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A statistical preview to the second Test between India and Australia in Mohali

Siddhartha Talya16-Oct-2008The lacklustre performance of the spinners was a talking point in the first Test, with Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh way below their best and Cameron White, though exceeding expectations, barely troubling the Indian batsmen. However, the reputation of the Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mohali- where Australia haven’t played a Test- won’t encourage them too much; it’s among the least favourable venues for spin in India.Of seven Tests in Mohali, India have lost one – the first there, against West Indies- and won two, both against England. Kumble and Harbhajan took 25 of the 40 wickets in those two wins and India will look for a similar performance from them over the next five days.

Since 2000, Mohali has witnessed two comprehensive victories and two high-scoring draws. Kumble and Harbhajan, along with Munaf Patel, have played vital roles in the wins over England in 2001 and 2006, but their averages at the venue – 30 for Kumble and 34.2 for Harbhajan – are still significantly higher than their averages in home Tests.

Mohali’s been considered as conducive to fast bowling, but for India both seamers and spinners have done equally well – or worse. The quicker bowlers – both Indian and visiting – have averaged around 37 per wicket. What brings down the overall record for spinners is the performance of overseas spinners. They have taken 21 wickets at 57.04; in contrast the Indian spinners have picked 59 at 34.81.

Unlike in Bangalore, India’s batting line-up has excelled in Mohali; it’s the only Test ground in India where each of India’s top six batsmen average over 50. VVS Laxman tops the list with an average of 128.50 in three Tests, while Sachin Tendulkar, who has played all the seven Tests at this venue, averages 51.The success of India’s top order in Mohali is also reflected in their partnerships. India’s batsmen average over 60 for the first four wickets, while visiting teams average a touch below 50.

The pitch in Mohali tends to aid the bowlers, especially seamers, on the first day, but eases out as the game progresses. Sides batting first average 36 per wicket in the first innings, 41.51 in the second innings, and 46.78 in the third; however, it drops to 33.27 in the fourth . A case in point is the Test against New Zealand in 1999, when India were bowled out for 83, only to score 515 for 9 in their second attempt and set their opponents an imposing target. However, in their wins at the ground, India have succeeded in bowling out England cheaply in the third innings, winning by ten wickets in 2001 and nine wickets in 2006.

India have fielded first in Mohali six times in seven games. Both of India’s wins have come batting second; the home team has won the the toss thrice and fielded each time. Given that the side batting second has gained a first innings lead five out of seven times, scoring on average 150 runs more than its opponent, the two captains might consider putting the opposition in on the first day.

Cricinfo asked former and current women players for their lasting memories from each of the eight World Cups so far. Janette Brittin, the former England batsman, remembers an eminently forgettable game from the fourth tournament

08-Mar-2009

1988, Australia
Janette
Brittin
My memories aren’t very happy ones because it was not one of England’s best
tournaments, and it certainly wasn’t for me personally. England may have reached the
final, but unfortunately we didn’t make much of a game of it. It was quite
a painful experience.I remember standing in the dressing room at the MCG and
looking out into the vast stadium and thinking, “Wow, this place is just massive.” The
ground was wall-to-wall seating with no one sitting in them, which didn’t lend
itself to a big-match atmosphere. We won the toss and elected to bat on a slow, low
track. Lyn Fullston, or Lefty as the Aussies called her, did all the damage with
her unorthodox slow left-arm spin, and she was ably assisted by Lyn Larsen, the
Australian captain and legspinner.It was like watching paint dry and then playing
in glue when you got out there (or so it seemed). Struggling to break through the
ring and get the scoring ticking over was just awful. We crawled to a paltry
total of 127. Then to our dismay the Australians came out and appeared to blast
their way to our total. I remember the ground seemed a very large and a very lonely
place during those overs.

