Three days of intense preparation brought three moments of respite for Australia as India dominated the opening day of the Kotla Test after a shaky start. Gautam Gambhir led the way with his highest Test score, an unbeaten 149 that riled the Australians no end as India ended on 296 for 3.
One of Australia’s biggest concerns all tour has been the non-performance of Brett Lee and the pacer sent his first ball spearing down leg, followed it up with a near wide outside off. When he did manage to hit the target, Virender Sehwag’s pad came in the way of a delivery that would have uprooted the middle stump. Aleem Dar had to make a simple lbw decision.
Rahul Dravid came out looking to play his shots, wasting no time in cover driving for three and glancing for a boundary. But he was guilty once again — third time this series — of chasing a wide delivery, and only managed a thick edge off Mitchell Johnson that Matthew Hayden caught inches from the ground at first slip. At 27 for 2 India were perfectly poised to squander the advantage of having won a good toss.
Thankfully for the home side, home boy Gambhir was in no mood to squander a golden opportunity to bat long. Sachin Tendulkar constantly spoke to Gambhir, presumably urging him to keep his concentration going, and it paid dividends. Even as Tendulkar batted freely, showing the balance and timing that has brought him more runs than any other batsman in history, Gambhir tightened his game and settled in for the long haul. For more log on to www.hinustantimes.com
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