 42 in the second. He was also India’s highest impact bowler on their next tour in 2007-08.

Note: Ajit Agarkar, who is at No. 6 on the bowlers’ impact list, produced a match-winning

6 for 41 off 16.2 overs in the second innings in Adelaide in 2003, which gave India a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

India had not beaten Australia in a Test in Australia for 22 years then. This performance changed the momentum of the series and gave Agarkar a series-defining performance.

No other Indian has recorded a series-defining performance in Australia purely for his bowling efforts.

Highest Top/Middle-order Wickets Tally Impact bowlers (wickets of top/ middle-order batsmen): Bishan Singh Bedi, Anil Kumble, Shivlal Yadav, Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan.

Highest Economy Impact bowlers: Dilip Doshi, Erapalli Prasanna, Lala Amarnath, Kapil Dev and Bishan Bedi.

Highest Pressure-building Impact bowlers (taking wickets in quick succession to build pressure): Bishan Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and Irfan Pathan.

Most consistent bowlers (lowest failure rates): Manoj ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

Prabhakar, Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Rusi Surti and Irfan Pathan.

ALL-ROUND IMPACT Rusi Surti played four Tests on the 1967-68 tour, giving consistent performances.

The most significant was his performance in Brisbane – a match haul of six wickets and two half-centuries. India had been 5 for 2 and 48 for 2 when Surti came out to bat in the two innings. He is the highest impact allrounder for India in Australia.

Manoj Prabhakar gave stellar performances with the bat and ball in the first and fourth Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide, scoring valuable runs under pressure and picking up crucial top/middle-order wickets.

Highest Impact AllRounders (in a match context): Rusi Surti, Manoj Prabhakar, Kapil Dev, Dattu Phadkar, Abid Ali.

54 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNT

‘SPINNERS ARE AS GOOD AS THE CAPTAIN LETS THEM BE’ A bowler’s perspective on playing in Australia ERAPALLI PRASANNA

P

laying in Australia

has its own set of challenges. It can

be an intimidating experience

challenge was to sustain that when we travelled overseas.

Australia is a great place to play

for

cricket because the people are

the first time. It was certainly

at an arena like Melbourne Cricket

someone touring the country for that way for many of us when we

toured in 1967-68. We weren’t a great team at home, but we used to compete well. So as a unit, our

extremely passionate. But playing Ground can be an intimidating

experience at the best of times,

particularly if you are on your first tour of the country. What you

don’t want is to misfield or drop a catch near the boundary. If you do, you’ve had it. That tour was

a learning curve for many of us.

We lost 4-0, but the experience made us richer. The thing about

Australia is, if you fail to arrest the slide early on, it can become

a mentally draining tour, because

every aspect of your cricket is tested.

55

impatient.

In

subcontinent, can

expect

the

you

one

wicket to lead to two

more on dust bowls.

But

in

Australian

conditions, you need to set up a batsman.

Over the years, I’ve constantly

been asked why spinners are

unlikely to succeed in Australia.

It’s a question I’ve found tough to answer. The surfaces may not exactly be conducive to spin,

barring Adelaide and Sydney, to an extent. But what you will get there is bounce, and if you are

tactful, there is no bigger weapon than that.

One of the lessons I learnt

very early is that you shouldn’t

experiment. You need to have one stock ball. Back then, during my time, variation meant variation in

length and not deliveries like the

doosra or the carrom ball. That is also the reason why some of the great bowlers like Richie Benaud

and Shane Warne were very successful in their own conditions.

Another mistake you shouldn’t

make in Australia, and I learnt

during my first tour: Don’t be

The ones during

my time were particularly

good. Ian Chappell was one of the best I’ve bowled to and I enjoyed our tussles. He didn’t

let you relax and would read your mind. So the challenge

was not just to deceive him in

flight, but also in the mind. And for that, you needed a sound

attack, bowlers who could sustain pressure and keep a

check on the runs at the other end.

That

is

something

we

managed to do successfully when we went back almost

a decade later, in 1977-78, although we lost the series 2-3. It was a great team

performance, one that all of us remember fondly. Our win in Melbourne is particularly

memorable because of the manner in which we fought

back to win (by 222 runs) ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

TOUR HISTORY 2007-08 (4): AUSTRALIA 2 INDIA 1 Here, the off-field controversies hogged the headlines.