Punjab won the game in the pressure-cooker moments, their teamwork enabling the bowlers to defend 119 against Mumbai’s mighty batting line-up

Karna S29-Apr-2009Kumar Sangakkara, the acting Kings XI Punjab captain, was confused about whom to throw the ball to for the 19th over. Nineteen runs were required with JP Duminy shepherding a thrilling chase alongside the dangerous Harbhajan Singh. It was then that Piyush Chawla walked up to Sangakkara and asked for the ball.Chawla removed Harbhajan, and Duminy fell in the next over to the inexperienced but increasingly confident Yusuf Abdulla. Game over, and it was won in these pressure-cooker moments. It was never going to be easy to defend 119 against a batting order boasting Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Duminy. Not many would have given them the chance but, as Tom Moody gushed later, it was perfect team work.It helped that the pitch got slower and the ball started to stop a bit. It helped that Mumbai Indians are yet to show that they can win without a contribution from Tendulkar and Jayasuriya. Punjab’s bowling line-up doesn’t possess the force to blow away the opposition but they hunted in a pack and were superbly aided by a great fielding unit. Not one catch was dropped, not one bowler or fielder crumbled under pressure.It was not something you could say about Punjab at the start of the tournament. In fact, Mahela Jayawardene admitted the bowling was inexperienced and yet to gel. They were desperately trying to identify specific roles for the individuals. Things turned after a win fashioned by the batsman against Royal Challengers Bangalore before they defended 139 in their last game against Rajasthan Royals. Yuvraj Singh said that the Rajasthan game had given immense confidence to Punjab’s bowling unit.It certainly seemed that way. Irfan Pathan, not a regular in the Indian team, bowled his best ball of the tournament to remove Jayasuriya. It kicked up from back of a length and took the edge to first slip. It was the first moment of success. Tendulkar handed them another with a cut to point off Vikramjeet Malik. Suddenly, given Mumbai’s dependence on their openers, you knew it could be a tricky little chase.With the Durban pitch taking spin, Yuvraj introduced Ramesh Powar as early as the third over and he bowled with guile. He looks like a cricketer from another era and he bowls like a spinner from another era. He stands in contrast to modern spinners, who tend to fire their deliveries. Tonight, it was another tease act from the underrated bowler. Powar almost lobbed the balls across and got the drift and turn to keep the batsmen quiet. He lured out Dwayne Bravo, who was looking good in his brief stay, with flight before beating him with dip.Mumbai had one silver lining in today’s defeat: Duminy and his fine innings under pressure. His batting is beginning to evoke memories of Arjuna Ranatunga, especially in the cut shot, the lap shot and the swing over square leg that were Ranatunga’s forte. Today, like Ranatunga, Duminy showed admirable cool to guide the lower middle order. He almost finished the game as well but fell, caught at the boundary ropes going for the shot that could have finished the game. Still, he showed the ability to soak up the pressure of the big-name openers’ loss and can carry the team along.The man who dismissed Duminy was not an known name in most parts of the world before the tournament. Not many batsmen would lose sleep over the prospect of facing Abdulla in the final over of a tense chase. Yet he possesses a good yorker, has the confidence to use it and has the brains not to try to bowl it every ball in a night game with dew and in a pressure situation. That takes some doing.A couple of games ago, Chennai Super Kings struggled under lights with their bowlers hurling full tosses, while trying to bowl the perfect yorker. Abdulla slipped in a couple of slower balls and tried to hit it just back of length in the last over. The highlight of Punjab’s teamwork came in the last two balls. Powar, not known for his fielding, hurled himself full stretch at cover to prevent some vital runs. Not many would have thought him capable of that. Then again, not many would have thought Punjab capable of winning this. In fact, even their captain thought they were 25 runs short.”I didn’t think 119 was defendable,” Yuvraj later said. “But I just told the boys no matter what’s the result we have to keep our energies and fight it out till the end.”It’s not an awe-inspiring speech but sometimes you don’t need one.

A four-man attack works when three of the individuals are on top of their games. When your main spinner has an off day and the other is callow, life can be a struggle

