Aussies to press for quick win - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Aussies to press for quick win

By Will Swanton 04/11/2004 10:59:35 PM Comments (0)

Jason Gillespie ran riot, Nathan Hauritz lived a dream, Ricky Ponting's Indian hex continued, Matthew Hayden wasted another promising start and Harbhajan Singh got in Justin Langer's face all over again on a helter-skelter day two of the fourth Test at Wankhede Stadium.

It was edge-of-your-seat stuff. Australia rolled India for 104 then fell for 203 on a typical Mumbai wicket that was spinning out of control. Every ball held endless possibilities. India reached 0-5 at stumps on a day when 18 wickets had fallen.

Gillespie gave a supreme exhibition of fast bowling in the morning. He was quick. He was accurate. He had the devil in his eye and adrenaline pumping through his veins. He dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for five, VVS Laxman for one and Mohammad Kaif for two. He took three wickets for four runs in 12 balls and roared the house down.

Hauritz is not a big turner of the ball, but his first delivery in Test cricket spun the proverbial mile. His third ball took the wicket of Anil Kumble (16) before Harbhajan Singh (14) and Murali Kartik became his second and third victims. Hauritz's Test debut: 3-16 from five overs.

Ponting, playing his first innings of the series, was LBW to Kumble for 11. The Australian captain had been desperate to make amends for his disastrous tour of India in 2001, when his career was in jeopardy following his paltry 11 runs from three Tests at an average of 3.4. Sadly for him, the rot continued.

Hayden has made a string of starts on this tour without going on to make the kind of really big 100 that has characterised his batting since 2001. He reached 35 in 105 minutes before giving a bat-pad catch to Mohammad Kaif off the bowling of Kartik. He looked like he wanted to pull his hair out.

Langer had been the first man dismissed, edging left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan to Rahul Dravid at first slip for 12. Harbhajan had verbally baited him again, and did an extraordinary victory dance right in front of Langer as the West Australian trudged off.

Harbhajan might have been peeved for failing to take Langer's wicket himself. Opening the bowling, Harbhajan had watched in dismay as catches were dropped off Langer from successive deliveries.

Damien Martyn kept rolling along. He could be the best batsman in the world right now.

Leading the run-scorers for the series, and having made back-to-back centuries plus a 97, he contributed a controlled 55. He's the only batsman to score a half-century in the match. Only one Indian lasted more than 28 balls, but Martyn looked in control on a pitch made of dynamite before being bowled by Kartik's arm ball.

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