Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Jadeja casts a spell on nervy Aussies Playing ball late is key on turners, says Vengsarkar
Back after a 5-month injury break, the left-arm spinner bags 5/47 to help India bowl Aus out for 177
NAGPUR: There’s so much more to Ravindra Jadeja than the batbrandishing maverick allrounder who can make it to many sides on the sole strength of his fielding. And while we appreciate those gifts, the core of his genius sometimes gets a little lost in the mad hustle that is white-ball cricket.
That is why to truly understand the force that drives him, there is no better theatre than Test cricket. The longer format has a way of peeling away the layers and revealing your true character. The cheap tricks don’t quite work when the batters aren’t in a rush to go after you and over the course of a game, the weaknesses, however small they may be, come to the fore.
However, this is exactly where Jadeja shines — not with sleight of hand — but by falling back on plain old, boring consistency. The changes in pace and angle are subtle and he sticks to his guns.
On Day 1, the Australian innings lasted a little over two sessions and more than half the deliveries that the visitors faced were dealt with by Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith. While the two were in the middle, the spin-friendly Nagpur pitch didn’t seem to be as much of an issue as it had been made out to be.
However, those demons came roaring back a little over half an hour after lunch when Jadeja, who ‘hadn’t seen the sun for five months’, removed both batters in a manner that left-arm spinners dream of. The rest of Australia’s batting wasn’t up to scratch as the left-arm orthodox spinner’s 5/47 helped India bowl the visitors out for 177. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul’s 76-run opening stand helped the hosts consolidate their advantage and reach 77/1 at close of play.
Jadeja magic
Jadeja was one of the bowlers Australia feared would benefit from the unrolled patch outside the left-hander’s off-stump. The ‘doctored’ wicket dominated the pre-match talk and also influenced their team selection as regular No 5 (and left-hander) Travis Head was dropped in favour of right-handed Peter Handscomb. The dry patch, however, never truly came into play. We might have got a better idea if Australia’s left-handers would have lasted long enough to test the hypothesis. They didn’t.
The openers were back in the hut before the spinners could come on. With his first ball of the match, Mohammed Siraj produced a full swinging delivery that pitched on the leg stump, straightened and trapped Usman Khawaja leg before the wicket. Then, Mohammed Shami, from round the wicket, sent David Warner’s off-stump cartwheeling. Australia were down to 2/2 and in trouble.
The set-up
That is where Smith and Labuschagne put their hands up. They trusted their defence and countered India’s bowlers with decisive footwork. But despite their
Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) vs NZ, Kandy, May 3, 2003
Ashwin (IND) vs AUS, Nagpur, Feb 9, 2023
Anil Kumble (IND) vs PAK, Mohali, Mar 8, 2005
Glenn McGrath (AUS) vs IND, Nagpur, Oct 6, 2004
Shane Warne (AUS) vs SA, Durban, Mar 15, 2002
82-run stand, India’s spin trio knew the chance would come.
The resistance suddenly crumbled in the 36th over. Jadeja had kept Labuschagne honest, forcing him on the back foot with deliveries that targeted the stumps. Then, he floated one wide.
It looked like a gift but it was nothing more than a Trojan horse. The batter, on 49, was tempted and pulled out of his crease and the razor-sharp stumping was completed by debutant KS Bharat.
“All the balls were not turning and the bounce was low. That’s why I was using the crease. I had to try to create doubt in the batter’s mind,” Jadeja later said.
“If they (batters) step out to the ball that turns…luckily that’s exactly what happened,” he added, explaining the Labuschagne dismissal.
Aussies lose the plot
Next ball, Matt Renshaw was trapped lbw and Australia were suddenly reduced to 84/4. In the 42nd over, he sent Smith packing. Labuschagne had been dismissed by the one that turned. But the set-up was completely opposite for Smith. A series of flighted balls followed by one that came in with the angle.
Australia
D Warner b Shami 1 U Khawaja lbw b Siraj 1 M Labuschagne st Bharat b Jadeja 49 S Smith b Jadeja 37 M Renshaw lbw b Jadeja 0 P Handscomb lbw b Jadeja 31 A Carey v Ashwin 36 P Cummins c Kohli b Ashwin 6 T Murphy lbw b Jadeja 0 N Lyon not out 0 S Boland b Ashwin 1
(b7, lb5, nb3):
(all out, 63.5 overs):
Smith (37) played the wrong line and was bowled.
At 109/5 with the top order back in the dressing room, Australia tried to counterattack. Alex Carey (36) gave it a go but then R Ashwin got into the act, taking three lower-order wickets to achieve the milestone of 450 Test wickets.
Handscomb later said the pitch made ‘runs tough to score’. Jadeja, the hero of the day, felt the wicket was ‘slow and low’. So much so that he ‘had to put more body in his deliveries’ that led to some no-balls.
Perhaps both camps were saying the same thing. It’s just that
FoW:
Bowling:
India
R Sharma batting KL Rahul c&b Murphy R Ashwin batting
Extras (nb1):
Total (1 wicket, 24 overs): FoW: 1-76
Bowling: the level of difficulty created by Jadeja never allowed Australia to feel comfortable in the middle. The pressure was always on and in the end, it told a story of its very own. The allrounder has 177 home wickets at an average of 20.34 and he once again gave us a reminder of why he is so good.
India will want to bat once on this track and if captain Sharma can continue in the same vein, their wish might just be granted. But then again, as the Australian innings showed, things can change pretty quickly. It’s just that the visitors don’t have a Jadeja to help them along.
MUMBAI: What should a batter do when there are puffs of dust and rough patches to deal with as early as the opening session of a Test? Teams visiting the subcontinent have historically grappled for answers. The ball may not bite and spin prodigiously right away, but the challenge of playing even the straighter delivery becomes that much harder when the odd ball is up to mischief.
Australia found that out in Nagpur as they were bowled out for 177 on a surface that will only become harder to tackle. A few balls turned viciously while some went straight on, which can be put down to natural variation. Take the dismissal of Steve Smith, who played for the turn when there was none from Ravindra Jadeja. In response, India showed that runs can be made on the surface, ending the day on 77/1 albeit against a bowling attack with nowhere near the expertise and experience that the hosts possess.
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar offered insight on what needs to be done on such ‘dustbowls’. “It requires skills, play the ball as late as possible and you need luck,” said Vengsarkar, who played 116 Tests for India.
Reading the length and precise shot selection become imperative.
“The shots depend on the field placings. If the bowlers pitch it up and if they make you drive, then the batter has to be careful because then he has to wait for short-of-length deliveries to play square of the wicket. You have to choose based on the length and adjust accordingly,” he said.
Marnus Labuschagne, in particular, will have to take note. Having played solidly to make 49, he went for an expansive drive against Jadeja and was done in by the leftarm spinner’s flight and turn.
DILIP VENGSARKAR
While many people advocate for batters to step out and use their feet against spin, Vengsarkar pointed out the pitfalls on a turning track. “I don’t know about the use of feet because when the ball is turning, stepping out and driving will be a bit risky.”
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Australia on Thursday. Aside from Labuschagne and Smith’s 82-run stand, Alex Carey and Peter Handscomb, too, showed the merits of being proactive during their 53-run alliance in 67 deliveries.
“You just can’t get bogged down on this pitch and just try and survive. The thing is you have to look for runs, that is important. You have to keep the scoreboard moving. You can’t allow the bowlers to get on top,” Vengsarkar said.