S Aga05-Dec-2009Unless Sri Lanka can show the sort of defiance that characterised their great escape at Lord’s in 2006, India will wrap up this match at some point on Sunday and climb to the top of the Test tree. The No. 1 ranking, though, could have been captured today with some better bowling and that, in some ways, was a precursor of what awaits. Invariably, as South Africa found out on home soil earlier this year, staying top dogs is a lot more difficult than assuming the mantle.India didn’t bowl well, except in the second session where they took four wickets for just 60 runs. Even then, it was the seamers that did the damage with the scuffed-up old ball, and not the spinners, who were getting enough assistance from the pitch. Harbhajan Singh’s only wicket of the day, if you can call it that, went into the file of evidence that
should make the review system essential in all future Tests. Regardless of whether Tillakaratne Dilshan was foolish to keep padding the ball away, a batsman cannot be given out when the ball’s not only missing a second set of stumps but also doing a big Fosbury Flop over them.Harbhajan got dramatic turn at times but too often the line was awry, allowing the batsmen to leave the ball easily. Pragyan Ojha took two wickets off beautiful deliveries and should probably have had another, but was clearly less effective when bowling to the left-handers. Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga Paranavitana played him without too many alarms, and the experience will stand him in good stead for future tests.With the expected wreckers rendered largely ineffective, MS Dhoni was left to rely on pace for breakthroughs. Sri Lanka were making unhurried progress when Sreesanth came back to get immediate reverse swing and thud one into Paranavitana’s pads. And it was the spell that he subsequently bowled that built up the pressure to such an extent that Sri Lanka crumpled.In the 10 overs before tea, they lost three for 11. Zaheer was in the thick of things, getting lift and movement, and varying his angles enough to tempt both Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera into pretty ordinary strokes. With Ojha then producing a peach to send back Angelo Mathews, an early finish seemed likely, but having crawled to 50 by the interval, Sangakkara came out intent on showing that his repertoire of attacking shots hadn’t been left behind at home.”You have a world-class batsman like Kumar Sangakkara around – they don’t give it away too easily. He has halted things,” Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, said after the day’s play. “I thought in the first session, we kept it really tight, did not give away unnecessary runs and put them under pressure to create opportunities after lunch.”I am certainly happy. We thought if we can get six wickets today we would be happy. The second session was a very big one for us, we were able to pick up four wickets. The third session wasn’t good enough as the guys were a little tired.”Attacking fields helped Sangakkara find the gaps with ease, but the manner in which India bowled to both Prasanna Jayawardene and Nuwan Kulasekara was desperately disappointing. Runs came easily for Prasanna, and after he survived a strong shout off the first ball he faced, Kulasekara was rarely troubled. Anil Kumble in his prime would have made short work of the tail, but neither Indian spinner showed much nous on a surface where the ball was turning and bouncing.In an extended final session, there were 130 runs made in 32.1 overs, 83 of them off Sangakkara’s bat. As with his innings in Hobart two years ago, it’s unlikely to stave off a Sri Lanka defeat, but it gave India enough to think about. A four-man attack works fine when three of the individuals are on top of their games. But when your main spinner has an off day and the other is callow, life on Asian pitches can be a struggle. Thanks to the runs in the bank though, it probably won’t be a futile one.Kirsten hoped India would be able to wrap up the victory smoothly on Sunday and displace South Africa on top of the Test ranking. “It is something that we aspired to 18 months ago before we started against Australia,” he said. “We wanted to become the best Test team in the world. So, it will be a great achievement.”

For Guyana, the point to prove was that they were a team worthy of this stage despite losing all their matches. They batted like men in sharp suits rather than surfer dudes fresh off the beach

