Australians on way to Mumbai in Kolkata

Australians on way to Mumbai in Kolkata
Sandeep Dwivedi

Kolkata, March 12: It was like watching those sphagatti Western flicks. The hero is neck-deep in trouble surrounded by bad guys, but somehow everybody knows that the bigger-than-life protagonist will come up with something to end the crisis with his trademark punchline.

Steve Waugh has played such roles all his life and the Eden Gardens witnessed yet another sequel starring the Mr Dependable where Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath played his sidekick. But if one says it was just another day at office for Steve, the crowd at Eden Gardens would beg to differ.

It was a passionate innings, which saw Steve salute the Kolkata crowd several times after completing his ton and, for the rest the day, had smile on his face a rare first sighting for many here. Kolkata is always special for him. The Indian batsmen, in comparison, were a total anti-thesis uninvolved and immature.

The show, it seems, would not last the distance as the hosts finished the day at 128 for eight and were still 118 runs behind to avoid the follow-on. It seems THE END placard is just a few reels away.

That guarded optimism yesterday despite Harbhajan Singh’s heroics was due to the presence of Steve Waugh. And the fears were proved right as Steve (110, 11x4, 1x6) in the company of Gillespie (46) and McGrath (21) took his team’s total from a marginally malnourished 291 for eight to a healthy 445.

And after the conductor of the orchestra retired in the background those second fiddle took the lead. After working overtime as batsmen McGrath and Gillespie did their specialised job without any fuss. Indian opener Ramesh’s standstill approach saw him walk towards the hut caught by Ricky Ponting at the second slip off a Gillespie away swinger in the corridor.

McGrath complimented his pace mate with two strikes. The first was Shiv Sundar Das whose inside edge saw another of those catches, which should come with a WWF style message: Trying such stunts at home could be dangerous! Adam Gilchrist’s stunning left dive to catch the inside edge was a out of this world.

And, as the opener walked towards the dressing room, the crowd erupted with a huge roar. But that’s a national ritual. After all, Sachin Tendulkar’s entry is not an occasion to sit tight. However, the high decibel reception was followed by an eerie silence. Tendulkar lbw McGrath 10!

The score read 48 for three and disaster predictors were to be seen all over the place. And, when Warne conned Dravid once again to give the style guru of Indian batting a new name, the Shane’s bunny, the doomsday prediction makers got more voice.

And then again came a magic moment. Waugh, just as if to make his presence felt, did a Gilchrist. Another dive to the left and Saurav Ganguly after scoring 23 was looking at the skies searching for solace.

We have seen stunning catches and celebrations. But this one here was more stunning and more meaningful than the catch. Waugh got a communal hug with all Aussies racing to the middle. The catch might have been just an occasion but it just seemed a genuine overflow of appreciation for a captain who has added new dimensions to that cliche: Leading by example.

After 88 for five, it was just another case of flogging the dead horse. Batsmen came and went and the whole exercise by now seemed meaningless. For records, Mongia, Zaheer, Harbhajan were out while Laxman and Raju at the crease at stumps. Though Laxman showed flashes but a five-day Test remains a dream.

As the day ended, scribes were calling travel agents to alter their travelling schedule while organisers might be working out the loss of gate money. As for the Aussies, they might be planning the details of the party to celebrate their first series win in India after 1969. But Waugh’s teammates have already started re-writing record books. This was their highest total at the Eden, their highest partnership for the 9th wicket and Jason Gillespie got his highest Test total.

If that speaks volumes of the Australia’s batting longevity, it also gives the glimpse of India’s pathetic attack. Zaheer was sharp once again the morning but he was not lucky. Harbhajan finished the innings with the figures of seven for 123 but the redrafted old horses were out of place. If Raju’s effectiveness was as good as a cheap sun screen in the Sahara, then Prasad’s productivity was akin to that of a sweat shirt in Alaska.

It was Harbhajan’s miracle which saved the day for tomorrow. But as any Aussie would have told you this Monday at Eden Mate, everyday is not Sunday.

Eden Test: Scoreboard (2nd day)
Aus (1st innings, overnight 291/8)
S Waugh lbw b Singh 110
J Gillespie c Ramesh b Singh 46
G McGrath not out 21
Extras: (b-19, lb-10, nb-7) 36
Total: (All out, 131.5 overs) 445
Fall of wickets: 1-103, 2-193, 3-214, 4-236, 5-252, 6-252, 7-252, 8-269, 9-402Bowling: Zaheer 28.4-6-89-2, Prasad 30-5-95-0 (nb-1), Ganguly 13.2-3-44-1 (nb-5), Raju 20-2-58-0, Harbhajan 37.5-7-123-7, Tendulkar 2-0-7-0 (nb-1)India (1st innings)
SS Das c Gilchrist b McGrath 20
S Ramesh c Ponting b Gillespie 0
R Dravid b Warne 25
S Tendulkar lbw b McGrath 10
S Ganguly c S Waugh b Kasprowicz 23
V Laxman not out 26
N Mongia c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 2
H Singh c Ponting b Gillespie 4
Z Khan b McGrath 3
V Raju not out 3
Extras: (lb-2, nb-10) 12
Total: (For 8 wkts, 46 overs) 128
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-34, 3-48, 4-88, 5-88, 6-92, 7-97, 8-113
Bowling: Glenn McGrath 11-7-13-3, Jason Gillespie 8-0-39-2, Michael Kasprowicz 10-2-18-2 (nb-5), Shane Warne 17-3-56-1 (nb-5)