Making best use of the pitch

When Australia’s bowlers came out, you could tell what the plan was:bowl a good length just outside off stump, and the ball would do therest

Rahul Bhatia13-Dec-2003When Australia’s bowlers came out, you could tell that the plan was
to bowl a good length, just outside off stump, and allow the ball to do the
rest. In comparison India stuck to a line just outside off but banged the ball in short a lot more. Nothing wrong with that, except that India didn’t
have the pace for it, and were guilty of overdoing things. What’s
more, they did not mix up their deliveries.The Australians slipped in short balls every now and then, keeping the batsmen on the back foot. This pattern was usually followed by a delivery that invited the batsmen to drive on the front foot. It worked like a charm – Andy Bichel dismissed the openers, and Sachin Tendulkar, as a result of unsure footwork.

That shifty manAndy Bichel, holding on to his place in the side by a thread, was
knocked around early in India’s innings. Then, he discovered the seam.
Getting the ball to shift off the wicket, outside the off stump, he made the
batsmen play, miss, prod, and then get out. Akash Chopra mishit a
seaming delivery straight back to Bichel, while legcutters took care of
Sehwag and Tendulkar.

Seven years for a five-forAnil Kumble had cause to celebrate. This was his first overseas fivewicket haul after as many as seven years. The last one came long, long
ago, in 1996-97, when Tendulkar was captain. After toiling away on the first day, Kumble mixed up his deliveries frequently on the second morning, making it difficult for the batsmen to score off him.

The rusty run machineSachin Tendulkar’s dismissal for 1 brought to light a prolonged loss
of Test form. In his last 10 innings, he has reached double figures only
three times, of which two were half-centuries. The substandard pitches
in New Zealand notwithstanding, it is still a poor showing for a man
who averages a century every six innings.