Telford Vice21-Sep-2010Georgetown, Guyana is the kind of place where even some of the locals won’t drink the thin viral soup that dribbles dubiously out of the taps from whence water would elsewhere come.A wall of grim grey concrete, three metres high and another three metres wide, keeps the Atlantic from flooding a city built three metres below sea level.So, the miserable wind that whipped up a hail of gritty beige dust and flung it viciously over Johannesburg and all who dwelled in it on Tuesday, wasn’t going to scare any son of the country that broods uneasily along South America’s northern coast.That seems as good an explanation as any for Ramnaresh Sarwan’s decision to put the South Australia Redbacks in to bat in their Champions League game at the Wanderers.Thus unleashed, the Australians leapt lickety-split to a total of 191 for six, the second highest of the tournament so far. Their flow of runs started as a stream, strengthened to a gush as Callum Ferguson and Cameron Borgas set about proving their middle order mettle with a stand of 88, and finished in a flurry of 61 off the last four overs. That last bevy of blows, particularly in a 17th over – bowled by Steven Jacobs – that hemorrhaged 22 runs, was difficult to watch dispassionately.And yet, even after that battering, the West Indians looked unruffled as they loped languidly towards the dressing room. Could it be that, like the weather, which was previously perfect wherever CLT20 matches have been played, Guyana could no longer give a damn? As cynical as it seems, at some level you couldn’t blame them if that was their sad state of mind going into the game. The Redbacks were in the semi-finals before Tuesday dawned bleak and blustery, even as Guyana were no doubt packing their kit for the long trip home.The brash flash, dash and cash of T20 cricket is all very well. But it can’t take away the numbing effect of one loss piled on top of another, and another, and yet another in a matter of days. Similarly, all the thrills and spills in the world wouldn’t be able to resolve the limbo that the Redbacks must be feeling trapped in as they await their opponents in the final four.Which left expectations of Guyana’s reply intriguingly poised. Would their lack of purpose overcome them, and lead to embarrassment they would be too underwhelmed to face with dignity? Or would the Redbacks’ bowlers be so focused on the semis they wouldn’t know off stump from leg? The answer, happily, fell between those two extremes.South Australia’s attack didn’t quite spit the same fire as earlier in the tournament, which was due in no small way to Shaun Tait’s omission with an elbow problem. But there was no questioning their basic commitment to taking wickets at minimal cost. Australian cricketers are nothing if not canny, and they know that an engine once started in an event like this is best kept purring smoothly. That was their mission and they accomplished it impressively.For Guyana, the point to prove was that they were a team worthy of this stage despite losing all their matches. They batted like men in sharp suits rather than surfer dudes fresh off the beach. There was, as there must be in this format, a lurch of wickets late in the innings. But that couldn’t spoil a job done well.They were handsomely led by Sarwan, who survived being dropped on the boundary on 45 and prospered to a fine 70. It was an innings driven from within, like all the best have to be. In the end, Guyana looked up and saw they had fallen just 15 runs short. Or did they look past that and realise that the wind had dropped and the dust had settled?Whatever. Let no-one say they do not care.

While the ODI series has not matched the three Tests in terms of quality of cricket, the fact that it has gone down to a decider provides a fitting end to a closely-contested tour

Sidharth Monga in Centurion22-Jan-2011Can somebody separate these two teams please? The Test series went into its final day with all three results possible, and ended level. The same scenario awaits the finale of the ODI series, for the forecast for rain on Sunday, which follows a week full of rainy days in Centurion, makes a drawn series a probable result too. To determine a winner, we go back to where it all started what seems like an eternity ago – in reality it has only been a month and a week since the tour began – the stunningly beautiful SuperSport Park.The weather back then was similar too, with rain in the air, the pitch under the covers, and India got off to a typically slow start to the tour, on a damp surface. They have surprised many with the fight they have shown since, especially in the one-dayers, in which they have fielded a side with much less experience than the Test one.MS Dhoni is eager to get back to Centurion. “I don’t mind a damp wicket again,” he said. “I don’t think it will really happen. And I am hopeful there won’t be any Duckworth-Lewis involved in the match.”It doesn’t get any better than this: the best teams in the world playing against each other, and once again the series has gone down to the last match. That’s an ideal set-up for the end of the tour. I am just hoping it will be a perfect day for cricket, and may the best team win.”In terms of skill-levels and the quality of cricket on display, the one-dayers haven’t quite lived up to the lofty standards that the Test series set, but it is not exactly a bad thing for the Tests to maintain that primacy, not in some corporate talk from the administrators but out on the field.The series has left South Africa captain Graeme Smith drained. “I am looking forward to the two weeks off,” he said. “With two top teams playing, it’s competitive, and there was also the matter of selecting the World Cup squad. So it can be quite heavy on players, and especially captains. We’d love to finish the series strong on Sunday and freshen up for the World Cup, during which we have to be at our best for six whole weeks.”The tour has, indeed, taken its toll on minds and bodies. India had to send three players home after the Test series – Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir – while South Africa lost Jacques Kallis, who is always considered more than just one player because he contributes with both bat and ball.Tempers have flared, respect has been earned, records have been broken, we have celebrated the presence of people of Indian origin in South Africa, we have seen a South African support team help India excel, and going into the last day of a tour that has lasted close to two months, we don’t have a winner.After having seen fortunes swing this way and that over the tour, Smith, who will be captaining South Africa for the last time in a home ODI, is not even thinking of making brave statements going into the decider. “At the moment no one holds the advantage,” he said. “It’s about who performs better on the day. Obviously sitting here, I would love to say that I back us to do well, but you have got to be realistic. You have to go out on Sunday and do the same things well, keep staying positive about the way we play, sum up the conditions there and just perform. Centurion normally has a slightly better batting wicket than we have played on in the series so far. So we may need to adapt to that.”For one final day, before the cricketers from these two teams go spend time with their families and then go into their respective World Cup camps, they will put in one big effort to keep the level of competitiveness and quality up to the standards that have been maintained through the entire tour. For one final day, it will be about this tour, and not about the No. 1 ranking or the World Cup. And as Dhoni said, may the best team win.