In Melbourne, India were looked uncomfortable – none more so than Rahul Dravid, who made an agonising 66-ball 5 and a 114-ball 16. In Sydney, they were quashed

by Andrew Symonds‘s unbeaten 162, allegations that Harbhajan Singh had racially abused Symonds, Michael Clarke taking three wickets in five balls, and questionable umpiring. A threematch ban on Harbhajan had India ready to hop on the next flight home. At Perth, better batting, a mesmerising spell by 19-year-old Ishant Sharma and Irfan Pathan‘s all-round efforts inspired India to a rousing win. The Adelaide Test, which Adam Gilchrist announced would be his swansong, ended in a high-scoring draw. India ultimately won the PR war: the ban on Harbhajan was revoked, while Symonds was never the same player again. – Nisha Shetty Most runs: Sachin Tendulkar – 493 runs at 70.42 (India); Matthew Hayden – 410 runs at 82.00 Most wickets: Brett Lee – 24 wickets at 22.58; Anil Kumble – 20 wickets at 34.45 (India)

56 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

You don‘t want to misfield or drop a catch near the boundary. If you do, you‘ve had it. after losing the first two Tests. It showed the team’s character.

Similarly, I hope the current

throat at the same

time. There was no

let-up in intensity.

We were successful because all of us had

an attacking mindset and that stems from what your captain expects from you.

If he wants you

Indian team on tour in Australia

to keep the runs

need to be mentally tough. The

automatically

exhibits grit and determination and they are capable of it. You

team lost an opportunity in England, but the overall balance of the squad is good.

In the 1977-78 series, we played

three spinners. I had Chandra (BS

COVER DRIVE

Erapalli Prasanna made his Test debut in 1961-62. After playing a few Tests, he took a break of five years to finish his undergraduate studies (he did engineering) and returned to the team in 1967.

Chandrasekhar) and Bish (Bishan Singh Bedi) for company, and all of us were at the batsman’s

down

and

sets

defensive fields, then are

tied

you

subconsciously

before

down

even

bowling

a

ball. The challenge

is to bring the closein fielders into play.

DON’T EXPERIMENT “That’s why Richie Benaud and Shane Warne were successful”

And for that you need to attack. So, if I were

to pick a side, I’d definitely have two spinners straightaway along

with three pacers, which means someone like R Ashwin, who has batted well, should also double up as an allrounder.

Two attacking spinners would

give the captain the luxury of

attacking from the middle overs till maybe the second new ball.

But again, as I have stressed repeatedly, your spinners are only

as good as the captain lets them be.

The fast bowling department

looks well stocked but I expect the spinners to have an equal impact

and if India are to do well, then they will have to play a vital role.

As told to Shashank Kishore

57

INTERVIEW

‘OUR SPINNERS COULDN’T GET AN U-16 OUT’ Matthew Hayden on the India-Australia rivalry and the teams’ chances ahead of their next meeting KRITIKA NAIDU

T was

owering, dominant and

Prior to his maiden first-class

Ahead of India’s four-match Test

resolute,

game, he had asked if anyone had

series in Australia, he reflects on

Australian opener,

which set the tone for his career.

in India, and what makes for a

Matthew Hayden, the

essentially

a

former

one-man

wrecking crew. His batting, led

by power and precision gave him the aptitude to single-handedly demolish opponents to take the game away from them.

scored a double-century on debut.

He then went on to score 149, After his fair share of initial

disappointments since making his debut in 1994, he sealed a spot as

a Test regular in the series against India in 2001, and went on to be a part of a great Australian side.

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

what exactly it is like when the teams meet, the rivalry, his stint successful side. Edited excerpts:

What are areas in which you think the current Australian side has scope for improvement?

58 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

TOUR SUMMARY

Definitely

to

bounce

play

against spin, from a batting

2011-12 (4): AUSTRALIA 4 INDIA 0 Determined

their

back

from the 3-1 Ashes loss at home, Australia hammered India 4-0 in the four Test series and handed the visitors their eighth consecutive away Test loss in the final game.

India’s batting let them down as they crossed the 300-run mark just once in eight innings. For Australia, this series threw up many positives. Michael Clarke scored a double and a triplecentury, Ricky Ponting was among the runs and while Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle wreaked havoc, James Pattinson, just two Tests old at that time, impressed everyone.

This series posed questions of the Indian management and the players. And for Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, it would be the last tour to that part of the world. – Akash Sarkar Most runs: Michael Clarke – 626 runs at 125.20 (Australia); Virat Kohli – 300 runs at 37.50 (India) Most wickets: Ben Hilfenhaus – 27 wickets at 17.22 (Australia); Zaheer Khan – 15 wickets at 31.80 (India)

perspective.

We

probably

don’t help ourselves. But I

guess we’re not the only ones; when India come to Australia

India have gone through that transition phase better than we in Australia have

or when they tour elsewhere

really get that bank of experience

that

conditions where I felt like I was

where conditions aren’t their own, they struggle. The way the

programmes

are

set up, you never really get a chance to catch up in your preparation.

You’re

always

basically going straightaway to fixtures and matches.

