Blockbuster Opening

When Mitchell Starc leaned into the end of his run-up to deliver the first ball of India's innings, either his recent past or the immediate future occupied the depths of his mind. For had he lived in the present, Shikhar Dhawan would have been out without having faced a ball on his Test debut.

The Australian fast bowler, in his side's just completed first essay, had excruciatingly been dismissed on 99. Starc's wicket soon brought an end to Australia's innings with minutes to go for lunch, for a series high of 408. Now, he had just one over before the nutrition break to make the first session, and perhaps the remainder of the day, truly his.

First ball, a heavy-headed Starc ran in to bowl at the striker, Murali Vijay. But en route to his delivery stride, Starc's bowling hand clipped the stumps in front of the umpire. And as the bails fell to the ground, non-striker Dhawan had backed up a little too far.

Had Starc or any of the Australian fielders around appealed at this point, Dhawan would have been left to wallow in his anonymity, ending his first Test innings for a zero-ball 0. Instead, just an hour and a half after lunch, they watched him become a household name around the cricket world.

"At lunch, I had a laugh. By getting out before the innings even started, I would have made some kind of record on debut," Dhawan said later. Records he would break, but of a far more significant kind. On Saturday, the 27-year old became the fastest centurion for a debutant. In Test history, he was the only first-timer to get there in less than 90 balls. Eighty five, to be precise. It took him all of one session, between lunch and tea. Then he scored nearly another hundred in the next, halting 15 runs short as he slowed down for the first time in his Test career as stumps approached. India, within the space of just 58 overs, were just 125 behind.

... contd.

ALSO READ

IPL 2013: It's going to be tough game against Punjab, says Daniel Vettori

IPL 2013: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid fashion Rajasthan Royals' win

IPL 2013: A forgettable 'hat-trick' for Kieron Pollard

Conditions in England will assist my style of bowling, says Bhuvneshwar Kumar