KL Rahul the 'apt replacement' for MS Dhoni - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir has liked what he has seen of KL Rahul as a wicketkeeper-batsman in white-ball cricket. The former India opener reckons Rahul is the "apt replacement" for MS Dhoni in the shorter formats, particularly in T20 cricket, going forward.

Dhoni, 38, hasn't played any serious cricket since India's semi-final exit from the ODI World Cup in July 2019, following which Rishabh Pant and then Rahul have taken over keeping duties in white-ball cricket. IPL 2020 was widely seen as the one opportunity Dhoni had to make a bid for an international comeback before the T20 World Cup - scheduled for October-November 2020 in Australia - with India coach Ravi Shastri saying as much on more than one occasion.

With the Covid-19 pandemic potentially ruling out any IPL action this year, the door might just be shutting on Dhoni. Gambhir certainly thinks so.

"If the IPL does not happen this year, then it will become very difficult for MS Dhoni to make a comeback," Gambhir said, speaking on Star Sports Cricket Connected. "On what basis can he be selected since he's not been playing for the last one or one and a half years.

"The apt replacement for Dhoni could be KL Rahul. Ever since he has donned the keeper's gloves in white-ball cricket, I've seen his performance, both batting and keeping. Obviously his keeping is not as good as Dhoni's, but if you are looking at T20 cricket, Rahul's a utility player, can keep and bat at No. 3 or 4.

"If the IPL does not happen, then MS Dhoni's chances for a comeback look dim. Ultimately, you are representing India, so whoever dishes out the best performance and can win the match for India should play for the team. As far as his retirement plans go by, that's his personal choice."

Since taking over as India's white-ball keeper - temporarily at first, filling in for a concussed Pant, and then on a regular basis - Rahul's returns have been phenomenal. In ODIs, he's scored 303 runs in five innings at an average of 75.75 and a strike rate of 114.77, while batting mostly at No. 5. Opening the batting in T20Is, he's scored 224 runs at an average of 56.00 and a strike rate of 144.51.


MS Dhoni, in charge at Chennai Super Kings as usual BCCI
Former India opener Aakash Chopra, meanwhile, has suggested that Dhoni, who has been near-invisible in the media for a while now, might have unofficially retired from international cricket. Rather than being dropped after the 50-over World Cup, Chopra feels Dhoni made himself unavailable for selection.

"MS Dhoni has not told anyone anything," Chopra said on his YouTube show Cricket Aakash. "He has a different story. What almost everyone think is that he might return to the Indian team if he performs well in the IPL. But I personally feel he played his final match for India at Manchester against New Zealand.

"Since then, he has not made himself available to the team. He has not been dropped. I feel he has made up his mind that he is no longer going to play for India."

Rather than go out with an official announcement or a farewell game, Chopra believes Dhoni simply decided to walk away without a fuss, and will only play for India again if he's persuaded to by India's team management or the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.

"Unless, of course, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli or Ravi Shastri pick up the phone and tell Dhoni to help the team out in the T20 World Cup. If they tell Dhoni that they want him to play the World Cup, then there is a chance he could return," Chopra said. "Otherwise, in my opinion, Dhoni has made up his mind that 'I am not going to play, I don't need a farewell match. I came quietly, I will leave quietly'. He doesn't need grandstanding. He is not that kind of player. He doesn't want any noise. If the T20 World Cup gets pushed, then I don't think you will see Dhoni in India's blue jersey."

Whether Dhoni plays for India again or not, former India batsman VVS Laxman believes Dhoni will continue to play and perform for Chennai Super Kings for "the next couple of IPLs".


"I think playing for CSK will keep him going because he's supremely fit and age is just a number, and especially when someone like MS Dhoni is not only physically fit, but mentally very astute as a captain, as a leader he enjoys leading the CSK franchise," Laxman said in the same show. "He's been very successful doing that and as far as Dhoni's cricket is concerned, I'm sure you're looking forward to watch him play in the IPL. Not only this IPL, he will probably play in the next couple of IPLs, and then we will take a call about his future as a cricketer.

"But I think MS Dhoni will be very clear, as far as his plans are concerned, I'm sure he must have communicated that with [India captain] Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri immediately after the 2019 World Cup in England. The new selection committee will have to sit down with MS Dhoni and understand his future, as far as Indian cricket is concerned. But MS Dhoni will continue to play for CSK and do well for CSK."

A question of confidence for visitors

Match facts

January 20, Brisbane

Start time 1320 local (0320 GMT)

Both India and England must restore confidence shaken by Mitchell Starc and Australia
© Getty Images

Big Picture

Having both been beaten with some comfort by Australia, England and India will seek to regroup at the Gabba, scene of a pair of heavy defeats for them in the past two Test matches at the same venue. Brisbane seldom holds happy memories for touring teams, but both visitors will on Tuesday find conditions conducive to aggressive cricket, with the pitch hard, the outfield fast the and the weather warm.

India have much the better record over England in recent times, their batting power overwhelming the more conservative English approach in encounters including the 2013 Champions Trophy final, which seemed to be going the way of the team then led by Alastair Cook until a late flurry of wickets at Edgbaston. But the variation in conditions between India, England and Australia is vast, meaning different shades of each player will be revealed to one another, just as the methodical ways of Cook and Andy Flower were found wanting down under last summer.

The greatest issue for England and India following their recent losses may well be confidence to attack. Eoin Morgan sounded particularly downcast following his opening defeat, while MS Dhoni's batting in Melbourne showed a level of anxiety his calm visage before the press could never reveal. Given that this tournament features only four pool games each, there is little time to pick up the sense of purpose after its early shake at Australian hands.

Form guide

England LLLWL (completed matches, most recent first)

India LWWWW

In the spotlight

After taking a catch late in Australia's chase on Friday, Ian Bell tossed the ball away with visible frustration. England would lose, and Bell had made a golden duck, albeit one shaded by the strong suspicion of an inside edge to Mitchell Starc's first ball of the match. On a Gabba pitch expected to offer useful pace to work with, Bell's correct method and ability to score off both front and back foot may be critical in allowing England to make enough runs to keep pace with India's blazing top order.

