HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

SADAGOPPAN Ramesh had no pre-conceived notions about touring Australia in 1999-2000. He was a bit edgy because of the things he had been hearing before the team’s departure. Jaywant Lele, the secretary of the BCCI then, said, “India will lose 3-0.” Even years later, Ramesh still feels that Lele’s comments were in “bad taste”.
Even though when the opener walked out at Adelaide for India’s batting launch in Australia, he had shut out those Nostradamus predictions from his system, soon Greg Blewett came running in from the cover to pounce on a Devang Gandhi drive, even as the Indian openers were starting the negotiation about the runs. A direct throw, stumps shattered and Ramesh was run out for two. Gandhi followed soon, India went from 9-2 to 285 all out—the first innings total also happening to be Australia’s victory margin in the first Test. There are no records to show if Lele had a smile on his face, but 3-0 was how it all ended.
Choosing to recall this ugly bit of history just days before India opens its campaign to the much anticipated series Down Under might be perceived as being anti-national. But this is merely a reminder of the usual first-day jitters for the visitors and the tendency of the locals to strike early. India should remember that they are in a land where the early bird gets the worm—a mere slip can prove suicidal and U-turns don’t exist.
As a case study, take the last three Aussie tours, where the Indian squad had more or less a similar look to it. A world class batting line-up and an above average bowling attack—that’s how India have travelled for more than a decade. But unlike in ‘92 and ‘99 where India was whitewashed, 2003-04 saw Sourav Ganguly & Co settle for a creditable 1-1 scoreline after coming close to winning the series. It all boils down to the start of the series. In ‘92, India lost the first Test by 10 wickets, in ‘99 they went down by 285 runs. The first Test —under Ganguly—in ‘03-04 was drawn and what followed was a famous series. It’s quite simple: If the visitors slide, the Aussies go on a roll.
“In Test cricket, especially overseas, the first match of the series sets a precedent. The ‘99-00 tour and the one after that are classic examples. It results in building up or shredding a huge chuck of confidence that eventually plays a part,” says former India coach and player Anshuman Gaekwad. In the eight times that India have toured Australia, the only time they came close to giving the hosts a tough time was in 1985-86 and 2003-04. On both occasions, they didn’t lose the first Test.
For teams touring Australia, there is the overdose of pressure. It is either the pressure of touring there for the first time, the pressure of not repeating what happened the previous time or to live up to past expectations. Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas isn’t perturbed by the ‘P’ word as he says, “It should be able to charge you enough to give your best.”
Talking about the importance of giving the series the right impetus early, Abbas believes that the first Test performance plays a big role. “It certainly adds or removes a certain amount of pressure if it’s a four or five-Test series,” he says.
In such a scenario, the dismissals of Ramesh and Gandhi had gone a long way in adding to the team’s misery Down Under. Or for that matter, as former Test captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who has a long experience of Australian tours, puts it, “Ganguly’s 144 in Brisbane set the tone for the rest of the series last time.”
Srikkanth’s own way of judging such an instance goes back to India’s tour of Australia in ‘85-’86. With Sunil Gavaskar holding fort at one end and Srikkanth at the other , the Aussies were running for cover. “Such had been the influence once we began well in the first Test that we came close to winning the third one (where Gavaskar, Amarnath and Srikkanth all struck first innings centuries),” says the former India opener.

India made Australia follow on in Sydney and after doing so, the hosts were still 85 runs short with four wickets in hand when play was called off. Before 2003-04, it was the closest India came to winning a Test series in Australia.
Summarising the last few series where India have blown hot and cold on tours Down Under; Srikkanth, Abbas and Gaekwad believe that it is important to begin in right earnest. “The Aussies are world champions and a major reason for that is because they are able to sense their opposition’s weaknesses better than anybody else and much faster. In such a scenario, it becomes more difficult if you end up losing early initiative. But if you are able to settle down, then a lot of other things start falling into place,” explains Gaekwad.
Unlike the Ramesh-Gandhi pair in ‘99, openers Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra seized the initiative in 2003-04. Chopra remembers his thought process before the tour. “There were thoughts in mind—such as the kookaburra swings more, the wickets are fast and bouncy, that they are reigning champions,” he remembers, but only to add: “when you walk out there, it’s a different ball game.”
Chopra knows that with Sehwag at the other end, his job was cut out. Normally for a batsman, it is difficult to enter the field with pre-set thoughts and Chopra agrees. “But you knew what you had to do. They (Aussies) keep coming at you relentlessly. The new ball has to be seen off. If you can do that, the task becomes a lot easier. It is the most important part of playing in Australia, that first day of the first Test, when you seize the initiative,” he says.
To Chopra, playing at the Gabba or MCG was definitely awe-inspiring. “The capacity at MCG has further shot up now (after renovation). To have close to a lakh people watching you, the feeling is tremendous. Now that’s definitely adding to the pressure, but then again, if playing Australia in Australia isn’t about pressure then where else is?” he asks.
Besides pressure, the big worry for the first-timers concerns technique. Both Gandhi and Ramesh are of the view that ‘backfoot play’ is the way ahead in Australia. “I realised only after playing there, how it doesn’t help at all if you’re not strong on your backfoot. The ball comes hard at your chest and you need to be really stable while playing on your backfoot. Before I could realise what was happening, it was too late,” remembers Gandhi.
Ramesh may not talk much about his own desperation back then but he is quick to point out why Rahul Dravid was such a major success there in 2003-04. “He’s got the technique that a batsman requires to command the conditions there. He plays so close to his body and has a backfoot punch to yearn for,” says Ramesh.
Sehwag has come into the picture, but if Dravid has to open the innings in the first Test, as was expected earlier, he will have the burden of giving India a great start. His backfoot punches will decide India’s forward march.