Border Gavaskar Trophy Third Test Preview

The third 2008 Border Gavaskar Test match begins this afternoon at Feroz Shah Kotla in the bustling polluted megacity of Delhi and it promises to be a match full of tense battle and intriguing narrative.

Rarely are both captains under immense pressure at the toss yet Anil Kumble and Ricky Ponting will be feeling the mental strain albeit for different reasons.

Kumble, forced to miss the Mohali Test through injury, needs to perform with the ball if he wants to continue his international career beyond this series.  His ability to take wickets at Kotla is legend with 55 scalps in only 6 matches, including his ten wickets in an innings against Pakistan in 1999.

He is unbeaten in Tests at the ground and with the curator 73 year old horticultural guru Radhey Shyam Sharma promising Anil a belated birthday present of a dry spinner’s paradise, the Indian captain cannot afford to fail as everything is in his favour and the younger Amit Mishra is ready, willing and able to fill his shoes.

Kumble’s leadership will also be scrutinised closely because when he was absent for a session in Bangalore and the entire match in Mohali, vice captain MS Dhoni inspired his team to greater heights, attacking at every opportunity, galvanising and motivating his team in the process. When Dhoni is in charge India believe that anything is possible.

Kumble’s style of captaincy is in direct contrast to his deputy’s and if he wins the toss he must take a risk or two and attempt to clinch the series while the scales are heavily weighted to India’s benefit. If he defends the series lead while holding the advantage of batting first it may be a decision he regrets by the end of the Nagpur Test.

Ponting’s problems while not as potentially terminal as his adversary’s are greater in the context of the series. An Australian loss will sacrifice the coveted silverware and leave Australia without every trophy available to the team in Test match cricket. An achievement Australian cricket holds dearly.

Rather than personal demons to overcome Ponting has to somehow garner a performance as close as possible to the team’s potential from his homesick men. It is the first time during his captaincy that he cannot rely on his more gifted team mates to rescue the team from a tight situation.

In the past, if the batting crumbled Adam Gilchrist would fearlessly take the game to the opposition and restore Australia’s total to respectability and beyond. When wickets were needed it was the simple process of deciding which end to bowl Warne or McGrath. And when he became confused in the field he had the cool head of Gilchrist and the creative genius of Warne to aid in his decisions.

With the successive retirements of these all-time greats, Ponting is now reduced to leading a team where he is the best player. No longer can he conjure wickets easily. No longer can he rely solely on another. He must cunningly use whatever resources he has and this Test will be a tough one for the Tasmanian especially if he loses the toss.

Knowing the precarious situation that Australia find themselves, Ponting’s former captain and mentor Steve Waugh was invited to advise the team and primarily the skipper during the past week. It was a wise move and it won’t surprise to see some of Steve’s steely determination under the BaggyGreen in this match.

Perhaps, the insipid performance in Mohali was an aberration due to Stu Clark’s absence and the bowlers tiring quickly after having to bowl last at Bangalore and after only a brief rest including travel, first in Mohali after losing the toss.

There is no doubt that India played superbly and took advantage of all that was in their favour and equally there is no argument that Ponting lost his way as the plans Australia executed so well in Bangalore were curiously missing in Mohali.

As usual in sub-continental Test match cricket the toss will be all important and if Kumble can call true, his team will have a golden chance to secure the trophy with still a match to play. A win would give him the chance to retire in glory at Nagpur but a loss to a resurgent Australia could abruptly end his international career, sadly and ironically it would seem, as the Kotla in Delhi is the most successful ground he has toiled on throughout his long and distinguished career.

Later: All the day’s important moments scrutinised.