Distant dream a night away

If Simon Katich feels bad about falling one run short of another century against India, he will sleep easy in the knowledge that the team is right on top. The only question facing Gilchrist is when to declare; a chasing total of 600 an hour after lunch could be the perfect time.

Thursday began as a kind of action replay of the previous day’s cricket. First the Indian tail folded up without a fight, falling to Jason Gillespie — a five-wicket haul — and McGrath in the first session with the new ball. The only silver lining for India was another half-century from Kaif to lend the score some respectability.

As expected, Australia refrained from enforcing the follow-on and came out to bat. It wasn’t the expected onslaught; the openers seemed to be playing well within themselves, yet another sign that they’d learnt past lessons.

Indeed, for one short spell after lunch — 34 minutes, 7.1 overs — Australia went runless, a rare phenomenon in recent times. Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar, it seemed, were finally striking up a nice little jugalbandi.

Creating pressure with tight bowling around the off-stump, interspersed with excellent deliveries which rose from a length, Zaheer and Agarkar kept Simon Katich and Justin Langer rooted to their respective ends.

But that’s where Australia showed their class. A similar spell yesterday from McGrath and Gillespie saw Indian wickets fall. The Australian batsmen, on the other hand, simply played with an unnatural patience, secure in the knowledge that sooner or later India would blink first.

And Katich’s first scoring shot, a straight drive down the ground off Zaheer, opened the floodgates. He was not going to miss out on the cushion of a lead and just laid into India’s limited bowling.

Limited because after Zaheer and Agarkar there was no seam support. Kumble was brought on in the 12th over and Sachin Tendulkar tried out his slow seamers, but it was clear that on a true pitch India were missing Irfan Pathan.

in the event, Katich and Langer feasted on Kumble and Murali Kartik, upping the ante when it seemed there would be a repeat of Wednesday’s afternoon session and went in for tea at 87/1. As the shadows lengthened, Katich continued to torment the Indians and did not want to miss out on a Test hundred.

With the lead swelling, and the Indians staring down both barrels, Kartik was forced into defensive mode. Eventually umpire Shepherd — backed by new ICC rules that allow for one-day-style calls on negative deliveries — cautioned him about his negative leg-side line.

Ironically, that seemed to help the bowler because, forced into his normal mode, Kartik hit his stride and had Katich trapped right in front.

By then, though, it appeared too little, too late. This Test is squarely in Australia’s control and the only variable lies in the timing of Friday’s declaration. It’s the week for losing streaks to end; the Boston Red Sox waited 86 years, Australia should have to wait not more than another few sessions.