India set 199

[DaveW]

This is crazy.

With the way the deck has played in the last two days, the only team that can win is India.

 

[Catman]

I wonder whether they will open with Tendulkar and instruct him to attack, attack, attack.

Strange move by Steve. I'd have batted for another 30 min or so then declared.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

If this is how he is going to captain it's about time he retired, clearly going senile in his old age.

What a stupid move - imagine if we get done, be the most embarrassing loss in history.

 

[Russian]

I don't think they can win - we have a better chance (but not much)

Bracken gets Sehwag 1st ball, 1/4

 

[dr nick]

Golden duck - Sehwag

 

[Russian]

Bracken on a hat-trick!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dr nick]

Inspired declaration by Steve Waugh. It's what sets him apart as far as captaincy is concerned from all his predecessors.

Bracken on a hattrick

 

[Lidge]

Originally posted by DaveW
This is crazy.

With the way the deck has played in the last two days, the only team that can win is India.

How is this crazy Dave? Unless Tugga opens the attack with Bichel and/or MacGill.

I thought until the last flurry from Waugh-Martyn, that these blokes batted too slow and we should have declared earlier giving the Indians a target of 200, from 30 overs.

Not even the Aussies could get 199 from 25 overs.

 

[harry_hawka]

There's no way a side can chase 199 in 23 overs of a test match. With no field restrictions, the allowance of leg-side deliveries, and the allowance of bouncers, it's almost an impossible task on the fifth day of a test match.

Therefore the only thing that can really eventuate in this last session is Australia gaining back a psychological advantage over India. Before this day, there's no doubt India were full of confidence and in a good frame of mind, so Steve Waugh has set about trying to disturb that by sending India in and rattling a few of the top order batsman.

India were clearly caught off guard, with their batting order changed around due to early wickets. Also, Sehwag's dismissal indicated that the batsman weren't sure whether to shut up shop or go after the Australian bowling. Steve Waugh put the Indians on the back foot, and confused them, and in turn has probably gained back the psychological edge for this match. He's put Australian in good stead for the start of the Adelaide test. The declaration was a master stroke that could only be pulled off by one of the great captains of our time.

 

[dr nick]

Originally posted by harry_hawka
India were clearly caught off guard, with their batting order changed around due to early wickets.

He is hiding Tendulkar from having to face the music on a pair. I notice Ganguly is padded up to go in next.

 

[DaveW]

Tendulkar couldn't come in at the time because he was off the field for some time.

Short of a miracle, I don't see how Australia can win this.

In this situation there are two realistic possibilities:
a) India really go after it
b) India shut up shot

And (b) it will be with the fall of two early wickets.

 

[Zeke]

Originally posted by nicko18
He is hiding Tendulkar from having to face the music on a pair. I notice Ganguly is padded up to go in next.

As DaveW said, the reason Tendulkar didn't come to the crease, is because the rules of the game prohibited him from doing so.

He spent time off the field at the end of the Australian's innings, and was not allowed to bat until the Inidan innings was at least as long as the time he spent off the field.

 

[dr nick]

Originally posted by DaveW
Tendulkar couldn't come in at the time because he was off the field for some time.

Short of a miracle, I don't see how Australia can win this.

In this situation there are two realistic possibilities:
a) India really go after it
b) India shut up shot

And (b) it will be with the fall of two early wickets.

i didnt realise tendulkar was off the field.

Dave, i can tell you are in the Border/Taylor camp where you'd rather just play out for a draw rather than getting the opposition to answer some questions they dont want to.

if scenario (a) eventuated, being a test match, it is pretty easy for the field to be pushed back and negative bowling to be employed. If you have early wickets, then you gain the psychological advantage going to adelaide whereby before this india had the edge.

A good rule of thumb is to do what the opposition least wants to do, and there's no way India wanted to go out and bat again. They would have much rathered bowl out an non-eventful draw than go in, and lose a few early, and still draw the game.


Though having said that, i'd much rather Martyn and Waugh got hundreds, but then again, i'm a bit selfish like that.

 

[harry_hawka]

Originally posted by DaveW

Short of a miracle, I don't see how Australia can win this.

