Lacklustre batting by Indians

Lacklustre batting, combined with an uneven pitch, left India with an unimpressive score on the opening day of their four-day tour match against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. India were all out for 185 after stand-in captain Saurav Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat. NSW, at stumps, were 35 for one in reply.

The match was deprived of a lot of its potential drawing power earlier in the week when the team selections were announced. New South Wales chose to rest all four of their current Test players (Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Michael Slater and Glenn McGrath), while Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar chose to sit this match out.

New South Wales made the first breakthrough on the eleventh ball of the match. Medium-quick Don Nash, he of the Ian Austin build, beat Sadagopan Ramesh (2) with a delivery which kept low and struck the pad in front of middle stump. It was an easy decision for umpire Simon Taufel and India were 1/6.

With Laxman coming in at first drop, Devang Gandhi fell on 15 when Brett Lee beat the batsman for pace, rapping the pad plumb in front with a ball again keeping a little low, Darrell Hair giving the out. India two for 22.

Laxman played one glorious drive through extra cover off Lee. Nash (4-2-4-1 in his opening spell) was replaced by Shane Lee, who continued the containment from the southern end. Younger and quicker brother Brett was, on occasions, gaining good lift from a pitch which should lose a lot of its predictability by Sunday.

Nash, having been switched to the northern end was despatched for four boundaries in the first three overs of his second spell by VVS Laxman. The Hyderabad right-hander seemed content to accumulate his runs solely in boundaries, playing some well-timed shots to the cover/point region before pulling Nash to mid-wicket to bring up the Indian fifty.

Dravid played a subdued innings before despatching a friendly Shane Lee bouncer to the fence behind square leg, his first boundary taking him into double figures from his 46th delivery faced in the innings.

Red-headed military-medium pacer Greg Mail replaced Nash, and his first delivery in first-class cricket was driven by Laxman to the mid-wicket fence. Five balls later, Laxman played a square cut which was brilliantly caught by an airborne Gavin Robertson at gully. Laxman's 37 came from 62 deliveries including six boundaries. India 3/66, and Mail, with a wicket from his sixth first-class delivery, was immediately taken straight out of the attack - Michael Bevan no doubt taking credit for the stroke of genius.

Stuart MacGill bowled three overs before lunch from the southern end and was already gaining remarkable turn. A spirited but unsuccessful lbw appeal against Ganguly brought up the lunch break with India on 3/70.

MacGill made the first breakthrough of the afternoon session 20 minutes after lunch. He trapped Dravid with a ball that would have hit middle stump, but whether it pitched in line with leg stump is debatable. However umpire Taufel was in no doubt. Dravid spent ten minutes short of two hours in scoring 21 and India, falling on another multiple of twenty-two were now 88 for four.

Kanitkar had failed to score when the left-hander played a mistimed pull shot off a MacGill leg-break to Greg Hayne at short mid-wicket. Kanitkar's thirteen-ball duck left India reeling at 5/107.

Ganguly had looked at ease for most of his 71-ball innings, and looked the pick of the Indian batsmen thus far. But on 38 he attempted a hook shot off a Don Nash bouncer, played under the line and got a top edge to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. India had broken away from the multiples of 22, with the last two partnerships each being worth nineteen but the score was a dismal 126 for six.

While Shane Lee contained the batsmen at one end, giving up barely one run per over, Ajit Agarkar and Vijay Bharadwaj scored with more freedom off the bowling of MacGill. The two were not afraid to take quick singles with a couple of close calls. Greg Mail returned just before tea for his second over of first-class cricket and thought he had his second wicket when third umpire Tim Donahoo was called to adjudge on a stumping, but Bharadwaj was just within his ground. At tea, India were 150 for six with Bharadwaj 16 and Agarkar 12.

India's lacklustre innings came to an end shortly after the drinks break in the final session, all out for 185. This will be a disappointing total considering Ganguly's decision to bat first, although the pitch is already showing signs of uneven bounce.

Vijay Bharadwaj (16) fell after tea when Brett Lee trapped him for the fourth lbw of the day with a ball nipping back from outside off. Agarkar (28) batted with flamboyance at times, but fell to a Brett Lee sandshoe-crusher which rebounded off the batsman's boot to send the middle stump flying.

Srinath (0) ran himself out at the bowlers end, after Kumble refused a single as he was charging down the pitch. Kumble survived three dropped catches at 7, 10 and 11 - the last two to Stuart MacGill who rather unusually was occupying first slip. Kumble played admirably to keep out the attempted yorkers of Brett Lee. The final wicket fell when Prasad was out of his ground with the batsman changing their minds about taking a second run.

Brett Lee (3/56) was the most successful of the bowlers with MacGill taking 2/47 and Don Nash 2/35. Gavin Robertson only had the one maiden over before lunch and it is hoped we will see more of him in the second innings.

The New South Wales response started disastrously. In the second over of the innings, and with no runs on the board, Greg Hayne got a thick outside edge off Agarkar and was caught by Anil Kumble at gully. Corey Richards (23*) and Greg Mail (8*) played out the remaining 12 overs till stumps.

Though India had a disappointing start to this match, there is enough uncertainty about this pitch to give them hope of staying very much alive in this game.