In my first Ashes series, we

had close to two months of match play before the first Test match. These guys are put straight into matches and

tournaments and that affects

the way they go about trying to make the changes necessary to adjust to those conditions. So what it really means is that the

guys are going to be preparing in their own country, in their home conditions.

In fact, one of the strengths of

my campaign in India was to

give myself a chance while I wasn’t playing Test cricket, to

and thinking around, getting accustomed

to

subcontinental

going to make contributions in

the future. And that was mainly because I wasn’t really good enough to play for Australia at that time.

Would you say bowling is Australia’s strength like batting is India’s?

I actually think bowling is our strength. We have quite a settled bowling line-up. If you bring back

Ryan Harris, who’s just taken

seven wickets in his last Shield

game… put him, (Peter) Siddle, Mitchell Johnson together, and maybe

Josh

Hazlewood,

and

they’re as good as they can get. I

think Hazlewood is a really good bowler. For me, he’s almost come into his own a bit now.

Then our spinning department

is just still. It needs something to

59

AGGRESSIVE David Warner will be someone to look out for, says Matthew Hayden.

Spending long periods of time at the crease, accumulating runs, spinning patiently, leaving balls – those are a few things I’d say are needed to be successful here (Virat) Kohli, I reckon. He has been

knocked back and now he has that hunger, and he understands

where he can toe the line. He has performed really well in the last bring it up to be compared with

bowlers and attack, but that’s just

stops seaming and swinging, you

got to lift in this next series if he

Indian players. In the middle stages of the game, where the ball

have the likes of (Shane) Watson,

but he’s always on the verge of getting injured. And you have a spin bowling line-up that couldn’t

get Under-16s out. That’s how

tough it is. That’s our Achilles heel.

That’s our Achilles heel in our

batting as well because when Michael Clarke is out, looking at

our line-up, you wonder who’s

going to play spin. David Warner is not a bad player of spin either.

He’s going to go after the spin

the way he plays. Buck Rogers is a

woeful player of spin. He’s really gets a go, and unless you can play

spin, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.

You were always an aggressive batsman at the top... do you think David Warner has filled in that role well?

I like how Warner plays. I like the

way he goes about his business.

He is a much improved player,

he really is. He has the hunger of ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

one year. He stepped up a lot. He

will be someone to look out for in the series because he can play spin well. He’s a little bit like Gilly

– as far as he can be so brilliant, and because he is, he plays some shots where you wonder how he can do that! It’s like a complete

brain fade. That’s the charm of watching someone like him. He can devastate you or the new ball will expose you.

What do you make of the current Indian Test side?

They are a very good Test side.

They’ve got a very high level of players. Obviously they’ve lost the former set of great players that are

60 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

subcontinental

CITY CONNECT “Not only was I successful in Chennai, I became part of that community.”

conditions,

we

have battled with that challenge. I

feel like India has really grown as well. When I first started playing against India, it was always… not

subservient, but it felt like it sort

of didn’t fit. But in the last ten years, that has changed and the

attitude is like, ‘Hang on a second, we not only own the game, but

we are the game. We’re going to

play accordingly.’ That is the sort of feeling about the flex of Indian muscle behind cricket. And that

has created a competitive sense to which Australia would say, ‘Hang on, not under our watch.’

But it’s a pretty cool focus for the hard to replace. It’s the same with

captain the country, but it worries

stepped into their shoes really

be on his swansong. Whereas,

Australia as well. But for me, guys

like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, have

well and have really pinned down

their best spots and proven their potential. I think India have gone

through that transition phase better than we in Australia have.

Beyond Michael Clarke, who is injured now, our next captain is someone who is basically almost

ready to retire and that’s not a

good sign. I do think Brad Haddin

is the right person for the job, to

me that we are looking at a captain

who is in his 30s and looking to

India probably have four or five guys who can actually lead their

country and that is a very healthy sign for Indian cricket.

Why are India-Australia clashes looked forward to as much as they are?

It has been a long rivalry. I think it’s

been built on the fact that Australia

love a challenge. Especially in

tournament.

We tend to play each other a lot.

We play with Indian players in the IPL. I wish there was enough time

in the cricket calendar for Indian players to come to Australia and

play within the franchise-based competitions. It would further enable the relationships to grow.

Your favourite memory of facing India

Probably the conditions in Madras

(Chennai). Even though we lost

that Test match, it was amazing.

That series in particular was an

61

amazing series where it went up

USP Hayden says he was helped by an understanding of the strategy behind spin bowling.

and down like a yo-yo and we were

at the end of the beating in that series. But to me it was memorable

because, 2001 was when I came back into international cricket and I started to make my mark on the game.

I saw Chennai for the first time in 1995-96 when a small unit of

Australian batsmen was selected to practise at the MRF Pace Foundation. There was also a

When I go to my son’s coaching camp, I see that there aren’t too many aspiring to become the next Shane Warne or Harbhajan. They want to bowl fast

small spin-bowling camp that was going on under Bishan Singh Bedi.