After the bowlers did their job yesterday, England’s No.3 ensured there was no let-up with another impressive display

Andrew Miller at the MCG27-Dec-2010Some batsmen specialise in the counterattack, others major in attrition. Jonathan Trott, however, nestles into another comfortable and entirely enclosed genre, that of the specialist bloodletter. Like a medieval physician faced with a case of apoplexy, Trott draws his scalpel across the artery, and drains all tension from the situation until the patient is totally becalmed.And so it was, on one of the most volatile days of the summer, with Ricky Ponting inviting ICC censure for his run-in with Aleem Dar and Peter Siddle pounding in on a still-lively track to give Australia the outside chance of a sub-200 deficit, Trott bedded in, zoned out, and finished the day on 141 not out. It was his third hundred in his first five Tests against Australia, the first England batsman since Michael Vaughan in 2002-03 to achieve such a feat, and for the second time in as many games, it moved England into a position from which an Ashes-sealing victory appears little more than a formality.”I don’t think it’s anything about batting against Australia in particular,” said Trott. “I’ve played five games against Mike Hussey and he’s also scored three hundreds, so you might also have to ask him why he likes batting against England. It’s just one of those things. I’m very fortunate. I work really hard on my game, along with everyone else in the team, and I’m just happy to be able to contribute to getting us into a good position.”A total of 67,149 spectators turned up to the second day at the MCG – some 20,000 fewer than attended on the first, but still the largest crowd that he had ever before encountered. Trott, however, anesthetised the lot of them as he treated the occasion with his habitual equanimity. “Each hundred you get is in different circumstances,” he said. “This is definitely an important Test match and one I’ll definitely savour. They’re all pretty special but Boxing Day, [with] the hype around it and the support from the English fans, it would definitely be right up there.”Like South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, a fellow Capetonian, Trott is not exactly a man to set the pulses racing, but it’s hard not to admire the unfussy manner with which he goes about his work. All of the fuss, in fact, is fast-tracked into his ritual between balls, which involves constant guard-taking and crease-scratching, and enables him to expend any excess nervous energy and leave the business of seeing and hitting cricket balls to a combination of a sound instinct and a water-tight technique.”Any batter that’s out there in the middle, in the zone, is tough to bowl to – especially him,” said Siddle, whose adrenalin-fuelled method has been thwarted by Trott in each of those three centuries. “It is tough work. The wicket is not offering a lot of bounce, which keeps it in his favour a little bit – knowing it’s going to be pretty much up there for him on the front foot.”Trott’s current average against Australia is a Bradman-esque 96.33, while his career average – at his overnight score – of 62.92 puts him second behind the Don in the all-time averages for batsmen who have made more than 1500 Test runs – a figure he ghosted past during the afternoon accumulation with Matt Prior.As with the best of Trott’s performances, notably his 184 in partnership with Stuart Broad at Lord’s last summer, the latter stages were fuelled by an absolute certainty of outcome. The morning drizzle and early life had made survival tough for all the batsmen, and both overnight incumbents, Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss, fell without significant addition.But as the evening drew in and the crowds dissipated in droves for the second day in a row, Trott’s love of crease occupation and eye for the loose delivery allowed him to ease to within nine runs of his third 150-plus score in seven months. To put that in context, Pietersen (on six occasions) is the only English batsman to manage more so-called “daddies” in the whole of the past five years.”I think it’s important I don’t over-rev when I’m batting and try and over-hit the ball,” said Trott. “Sometimes I find I’m a bit tense, it’s too much. I try and be nice and patient and play my natural game, which is to accumulate here and there and let the other guys hit boundaries and sixes.”In fact, Trott was so under-revved, he claimed he did not notice or take an interest in any of the controversy that took place early in the second session, when Kevin Pietersen survived a caught-behind appeal off Ryan Harris that led Ricky Ponting into an angry discussion with umpire Aleem Dar. The only moment he was truly unsettled came when he inside-edged Ben Hilfenhaus onto the side of his kneecap.”It was one of the most painful things I’ve felt in my life,” said Trott, who required lengthy treatment after falling to the crease in a heap. “I asked for the runner to put the pads on and see how it went. I gave it 20 minutes to see if it stiffened up. It did a little bit … but that’ll teach for me inside-edging it.”That incident aside, Trott’s resolve was scarcely tested, as he re-entered the zone that he and Alastair Cook had occupied on the final day at Brisbane, when England served notice of their series intentions with that formidable second-innings scoreline of 1 for 517. “Obviously the cloud cover was there and a bit of drizzle early on,” he said, “but fortunately the sun came out this afternoon and the wind sort of dried the pitch out.”But despite the looming prospect of a very handsome victory, Trott was not ready to take anything for granted just yet, the very same trait that has served his batting so well throughout a memorable 2010. “We all know that the Australian team – like we saw in the last Test match – has got some good players,” he said. “We’re going to have to be at the top of our game to make sure we keep the pressure on them the whole time.”I wouldn’t say that they were demoralised,” he added. “I thought they bowled pretty well today … [but] things went our way. It was a good day for us but it’s important to remember they’ll come at us tomorrow morning and try and get themselves right back and get as many wickets as soon as possible. It’s important I’m on my game from the start tomorrow. There’s plenty of work for us left to be done in this Test match.”

