BOMBAY, 12 December 2003 — It might have been difficult to say what the outcome of the first India-Australia Test at Brisbane, would have been, had rain and bad light nor ruined about nine hours of play. That any side would have won is in itself a tribute to the manner in which the Indian team had performed, beyond all expectations. They had given the world champions, and quite a few critics, a real run for their money.
Typical of all the previous visits, this Indian team, led by Saurav Ganguly, too was widely expected by the Australian media to be mere pushovers. The question, most of them posed was how many days of the scheduled five "would they last."
As things turned out to be in the very first one of the four-Test series, the boot, in fact, was on the other leg. The weak Indian attack rose to the challenge, after being mauled on the first day. Inspired bowling by Zaheer Khan turned the tables completely on the home team. Australia lost their last eight wickets in the space of just 59 runs. This is something that has never happened to Australia in recent years.
Having made such a splendid comeback, India were not to let go the initiative and batted true to their potential. Despite the cheap dismissals of their two main batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, they grabbed a lead of 86 runs.
Ganguly realized the dream of scoring his first century against Australia, after seven years in Test cricket. It was quite easily one of his best Test centuries. The Indian tail too wagged in the celebration of this dominance of the Australian attack.
That for most of the match, India had looked the better team, spurred the Australian captain Steve Waugh to attempt to rescue a modicum of his pride by making a strange declaration and try and shake India's main batsmen. It was more out of bravado than any deficiency, that openers Sehwag and Chopra fell early. But the way Dravid and Laxman batted gave one and all the impression that, had the challenge been more realistic than a chase of 199 runs in mere 23 overs, the Indians might have achieved the target.
It was on this positive mood of the Indians that the first Test ended. Steve Waugh, playing in his farewell series, surely came out second best to Ganguly, the man who was made the butt of ridicule by some of the big experts writing and speaking on the game in the media.
The Indians go into the second Test at Adelaide with their confidence as high as no one would have expected. Australia, on the other hand, have had their attack fully exposed. The absence of Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee is surely being felt. Waugh is now a more worried captain than his counterpart. The Indian team rallies so well around its captain, who now has both form and renewed confidence on his side to lead by example.
This is a totally different picture from what had been painted by all and sundry in Australia when the Indian team had first arrived. The equation has definitely change and the Australians too know this. Their arrogance will not allow any team to beat them in their own backyard. When cornered, they are at their best.
This is what the Indians must guard against in the remaining matches. They have got as good a start as they could have ever dream of. They should not allow the advantage to slip away. If only the Indians can master the art of being consistent, we might yet see a highly competitive, if not a thrilling, Test series.
