Kohli plays his card well as pace delivers
PUNE: On Wednesday night, Australia spin legend Shane Warne had told a select group of journalists at an interactive session that he hoped captain Steve Smith doesn’t pick too many left-handed batsmen in the side as it would ‘work straight in the hands of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin’.
A day later, Matt Renshaw (68) and Mitchell Starc (57*) --- both left-handers --- struck contrasting half-centuries as they helped Australia reach a respectable total of 256/9 against India in the first Test.
The visitors were reeling at 205/9 at one stage before Starc scored a quickfire 57 off 58 balls. Renshaw played a gritty knock of 68 after recovering from an upset stomach that forced him to retire in the first session. Ashwin and Jadeja shared five wickets between them while Umesh Yadav picked up four to run through the opposition line-up.
It was a solid start by Warner and Renshaw on a pitch that was almost tailor-made for spinners.
Both Warner and Renshaw hung on with neither trying to get on top of the opposition but just play out the overs.
But it was Umesh who brought an end to the well-paced 82-run partnership between the two as Warner played on to his stumps. It proved to be a double whammy as Renshaw too left a minute later holed a simple catch to Kohli at short mid-wicket off Ashwin. With two wickets in quick successions, India tried to pile on the pressure and almost had Mitchell Marsh sent back but a successful review overturned a caught-behind decision.
Earlier, India had wasted both their reviews in the opening two sessions. Renshaw’s knock, laced with 10 boundaries and a six, came to an end as Ashwin had him caught at second slip while Umesh removed Matthew Wade, Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe to reduce Australia to 205/9.
But India’s hopes of bundling out Australia for a paltry total were dashed by Starc as he struck five boundaries and three towering sixes to keep Australia in the game. PUNE: India’s performance on the opening day was remarkable as their bowlers were able to reinforce the fears Australia batsmen had carried into the Test series straightaway in the first match on Thursday.
Given how India had routed every opposition in the matches so far this season, Steve Smith & Co knew their task was cut out against the home team’s bowling attack.
That Thursday’s destroyer turned out to be pace spearhead Umesh Yadav didn’t catch them by surprise. Immediately on their arrival in India, Australia coach Darren Lehmann had warned his men of the threat posed by the fast men, while all the talk centred around R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Lehmann’s fears came true when captain Virat Kohli used Yadav to telling effect. Australia started the proceedings by confidently negotiating the spin of Ashwin and Jadeja as Kohli held back Yadav till the 28th over of the innings.
Till that point, the move raised eyebrows among the experts, but Yadav struck in his very first over with the wicket of the wellset David Warner. Relishing bowling with the old ball, the Nagpur pacer finished the day with figures of 12-3-32-4.
Assistant coach Sanjay Bangar said opening with Ishant Sharma and the spin of Ashwin and holding back Yadav was a wellthought out move.
“Umesh is known to bowl very well with the old ball. Even in the series against England, he got the ball to reverse. We held him back expecting that we would get reverse swing very early in the innings.
“It was a precise plan to hold back Umesh, and with two lefthanders at the top of the order, we went with Ashwin and Ishant,” said Bangar.
The turnaround in Umesh’s bowling started with the way he bowled against South Africa in the last Test of the 2015 series at Delhi. On a flat, slow wicket, he was a revelation with how effective he was with the old ball.
Explaining the improvement in Yadav, Bangar said what sets him apart is his balance at the crease. “He has definitely improved quite a lot, his stride in the crease has become shorter, his wrist position has improved, (and) since his lengths are far fuller, he is able to extract reverse swing.
“He has worked very hard on his bowling and the results are there to see. In the last couple of series he has played on Indian wickets, he has shown that he can contribute, not only with the new ball but also with the old ball. He has done that (and) because of that, he has been instrumental. That is why as a team we have been able to enjoy as much success as we have got so far.”
FIRST DAY BLUES The pacer scalps four wickets on a turning pitch to leave Australia reeling on Day 1 His stride in the crease has become shorter, his wrist position has improved, (and) since his lengths are far fuller.