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the day from the first day of the second Test in Lord’s

Andrew Miller at Lord's03-Jun-2011Decision of the day

After a dank week in Cardiff, the Lord’s Test could hardly have started in more perfect conditions, with blue skies overhead and a full house streaming into the ground from all directions. In the circumstances, therefore, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s decision to bowl first was curious to say the least. With three of England’s tallest bowlers all lined up in the same XI, it was a move that seemed motivated, first and foremost, by self-preservation, reminiscent of Mohammad Azharuddin’s avoidance of Devon Malcolm in 1990 – the match in which Graham Gooch racked up 333. Andrew Strauss, however, conceded he had been tempted to do the same, and when England slipped to 22 for 3 in eight overs, he might have wished he had.Shock of the day

England’s newly crowned player of the year, Jonathan Trott, got off the mark with a clip for two through midwicket – the signature stroke of an extraordinary year in which he has racked up almost 2500 runs in all internationals. However, his prowess off the pads would soon lead to a rare downfall, when Suranga Lakmal fired a full delivery towards his leg stump, and Trott for once played all round it as he toppled towards the off side. A review proved futile, and he was sent on his way for 2, to contemplate the loss of more than two runs from his previous Test batting average of 66.77.Fail of the day

The stage, it seemed, had been set for Kevin Pietersen. Two early wickets had given him the chance to be England’s knight in shining armour once again, rather than the after-show entertainment he had been (for contrasting reasons) at Adelaide and Cardiff. There was certainly little prospect of Rangana Herath being tossed the ball as early as the ninth over, no matter how publicised KP’s frailties against left-arm spin may be. And yet, Pietersen’s need to get a move on once again lured him into a feckless early departure. On 2, he wafted loosely at Lakmal, and Dilshan in the gully snaffled a flying edge.Shot of the day

Eoin Morgan began this match as the only member of England’s top eight not to have scored a Test century at Lord’s, and by the time he had been pinned for 79, that stat remained intact. Nevertheless, his was a vital and sparky contribution, and the shot that really kickstarted his innings came in the sixth over of Herath’s spell. Morgan sauntered down the pitch to hoist the left-arm spinner high over mid-on and into the member’s area to the left of the pavilion. It was the first six of the match, but only the second of Morgan’s seven-match Test career – a curious fact given he has already struck 52 in all limited-overs internationals.Slog of the day

Alastair Cook’s 18th Test century seemed inevitable from the moment he emerged from the chaos of the first hour and set about grinding down Sri Lanka’s bowlers with his typical blend of watchfulness and selective aggression. And perhaps, in some parallel universe, he is currently 150 not out, and powering through yet another of his daddy hundreds. Unfortunately for him, this particular universe involves an extravagant hoick across the line on 96, one that could have ended up as the 16th boundary of his innings, but instead plopped gently into the hands of Farveez Maharoof at midwicket.

