Saturday, October 16, 2004
India-Australia : Test 2, Day 3
This Border-Gavaskar series is turning out to be one tense, keenly fought, kick-ass series. Kumble took 3 wickets in the second innings against Australia, as India powered their way towards gaining the edge in the second Test.
An intriguing day's play where punch was met by counter-punch and strategy was defied by grit set the second Test up perfectly going into the fourth day. Parthiv Patel and Mohammad Kaif stretched India's lead on to a healthy 141 and then Australia, with Adam Gilchrist showing the way at No. 3, scrambled to 150 for 4, with a slender lead of 9.
As the Australians look ready to keel over in the second Test, it is worth remembering what the Aussies are up against - the Australians have not beaten India in India in a Test series since 1970.
The way India has been looking in recent years, beating India in India in a Test series is going to be very, very hard. I didn't remember anybody doing it in recent memory. A series-by-series check on StatsGuru shows that only 1 team in the past 10 years has beaten India in India in a test series, and that was South Africa in March of 2000. That is one series out of fifteen in ten years! India won 10 out of 15 times, with just 4 tied series.
2003-04 : New Zealand in India, Sep - Oct 2003 : Series drawn 0-0
2002-03 : West Indies in India, Oct - Nov 2002-03 India wins the 3-Test series 2-0
2001-02 : Zimbabwe in India, Feb - Mar 2002 : India wins the 2-Test series 2-0
2001-02 : England in India, Nov 2001 - Jan 2002 : India wins the series 1-0
2000-01 : Zimbabwe in India, Nov-Dec 2000 : Zimbabwe in India, India won 2-0
2000-01 : Australia in India, Feb-Mar 2001 : India wins the 3-Test series 2-1
1999-2000 : South Africa in India, Feb-Mar 2000 : South Africa beat India 2-0
1999-2000 : New Zealand in India, Oct-Nov 1999 : India wins the 3-Test series 1-0
1998-99 : Pakistan in India, January - February 1999 : 2-Test series drawn 1-1
1997-98 : Sri Lanka in India, Nov-Dec 1997 (3 TESTS) Sri Lanka in India - 3 draws
1997-98 : Australia in India, Feb-Mar 1998 : India wins the 3-Test series 2-1
1996-97 : South Africa in India, Nov-Dec 1996 : India wins the 3-Test series 2-1
1996-97 : Australia in India, Oct 1996 (1 TEST) : India wins the one-off Test
1995-96 : New Zealand in India : Oct/Nov 1995 (3 TESTS): India wins the 3-Test series 1-0
1994-95 : West Indies in India : Oct/Dec 1994 (3 TESTS) : 3-Test series drawn 1-1
Australia has lost all 3 of their last 3 series in India. It looks like Kumble might just have done 'em in once more.
Full disclosure : When it comes to cricket, I am pretty darn partisan.
An intriguing day's play where punch was met by counter-punch and strategy was defied by grit set the second Test up perfectly going into the fourth day. Parthiv Patel and Mohammad Kaif stretched India's lead on to a healthy 141 and then Australia, with Adam Gilchrist showing the way at No. 3, scrambled to 150 for 4, with a slender lead of 9.
As the Australians look ready to keel over in the second Test, it is worth remembering what the Aussies are up against - the Australians have not beaten India in India in a Test series since 1970.
The way India has been looking in recent years, beating India in India in a Test series is going to be very, very hard. I didn't remember anybody doing it in recent memory. A series-by-series check on StatsGuru shows that only 1 team in the past 10 years has beaten India in India in a test series, and that was South Africa in March of 2000. That is one series out of fifteen in ten years! India won 10 out of 15 times, with just 4 tied series.
2003-04 : New Zealand in India, Sep - Oct 2003 : Series drawn 0-0
2002-03 : West Indies in India, Oct - Nov 2002-03 India wins the 3-Test series 2-0
2001-02 : Zimbabwe in India, Feb - Mar 2002 : India wins the 2-Test series 2-0
2001-02 : England in India, Nov 2001 - Jan 2002 : India wins the series 1-0
2000-01 : Zimbabwe in India, Nov-Dec 2000 : Zimbabwe in India, India won 2-0
2000-01 : Australia in India, Feb-Mar 2001 : India wins the 3-Test series 2-1
1999-2000 : South Africa in India, Feb-Mar 2000 : South Africa beat India 2-0
1999-2000 : New Zealand in India, Oct-Nov 1999 : India wins the 3-Test series 1-0
1998-99 : Pakistan in India, January - February 1999 : 2-Test series drawn 1-1
1997-98 : Sri Lanka in India, Nov-Dec 1997 (3 TESTS) Sri Lanka in India - 3 draws
1997-98 : Australia in India, Feb-Mar 1998 : India wins the 3-Test series 2-1
1996-97 : South Africa in India, Nov-Dec 1996 : India wins the 3-Test series 2-1
1996-97 : Australia in India, Oct 1996 (1 TEST) : India wins the one-off Test
1995-96 : New Zealand in India : Oct/Nov 1995 (3 TESTS): India wins the 3-Test series 1-0
1994-95 : West Indies in India : Oct/Dec 1994 (3 TESTS) : 3-Test series drawn 1-1
Australia has lost all 3 of their last 3 series in India. It looks like Kumble might just have done 'em in once more.
Full disclosure : When it comes to cricket, I am pretty darn partisan.