Dave, I don't think the point of the declaration was to win the game. Even Steve Waugh would know that 10 wickets in 23 overs is almost impossible. However the declaration put the pressure back on Ganguly, who had to quickly decide what his side's tactics would be for those 23 overs.
Despite the fact that we missed out on seeing Martyn and Waugh both have a crack at a century, I think the declaration was a good option. It just adds a bit to this test match, with Waugh suggesting to Ganguly that mind games are going to play a part in this series.

 

[DaveW]

Originally posted by nicko18
Dave, i can tell you are in the Border/Taylor camp where you'd rather just play out for a draw rather than getting the opposition to answer some questions they dont want to.

Whoa... are you calling Taylor defensive? The trend of Australia mostly winning, sometimes losing and (almost) never drawing started under Tubby's captaincy.

Taylor might have been a little bit more conservative in his declarations but that was a good thing.

if scenario (a) eventuated, being a test match, it is pretty easy for the field to be pushed back and negative bowling to be employed. If you have early wickets, then you gain the psychological advantage going to adelaide whereby before this india had the edge.

Which Australia employed against New Zealand two years ago, and we only just saved it. We never looked like winning.

A good rule of thumb is to do what the opposition least wants to do, and there's no way India wanted to go out and bat again. They would have much rathered bowl out an non-eventful draw than go in, and lose a few early, and still draw the game.

I find it hard to believe the likes of Khan, Harbhajan, Nehera etc wouldn't have minded putting their feet up in the dressing room for the remainder of the afternoon.

Though having said that, i'd much rather Martyn and Waugh got hundreds, but then again, i'm a bit selfish like that.

Yep. Waugh may have let slip an opportunity to equal/pass Gavaskar on test centuries by the end of the series.


harry_hawka - I wouldn't risk losing just to play some silly mind games.

The way I see it, India had more chance of winning this afternoon then they would have at the beginning of a 5-day Test free of rain.

No need for Australia to risk going 0-1 down. Just let the first test fizzle out to a draw and then show who is the better side over the course of the remaining three Tests.

 

[dr nick]

Dave, you know as well as anyone that the aim was to unsettle the batters confidence. Nothing was going to be acheived by batting on in terms of destabilising the bowling attack. Harbhajan et co wouldnt have minded sitting in the dressing room, but Dravid, Chopra, Ganguly, Laxman and company would not have wanted to bat.

At the end of the day, Australia came out better for the declaration.

 

[harry_hawka]

Originally posted by DaveW

harry_hawka - I wouldn't risk losing just to play some silly mind games.

The way I see it, India had more chance of winning this afternoon then they would have at the beginning of a 5-day Test free of rain.

No need for Australia to risk going 0-1 down. Just let the first test fizzle out to a draw and then show who is the better side over the course of the remaining three Tests.

Firstly Dave, I respect your opinion as you seem to know what you are talking about on this board. However I'm finding it hard to agree with you on this one.

The way I see it, there was little to no risk in losing the game today. I really don't think India had any chance of pulling in the 199 runs in fifth-day test conditions. Granted, I am a risk taker, but to me there really was no risk in losing the match at such a late stage.

I do believe that Australia had little to gain as a team in the last session of the day, except for Martyn and Waugh to boost their innings total. I think that the declaration did more benefit than harm, because as I say, the risk was quite low, and it did unsettle India for the first 30 or so minutes.

If nothing else, the declaration provides us with another talking point, and takes us into the Adelaide test with an exciting and interesting series on our hands. I'd be willing to bet that the series promoters were very happy with Steve Waugh's decision this afternoon!

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

I'm sitting on the fence with this argument. On one hand, I could see what Waugh was trying to achieve, and I never seriously thought India could make the runs. However, on the other hand, I don't believe in giving too many chances at Test level, especially so early in the series.
I would have thought Waugh's tactics were more viable in a situation where Australia were desperate for a victory to square the series or something.
Having said all that, Waugh doesn't get much wrong, so I guess I'm comfortable with his decision.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Yes, but why didn't Waugh and Martyn go harder. Both scored at a strike rate of about 60 - imrpressive but hardly outstanding.

If Gilchrist had really fired up we could have easily piled on another 100 runs in quicker time and declared with 30-35 overs to go and really put some pressure on.

As it was it was a nothing declaration that did little. Yes, might have surprised the Indians, but now Dravid heads to Adelaide far more confident than he would of.