Michael Clarke posted the highest score by an Australian at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Ricky Ponting struck his first Test century in two years as the hosts pounded India to finish on 482 for four in the second Test.
Captain Clarke scored an unbeaten double-century and Ponting broke through for his first hundred in 34 Test innings to put Australia a commanding 291 runs in front. At stumps Clarke was unconquered on 251 and Michael Hussey on 55. Clarke and Ponting shared the biggest partnership (288) for any Australian wicket against India to leave the dispirited tourists with a mountain to climb to save the match.
Ponting gave the perfect riposte to those calling for his retirement with a dogged 134, while Clarke basked in the adulation of his home crowd by surpassing Doug Walters’ previous highest by an Australian of 242 set in 1969.
Clarke delighted
Clarke was elated with his innings and said he was happy that it had put the team in a winning position.
“It puts the team in another good position to win another Test,” he said. “That’s my goal, to help Australia win as many games as I can. One of the things Ponting taught me before I became captain was that as a leader, I need to make sure I’m leading from the front and scoring runs.”
‘The bottom-line is self-belief’
Meanwhile, Ponting was equally delighted with his career-saving effort and said that despite a lack of centuries in the recent past, he had never lost his self-belief.
“Confidence is an amazing thing in cricket,” he said. “Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been able to spend time in the middle and after this innings, I’ll have more confidence about my game than I’ve had for a long time. The bottom line is self-belief. If you believe you can do it, then you can keep doing it. If the day comes where you wake up in the morning and can’t find any way to make yourself a better player, then you’re wasting your time.”
Ponting, dropped by India captain MS Dhoni on 10, struck 14 fours in his 40th Test century and raised triple figures in dramatic fashion when he dived full length scampering for a single on 99 to beat Zaheer Khan’s throw.
Australia’s onslaught exacted full toll on India’s mediocre 191 first-innings total, leaving the tourists with a massive task to catch up.
“It’s going to be a catch-up game now,” said India spinner Ravi Ashwin. “We’ll have to dig deep and bat long and hard and one or two will have to stand up and really make it count.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2012.
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@ Gambhir,
yes you did it. you might score century tomorrow.
Have I made it large?