BOXING DAY : Australia vs. India

Boxing Day : Australia vs. India, 1st Test, Day 1

Australia finished on 277 for six at the end of a controversial first day of the Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

 

The much-awaited Gavaskar-Border Trophy between the two sides who are in similar phase of their progress as Test sides started with a keenly contested first day at MCG. It is almost Australian-bowling-versus-Indian-batting contest, but the team which takes the pressure better may turn out to be the winner of this 4-match series.
The much-awaited Boxing Day started with light drizzle but there was pleasant sunshine when the two captains strolled out to the middle for the Toss. For Australia, Ed Cowan made his debut, while Shaun Marsh replaced Usman Khawaja. Ben Hilfenhaus too made a come back. India went with Ashwin and preferred Virat Kohli and Umesh Yadav for the starting Eleven. Zaheer Khan was back with a hope to complete a tour Down Under in his third attempt.
On a green, moist pitch, Michael Clarke decided to bat first, a move that surprised many. Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan got the ball to move and zip on a helpful pitch, but Australian openers weathered the storm admirably. Ed Cowan was ultra cautious but Warner lashed onto any opportunity that came along. His huge six off Yadav over midwicket was a special one as Australia seemed to grab the initiative.
After a brief rain-stoppage, Yadav took his revenge, with hosts on 46. He deceived Warner with another short one, but this was higher and towards the body, which the batsman could only glove as far as Dhoni. Shaun Marsh came and went quickly without disturbing the scorers, as he nicked Yadav behind in his next over. Ricky Ponting looked in good touch, and before another drizzle halted the play, Australia were hopeful of a decent partnership. They were 68 for 2 at Lunch.
The rain delayed the start post Lunch, but Ponting and Cowan were into the thick of things right away. Boundaries flowed freely after Lunch as Australia crossed hundred and gained the momentum back. Ponting reached his 50 first but had a couple of nervous moments against Ishant and Yadav. Would Punter break the century jinx? The question was answered soon when Yadav surprised Ponting with a sharp back-of-a-length ball which ended in Laxman’s hands in the slips. His attractive 62 runs were laced with 6 boundaries.
The 100-plus runs stand between Ponting and Cowan had put the Indians on the back foot. Clarke continued the trend - Cowan playing safely as the Captain tried to score runs. Zaheer was brought back for an important spell with the old ball as Australia moved past two hundred. He had immediate success by getting two in two, bringing his team at par, with a bang.
Clarke played on for 31, while Hussey was extremely unlucky to be given out caught behind, although he had sleeved the ball while trying to back away. Indians, nonetheless, were ecstatic. It soon became 214 for 5, when Cowan’s dogged vigil came to an end and that again was an unfortunate dismissal. He was given caught behind off Ashwin but HotSpot did not show any edge. He made 68 on debut with 7 fours.
Brad Haddin (21*) and Peter Siddle (34*) put on unbeaten 63-run 7^th wicket stand to end the day on a high for Australia. But at the end of the day, it was India who had their noses slightly in front on a wicket which traditionally is a good batting track.
Umesh Yadav confirmed he belonged there, by picking up three important wickets, while ZAK too made a good come back to the side. Ponting would have loved to have a hundred under his belt in order to quash the doubts over his Test future, but after today’s knock one feels he will get one soon. Ed Cowan made an inspiring debut, but Warner would have liked to go on after the start he got.
A score of 350-plus will give the home side a chance to put strong Indian batting line-up under pressure. Indians, however, would hope to wrap up the lower order cheaply tomorrow.  

Summarised Scores:
Australia 277/6 (Cowan 68, Ponting 62; Yadav 3/96) on the first day
Heroes of the Day: Umesh Yadav, Ed Cowan
Flop of the Day: Ishant Sharma
Disappointment of the Day: Absence of UDRS