MS Dhoni has committed to batting No. 6 in this series and the World Cup beyond. He seems to be playing without his usual freedom, responsibility weighing heavily on the captain's mind and his choice of shots. Until Ravindra Jadeja is back fit, or Axar Patel shows himself to be a lower-order player of merit, Dhoni will need to strike a better balance between attack and defence than he showed in Melbourne.

Team news

James Anderson is set to return in place of Steven Finn after sitting out England's opener against Australia, while the tourists are set to retain faith in the batting order chosen for the SCG despite an awful start against Starc.

England (possible) 1 Ian Bell, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson

India may keep an unchanged side, given the fact that neither Ishant Sharma nor Jadeja are fully fit and Axar bowled tightly to Australia's middle order.

India (possible) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh Yadav

Pitch and conditions

The Gabba typically offers a fast but even tempered ODI strip, with the added promise of swing in the humid Brisbane air. The surface can occasionally also get a little more lively under lights.

Stats and trivia

• India have defeated England at home and away in their two most recent bilateral ODI series
  
• James Anderson will become the leading wicket-taker in ODI matches between England and India should he claim a trio of victims on Tuesday
  

Quotes

"He's got masses of experience, he's a big part of the dressing room, and can only strengthen our squad. He'll swing it. He's bowled at the death a lot, he's got a lot of skills, and in these conditions, on this wicket, he'll be hard to come up against."
Joe Root is happy to have James Anderson ready to play

"I am not sure about the statistics but I have felt that the openers have been doing a good job. They did well in the Champions Trophy. There will be the odd series here and there where when you are playing the best bowlers in the world in helpful conditions, we will lose the odd wicket. But overall I am quite happy with their performance."
MS Dhoni defends the out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan

Bailey suspended for slow over-rate

Australia's stand-in captain George Bailey has been suspended for Friday's ODI against England in Hobart as a result of Australia's poor over-rate in their win against India at the MCG on Sunday. Steven Smith is likely to make his ODI captaincy debut in Hobart, while the selectors will also be forced to show their hand on their preferred World Cup backup batsman with a replacement needed for Bailey.

Australia finished their 50 overs in the field at 6.16pm on Sunday, which was 26 minutes later than the scheduled innings finish time of 5.50pm. Bailey had been fined for another over-rate offence in an ODI against South Africa in November when he was also captain, and as such a suspension was inevitable when the match referee Andy Pycroft ruled Australia were short against India.

Bailey has been banned for one ODI and fined 20% of his match fee, while his players have been fined 10% of their match fees. Pycroft ruled that Australia was only one over short of its target "when time allowances were taken into consideration". Bailey pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the sanction, so no formal hearing was held.

Perversely, Bailey's suspension might be advantageous for Australia ahead of the World Cup, because the slate is effectively wiped clean on past offences and he does not have a future suspension hanging over his head any longer. Australia's coach Darren Lehmann said he told the players in no uncertain terms after Sunday's win that they had to improve their over-rates.

"You've got three and half hours and it took us three hours 56 I think last night," Lehmann said in Melbourne on Monday. "We bowled too many wides and we were too slow in between overs, and we've got to get better at that.

"I spoke to them quite firmly last night. We don't want that happening. We want to get through our overs and play an up-tempo game and make sure we're entertaining the people who come to watch, in the right time-frame."

Part of the problem for Australia was that spinner Xavier Doherty was dropped and Glenn Maxwell bowled only two overs, meaning 48 were bowled by fast bowlers. Although Bailey as captain is the only player to be suspended because of the issue, batsman David Warner said on Monday morning that all the players were to blame.

"If he ... gets banned for a game, the coach will be very, very unimpressed," Warner said. "Some of us dawdled between overs here and there ... We've got to be better than that. No way in the world should a guy who's captaining his country be suspended for a game. It's our fault."

The selectors are yet to officially declare who will captain Australia against England. However, Smith is the logical candidate after rising to the Test vice-captaincy during the series against India and leading Australia to a series win in the absence of the injured Michael Clarke. A replacement batsman for Bailey will also be needed for Friday's game.

Australia do not currently have a backup batsman in the squad, with allrounder Mitchell Marsh set to play club cricket for Western Suburbs in Sydney this weekend as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. His brother Shaun could be a contender for a call-up, although Cameron White will also be in the mix after a strong Matador Cup campaign.

Whoever gets the call is almost certain to be the player on standby for the World Cup squad should Clarke be ruled out due to injury. Clarke had surgery on his injured hamstring after the first Test against India in December and has been named in the World Cup squad, but he has been given a deadline of Australia's second match against Bangladesh on February 21 to be fit to play.

"Michael is progressing well in his rehab and is currently running on a regular basis and has commenced batting," team physio Alex Kountouris said on Monday. "He was reviewed by the surgeon in Melbourne on Sunday who was very pleased with his progress. He remains on track for a return to play by 21 February, the date we spoke of when the squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup was announced."

Cook's record ton powers England

England 216 for 1 (Cook 136*, Compton 57) trail India 316 (Tendulkar 76, Gambhir 60, Dhoni 52, Panesar 4-90) by 100 runs

Last week, England trounced India on the sort of raging turner MS Dhoni has routinely demanded this season. This week, on the sort of flat track at Eden Gardens where India's batsmen have thrived in the past few years, England delivered a lesson in old-fashioned Test-match batting. The vast opening stand built on the advantage provided by the immaculate bowling on the first day, and by stumps England were at 216 for 1, just 100 behind, and India were looking as flat as the pitch.

The records continued to tumble for Alastair Cook. He now has the most Test centuries for an England batsman, became the youngest batsman to 7000 Test runs, and has five hundreds in five Tests as captain. He also has the most runs by an England captain on an India tour, breaking the 51-year record set by Ted Dexter, who was honoured by the Cricket Association of Bengal at the start of this Test.

Cook was helped by a surface that offered little to the bowlers, a lightning outfield, and by what could prove one of the costliest mistakes of the series - Cheteshwar Pujara, fielding at first slip instead of his usual short leg, had a low chance from Cook but perhaps hindered by the shin pads he had on, couldn't get down in time to clasp it. Cook was on 17 at that stage, and had survived a probing spell from India's quick bowlers.

