Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten half-century Monday as India’s batting stars failed on a rain-interrupted opening day of a three-day tour match against a Chairman’s XI at Manuka Oval in Canberra. The young right-hander finished the day unbeaten on 55 off 93 balls as the tourists reached 162 for four off 50 overs in their final match ahead of the opening Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne. At stumps Rohit Sharma was 38 not out after being dropped on his first ball.
But while Kohli and Sharma shared an unbroken fifth wicket stand of 78 off 104 balls, India’s front-line batsmen Virender Sehwag (12), Gautam Gambhir (24) and VVS Laxman (15) all missed out on a big score ahead of the MCG Test.
Sehwag smashed the highest score in one-day cricket with 219 off 139 balls earlier this month against the West Indies, but he only lasted 12 balls before falling in the day’s fourth over. He played back to paceman Peter George and was caught out in the gully. Fellow opener Gambhir batted for 87 minutes before he was bowled out by Jason Behrendorff as he attempted to work the ball only to miss. Laxman, who averages 55.58 in 25 Tests against Australia and has scored four centuries Down Under, was also out bowled after he tried to work a Jon Holland ball to the leg-side. The incoming Sharma was dropped next ball in Holland’s over as he pushed forward and edged to short leg.
Ajinkya Rahane was the fourth Indian wicket to fall for 15, caught by Australian Test batsman Usman Khawaja at slip off Josh Lalor for 15 off 35 balls. India went into the final warm up game without key batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, while injured paceman Ishant Sharma was also missing. George (1-42), Behrendorff (1-8), Lalor (1-9) and Holland (1-37) all kept things tight for the Chairman’s team. No play was possible before lunch after overnight and morning rain and there was another lengthy stoppage in the afternoon.
Bowling India’s weak point: Warne
Shane Warne believes bowling is India’s weak link and Australia can exploit this to their advantage in the four-match Test series. The Test series between the two sides begins in Melbourne on December 26. “England just beat them (India) four-nil. They have got some wonderful batting and all that sort of stuff but I think their bowling is a bit weak,” Warne said.
“And if Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma goes down with injury then it should be a good time for the Australian batters,” he added. Ishant did not play in the three-day warm-up match against a Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI side that began in Canberra Monday due to an ankle injury. The Australians have also been hit hard by injuries.
Shane Watson and Ryan Harris are expected to return for the first Test in Melbourne but Shaun Marsh is still recovering from a back problem. Warne said the packed international schedule was to blame for many injuries.
“The bottom line is that they have to play too much cricket – there is too much expected of an international cricketer,” he said. “And we are playing two Test series to cram everything in. It is ridiculous. To me that is not right. Let the players recover, so they can be the best players they can be.” On his cricketing comeback in Australia when he was whacked by David Warner in the Big Bash League Twenty20 game, Warne said, “I thought I bowled alright, I just got whacked by Warner. I thought it was a wonderful innings.” laying for Melbourne Stars, Warne finished with 0-19 off two overs as Warner’s unbeaten ton steered Sydney Thunder to a six-wicket win.
Ganguly: Greg Chappell is mad
Sourav Ganguly and Greg Chappell never enjoyed a healthy relationship, but the ex-captain has further made it worse by calling the Aussie “mad”. Reacting to reports that Chappell would ‘demystify’ Sachin Tendulkar and other Indian greats for the Australian bowlers during the upcoming Test series, Ganguly said “this was good news” for the Indian team.
“He has been a selector and also the head of their academy (Australian Centre of Excellence in Brisbane) and he has been thrown out from there as well. When he came to India, it was said that his Australian mindset won’t work here but he couldn’t work in the Australian set up as well,” Ganguly said.
The former India skipper said Chappell has proved to be a failure in every coaching-related assignment he has taken up, which is enough proof that the fault lies with him.
“The people should realise that the problem lies with him, he is the one making mistakes. A person can be wrong once but if he commits the same mistake again and loses his job for that, then that man to me is mad,” said Ganguly.
“So, I am glad that he is getting attached to the Australian team, it is good news for the Indian team. I am not surprised,” he added. Recalling Chappell’s rein, Ganguly said such was the Australian’s dominance that the then skipper Rahul Dravid just didn’t have the courage to speak up against him.
