ADELAIDE, Australia, 14 December 2003 — India had their backs to the wall against Australia in the second cricket Test here yesterday after the double blow of losing master batsman Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Saurav Ganguly.
The Indians, faced with a daunting Australian first innings total of 556, lost the key wickets of Tendulkar and Ganguly 10 minutes apart and facing the task of passing the follow-on target of 356.
At the close of the second day’s play at the Adelaide Oval, India were 180 for four with Rahul Dravid not out 43 and VVS Laxman on 55 recovering the innings after the shudder of quick wickets.
India were shaken by the loss of their champion batsman Tendulkar for one, out driving Andy Bichel into the gloves of wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. In two innings this series Tendulkar has scored just one run.
But there was further calamity for the tourists when Ganguly, a fluent century-maker in the first Test, was run out in a dreadful mix-up with Dravid for two.
Ganguly attempted a second run off Jason Gillespie but had to double back to the bowler’s end only to be just beaten home by the combination of a throw from Brad Williams and smart work by Stuart MacGill to knock off the bails.
Dravid and Laxman, the heroes of India’s famous 171-run win over Steve Waugh’s team at Calcutta two years ago with their match-turning 376-run fifth wicket partnership, were stabilizing the innings after the shock loss of Tendulkar and Ganguly.
Laxman continued his fine series form after a 75 in Brisbane and raised his half-century off 95 balls with six boundaries.
India lost the wickets of openers Akash Chopra (27) and Virender Sehwag (47) before tea. Bichel, whose place in the Australian team was under threat after a dismal bowling performance of 1-130 in the first Brisbane Test, bounced back with three wickets for 55 off 12 overs. He took a diving return catch to dismiss Chopra in the 12th over and four overs later had Sehwag snapped up at first slip low down by Matthew Hayden.
But it was his cheap dismissal of Tendulkar in his seventh over which could prove decisive in this Test.
Australia were dismissed not long after lunch, the last three wickets falling in spinner Anil Kumble’s 43rd over with Ricky Ponting scoring 242, the highest by an Australian against India.
Ponting batted for 508 minutes and faced 352 balls, hitting 31 fours before he was caught by Dravid at slip attempting a late cut off a Kumble googly. Kumble also claimed the wickets of the tailenders, bowling Williams and having MacGill leg before wicket for ducks to finish with 5-154. Gillespie was left stranded on 48 — two short of his maiden Test half-century. Ponting surpassed teammate Justin Langer’s 223 in the 1999-2000 series in Australia as he maintained his dominance of the depleted Indian attack.