After that, though, Cook was rarely under pressure. The effortless punches through cover made an appearance, the more powerful cuts were deployed against wide deliveries, and the spinners were attacked early on. In his 151th Test innings, Cook hit only his ninth six, launching R Ashwin, who was again unable to maintain a consistent line and length, over long-on. The sweep was used effectively against the spinners, quick singles were taken, and after a couple of hours of getting properly set, the scoring picked up in the last half hour before tea.

Despite the volume of runs he has made, Cook hasn't made a name as a quick run-getter in Tests, but he scored almost twice as much as his batting partner Nick Compton in their 165-run stand. The dawdling strike-rate didn't bother Compton, who watchfully played out everything thrown at him by the India attack. It was only after he was well set that he brought out some of his strokes, including a down-the-track swipe over Pragyan Ojha's head for six.

With Cook seamlessly taking over the captaincy, and Compton already putting on two 100-plus partnerships for the first wicket, Andrew Strauss has not been missed. Compton brought up his maiden Test half-century with a controlled hook off Ishant Sharma, and with England in command, the only energetic Indians were the ones in the stands entertaining themselves with a series of Mexican waves.

India had been tight with the new ball, hardly giving away anything loose. But as the ball lost its shine, the attack also began to fade. The spinners dropped it short or strayed on leg stump far too often, and the England batsmen regularly took a run after pushing the ball straight to a fielder who was supposed to cut off the single.

Cook cruised to his 23rd Test century, with a paddle-sweep, and Compton also showed his confidence with a field-bisecting on-drive for four to move to 57. The next ball, though, he was adjudged lbw though he seemed to have gloved Ojha while attempting a paddle-sweep. There was no respite for India yet, as Cook continued to find the boundary regularly, and Jonathan Trott coolly moved to an unbeaten 21 as he searched for his first big score of the series.

James Anderson had shown his reverse-swing mastery on the first day, and though India also got the old ball to swerve around a bit, the settled England batsmen weren't troubled by it much. Zaheer Khan's strike-rate for the year ballooned towards 100 (career strike-rate 59.2) and Ishant Sharma, playing his first Test since the Adelaide Test in January, was wicketless again, and his strike-rate this year is now an astonishing 208.

The pair didn't make too much of an impact with the bat either, in the morning. Zaheer, for a change, didn't get out attempting a slog, falling lbw while playing down the wrong line while trying to defend Panesar. It was Ishant, generally seen as a sensible tailender, who was dismissed after failing to get the bat down in time following an uncharacteristically high backlift.

It was left to No. 11 Prgayan Ojha to provide MS Dhoni company, as he added a half-century to his prolific run at Eden Gardens. India were bowled out for 316, at least 100 short of what was considered a good total on a flat track. With Cook still hungry for more, and England's more aggressive batsmen yet to get their chance here, India face another tough day in the field on Friday.

Mumbai memory offers England hope

India's victory in the opening Test in Ahmedabad went perfectly to plan. England capitulated against India's spinners, just as everybody suspected they might, and even Alastair Cook's wonderfully defiant hundred after England followed on had the air of a new Test captain merely delaying the inevitable.
It will all deepen the conviction that India are strong favourites in this four-Test series, poised to avenge their thrashing in England last summer. But Mumbai always has good bounce and urban legend has it that early morning moisture and a final-session sea breeze often keep the seamers interested. England won here in 2006 and, if it was four surprisingly cheap wickets for Shaun Udal's offspin that attracted the attention, India's collapse to 100 all out in their second innings had been sparked by the pace of Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson.

It would be doubly unfortunate for England if they compounded their error in not playing two spinners in Ahmedabad by opting this time for two seamers just when conditions most favoured pace bowling. But as green as the pitch looked on practice day, it is expected to be shaved bare by the start of play. MS Dhoni, unsurprisingly, wants it to spin.

Form guide
India: WWWLL (Completed matches, most recent first)
England: LLDLD
Players to watch
As Sidharth Monga has memorably observed elsewhere, Virender Sehwag would have liked nothing better than to move from 94 Tests to 100 with a six. Instead, he got there in scratchy fashion, with only one half-century in 10 knocks until his career-affirming hundred in Ahmedabad. No Test batsman performs more audaciously or with such an uncluttered method. Attention will be on him even more than usual.
For England, much attention will be focused on Monty Panesar, whose left-arm spin is now seen as their route back into the series. It is hard to imagine a surface in his career that demanded his selection more than Ahmedabad or a time in his career - with tours in the UAE, Sri Lanka and now India - when he should have been more in demand, yet the reality is only three Tests in more than three years and a career that has stalled since the emergence of Graeme Swann.

Pitch and conditions
Will the Test pitch last the course? Three weeks ago Mumbai played Railways on the same surface, encouragement for Sachin Tendulkar, who warmed up with a century, and even more so for India's spinners who can anticipate residual wear.
Team news
England will surely play Panesar alongside Graeme Swann, while there will be a new face in the middle-order, with Ian Bell returning home on paternity leave. Stuart Broad's illness could also open up a fast-bowling position. For the hosts, Umesh Yadav's bad back is likely to hand Ishant Sharma a recall. India's spinners, Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin, can anticipate no let-up in their workload.

India (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Ishant Sharma

England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Samit Patel, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Monty Panesar

Stats and trivia
England have never lost more than eight Tests in a calendar year. Already this year they have lost seven - and they have three Tests to play.
Panesar is expected to return to the scene of one of his greatest fielding escapades - in Mumbai six years ago, he badly missed MS Dhoni at long-off, the ball landing several yards away, before catching a similar opportunity in the same spot minutes later.
England won in Mumbai in 2006 to the tune of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire", the dressing room song championed by the captain at the time, Andrew Flintoff.
Harbhajan Singh's 22 wickets at the Wankhede have come at less than 20 runs each.
In the last Test at the Wankhede - India v West Indies last November - the match finished as a draw with scores level, only the second such occasion in Test history.
Quotes
"If it does not turn I can come and criticise once again."
MS Dhoni, India's captain, who criticised the Motera pitch for not turning from the outset, continues his campaign in Mumbai.
"I'm not concerned at the reaction of some players. I am concerned about the last game, and that we learn from that, and I'm concerned that we improve on the field." "
Alastair Cook, England's captain, makes the light of Broad's apparent siege mentality after another defeat on Asian pitches.

