India crushes Australia in 1st Test at Chennai

Australia’s recent victories over Sri Lanka and West Indies are nothing more than a matter of past now. The Aussies have completely failed to pass the initial test in the tough Indian conditions, as they have lost the opening Test by eight wickets at Chennai.

Keeping the traditions alive, the Indians prepared a spinning track. With the help of skipper Michael Clarke’s classy ton, the tourists managed to score 380 in the first innings.

It looked a very good score when the Men in Blue lost a couple of early wickets. But after Sachin Tendulkar’s fine 81, Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni punished the Australian pacer very badly. The skipper hit a double hundred,
while Kohli smashed fine 107.

India put up a huge total of 572 runs in the first innings, and a massive lead was enough to put the Aussies under pressure. Apart From Moises Henriques, no Australia could play a long innings on a spinning surface.

Ravi Ashwin took the full advantage of the conditions, and sent five batsmen back to the pavilion in the second innings. Overall, he claimed 12 wickets in the game. A 50-run target was pretty easy for the Indians, as they finished the
game in less than a dozen overs.

"Full credit has to go to India," says Michael Clarke. "They played outstandingly, especially Dhoni. That innings changed the game completely. And Ashin’s bowling. Moises’ debut is a positive, but we have got to turn
things around.”

“Work hard in the nets and get ready for the next Test match. The pitch looked a lot worse than it played. second innings, it played tougher, but that’s what you expect in the subcontinent. No excuses, we got outplayed."

"Yes I have spent a lot of time here," says MS Dhoni, who is also the Man of the Match. "I love the people out here. Fantastic crowd. Good to see people come for Test matches in India. It was important to play some
shots. If you have those extra catching fielders, you might make one mistake and end your innings. I had to play a few shots to try and spread the field. The first partnership was important.”

“Sachin and Pujara batted for a period of time. Virat and Sachin was crucial. It tired the bowlers a bit. Those partnerships were crucial. Ashwin bowled brilliantly. In the second innings, he was well supported by Bhajji. Ashwin stuck with his offspinners,
which was good. He was willing to bowl in one area, and that’s a big positive.”

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Posted by Rana Nasir Ghafoor on Feb 26 2013. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry