There is a certain steel about this Indian side best characterised by the never-say-die attitude of its indefatigable captain. Anil Kumble led exemplarily from the front to help India enjoy their best bowling day on the opening day of an overseas Test series in a long, long while.
Having taken Australia’s dominance of Boxing Day for granted, upwards of 68,000 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground had every reason to believe normal service was being carried out on day one of the first Test on Wednesday. After all, having won the toss, the Aussies had come unscathed through the most tricky batting conditions of the day, reaching a potentially decisive 111 without loss at lunch.
By close, though, the same passionate fans could not help but marvel at the craft and spirit of the Indian captain, and the perseverance of the Indians. At 337 for nine, Australia can point to runs on the board to back their claims of a reasonably good day; India don’t need to harp on having rolled nine batsmen over to suggest which side had the better of the exchanges.
A pair of golden oldies strode the vast MCG arena like a colossus, making their liking for the big stage all too clear. Matthew Hayden, the beefy opener with a penchant for hundreds at this venue and a known voracious appetite for runs against the Indians, brought up his sixth century in his last seven Tests at the MCG to lay the platform for a huge first-innings total.
At the other end, Kumble weaved his magic — a bewildering, enchanting mix of the conventional leg-spinner and the carefully used wrong 'un — on his way to a second consecutive five-wicket haul, the 35th of an illustrious career even more embellished in recent times.
Lone furrow
Neither man necessarily ploughed a lone furrow. The 36-year-old Hayden had fellow left-handed opener Phil Jaques for company during a crucial association with the pitch at its trickiest, the new-ball bowlers at their freshest, the feet and the mind at their most tentative. By adding 135 (142m, 205b), they had seen through the demanding phase through oodles of pluck and courage, and the odd well-earned slice of luck.
Kumble didn’t have a like-for-like complement; left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan was his comrade and battering ram as India hit back strongly, first by picking up three wickets in six overs shortly after lunch, then carving through the middle-order after Rudra Pratap Singh had Michael Clarke smartly caught at second slip soon after tea.
India's decision to go in with just two pacers was influenced by the slowness of the surface, and the potential for turn once the dampness disappeared. Harbhajan Singh wasn’t at his destructive best — he hasn’t been for a while now — but he kept up the pressure. Kumble was positively devastating while Zaheer was exceptional in patches, his squaring up and cleaning up of Ricky Ponting from round the stumps a timely, telling body blow.
After two cursory overs from the Members End before lunch, Kumble had two extended spells from the Great Southern Stand End that fetched him all his success. In the first, he befuddled Jaques and Mike Hussey, both with googlies; the second burst of 11 overs brought him the sticks of dangermen Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist, as well as Brett Lee, as Australia’s celebrated batsmen found novel ways of being dismissed.
Clever variations
There wasn’t much by way of either turn or bounce for Kumble, but the 37-year-old more than made up with clever variations in pace, his use of the bowling crease and the judicious blend of leggies, top-spinners and googlies. Significantly, he ensured that his flock didn't lose heart or drop shoulders. India's fielding was somewhat shown up by the vastness of the surface, but their catching was sure. As Australia will testify.
Hayden's 28th Test hundred wasn’t a typically explosive affair, though he did get to the milestone in just 126 deliveries. More than the booming drives, it was intelligent manipulation of the field that brought him a majority of his runs before he was undone by Zaheer’s reverse and a checked drive as the ball gripped the surface. The Queenslander might feel let down by his batting mates, but that will be taking the sheen off an excellent day out for Kumble. And India!