No. 10 Abul Hasan's debut ton revives Bangladesh

Bangladesh 365 for 8 (Abul 100*, Mahmudullah 72*, Nasir 52, Edwards 5-81) v West Indies

West Indies bulldozed through the first eight Bangladesh wickets on a flat, low and slow Khulna pitch. In came debutant Abul Hasan, all of 20, and proceeded to do something that had been done only once before in 2059 previous Tests dating back to 1877, by Reggie Duff over a century ago in 1902. Abul, who goes around as a fast bowler, became only the second Test debutant to make a hundred at No. 10. Abul's incredible innings, and his record unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 172 with Mahmudullah, himself on 72, rescued Bangladesh from 193 for 8, and left honours even on day one.

The cluelessness of being a debutant No. 10, if any, was restricted to the first four deliveries of Abul's knock, and a few scattered nervy moments against the second new ball as he approached his hundred. Barring those, the innings was a fresh breeze of audacious boundaries, and sensible defending, which blew the spotlight away from the continuing inadequacies of the specialist Bangladesh batsmen.

He was beaten four successive times at the start by Fidel Edwards, who had come in for the injured Ravi Rampaul to take five wickets before being upstaged by Abul. The fifth delivery was timed neatly down the ground for three runs, and Abul was a changed man thereafter.

Fast bowlers were pulled and driven with panache, a medium-pacer was charged and lofted, spinners were slog-swept and cut, and all of them were defended against solidly. He even ensured a part-timer was taken for runs when he hit Marlon Samuels for three fours in an over. Soon, he was dancing out and heaving Darren Sammy for six over long-off to go past fifty.
It would be an understatement to say the assault left West Indies stunned. Coming towards the end of a hard toil on an unresponsive pitch, it gave them no time to regroup. Every delivery and everyone went for runs. Sammy was caught between going for the remaining two wickets and setting fields to plug the torrent of runs. Abul eventually forced him to set defensive fields.

It was a largely chanceless innings; he was put down once, on 42, at forward short leg off Veerasammy Permaul, who made three attempts at the catch but could not hold on. The second new ball was taken when Abul was on 84. He responded by a couple of blind charges at Edwards' short deliveries, and was fortunate not to get hit.

Abul's recovery against Edwards showed the kind of touch he was in. He coolly made room to a short of a length delivery and punched it past point for four. Some more tense moments against Edwards followed, but Abul broke into a roar after a tuck to leg for two off Sunil Narine, whose returns for this series now stand at 3 for 295.

Mahmudullah's contribution was not far behind. He let the man of the day go about his business, and motored along without fuss. He didn't try to match Abul for spectacle, although he did come close in terms of strokeplay, the highlight being a charge-and-whip off Narine which raced through square leg, and a short-arm controlled pull through midwicket off Edwards.

The ninth-wicket partnership was already Bangladesh's highest, and also the fourth-highest ever in Tests. Not even the staunchest Bangladesh supporters who had filled the stands in Khulna could have hoped for a better opening day's play at Test cricket's latest, and 107th venue, especially after the struggles of the specialist batsmen.

In each of the first two sessions, Bangladesh were jolted early. In each session, they fought back. And in each session, with depressing familiarity, they also gave away whatever ground they had regained. The result was that despite Bangladesh's best batsman, Tamim Iqbal, batting nearly two hours, and Nasir Hossain counter-attacking with a fifty, it was West Indies who dominated.

In Tamim's defence, he had at least fallen trying to preserve his wicket close to lunch. Nasir's brain fade came moments before tea, when he charged at Permaul and lofted him straight to mid-on. Till then, Nasir had batted with the confidence he had shown in Mirpur against the West Indies spinners.

After Edwards had dismissed Shakib Al Hasan and Naeem Islam in successive overs after lunch, Nasir and Mushfiqur Rahim put on 87 for the sixth wicket in quick time. From 98 for 5 to 185 for 5 had been a swift mini-recovery, but even as the crowd's hopes rose and tea beckoned, Nasir blew it.

Proceedings had been similar in the morning. West Indies started with the tactic that had won them the Mirpur Test - a barrage of short balls - but soon realised the pitch had hardly any life for the gambit to sustain for long. Sammy focussed on the old-fashioned and unglamorous strategy of sticking to one line outside off stump, varied his angle, and reaped the rewards. He broke a growing second-wicket stand by removing Shahriar Nafees, and then took the big wicket of Tamim.

Sammy's strikes won West Indies a session that seemed to be slipping away from them. Tamim and Nafees had several close moments against the short ball, with a few fends carrying over the infield, but soon settled down to play the pull effectively.

Edwards, moving the old ball at pace, was in business early in all the three sessions but no one had reckoned for Abul.

Ojha, Pujara secure crushing India win

India 521 for 8 dec (Pujara 206*, Sehwag 117, Swann 5-144) and 80 for 1 (Pujara 41*) beat England 191 (Ojha 5-45) and 406 (Cook 176, Prior 91, Ojha 4-120) by nine wickets

India went 1-0 up in the Test series with three to play when they rolled over England on the final day at Motera, taking the last five wickets by lunch to leave themselves needing only 77 for victory and then gambolling to victory with almost indecent haste in less than 16 overs. India can congratulate themselves on engineering a perfect victory; England must embrace change.

India had to labour long and hard to bowl out England a second time, spending ten-and-a-quarter hours in the field, but when they batted again, it was a breeze as Virender Sehwag and Cheteshwar Pujara unveiled a succession of unrestrained attacking shots that made a mockery of England's painstaking attempts to save the Test.

Sehwag, a batsman who knows no fear, and who clearly could not care less whether he added a bit of red ink to a formidable Test record, was caught on the boundary trying to hit Graeme Swann for six, but Pujara, whose sterling double hundred in the first innings had been the cornerstone of India's victory, sallied on. He looks to be a formidable young player.

