All that changed dramatically on the first day of the series opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday. A stunning third ball dismissal of Matthew Hayden, courtesy umpire Asad Rauf’s bloomer, which saw the back of the left-handed opener for a caught behind off Zaheer Khan, set the stage for the Aussie captain. Now, Ponting had already done his bit by calling correctly and electing to bat, and with Rauf forcing him to take guard so early, the Aussie skipper must have felt this was his day.
Having said that, Ponting had to see off the initial threat from his new-found nemesis, Ishant Sharma, who troubled him in a fine, first spell before the Aussie captain decided to take centrestage. A combination of good footwork and a mature head on a benign, first day track saw Ponting complete his 36th century in Tests, just three behind Sachin Tendulkar’s 39 to take the visitors to 254/4 in 89.2 overs at close of play.
Michael Clarke’s cheap dismissal in the last over set them back hugely and the Aussies will need the hard-working Michael Hussey, unbeaten on 46, to take them to safety.
If the Indians felt that they had pegged back the Aussies they owed a lot to Rauf, as the Pakistani umpire sent back the Aussie captain for a doubtful leg before decision after the batsman had brought up an impressive 123 (243b, 13x4) in an innings spanning 5-1/2 hours.
For those statistically minded, it was Harbhajan’s ninth dismissal of the Tasmanian, as Ponting went down on his knee to sweep the offie but this was one instance when Harbhajan wouldn’t get the plaudits.
For long periods, Ponting had cleared the demons within and taken the attack to the Indians, who with just four frontline bowlers toiled without a clue. Barring Ishant, who was lively in his first and third spells, there was nothing that the Indians could do other than rue losing the toss.
When Zaheer was pressed into the attack the ball kept low and there were instances when Mahendra Singh Dhoni stood up to the left-armer, but in many ways, it was a good outing for the Aussies.
True, it wasn’t a patch on their earlier efforts when 300-plus would have been the norm for a day’s work but the Aussies and Ponting in particular will take it for all its worth. Following Hayden’s shock exit, Ponting in the company of Simon Katich baulked the Indian bowlers, though there were occasions when Ishant harried him. Though Harbhajan was brought on in the 13th over itself, Ponting didn’t become his bunny, raising a big 166-run partnership for the second wicket with the left-handed Katich.
Now, Katich might not be the most attractive left-hander going around but he more than makes up for it with a grim-faced approach and for the Aussies, it was what the doctor had ordered in the sub-continent. While Katich grafted, Ponting was his busy self and for the first time showed that he could play the spinners with as much ease as he could medium-pacers.
Katich’s near, four-hour vigil ended when he undid all his good work, chasing Ishant to Dhoni and he must have felt like kicking himself. But Ponting duly completed his century and along with Hussey, who surprisingly came in ahead of Clarke, added 60 for the third wicket to shepherd his team to a good position before Clarke’s dismissal to Zaheer rattled them.
Even so, Ponting will be silently pleased for having banished the nightmarish experience of the Indian spinners.
