NEW DELHI: The scoreboard of the Pune Test suggests that batting made the difference between the two teams. The Australian batsmen outdid their Indian counterparts on a vicious turner. Looking at the bowling figures of the spinners from both sides, however, comes as a rude jolt.
The three Indian spinners needed 71.5 overs to take six first innings wickets and 72 overs for another eight in the second innings. In comparison, the two Australian spinners,
Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe, took 24.1 overs to dismiss seven batsmen, following it up 29.5 overs to claim all 10 second wickets. Not something that the Indian spinners would be flaunting on a pitch that took turn from Day One.
Off-spinner
Harbhajan Singh, with an experience of 417 Test wickets, could see only one way where the spinners could lag behind on a track which he thought couldn't be termed as a pitch. "You have to bowl fast and hit the right length six balls in an over. That's the only trick," Harbhajan told TOI on Saturday. "There wasn't a pitch. I know how hard it is to take a Test wicket. But someone who just rolled his arm and walked away with 12-15 wickets is a joke," the 36-year-old is clearly not amused by what transpired in the three days of Test cricket.
Harbhajan, at the moment, is eating his words as he had predicted India would make another clean sweep. For him, O'Keefe did nothing special when it comes to the art of spin bowling. "On that pitch anybody can take wickets bowling the right length. On these kind of pitches, you have to bowl fast. You can't give much time to batsman to come down or go back."
If the Indian team management goes through the tapes, they are likely to find what Harbhajan is harping on.
Jayant Yadav
invariably dropped short at least once in an over or bowled around the 80-85 km hr to give enough time to the Aussie who looked to pounce on anything fractionally loose.
Jadeja
beat the edge throughout the match, but
Ashwin wasn't consistent with the venomous bit like the other spinners.
Looking ahead,
Bhajji
reckoned playing on better Test pitches will still give India the edge in the series. "On good Test pitches, India is still the stronger team. The Aussies have played the best cricket here in a match that lasts three days."
All eyes now on the Bangalore pitch and the Indian team combination.