Madhav Mantri, who played with and learned from the great Vijay Merchant, whose birth centenary falls today, looks back at what the man meant to a nation finding its feet in cricket

As told to Abhishek Purohit12-Oct-2011Merchant against England in 1946•Getty Images”A batsman who is set must not lose his wicket. Let a bowler take his wicket.” That was Merchant’s principle. We never used to disperse after a match. We used to sit and wait to hear these gems.Back then the batting principle about staying in once you got in was yet to sink in for most Indian players. It was common for batsmen to play rash strokes once they reached their 30s or 40s. At such a time, Merchant made it a compulsive habit to play long innings, and his achievements were a source of inspiration for his team-mates, including myself.In the 1944-45 Ranji Trophy final against Holkar, Merchant batted for more than eight hours in the second innings, and he made 278. When he got back, legspinner Madan Raiji asked in Gujarati, “Vijayout?” (What happened? How did you get out?) Merchant’s reply was a lesson to the dressing room: “concentration.” (The concentration dipped a bit)That remark left a lasting impression on me. What happened to the rest of us in our 30s and 40s happened to him on 278. In the heat of March.Years later my young nephew, Sunil Gavaskar, was playing a school match. I asked him the day’s score and he said they were batting on 400 for 1.”How many runs did you make?””Double-hundred.””Who got out?””I.””Why?””I had made a double-century.”I instantly remembered Merchant’s remark and told Sunil that he should never throw away his wicket.Later, in another school game, Sunil was batting on a triple-hundred, and he left a ball outside off alone. [Former Bombay player] Vasu Paranjpe said to me: “Madhav, on 300 this fellow is leaving outside off?” At close of play, Sunil said, “Why should I throw my wicket away?” Merchant’s scores are in the record books, but things like that, even if one youngster picks them up, it is really good.Merchant’s game was based on a tight technique and correct strokes. This came from hours of practice, just like with Vijay Hazare.They were absolutely on par. Hazare was very good at playing the hook shot; Merchant had the late cut – it was not a diversion, it was a proper stroke. He used to play it so late that wicketkeepers used to get hurt, and the ball used to speed to the boundary.

“What happened to the rest of us in our 30s and 40s, happened to him on 278”

The rivalry between the two Vijays used to bring crowds to the Brabourne Stadium for the Bombay Pentangular. In the semi-final in 1943, Hazare made 248 for the Rest against Muslims.A few days later, in the final (he was playing for Hindus, against the Rest, this time), Merchant declared Hindus’ first innings though he was batting on 250. The Rest had to follow-on, but Hazare responded with 309 (out of a total of 387) in their second innings. About a month later, Merchant went ahead again, with an unbeaten 359 against Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy.But their rivalry was confined to the field. They were very good friends, the first to congratulate each other. Hazare was not controversial at all. He wouldn’t talk. What [usually] happens is arguments between players, but unless one talks, you can’t argue.As with many great players, Merchant was a stickler for details. Even small things being out of place bothered him. Once in the Pentangular, I tried on some costly sunglasses. You couldn’t get them easily; somebody had got them from America. I had just put them on when Merchant’s voice came from behind me: “Madhav, kindly remove them. You are used to the sunlight. If you put them on, it gets diluted. And then when you go without them again, it takes time for you to get used [to the light], and that is the time you are going to make mistakes.” Since that day, I have never put on sunglasses.When we were practising together and I kept to him, he even made me put on my wicketkeeping pads, so he could get the feeling that he was batting in a match. It was so that he could concentrate and play.As a captain, he never used to take any risks. He also never used to make a bad stroke (during practice) till the very end, as if he was playing in a match. He used to deliberately leave the ball sometimes, so that I could collect some. Otherwise I never used to get any. He would connect with all of them. That was the secret. Top players give you hints all the time. That is what Vijay Merchant did for us.

