Run and Martyn ensures perfect Oz script

After all the cameras had stopped rolling, Sourav Ganguly had one more look at the Nagpur pitch. He tried feeling it and might, just for a m...

After all the cameras had stopped rolling, Sourav Ganguly had one more look at the Nagpur pitch. He tried feeling it and might, just for a moment, have wondered whether all the hue and cry was really worth it.

The scoreboard at the VCA Stadium showed Australia at 362/7 in 90 overs. After scoring at over four runs an over, Australia had kept up their promise of putting in an ‘‘approach required on Australian wickets’’.

It was, after all, a nice batting track and the ‘villainous’ tufts of green grass did not play any tricks.

What did, were the Indian fingers, which missed a series of opportunities to catch offers from the Australian batsmen.

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To come to the match, it was the combo of Damien Martyn and ‘out of form’ Darren Lehmann that exposed the Indian attack who dearly missed the services of Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh. Only Zaheer Khan — after an indifferent opening spell — seemed to have enough steam in him to run in hard as he enjoyed the true bounce on the wicket.

In the afternoon session — as they scored 143 runs — the 148-run fourth-wicket stand between Martyn and Lehmann seemed to be taking the game away from India as stand-in Indian skipper Rahul Dravid searched for that one support bowler for Zaheer. And though Anil Kumble answered the call, the Indian attack did not threaten enough. Murali Kartik did keep an end tight and picked three, but the other end was open to be milked.

Ajit Agarkar, as usual, bowled like a millionaire and was stroked around freely by each of the Australian top-order batsmen. It made one wonder if the energy Ashish Nehra wasted running in with refreshments was used for a more constructive end.

But the story of the day was the show by Martyn and Lehmann. Martyn was the more fluent and confident after his Chennai hundred, whereas Lehmann chose to expend his energies running for his runs, and ran out of steam after reaching 70. Lehmann also survived two dropped catches (Chopra at gully and Tendulkar off his own bowling). He will also now be under observation for 24 hours, having pulled a hamstring.

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By the time Martyn spooned a catch to mid-on late in the day, he had done enough to put Australia in the ascendancy. His 114 was a lesson in playing spinners, using feet to good effect, and uninhibited strokeplay.

But soon after his dismissal, there was a minor flutter in the Aussie ranks. Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne went in quick succession, but after that young Michael Clarke was around to see off the day without any further alarms. Though Parthiv Patel — as he has often in this series — was generous with his glovework, letting Clarke get away twice. The first was a stumping off Kumble and the second a ridiculous straightforward catch off Zaheer’s bowling.

SCOREBOARD

		Australia (1st Innings): J Langer c Dravid b Zaheer Khan 44; M Hayden c Patel b Zaheer Khan 23; S Katich c Chopra b Kumble 4; D Martyn c Agarkar b Kartik 114; D Lehmann c Dravid b Kartik 70; M Clarke batting 73; A Gilchrist c and b Kartik 2; S Warne st Patel b Kartik 2; J Gillespie batting 4; Extras (b 6, lb 12, nb 7, w 1): 26; Total (for 7 wkts, in 90 overs): 362 Fall of wickets: 1-67, 2-79, 3-86, 4-234, 5-314, 6-323, 7-337. Bowling: Agarkar 18-2-82-0, Zaheer Khan 21-5-77-2, Kumble 25-6-99-2, Kartik 20-1-57-3, Tendulkar 6-1-29-0.