One sublime piece of footwork by Pujara, as he advanced to drive Swann through extra cover, was better than anything produced by England in the Test, a reminder that as staunchly as Cook and Prior resisted, they will need a more enlightened approach in the field and in their selection to force their way back into the series in the final three Tests.

On another still, blue morning in Ahmedabad, Pragyan Ojha claimed the key wickets of Cook and Prior as he found more turn than India's spinners had managed on the previous day. Ojha took 4 for 120, to finish with 9 for 165 in the match.

Cook had organised epic resistance after England had followed on, 330 behind, but India's resolve was reborn after a night's rest and when he was seventh out, beaten by sharp turn and low bounce, the game immediately looked up.

Matt Prior and Cook had joined forces in a sixth-wicket stand which had given England a 10-run lead overnight and stirred tentative hopes among their supporters that they might save the game.

But they added only 16 runs to their overnight score before Prior was out in the 10th over of the morning, pushing too early at a nondescript delivery from Ojha that presumably held on to the surface and offering a simple return catch. They had put on 157 runs in 61 overs.

Cook's innings spanned more than nine hours, one of the greatest rearguard innings ever produced by an England captain, but while it had led England from a sense of despair after their first-innings collapse it looked unlikely to spare them from defeat as, four overs after Prior, he too fell.

Broad's batting has become a liability, the belief that he offers extra depth to England's lower order resting on a reputation no longer backed up by statistics. He provided a second return catch of the morning, a wooden push at Umesh Yadav off the leading edge.

India's anxiety to force victory in a game they had dominated from the outset was evident. As Broad shadow-practised the shot and patted down some damage to the pitch, Ojha, his passions overflowing, sensed that he was trying to damage the surface for England's bowlers and gave him a send-off intense enough for the umpires to intervene to calm things down.

Prior had taken guard outside his crease to nullify the roughest areas and Swann took that to further extremes, standing a good yard beyond the line. India, apparently, were not impressed by the tactic, suspecting foul play and an attempt to make the surface disintegrate.

At eight down, with more than two sessions remaining, England's cause required not just blocking, but something extraordinary. Swann's ambitions were clear when he slog-swept Ojha for six, but a switch hit against R Ashwin had a more calamitous outcome as the ball was too full and his middle stump was flattened. Ashwin, who had taken his first wicket in his 43rd over, on a slow turner that had brought him little sustenance, must have been grateful.

Tim Bresnan, who was lectured by Aleem Dar, the umpire, for running on the pitch, followed in the next over, pushing a driveable ball from Zaheer Khan to short extra. India were almost home.

Sehwag century and Pujara give India control

India 323 for 4 (Pujara 98*, Yuvraj 24*, Swann 4-82) v England

Welcome to India. The greeting came from Virender Sehwag and, this being Sehwag, rather than scatter rose petals on the bed he scattered England fielders in all directions with a buccaneering century which brought a rousing start to the opening Test in Ahmedabad. This being India, where Test cricket no longer draws the crowds, there were only a few thousand in the stadium to watch it.

That England recovered some ground by the close of the first day was almost entirely due to Graeme Swann, who, as their only specialist spinner on a chronically slow surface, bore an onerous responsibility and took all four Indian wickets to fall. In the process he passed Jim Laker as the most successful England offspinner in history. Roughly half of them have been left-handers, an advantage Laker never enjoyed in an era when lefties were in shorter supply.

Only Swann, late in his innings, was able to stem Sehwag's progress as he struck a run-a-ball 117, his first Test century for two years. It was a strange first session, dominated by Sehwag, who was adventuresome but far from explosive. His innings was typically more reliant upon eye than footwork as he manipulated the ball with disdain, drove at an excess of wide deliveries and defended only as an afterthought.

He is a character cricketer in the manner of Chris Gayle or Kevin Pietersen, an unconventional batsman with a commanding presence and a style all of his own and, at 34, especially on low, ponderous pitches such as these, he is not quite done yet.

Swann's wickets served to strengthen the conviction that England had erred in omitting a second specialist spinner in Monty Panesar. This is a virgin surface, of lower clay content and with no time to bed down, which threatens to drive the pace bowlers to distraction and turn sharply as the Test progresses. Doubts about Stuart Broad's fitness will have made England especially reluctant to field only two fast bowlers and they will wave all manner of statistics to support their selection but the evidence of the game was against them.

Swann's success was in strict contrast to the mood elsewhere. The only impression England's pace bowlers made was on the footholds. Anderson was wearing his worried expression, his new-ball spell limited to four overs. Broad stubbornly dug balls into an unsympathetic surface, saw them bounce no higher than the top of the stumps and looked at them quizzically as if he could stare it into behaving differently. Tim Bresnan went at nearly six an over. It was a huge toss for India to win.

By lunch, at slip, Alastair Cook pondered whether his elevation to the Test captaincy really was a good idea after all. By the close, Swann had reminded him that in a four-Test series Sehwag's assault was merely the beginning, but a trial by spin still awaits England.

Gautam Gambhir was Swann's first victim after an opening stand of 134 in 30 overs, bowled trying to fashion one of his high-risk carves through point and beaten by a hint of turn and weary bounce. Sehwag had briefly fallen into contemplative mood in mid-afternoon, as if recovering energy for his next assault, when he was bowled, sweeping.

Swann's third wicket the most remarkable of all, that of Sachin Tendulkar who lofted to deep midwicket in an extraordinarily misconceived manner only a few minutes before tea. Finally, Virat Kohli, who had played circumspectly, was deceived in the flight and bowled through the gate.

Smart stats Virender Sehwag's century is his 23rd in Tests and his 13th in home matches. Only Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid have scored more centuries in India. The century opening stand is the first for India since the Centurion Test in 2010. In 20 innings in between, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir aggregated 605 runs at an average of 30.25. The century opening stand is only the third for India in the match first innings against England. It is also the second century stand between Sehwag and Gambhir in home Tests against England after the 117-run stand in Chennai in 2008. This is the sixth century that Sehwag has scored at a strike rate of 100 or more. In matches since 1990, only Adam Gilchrist has done so more often (7 times). Gambhir has now been dismissed six times by Graeme Swann in six matches. No other bowler has dismissed Gambhir as often as Swann. Swann is now behind only Derek Underwood on the list of most successful England spinners after going past Jim Laker's tally of 193 wickets.

