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Scorecard
 Adelaide,
Dec 15: Ajit Agarkar produced career-best figures as
India's threadbare bowling attack plotted a rare
Australian batting debacle to put themselves within the
reach of a historic win as the second cricket Test took a
dramatic turn here today. After conceding a 33-run first
innings lead, the wiry Agarkar scalped six wickets to
bundle out the much-vaunted Australian batting line-up for
196 in their second innings to completely change the
complexion of the game on an absorbing fourth day.
The
Indians were left with a target of 230 runs for recording
a Test win on the Australian soil after a gap of 22 years,
but may find the going tough on the wearing track at the
Adelaide Oval. The Indians tightened the noose by coasting
to a comfortable 37 for no loss with openers Virender
Sehwag (25) and Aakash Chopra (10) at the crease when
stumps were drawn for the day.
 The
reliable Rahul Dravid rewrote the record books by
registering the highest score by an Indian overseas with
his career-best 233 before Agarkar took centrestage with
figures of 16.2-2-41-6 to tilt the scale in India's favour.
Dravid, unconquered on 199 overnight, continued to torment
the hosts as he shielded his tail-end teammates to take
India to 523 in their first innings, a tremendous fight
back after being 85 for four at one stage.
The
Aussies could never really recover from the early jolts to
be skittled out in 56.2 overs towards the end of the day
with Adam Gilchrist (43) and Steve Waugh (42) being the
notable scorers. The Indians, who had last won a Test
match on Australian soil in 1980-81, were helped to some
extent by some poor shot selection by the Australian
batsmen. Agarkar managed to obtain some swing in the
initial overs and drew the first blood by getting rid of
Justin Langer with a gem of a delivery, which trapped the
right-hander plumb in front of the wicket.
The
Mumbai speedster struck again two overs later by evicting
the dangerous Ricky Ponting who was caught by Aakash
Chopra to leave the hosts gasping at 18 for two. Ashish
Nehra was rewarded with a wicket in his very first over by
removing the in-form Matthew Hayden who mistimed his drive
to see Sehwag pull off a spectacular catch at mid on much
to the delight of his teammates. Damien Martyn and captain
Steve Waugh tried to steady the ship by playing cautiously
against the Indian bowlers who got some assistance from
the track.
The
fourth wicket pair took the score to 109 before part-time
bowler Sachin Tendulkar helped the visitors to bounce back
again by sending back Martyn (38) and Waugh (42) in quick
succession just before the tea break. The hard-hitting
Adam Gilchrist tried to launch a valiant counter attack
and almost succeeded. He clobbered two sixes, including a
pulled six off Tendulkar, and four boundaries during his
45-ball 43.
 But
Gilchrist prospered only because Parthiv Patel messed up
an easy stumping opportunity off Anil Kumble when he had
scored just 13. The left-hander was deceived by an
incoming delivery from Kumble as he danced down the wicket
but the young Patel failed to collect the ball cleanly.
His belated attempt to whip off the bails gave Gilchrist
time to regain the crease. Kumble, however, had the last
laugh when he bowled Gilchrist for his only scalp of the
innings.
The
departure of Gilchrist virtually opened up the floodgates
as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals and the
hosts lost the last five wickets in the space of 13 runs.
Agarkar, who claimed two wickets in his first spell,
ripped through the late-order batting snapping up four
wickets while conceding just four runs to bring the
Australian innings to a rather abrupt end. His second
spell began by sending back Simon Katich for 32 and then
accounted for Andy Bichel (1), Jason Gillespie (3) and
Stuart MacGill (1) to notch up his career-best figures.
Earlier,
India resumed at their overnight score of 477 for seven
and were all out for 523 but not before Dravid had
accomplished some cherished long-standing records with his
career-best knock of 233. Dravid, whose three of the last
four centuries have been double tons, began the day on 199
and cut the first delivery from Stuart MacGill past point
for four to raise his double century. The vice-captain
then slammed a delivery from Gillespie to the cover
boundary to go past Ravi Shastri's 13-year-old record of
206 runs -- the highest ever made by an Indian in
Australia.
Dravid
looked in an unrelenting mood as a little later he flicked
MacGill past square leg for a single to go to 222 and
surpass Sunil Gavaskar's record of the highest ever score
by an Indian on foreign soil. Dravid today did not try to
shield his partner Kumble like he had done last evening.
Kumble progressed to 12 before MacGill trapped him leg
before wicket. MacGill also took a brilliant return catch
against Irfan Pathan who managed to make his first
international Test run before his dismissal.
Dravid
did try to shield last man Ashish Nehra in the hope of
stretching the Indian total a little further but in trying
to do that, mistimed a hook off Gillespie to be caught by
Andy Bichel. Dravid batted for 594 minutes and faced 446
balls hitting 23 fours and a six. (Agencies) Scorecard
Published:
Friday, December 15, 2003
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