India outplay Australia, register comprehensive win

India won the second test match against Australia comprehensively by 320 runs, thanks to some good batting and bowling, and sensible captaincy.
India went into the match without their captain Kumble, who missed out due to injury. Dhoni was made the captain. Kumble was replaced by the promising leggie from Delhi, Amit Mishra. His selection proved to be one of the most decisive factors in the match

The Match:
Indians won the toss and elected to bat. The Indian openers, Sehwag and Gambhir, put up a 70 run opening stand before Johnson struck, taking 3 quick wickets. Just when the Aussies were looking to dominate, Sachin came in and scored a splendid 88 off just 111 deliveries. During his innings, he passed Lara’s record (Highest number of runs in tests) to take his career run tally past 12000. He and Ganguly put on a 140 run partnership to lead India to a position of strength. While Sachin attacked the bowlers at one end, Ganguly held forte at the other end. After Sachin’s departure, Ganguly and Dhoni batted brilliantly to help India score a mammoth 469 on a sporting pitch. Ganguly answered his critics with a patient 102 (He also went past 7000 runs in tests), while Dhoni provided the late fireworks with a splendid 92(8 fours and 4 sixes). The Aussie bowlers, Mitchell Johnson and debutant Peter Siddle took 3 wickets each.

Aussie reply:
Overhauling a score of 469 was never going to be easy for Australia. They began disastrously losing Hayden (0) to Zaheer in the very first over. Then, Ponting (5) got out to his new nemesis, Ishant Sharma. Katich and Hussey seemed to hold the Indian attack at bay for a short period until the debutant, Amit Mishra, struck.
The selectors had gambled by bringing in an unknown leg spinner (Amit Mishra), instead of Anil Kumble. The gamble paid off when Mishra bowled excellently and got the ball to spin just enough to trouble the Aussies. First, he bowled Katich with a beautiful googly, and then, in the last over off the day, took the wicket of Michael Clarke. On the third day, India struck again as Ishant removed the dangerous Mike Hussey for 54. Shane Watson came to the rescue with a patient 78, as he along with Brett Lee (35) batted sensibly to put on a 73 run partnership. But unfortunately, Mishra struck again taking the wickets of Watson, White, and Siddons to take his first 5 wicket haul and restrict Australia to 268, just 1 run short of the follow-on.


Sensible Dhoni:
Australia had failed to avoid the follow-on. Dhoni did not enforce the follow-on. It was a sensible decision considering the fact that chasing even a meager total of 160 on the fifth day was difficult. India opted to bat and set Aussies a mammoth target. Sehwag and Gambhir got off to yet another great start, putting on an invaluable 182 run partnership in just 39 overs. When Sehwag got out for 90, Dhoni, sensibly promoted himself at no 3, and scored a well-compiled 68 not out. Gambhir batted aggressively to score a quick century (109), just his second century in tests. The Indian batsmen rotated the strike very well, taking advantage of the defensive field set by Ponting. The Australians never looked like taking wickets and their woes finally ended when India finally declared in 65th over setting Aussies a mind-boggling target of 516 runs.

The Aussie Approach:
With 5 sessions of play remaining in the test match, one would have expected the Australian batsmen to play for a draw, but it turned out to be the exact opposite.
Aussie openers, Hayden and Katich played several adventurous shots to take Australia to 49/0 in just 7 overs. Their attacking approach seemed to pay off until Hayden and Katich gifted their wickets to Harbhajan, thanks to two outrageous shots. Ishant Sharma bowled Ponting with a lovely inswinger. Hussey and Watson then got out cheaply leaving Aussies reeling at 69/5. Clarker (69) and Haddin (37) batted sensibly to take Australia to 141/5 at the end of the fourth day.

India register a comprehensive win:
Aussies resumed their innings on the fifth day, hoping for rain to rescue them. Alas, they were greeted by a fiery Zaheer Khan, who took 3 quick wickets (Haddin, White, and Lee). Amit Mishra completed the job by taking the wickets of Clarke and Johnson. Within 15 overs of the first session, India had registered a comprehensive 320 run victory by outplaying Australia!

Post-match Problems:
India are in a dilemma as they head to the Feroshah Kotla stadium in Delhi. The venue is a spinner’s paradise. Kumble has an awesome record at Feroshah Kotla. Considering that Amit Mishra bowled very well in this match, it is to be seen whether Kumble will be selected. The Australians on the other hand will hope that their experience batsmen and bowlers regain their form. India and Australia go into the third test knowing that they have to win. While India need a victory to seal the series, Australia need a win to keep their hopes alive. The third test promises to be really exciting!