A Gujarati hero emerged for the crowd to applaud. Cheteshwar Pujara, upright and accomplished, was two runs short of his second Test century by the close and looked a convincing replacement for Rahul Dravid in an understated innings, showing a collected manner and good timing. But he needed a let-off on 8 as his gentle leading edge against Bresnan was misjudged by James Anderson, who ran in too far at mid-on.

England spurned three other opportunities. Sehwag was dropped on 80, glancing Anderson, whereupon Matt Prior spilled a difficult chance and Prior also missed a stumping against Gambhir. The most embarrassing drop, though, belonged to Jonathan Trott, who fluffed a slip catch off Swann from Kohli and rolled the ball into the turf before shamelessly claiming the catch in a slightly perplexed manner. The umpires sought replays; for Trott they did not look good.

Gambhir and Sehwag had been an alliance in decline, and fleetingly there were hints of vulnerability, but these were not conditions to ask questions of defensive technique. Gambhir had proclaimed before the match that they were the best opening duo in the country and few would find much cause to question that as India sailed to 120 without loss by lunch. It was their first century opening partnership since India faced South Africa in Centurion in 2010.

Sehwag spoke of playing watchfully,and met by a deep point, he did glide regularly to third man, but his 50 still came in only 45 balls and by lunch he had 79 from 66 with 12 fours and a six. England's pace attack strayed wide too often and runs came at a tempo that Test cricket rarely sees: 50 by the 12th over; 100 by the 20th. Sehwag possessed a hunched, insouciant air that suggested the match was of little consequence and he was just having a bit of a bash.

England calculated that the ball might reverse for Bresnan, as it did as early as the ninth over in a warm-up match on the adjacent B ground, but Bresnan had a dispiriting day, never worse than when Sehwag took him for 4-4-6 in his sixth over, the second boundary, a drag through mid-on against a ball that crept past the fielder verging on the insulting; the six over wide long-on that followed, a full swing at a length ball.

India have never lost a Test at home after beginning with a century stand. That statistic tells England that their chances are already slim. It was all a long way from England's domination of India in English conditions last summer.

Spin the focus in series opener

Match facts
November 15-19, 2012
Start time 09:30 local (04:00 GMT)


Big Picture
To most, if not all, Indian players involved in the 4-0 drubbing that culminated at The Oval last August, the countdown to this Test series would have started long ago. The then No.1 Test team wasn't supposed to be whitewashed and yet it was, in a humiliating manner, prompting Geoff Boycott to comment bluntly that India were playing like Bangladesh in disguise.

The word "revenge" hasn't escaped many ever since. Players like Gautam Gambhir, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli may have stopped short of using the word, but in media interactions over the last year, all three have backed producing rank turners at home to give India a distinct advantage. There's nothing wrong in playing to your strengths, but in this case it can be seen as a defensive ploy, as a quick patch-up job to fix a deep crater in India's recent Test record. It's a similar scenario to the early 90s when, after two poor tours to Australia and South Africa, India ruthlessly unleashed three spinners at home and swept all three Tests against England in 1993. The short-terms gains were obvious, but it couldn't mask the fact that India were still abysmal tourists for more than a decade. India don't tour for a Test series till 2013, but if their overseas record doesn't improve, series wins at home in the interim will be forgotten.

India are unlikely to repeat the tactic in Ahmedabad, as Dhoni said on the eve of the game. Nevertheless, spin will be the focus - not just how the England batsman will fare, but also how India's misfiring line-up can get on top of their own conditions. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are still due for big scores, but won't find it easy against a quality attack which has a world-class spinner in Graeme Swann. Sachin Tendulkar's defence is not as watertight as it used to be. The No. 6 position is still a revolving door and Yuvraj Singh needs time to finally make the position his own. A one-sided turning pitch could make the fast bowlers redundant. Zaheer Khan is a shadow of his former self and it won't do him any good if he is reduced to a containing bowler supporting the spinners. The more India gains out of his experienced hands at the start of the series, the better.

For England, the rude shocks of the UAE Tests against Pakistan and the home series defeat to South Africa still linger. They arrived in India with ample time to fit in three warm-ups, a rarity in an era when most touring teams struggle to fit in even one practice game. That England asked for three, itself shows that they value Test success highly. The Ashes might be the pinnacle, but subcontinent success is a close second. Since 2000, they've had series victories in Sri Lanka and Pakistan but India has eluded them since 1984-85. Still, there was some discontent regarding the quality of opposition in two of those tour games. Spinners were apparently deliberately kept away, so the tourists don't have enough of a sighting once the Tests get underway.

Though they failed to push for a victory even against Haryana and a second-string Mumbai - not the strongest domestic sides - there were positives. Four of their top six scored centuries and some looked to be positive against the turning ball early in the innings by using their feet. Pitches aside, the time spent in India so far would have at least helped acclimatise to the weather.

Form guide
India: WWLLL (Completed matches, most recent first)
England: LDLDW

Players to watch
For all the fuss and drama over Kevin Pietersen's breakdown in relations with England in August, England didn't have his services for only one Test. And they did miss him. Following his Headingley heroics, they headed to Lord's and conceded the series to South Africa. Dhoni said he was "200%" sure Pietersen would return for the India tour. Water has flown under the bridge between him and his team-mates and players say he has been his jovial self all tour. His prowess against spin will be crucial. Rewind to England's Colombo Test in April this year - it was his counter-attacking century that helped England fight back and level the Test series. And he can use his pads with greater freedom, without the threat of DRS at the back of his mind.

England have yet to face India's frontline spinners, R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha, with the red ball. They rolled New Zealand over with 18 and 13 wickets respectively in the two-Test series in August and though they may not evoke as much fear as Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in their prime, they can be formidable against the best Test sides in home conditions. Dhoni sees Ashwin as the attacking option, capable of tossing it up and bringing out his variations, and Ojha as the containing bowler capable of restrictive lines. That Ojha was given the new ball against New Zealand shows his captain's faith in him. For England, Ashwin and Ojha represent the unknown elements.

