India reigned supreme in the second match against Australia inflicting a humiliating 320 runs defeat on the visitors. It was after a long time indeed that one saw a collective Indian outfit performance on all the five days of the test match.
Batting first, Indians at one point in the first innings were four wickets down and precariously placed against a decent Aussies attack with the score barely over 100 runs. Then came the classy and world record-breaking knock of Sachin Tendulkar which not only saved the Indians but also put them in a position of strength. Tendulkar in partnership with Ganguly built a solid platform that helped the hosts register a mammoth 469 runs in the first innings. Ganguly made his presence felt by striking a well crafted 102 runs which included as many as eight boundaries while Captain Dhoni played a classy knock of 92 runs.
This itself was a psychological advantage over the Aussies whose batting order has struggled at the top. The Indians backed the batting performance of the first innings with a splendid bowling performance which saw debutant leg spinner weave the magic of a host of deliveries to the Aussie batsmen. He picked up five wickets in his very first test match and was ably supported by Harbhajan Singh, Ishant, and Zaheer Khan. A few dismissals were worth watching particularly that of Brad Haddin who was mesmerized by the spinner.
The bowling effort of the Indians in the first innings helped then take a 201 runs handy lead. They decided against imposing the follow on and batted once again. The second innings was a repeat of the first. The openers gave a solid start to the innings which saw a few changes in the batting order. Dhoni promoted himself up the order. Gambhir, Sehwag, and Dhoni made some quick-fire runs much to the delight of the crowds.
A turning track on the fourth and fifth day would anytime prove to be a handful and this was exactly what happened. The visitors found the Indian attack too hot to handle and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The dismissal of captain Ricky Ponting to a ‘peach of a delivery’ from Ishant Sharma summarized the story of the test match in plain and simple terms. Indians dominated the proceedings during most part of the five days barring a few sessions which were admitted by the Aussie captain himself during the presentation ceremony. The result of the test match, India defeated the Australians by a massive 320 runs, something Indian fans will cherish for a long time to come!
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Statistics Courtesy: www.cricinfo.com