David Warner couldn’t lay bat on ball in the net sessions leading up to the WACA Test, which makes his dazzling 69-ball century all the more special

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA13-Jan-2012David Warner entered this Test harbouring doubts about his ability to score runs at the WACA. It doesn’t bear thinking about what he might have achieved had he been full of confidence.To see Warner bat, to watch him dive in the field, to hear him speak candidly about the many weaknesses of the opposition, it is hard to believe he has misgivings about anything. But the sheer joy that he displayed when he launched Vinay Kumar over long-on for six to bring up the fourth-fastest Test hundred of all time, and a century in a session, was telling.Warner sprinted towards the Lillee-Marsh Stand as if trying for a quick single. He leapt like an Olympic hurdler as he headed in the direction of the dressing rooms, his team-mates and the WACA crowd cheering him on. Eventually, he pulled up his run and completed a more composed bat-raise and helmet-kiss but in no way was this a nonchalant celebration. In no way was it a nonchalant innings.By the time he walked off the ground with 104 runs to his name from 80 deliveries, he had scored more in this innings alone than he had in all his previous WACA appearances combined – Twenty20s, one-dayers, first-class matches, everything. That record, along with his struggles to get a start since his Hobart hundred against New Zealand, left Warner slightly worried entering this Test.”I’ve come to the WACA and put doubts in my mind,” Warner said. “I said to Mike Hussey the other day I’ve batted here a couple of times and I haven’t really scored any runs.”I see that Hobart was a challenging wicket and then we come to Melbourne and you look at the SCG as well and the boys are putting on 600 runs and you missed out, you think in the back of your mind, what did I do wrong? I know I got a good ball against Zaheer in Sydney. That’s cricket. But you always put some doubt in your mind, where’s your next runs going to be, when are they going to come.”It didn’t help that Warner had trouble in the nets during the lead-up to this Test. When his team-mates Mitchell Starc bowled him at training, Warner was ready to throw it in. “I said ‘I give up, I can’t work in this environment’,” Warner said. “I couldn’t lay bat on ball.”It wasn’t the pace and bounce, it was more me with my head getting still. JL [batting coach Justin Langer] and Mickey Arthur said to me if you look down the line, the axis of where my head was, I was always falling away and over my front leg. When the ball is coming straight down the wicket, you want to try and put your head in line with the ball. That’s what I was working on mainly this week.”His work paid off when India’s bowlers struggled following the dismissal of their batsmen for 161. The runs flowed. Warner welcomed Vinay Kumar with a six over long-on off his fourth ball in Test cricket for six, and struck boundaries to all parts of the ground.Some of the WACA spectators had seen Adam Gilchrist’s 57-ball Test ton against England six years ago, and Chris Gayle’s 70-ball effort in 2009-10. A few older ones had probably even been at the venue when Roy Fredericks reached triple-figures off 71 balls in 1975-76. This century, a 69-ball effort, was a worthy addition to the list of WACA demolitions.”I was actually looking at my strike-rate and I said this ain’t Test cricket, this is something different,” Warner said. “It’s just how I approach the game. I show intent, and it came off today.”I’ve always said if the ball’s in my zone I’m going to go after it. That’s what I did … In my zone is anything that’s within the three- to four-metre length. I find that’s probably the zone where, if it’s full I’ll probably throw the kitchen sink at it, especially when it’s a green wicket like this and it’s a bit lively.”Not that his judgment was always flawless. On 80, he tried to pull an Umesh Yadav bouncer and was struck a fearsome blow in the helmet. Then came a few minutes of attention from the physio Alex Kountouris, some stretching of the neck to ensure he wasn’t going to be badly affected, and Warner batted on. He plundered 21 from his next eight balls to race to a century.”You don’t really ever want to go off for anything,” Warner said. “The physio said to me if I had a bit of blurred vision it would have been silly to carry on. But I was fine and just a bit shaken up. It’s the second time I’ve been hit here at the WACA. I just think I’ve got to try and keep my eye on the ball and keep watching it. I’m feeling good now, I’ve got a nice golf ball at the back of my ear, but that’s fine.”The best thing for Warner was that he finished not out. Spectators will be well advised to arrive at the WACA on time on Saturday morning. It could be another eventful session.