Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Prepare for the great Oz-retaliation!

Who’s going to blink first?

Well played, India!

MSD’s boys have reeled the first one in-and pushed Australia up against the wall. The baggy-greens know that they have screwed up for the last time if they are to hold on to that trophy. Now wasn’t there some saying about never confronting a cornered Australian?

Chennai was a lesson for Michael Clarke’s team-in-transition, and the Aussies have always been quick-learners. Hyderabad won’t be as loaded with surprises; after five days of dancing around in a pitch doctored to be a minefield, you ought to have absorbed something!

India’s second innings had been supposed to be a formality, but Nathan Lyon and James Pattinson pulled out a couple of rabbits from hats. Though ultimately far from enough, they did manage to traumatize the Indian openers for a second time before the hosts wrapped things up comprehensively. Now if the English-invasion a couple of months back is anything to go by, winning the first Test means, well-nothing, if it means complacency sets in.

The Australians are looking more dangerous than ever. They will rebound; Clarke is as much a born-leader as Dhoni, and is sure to get his squad back on his feet. And bring in a few extra feet, if need be. Those feet belonging to…

1. Xavier Doherty

Can Xavier Doherty do a Monty?

If Doherty does play in Hyderabad, replacing Mitchell Starc (who went wicketless in the first Test) or Peter Siddle, it means Australia is hoping he’d pull off a Monty Panesar. The day after the cheers at Chepauk died down, the selectors Down Under have made it clear they are very interested in bringing Doherty in. A buck gets ten Ravichandran Ashwin cleaning up 12 Australian wickets in the first Test had something to do with this chatter: it couldn’t be more clear that the Gods of spin prevailed over those of pace, as it always has in the subcontinent.

So why should India be afraid?

Precisely because Monty Panesar pulled off a Monty Panesar two months back. Having a left-arm spinner in the side is a great asset while touring India, where pitches crumble even as you keep staring at it. On such surfaces, a ball turning into the body can give a batsman hell, as it needs to be played. Doherty is a specialist spinner, and his performance in the India-A game was impressive.

If Australia discard their three-seamers-one-spinner policy, we’d probably have him pack-hunting with Nathan Lyon. (Now Lyon did go for over 200 runs at Chepauk, but his off-spinners are a viable threat).

2. Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnson loves to ball in India. And with his height, he can bowl consistently at speeds over 145 k/h and he is a self-confessed fan of the SG ball. In six Test matches that he has played in India, he has picked up 21 wickets.

And watch out for that mean reverse-swing, if he does indeed get a call-up for Hyderabad, of course.

3. Brad Haddin or Tim Paine or Steve Smith

Mitchell Johnson (L) loves the Indian tracks, while the only thing that was sloppier than Matt Wade’s (R) wicket-keeping was his batting.

One among these three is definitely having his flight-tickets booked. Steve Smith has plenty of experience playing in India, and has made quite an impression. He is being considered as a substitute for Ed Cowan, who failed to convert good starts into decent scores. Mathew Wade had disastrous outing as a wicket-keeper, and either Tim Paine or Brad Haddin could be called up to replace him. While Paine’s attacking technique against spin-bowling has been the highlight of his batting, Haddin’s experience-card could secure him a spot. Either way, India better have their guard up.

The way Moises Henriques and James Pattinson performed should also serve as an example for the rest of the team. Debutant Henriques was the single-best batsman in the Australian side, scoring 149 and getting out just once even as the rest of the batting line-up crashed and burned. He displayed extraordinary levels of poise, control and concentration as he successfully fended off Ashwin and Co. for frustratingly long hours.

James Pattinson was the only seamer who impressed with pace: picking up five wickets even as M.S. Dhoni showed exactly how hard life can get for a speedster in India when he walked down the track to meet a Peter Siddle delivery. While Australia’s rotation-policy would dictate that he be rested sooner or later in the series, you can be sure he’ll be around in Hyderabad.

It’s far from over. India might feel they’ve the measure of the visitors now, but the truth is the road ahead is only going to get tougher for them. Michael Clarke is a captain of the highest order, as shrewd and calculating as they come. It’s noteworthy that the first Test had been evenly balanced until as late as the last session of Day 3, before the Dhoni super-storm. India does have the upper-hand now, but these are two of the most evenly matched sides to ever play international cricket.

Hyderabad is going to be so much fun.