Pitch and conditions
The pitch at Motera was re-laid as recently as September, and contains a greater percentage of sand and a different type of clay (field clay rather than pond clay). It hasn't been tested over a period of time and nobody is quite sure how it will play. Dhoni said it looked dry and will break up as the match progresses, giving the spinners more assistance. From that description, it shouldn't be too different from the typical Indian pitch.

Team news
Ishant Sharma was down with a viral infection and was all but ruled out of contention. Either way, India are unlikely to field three seamers and Zaheer and Umesh Yadav remain the first choice. Yuvraj Singh is expected to bat at No. 6, with Suresh Raina not considered for the first two Tests.

India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Pragyan Ojha

Steven Finn was ruled out after the England management decided not to risk a half-fit fast bowler in testing conditions. However, Stuart Broad is set to play after recovering from a bruised heel, though he has bowled just 10 warm-up overs on tour. Tim Bresnan is likely to replace Finn, but that spot could also go to Monty Panesar, if England choose to go with two spinners. Nick Compton is certain to debut, as Cook's opening partner.

England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Samit Patel, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Tim Bresnan / Monty Panesar, 10 Graeme Swann 11 James Anderson

Stats and trivia

England are among only two visiting teams to beat India in a Test match at home since 2006, the other being South Africa.

England have played only one Test in Ahmedabad, drawing the game in 2001.

Since 2006, seamers have taken 45 wickets while spinners have accounted for 33 in Ahmedabad.

Quotes
"When we go on the field there will be a red ball and there will be two teams, so you can name it whatever you want."
MS Dhoni when asked if India are looking at this as a 'revenge' series

"What I don't want to change is his confidence, or his swagger when he bats, because that's what has made him such a great player."
Alastair Cook on Kevin Pietersen

Clarke, Cowan and Hussey dominate SA

Australia 4 for 487 (Clarke 218*, Cowan 136, Hussey 86*, Morkel 2-109) lead South Africa 450 by 37 runs

On the same afternoon Australia rejoiced the confirmation of Ed Cowan as a genuine Test opening batsman, their prolific captain Michael Clarke squeezed South Africa with a merciless unbeaten 218* to give his side the psychological and tactical high ground after four days of the first Test.

Graeme Smith's side began the day in search of quick wickets to press for victory in Brisbane, but a first Test century of high accomplishment by Cowan smoothed the path for Clarke and Michael Hussey to run the tourists ragged in the final session. Australia piled up 181 runs after tea to close on 4 for 487, a lead of 37 with another extended day's play to follow.

Clarke's innings grew in command with every hour, and maintained his outstanding record of performance since assuming the national captaincy. His third Test score beyond 200 in 2012 made Clarke one of only three batsman to achieve the feat, joining Sir Donald Bradman and Ricky Ponting. Rare company indeed.

Cowan was considered by some to be under some pressure for his place entering this match, though the national selector John Inverarity had been highly supportive. That faith proved well founded, for Cowan produced exactly the sort of innings the team required. Scoring within his favoured zones and showing sound judgement of when to defend, this was a major step in Cowan's career, and also a poignant achievement a year to the day since the death of his mentor, Peter Roebuck.

Hussey's innings demonstrated how destructive his batting can be when runs are behind him, and in his busy running and pure driving he pushed tiring opponents to their limits. Before the series Inverarity had hoped Hussey was "due" for a strong series against South Africa after several poor ones, and he has made the ideal start.

The defusing of the touring bowlers was a tonic for the rest of Australia's batsmen, and the contempt with which they were treated at the finish by Clarke and Hussey will be sobering for Smith. Rory Kleinveldt and Vernon Philander gave up 19 no-balls between them, the latter's bowling notably nobbled on perhaps the flattest Test surface he has seen on so far. Steyn threatened intermittently, and Morkel's bounce did not diminish, but the employment of Smith and Hashim Amla as modest spinners conveyed a lack of variety in South Africa's attack.

In responding aggressively to a perilous position the night before, Cowan and Clarke had tilted momentum their way even before they emerged on the fourth morning. But they had to fight to build on that advantage early on. After a brief early flurry, runs came steadily rather than swiftly, Cowan pushing singles while Clarke punched a pair of delectable straight drives back past Steyn in between leaving plenty of deliveries wide of off stump.

Cowan had an uncomfortable moment when he cuffed past the stumps and down to the fine leg boundary while trying to leave Steyn, and Clarke was twice the beneficiary of good fortune when his unconvincing attempts at a sort of half-pull shot lobbed into the air but out of the reach of fielders.

Clarke looked ungainly against the short ball on more than one occasion, once taking his eye off a Steyn bouncer and gloving into the space between the stumps and the slips cordon. But he prospered in other areas, playing with a restraint that showed self-awareness of how important his wicket has become for Australia.

As the adjournment ticked closer Cowan reached the outskirts of a century, gaining four runs when the umpire Asad Rauf failed to detect Morkel's bouncer had skimmed straight off the batsman's helmet. He would go to the interval two runs short of a hundred, but happy to wait.

On resumption Cowan did not take long to gather those runs, pulling Philander powerfully to midwicket to pass three figures. His celebration was ebullient, but he also collected himself pointedly at the end of the over, regathering his focus to resume the task. At the other end Clarke had further troubles with the short ball, but unfurled a pair of crisp drives to close on his own century.

He reached the mark with a hurried single to backward point, and raised his bat for the sixth time since becoming Test captain and the second time in as many Gabba Tests. Clarke and Cowan's stand had by this time become the highest for the fourth wicket in all Tests between Australia and South Africa, blunting a visiting attack that had looked so daunting at the start of the innings.