I’ll never forget I was walking

off the ground and I turned to

Matthew Elliott and said: “One day

I’m going to get a Test hundred here.” You say these things in jest often, but I really felt a strong connection with that particular ground and the experience.

Not only was I successful at that

ground and scored a double century, but I became a part of

that community and that ground (in the IPL). It’s a remarkable story.

What different would India have to do in order to do well in Australia?

I think it’s very important for ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

them to learn how to leave the

ball. The hardest thing to do here

in Australia is to actually leave the ball. Whereas on Indian wickets,

the ball never really bounces over the stumps, so you get drawn into playing shots.

Additionally, it is a different brand of cricket as far as you have to

run in this country. You need to be a good runner to score runs.

62 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

QUIZ, DOWN UNDER: ANSWERS 1. Vijay Hazare 2. ML Jaisimha 3. Hundred by a nightwatchman 4. Sadanand Viswanath 5. Sachin Tendulkar 6. Jaywant Lele, the then BCCI secretary 7. Anil Kumble 8. Bill Woodfull, Australian captain during Bodyline series 9. Praveen Kumar 10. Virender Sehwag

In India, you might hit the ball and it’s a four, but here you hit

it and it might go for one or two.

So, spending long periods of time at the crease, accumulating runs, spinning patiently, leaving balls – those are a few things I’d say are needed to be successful here.

How was it working with Bishan Singh Bedi and other Indian spinners to

learn a style of batting that would work on the subcontinent?

It helped me a lot. I guess when

I arrived in Test cricket, facing off against Anil Kumble and

Harbhajan Singh in that period, I knew their mentality. I knew that

if Sourav Ganguly set a 6-3 field, I

knew exactly what Harbhajan was trying to achieve.

So the focus was in and around

batting, but what actually gave

me the insight was understanding the strategy behind spin bowling,

which I never had learnt in my development. It’s not part of our curriculum. Even when I go to my son’s coaching camp, I see that

there aren’t too many aspiring

to become the next Shane Warne or Harbhajan. They want to bowl fast.

What is the key to being successful in the subcontinent?

I think being successful in the subcontinent has a lot to do with

the person first, then a player. Off the field is where it comes first.

Things have really changed there since I first travelled there. It’s

quite a different place now. But I

COVER DRIVE * Of the 11 batsman who have hit 30 Test hundreds, Hayden has reached there the fastest with respect to number of matches played. * Sachin Tendulkar’s 1809 runs is the fourth highest on Australian soil by an opposition player and the highest by a non-Englishman.

think having a really good attitude

to do the things that we’re not used to and adjusting is the key.

For instance, the mass of people,

dealing with that, the closeness of people, the interaction…it’s

very different from here. It’s busy,

very busy. For me it was easy to embrace the food because from

a culinary point of view, I loved

the experiences I had there. The heat –coming Queensland was

lucky for me because it is so hot here anyway. Acclimatising your

body to that climate and having a general sense of wellbeing

really helped me. I always felt really comfortable around Indian people and I think they did so in

my company as well. That in turn has always spurred me to feel calm and achieve the success I have had there.

63

FIXTURES

INDIA’S TEST SQUAD

TEST SERIES

FOR AUSTRALIA TOUR 2014 - 15

Dec 9-13: 1st Test Adelaide Oval

Dec 17-21: 2nd Test Brisbane Cricket Ground

Dec 26-30: 3rd Test

MS DHONI

VIRAT KOHLI

Melbourne Cricket Ground

SHIKHAR DHAWAN

M VIJAY

Dec 9-13: 4th Test Sydney Cricket Ground

TRI-SERIES 2014-15 Jan 16: 1st ODI Australia v England

CHETESHWAR PUJARA

AJINKYA RAHANE

ROHIT SHARMA

SURESH RAINA

KL RAHUL

NAMAN OJHA

RAVINDRA JADEJA

WRIDDHIMAN SAHA

R ASHWIN

KARN SHARMA

BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR

MOHAMMED SHAMI

Sydney Cricket Ground

Jan 18: 2nd ODI AUSTRALIA v INDIA Melbourne Cricket Ground

Jan 20: 3rd ODI ENGLAND v INDIA Brisbane Cricket Ground

Jan 23: 4th ODI AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND Bellerive Oval, Hobart

Jan 26: 5th ODI AUSTRALIA v INDIA Sydney Cricket Ground

Jan 30: 6th ODI ENGLAND v INDIA WACA, Perth

Feb 1: Final TBC v TBC WACA, Perth

ISHANT SHARMA

ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2014

VARUN AARON

UMESH YADAV

64 − INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

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