India's bowling plans go awry

The last time a team won an Adelaide Oval Test without scoring 500 in the first innings of the match was back in 2005. For an Adelaide win with a score of under 400, you have to go back seven more years, when Australia beat England despite being bowled out for 391 in the first innings. The average first-innings score here since that Test has been 457. You need to score big, over 500 mostly, when batting first to win in Adelaide.

If Michael Clarke doesn't come to bat - and there is a good chance he won't - India effectively have Australia down at 7 for 354. During the Test that India won here in 2003, Australia were 5 for 400 after day one. There is another big "if" around Indian batting, which has lasted 180.1 overs in its last four Test innings put together, but India somehow find themselves in a position from where they can hope, especially against a team which is likely to be missing its captain and whose emotional composure hasn't yet been put under stern test.

However, let it not be forgotten that India were ordinary for the better part of the day. They began with plans that were off, and continued with them for too long. The fielding was lethargic in that first hour. A first-day pitch is not what a legspinner should be judged by, but Karn Sharma's selection might have been too adventurous. Most disappointingly, though, after having been talked up as fast and fit by their stand-in captain, India's fast bowlers struggled to build pressure - let alone maintain it - and when they would be on to something they would provide the release ball immediately.

After his first day as Test captain, when Virat Kohli goes back into the change rooms, a conversation with MS Dhoni might be in order. "I'm sorry," Kohli might tell Dhoni, "I spoke so much about aggression when you weren't here, but now I can see why you aren't aggressive: it is impossible to attack with the bowlers we have got."

Even after the start that David Warner had given Australia, Ishant Sharma's introduction into the attack brought India back into the contest. Just after lunch, especially against Michael Clarke, India began to put together a cluster of good deliveries. The first six overs - bowled by Ishant, who was continuing his pre-lunch spell, and Mohammed Shami - were accurate, and even though they went for 23 runs, two boundaries came off edges. Two outside edges didn't carry. You could sense India were close to driving the nail in.

Then, bowling the 31st over of the innings, Shami summed up what has been wrong with him since the start of the England tour earlier this year. It was his ninth over, the fourth of this, his second spell. After bowling two dots, he pitched short and he pitched wide. All the pressure was released with a square-cut four. Shami came back well with the next ball, on a length, just outside off, holding its line, taking an edge that didn't carry. The next ball again was short and wide, and went for four.

Varun Aaron was selected to bowl fast. You shouldn't be expecting the same accuracy and persistence you should of him as you would of Shami, who bowled in the early-to-mid 130s. It helps, though, if you swing the ball. Aaron found none with the new ball. And even if you are not expected to do the holding job, your pace should be good enough to allow you to keep one batsman on strike so you can work at something. Aaron failed to register more than three dots in a row in the first six overs he bowled. He was either too full or too wide - sometimes both - or too short despite there being the odd sharp bouncer.

Between them, the two new-ball bowlers went for 178 runs in 34.2 overs, and can thank Ishant in part for maintaining some sanity at the other end, which played some part in their getting four wickets. You have to wonder if it is lack of fitness and stamina, concentration or awareness that makes them release pressure. You have to also wonder if faulty plans and persistence with them today might have something to do with it. While doing commentary during the English summer, Shane Warne made famous the word "funky" as an adjective for captaincy. Alastair Cook and Dhoni, you see, were both un-funky and passive.

Kohli might have just have been too funky here. His opening bowlers operated round the wicket to both the left-arm Australia openers. The strength of both the said bowlers is to move the ball away from the right-handed batsman, which gives them a natural chance of getting lbws with left-handed batsman and outside edges if they can mix the swing up with the angle. Even debutant legspinner Karn stayed round the wicket. There must have been some plan at play, for you don't give up that advantage just like that, but it took India an age to correct that mistake when they saw it was clearly not working. India bowled 130 balls from round the wicket to Warner and Chris Rogers, and conceded 126 runs for one wicket that was gifted away by Warner.

Towards the end, though, India made good use of the lucky breaks they got. Clarke had to retire-hurt. To his credit, Kohli took the new ball immediately, even though the previous few overs had been among the quietest of the day. He was still looking for wickets, which hasn't always been the case of late. The bowlers responded in that final burst. Australia helped them by sending in a nightwatchman with close to half an hour to go.

Test cricket doesn't throw such lifelines too often. India have shown interest in grabbing it, but they still need to wrap up the tail. Even then their batsmen will need to show they have improved big time since their last Tests. Still they have a chance, which was scarcely conceivable after how they had started.