Having seen off the second new ball, Cowan was dropped at fine leg when Steyn's path to the catch was distracted somewhat by Alviro Petersen's convergence. Ultimately Cowan would would not perish at the hand of any bowler. Instead was run-out at the non-striker's end when Steyn deflected a Clarke drive onto the stumps - Cowan's penchant for backing up a long way reducing his chances of getting back in time. That dismissal brought Hussey to the crease, and he had a couple of nervy moments against Morkel before tea arrived.

There would be a few more plays and misses in the final session, but they were rare moments of consolation for South Africa as Hussey and Clarke streaked away. Hussey's cover driving was a particular highlight, while Clarke reached his double century with another pristine straight drive. By the close a draw was the most likely result, but Clarke, Cowan and Hussey had ensured that it will be the South Africans more likely to be sweating.

Advantage South Africa after hosts' top order stumbles

Australia 3 for 111 (Cowan 49*, Morkel 2-25) trail South Africa 450 (Kallis 147, Amla 104, Pattinson 3-93) by 339 runs

Jacques Kallis proved hard to dislodge once again, going on to make 147

A day that meandered through its first two sessions after the fashion of South Africa's batsmen became positively lively as Australia's batsmen first stumbled then counter-attacked against Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

The vulnerability of the Australian top three had been widely noted, and they were guaranteed a torrid introduction to this series from the moment Ben Hilfenhaus deigned to pitch repeatedly short when bowling to his opposite numbers.

Replying to 450, a tally reached with less aggressive intent than might have been expected after the second day was lost completely to rain, Australia were in all kinds of bother at 3 for 40 as Steyn and Morkel took advantage of flawed judgement from David Warner, the debutant Rob Quiney and Ricky Ponting. But the opener Ed Cowan and the captain Michael Clarke then responded to their adverse circumstances with plenty of verve, ensuring an unhappy entry to Test bowling for Rory Kleinveldt and leaving the hosts in better shape at 3 for 111 when stumps arrived.

They had one major reprieve in the day's penultimate over when Cowan's glove tickled a Morkel delivery angled down the leg side from around the wicket. The umpire Asad Rauf was not convinced by South Africa's appeal, and their referral of the decision failed to pass the first hurdle when the third umpire Richard Kettleborough deduced a no-ball. It was a desperately close call, and may yet prove a critical one for Cowan and Australia.

South Africa had earlier had a chance to shut out Australia from the match, but from an imposing 3 for 374, the visitors had lost 6 for 76 in the face of improved bowling. Jacques Kallis' innings was astute and efficient until its final ball, but his departure stripped South Africa of the batsman who struck the best balance between attack and defence. AB de Villiers, Jacques Rudolph and Vernon Philander all soaked up a lot of balls for few runs, allowing Australia to feel more confident of their bowling even as the tally crept towards 450.

Facing up to a second new ball that had been due since Friday, Hashim Amla and Kallis began carefully, as Hilfenhaus and James Pattinson found a far better length than they had on the first morning. Amla was particularly reserved, but on 99 lashed out at Pattinson and the boundary sliced through gully had him saluting a third hundred against Australia in as many Tests.

Amla's celebration was muted, his intent to go well beyond the century mark, but on 104 Siddle pinned him on the crease with a delivery seaming back. Australia's appeal was beseeching, Rauf's finger was raised, and Amla exited without calling for a review. Had he done so, the decision would have been reversed, as ball tracking showed a path going over the stumps after Amla was struck on the knee roll.

Kallis reached his century by pushing Hilfenhaus through midwicket, and continued to bat with unhurried insouciance. At one point he shaped to avoid a Pattinson bouncer before waving his bat at it as he crouched, but it was a rare lapse. Nathan Lyon delivered a teasing spell in the 45 minutes up to lunch, finding turn as well as bounce, and encouraged Clarke to keep him on for an extended residency through the afternoon.

Kallis' progress to 150 seemed straightforward when the day resumed, until Pattinson extracted some extra bounce to force an airborne forcing stroke that skewed to an alert Rob Quiney at gully. In his next over Pattinson struck again, de Villiers playing another over-eager forcing stroke that was pouched at point by David Warner.

Rudolph and Philander then engaged in a diffident partnership that reaped only 26 runs in a little more than 12 overs, leaving many to wonder what South Africa's innings goal had become. Philander ultimately fenced at Peter Siddle and snicked the first slips catch of the match, before Rudolph was done in the air by Lyon and collected at cover.

Steyn might have joined them in falling lbw, but unlike Amla his decision to refer Rauf's verdict from Hilfenhaus' bowling found the ball passing well over the top of the stumps. His and Morkel's exits after tea followed a lively 15 minutes in which Kleinveldt struck a pair of sixes and Hilfenhaus did his best to discomfort South Africa's spearheads.

He peppered Steyn with short balls, including one that struck him a painful blow on his bowling shoulder. Morkel received similar treatment, and it was soon apparent that this passage had largely served to add fire - if any more was needed - to the South African bowlers.

Presented with a little less than a session to bat, Australia's initial response was poor. Warner never convinced, as he could make very little of his first few deliveries from Philander before pushing at a swift Steyn offering angled across him and edging into the slips cordon. Quiney's first ball brought an unflustered pull shot, but his second brought an edge at catchable height through a vacant fourth slip, and his reluctance to let the ball go was clear.

Morkel was brought on for Philander, and in his first over Quiney hooked unwisely, arrowing a catch to Steyn on the fine leg rope. Steyn tossed the ball in the air while he ensured he would not step over the boundary, and completed the catch before pumping his fist as though the wicket was his own.

Ponting's stay was briefest of all. Pushing out firmly at a Morkel delivery that could have been left alone, he offered a chance happily accepted by Kallis to drop Australia to 3 for 40. It was the sort of scoreline that had threatened to come to pass given the fragility of the hosts' batting, and had Clarke in to face a still-new ball despite his reluctance to expose himself to it at No. 3.

Through this period Australia's major source of sustenance came from Cowan. A target of much speculation before the match, he showed a simple but effective method, leaving the ball well, eschewing front-foot drives and leaning heavily on the pull and cut strokes. He showed a better balance between attack and defence than he managed at times in his first seven Tests, taking a particular liking to Kleinveldt's shortish length, and showed himself capable of matching wits with the bowlers who had so inconvenienced the rest of the top four.