Oz need to beat the heat

Watching Kaif go down reminded me of what Robin Singh once said to me; that in our conditions it is better to be a couple of kilos over than under. Kaif, slim and streamlined, didn’t have enough in his tank but while he was in, he showed excellent temperament to suggest that he is the most level-headed of the next generation of Indian players. In the dressing room the wise old Sunil Gavaskar will instil in him the need to conserve energy but for a fidgety young man so eager to make an impression, the temptation to charge between wickets must have been too great.

India’s young legs did well again, with Patel and Kaif running as well as they batted. Patel is blossoming beautifully with the bat, playing with maturity far far beyond his years and exuding calm in a tense situation. But behind the stumps the composure turns into anxiety and it is amazing how, when you fear the worst, you almost invite it.

He needs to be as good at both skills. Surgeons can be terrible at sewing a button, people who can unravel theorems cannot understand technology but they can get away with it. Patel cannot. He should spend the next four days working with a top coach, it might be worth it.

Australia’s embrace of patience, though, looks like heading the wrong way. Having said that, it was an impressive gamble to take. With alien conditions confronting them, Australia have chosen to adopt an alien approach. It worked in Bangalore where the garden city produced the perfect weather for them. Here in Chennai, the conditions are arduous, the resolve is tested every minute and there is no escape from the heat, the humidity and from the sound which resonates all around this exhausting crucible. It is too much to ask and yet, Australia’s bowlers have stuck to it better than the batsmen. Shane Warne certainly did. Increasingly he looks in India like Kumble did in Australia; strong on resolve, high on patience but not possessed of the specific tools needed.

This six-wicket haul, and indeed the world record, achieved in the land where he remains a mortal rather than a god, must make him approach the crucial second innings in a better frame of mind. He and Australia will need it.

Meanwhile, this pitch, like the 10.32 slow local in Mumbai, continues to survive!